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The Ultimate Survival Guide to Being a Girl: On Love, Body Image, School, and Making It Through Life

Christina De Witte

3.57 · Rating details · 82 ratings · 30 reviews

Addressing the struggles of young girls everywhere, this hilariously relatable comic guide to life provides real advice and encourages a new generation of teen girls to find confidence and embrace individuality.

With friends, love, social media, body image, and more--navigating young adulthood can seem impossible. The Ultimate Survival Guide to Being a Girl provides humoro ...more

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Paperback, 240 pages

Published August 7th 2018 by Running Press Kids

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· 82 ratings · 30 reviews

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Start your review of The Ultimate Survival Guide to Being a Girl: On Love, Body Image, School, and Making It Through Life

Mar 26, 2018 Kylie Amber rated it it was amazing

** I received an ARC from NetGalley and publisher Running Press Kids in exchange for my honest review**

"It's so much easier to chase your dreams if you charge your batteries now and again."

This little survival guide was absolutely spot-on. It’s honestly the perfect gift for a mom with a daughter going through puberty or starting high school. But, it is also good for older teen girls as well, dealing with image and anxiety.
Some sections that resonated well with me were:
- The art of (not) giving ...more

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Mar 15, 2018 Sara ➽ Ink Is My Sword rated it really liked it

Shelves: non-fiction, netgalley, young-adult

4“Needed this in my high school years” Stars

Disclaimer: Copy provided by the publisher and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

"feminine hygiene products are taxed as "luxury items". Yep, you read right, and nope, I am not kidding. The government thinks we bleed for fun, so they think is reasonable to let us pay thousands of dollars to buy the accessories we need to stop the blood from squirting all over the place."

If you feel like this and you are a teen, pick this up:

description

I am 18-years-o ...more

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Mar 08, 2018 ♛ Garima ♛ rated it liked it

Shelves: comics, netgalley, curious-cat, drama, lost-interest, not-finished, teen

I think I am bit too old, at the age of 30+ something, to really enjoy and relate to teen issues book but I can see it addresses many issues which would really be helpful for any teenager girl out there.

It is book that is mix of traditional and comic style writing - the style I really like so if you are teenager, this is the book for you. I strongly recommend but too unrelatable for my taste.

It is available in read-now section of netgalley so if you are curious, easier to request and read on!

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Jan 14, 2020 Amanda Koger rated it liked it

note: this was sent to me by the publisher for review.

i definitely found this helpful in some aspects of my life, expect that it did read a little bit like a textbook and sometimes the slang used put me off a bit. i do think some parts of this book will date itself in reference to social media and websites, but i do think this will be helpful to younger girls in middle school and high school and early college (I think i might be getting too old for this since i am almost 24.) In the end i would ...more

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Oct 11, 2018 Lucie rated it liked it

Shelves: not-fiction

3.5 Stars

*I received an eArc of this book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review*
This was... fine. This was a cute read and based on the majority of the content and conversational tone I can see this being a nice book for younger girls just entering high school, but I don't see this being very useful if you're any older than that.
I had an ARC copy and a lot of the formatting got super messed up, but hopefully that was fixed by publication and I won't judge it on that.
My biggest problems ...more

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Dec 10, 2018 Elgyn rated it did not like it · review of another edition

Shelves: 2018

„Hele, byla jsem v pubertě, takže kdo jiný by to napsal lépe.
Ano, měla jsem na tuhle knížku spoustu času, ale protože jsem prokrastinovala (no co, to děláme všichni), měla jsem na každou kapitolu jenom týden. Možná nejlíp pracuju pod stresem...“
Nebo by možná měla psát o něčem jiném. Tohle je IMHO ztráta času.

s. 31 Kapitola o sociální fobii, není to jen puberta, pravděpodobně je to fobie. Jestli cítíš, že by ti prospěla odborná pomoc, určitě zajdi za lékařem, který ti doporučí vhodnou terapii neb ...more

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Dec 12, 2020 Anvita (anvitascorner) added it

i WISH i could go back and read this when i was a teenager, it would definitely be a 5 star then

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May 03, 2018 Brandi rated it liked it

Positives: The author has obviously done her research, and has written in a conversational, relatable tone that should appeal to teens. This “survival guide” covers a WIDE variety of topics and is incredibly inclusive.

