Rebel Girls by Elizabeth Keenan

Jul 07, 2019 Betsy rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: netgalley

More rebellion, please!

Most people wouldn't touch this topic with a ten-foot pole, so I'll give Keenan tons of credit for finding an eleven-foot pole :)

Rebel Girls explains the different viewpoints in the abortion debate in a way that's accessible to teens. It leans a bit pro-choice, but the story's focus is really on understanding others' views. That alone makes it worth a read.

My major problem is with the book's title--"Rebel Girls" doesn't involve all that much rebellion, but I guess "Work ...more

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Aug 22, 2019 MissBecka rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: femme, ya-na-and-middlegrade-to-read, netgalley-books-read, z2019-books-i-read, kindle-already-done

This was a cool trip down memory lane.
A large chunk of my rating is for the nostalgia aspect of the 90's era.
The characters were interesting and the story was decent.
I would have liked more rebellion for a book called Rebel Girls.
With the setting being a Catholic school I suppose they did what they could within those confines.

Thanks you NetGalley and Harlequin TEEN for my ARC.

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Jul 27, 2019 Kyra Leseberg (Roots & Reads) rated it really liked it

Shelves: arc

It's 1992 and Athena Graves is figuring out who she is in her Baton Rouge, Louisiana Catholic high school. She has feminist views, a love for punk rock, and an appreciation for the up-and-coming riot grrrl movement after hearing a Bikini Kill demo while visiting her mom in Washington state over the summer.

Athena is shocked to hear a rumor spreading that her younger pro-life sister Helen had an abortion over the summer. While the sisters know it didn't happen, Helen is embarassed and stunned ...more

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Jul 31, 2019 Jackie rated it really liked it

Shelves: giveaways

I won this in a Goodreads giveaway. Touches upon opinions of abortion at a Catholic School in the 1990s. Interesting read about how political, religious and a solely womens issue shape ones opinions of someone else ...more

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Jun 17, 2019 Jaye Berry added it

Shelves: ebooks, contemporary, 2019

In fairness because this book isn't out for a couple months, I won't leave a rating because it's a low one. Still love the cover though.

While I appreciate the attempt and idea behind this book, it just isn't it. Everything is so messy and I'm sorry to say even the writing wasn't good. This book is all about a girl whose sister ends up in the middle of a bad rumor that is ruining her life at their Catholic school in 1992 until she decides to fight back.

That's one of my issues though, a lot of In fairness because this book isn't out for a couple months, I won't leave a rating because it's a low one. Still love the cover though.

While I appreciate the attempt and idea behind this book, it just isn't it. Everything is so messy and I'm sorry to say even the writing wasn't good. This book is all about a girl whose sister ends up in the middle of a bad rumor that is ruining her life at their Catholic school in 1992 until she decides to fight back.