Potential Drawbacks: Librarians shelving this book in conservative communities should be prepared for challenges as the author advocates for free menstrual hygiene products and vegetarianism/veganism in addition to the usual “target” issues (LGBTQ, feminism, etc). Be aware that th ...more

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May 21, 2018 christinemm rated it liked it

I am confused about the target age range. Assumed this was for preteens and teens. Front and back cover says teens, young adults, and then girls. There is advice here for girls age 13 and puberty and there is also advice on getting a tattoo But never talks about the implications that they will not be able to be hired at certain jobs were teenagers and college age students as well as 20 somethings off and find employment for entry-level jobs. There is an illustration showing girls socializing wit ...more

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Apr 14, 2018 Amber rated it liked it

Shelves: advanced-reading-copies, read-in-2018

Disclaimer: I received this book for free from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

Writing an advice book for young women is easier said than done. There's a lot going on in their heads, with their bodies, and the great wide world around them. When I was a kid, my mum grabbed a religious-toned book and gave it to me and that was "the talk". I don't remember what it was anymore, but I do remember the premise: ever Disclaimer: I received this book for free from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

Writing an advice book for young women is easier said than done. There's a lot going on in their heads, with their bodies, and the great wide world around them. When I was a kid, my mum grabbed a religious-toned book and gave it to me and that was "the talk". I don't remember what it was anymore, but I do remember the premise: everything is natural, your body is god's temple and do not despoil it, and pray for guidance daily.

With all due respect to the religious folk, it was not very helpful. It didn't explain how and how much I was supposed to shave all their weird hair or how to use a tampon and WTF is up with Boys. It definitely didn't explore sexual and gender identity or social responsibility.

Puberty is a crazy time, y'all. Ideally, we'd all have something akin to The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy where we can ask the digital book a question and it would have a snarky but super helpful answer. Google is good for that, sometimes. For all the rest, we have "girls' guide" books like this one.

Christina hits some points really well, but other discussion feel like blog posts where she is discussing her personal exploits and individual opinions. For the entire time, I felt like I was reading a blog, not a structured non-fiction book. In ways, it makes it more casual and relatable, but sometimes I just wish she would be a bit more professional considering the type of book she has chosen to write. It's not a memoir, so don't treat it like one.

The formatting of the book is all over the place. Even though there are clear chapter headings, we went from saving to vegetarianism in the same chapter. She also gets very preachy about some of her personal opinions, encouraging all young girls to switch to a meat-free diet and telling them that she has a perfect life because she had a great boyfriend and a job she loves and wears cute clothes and makeup (as though that were the recipe for success). For some young women, this will be a perfect fit. For others, it will make them uncomfortable because it doesn't line up with the things that make them feel happy and confident.

Overall, I'd say that this book isn't bad as a general read, but I don't think it's the One. She skims briefly over socially charged topics such as the LGBTQ+ community and definitions, while focusing for a long time on things like nutrition. I would really have liked to see more social responsibility discussion (sexism, racism, etc.), as it's very important in the modern world. She discusses it in the reference of "what to do when you are being prejudiced against" but not "how to NOT be a sexist/racist/homophobe/etc.". At one point, in discussion toxic relationships, she advises the reader that "acting like a bitch" is not the way to go. I agree, it isn't, but woah now! I don't want to see women calling each other that anywhere, but especially not in a book that claims to have an outline of behaviors for young adulthood.

Some of her sections are fueled by facts and references, while others are very self-driven. Depending on what sorts of things a young woman wants to learn about, this could be a great book. Or a terrible one. It definitely would not have worked for me, but I think a lot of young women would appreciate a guidebook written by a 20 y/o. ...more

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Mar 24, 2018 Kim rated it really liked it

** I received an advanced copy from the publisher through NetGalley, in exchange for an honest review ** Let's start!

When I found this book in the NetGalley lists, it seemed an interesting title, which I thought was focused for women, but it is really a book for girls and teenagers, so the tips and guides were not exactly for my age ( 21 years) but that did not stop me from enjoying it though.

Let's start with the parts that I liked:

Christine writes the list of tips and guides in a clear and conc ** I received an advanced copy from the publisher through NetGalley, in exchange for an honest review ** Let's start!

When I found this book in the NetGalley lists, it seemed an interesting title, which I thought was focused for women, but it is really a book for girls and teenagers, so the tips and guides were not exactly for my age ( 21 years) but that did not stop me from enjoying it though.

Let's start with the parts that I liked:

Christine writes the list of tips and guides in a clear and concise manner, giving a short introduction to each topic by giving the meaning of the terms that are important to understand the text well. It is a way for girls and young people who are reading it to understand perfectly and can receive guidance in a better way! Her writing is fast and interesting.

Chrostin, the character that accompanies us in the story, helps us with the most important details and allows us to laugh a little with the comics.

The themes that Christine talks about are very important for girls and young women who start in a free time, such as bullying, feminism, self-love, among others. It is a book that tackles many topics that I found excellent, which can sometimes be difficult to learn.

I agreed on many things that we like the author, she mentions controversial issues in an excellent way, professionally. So it is a great book to share with young people!

Now a couple of things that I did not like:

Being an advance copy, many errors are reviewed and changed, but I think some topics that contained each chapter and could be considered outside the central topic, the author began to talk about dressing in an original and unique way and then followed a comment about an odor rare in the earrings, which seemed to me that it did not have much to do with the central theme, and so it contained the themes that seemed to be filled.

I like a book that can help many girls who feel confused or overwhelmed by the changes they have in the adolescence stage. I would give this book to anyone. I also loved reading something that I would lijke when I was going through those changes. Chrostin, you already have another fan here!

"Feminism is not about how you look or what you wear, it's not about who you go out with or fall in love with, it's not about thinking you deserve more than someone else, it's about thinking you deserve the same thing. Women are already strong, I just want society to perceive us as strong as well."
...more

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Aug 14, 2018 Jackie rated it liked it

Shelves: arcs

The Ultimate Survival Guide to Being a Girl gave me some mixed feelings.

On the one hand, I'm always supportive of books that want to educate young women about their bodies. It was cool that De Witte mentioned tattoos, having online friends, and other topics that rarely get discussed straightforwardly with teens. However, it's important to note that a lot of the book read as opinion or anecdotal because of a lack of citations or outside examples.

There were a few patently false things described h ...more

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Aug 22, 2018 Aimie rated it liked it

Shelves: arc

The Ultimate Survival Guide to Being a Girl is an advice book centering around girls between the ages of 13-19 (pre-teen to young adult). This is basically like getting advice from an older sister or an older mentor.

Christina De Witte made this advice book both informative as well as fun to read. I can understand how this can be helpful to some girls. However, it at times felt like De Witte was pushing her viewpoint on certain topics (view spoiler) ...more

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Jul 11, 2018 Michal Lynn rated it it was ok

Shelves: dnf, netgalley, arc, memoirs-and-life-stories

The Ultimate Survival Guide to Being a Girl is the book equivalent of getting advice from a big sister or an older friend. It's perfect for teens who have questions but who might not feel super comfortable confiding in their parents.

Christina De Witte is 22, so she's fresh out of her teen years. Reading this as a 31 year old, it's obvious that there is still a lot more that can be said and taught while still maintaining a young perspective. This isn't the authority here, but rather someone who ...more

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Jan 04, 2019 Anne rated it it was ok

Shelves: 2018, graphic-novels, informational, juvenile, young-adult

Not just a guide to puberty and the changing body but a guide to growing up and dealing with all things associated with this time of life including what to wear for your body type, how to eat healthier, deal with peer pressure - as well as puberty, love, sex, dating, etc. For girls, definitely. Illustrated throughout with author's web-comic cartoon character, Chrostin. Writing is very dry, despite attempts to be engaging. I ended up skimming desperately when I got to the back third of the book. ...more

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Jul 26, 2018 Lauren rated it really liked it

Shelves: 22-29

Disclaimer: Title provided by Netgalley in exchange for a review.

I found "The Ultimate Survival Guide to Being a Girl" pretty refreshing compared to other titles that solely focus on the physical and chemical changes that happen to young girls. The style of this book reminds of something an older sibling might reveal to their younger sister, like how not to be a mean girl, how to wear makeup, what styles of clothing work best for certain body types, etc. It is so much more than a " how to manage ...more

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Feb 11, 2019 Indy rated it it was amazing

It is challenging to be a female in modern society, not only because of the society and culture, but also the expectations we have on ourselves as well as those from family and others. This is an awesome book for girls to read, no matter how old you are, you will still find it inspiring one way or the other - outer environmental of community and culture all the way to inner self: appearance, self care, mentality, how to be more open minded, influence your community, live a happier life, stay fit ...more

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Jul 28, 2018 Ari Augustine rated it it was amazing

I wish I had this as a teen to explain the things adults thought were too...."inappropriate"...for me to know, even in regards to my own body. LOVED all the little illustrations and how caring the author was when it came to thoroughly covering each topic....like self-care and body image. It doesn't preach or spout the usual advice that sounds like a broken record - it actively seeks to get teens to think about themselves as more of their own person, instead of an extension of what others want to ...more

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Sep 12, 2018 Cassandra Fay rated it liked it

Shelves: read-in-2018

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

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Apr 15, 2018 Shelby rated it it was amazing

*I was sent a e-arc from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. The Ultimate Survival Guide to Being a Girl is a book that I would recommend to any young girl or parent of a young girl. I found it overall informative and can see how it could be helpful to younger girls

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Nov 25, 2020 Maddie Fairweather rated it liked it

*3.5

Good book! Would definitely recommend to younger teen girls! 💕

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Jan 11, 2021 Alexandra rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Great book for teenage girls, loved it!

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Aug 14, 2018 Becca rated it it was ok

Shelves: arc

Sent to the school from the publisher -- passed on to the HS.

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Aug 05, 2018 CC Sanders rated it liked it

This book could most likely help a lot of girls out there. The author touched some topics really well and I was actually surprised by the range of topics and how current topics were picked up (How to be avoid being catfished, how to decide what to post on the internet, ...) but on the other hand most of the time it simply did not feel like a non-fiction book and it fell short touching some very important topics like sexism and racism. Some topics are touched on quite bluntly and might be a bit p ...more

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Jan 15, 2020 Lotte rated it really liked it

How the heck did they come up with "The ultimate survival guide to being a girl" when the Dutch title is "Some girls don't like pink".
It's obviously a book for teenagers growing up, but a lot of the stuff is still applicable later in life. It's not the typical guide for teenage girls, so I really don't understand why the title had to be different in English.
I've been following Chrostin for a while, and was curious about the book, but it is true to her personality. She is all about positivity and ...more

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Jessica rated it liked it
Nov 11, 2018

May 19, 2018 Katrina Ayala rated it it was ok

The Ultimate Guide to Being a Girl held so much potential yet fell kind of short. I had read this in hopes of handing it over to my daughter someday. However, I’m no longer quite comfortable with that. Even for girls in high school, I feel some content is inappropriate or not discussed well.

While I like that the author was unabashed in giving out a lot of advice, I feel like several things could have been left out. Do girls need to know about hygiene, proper bra fitting and how to handle sticky ...more

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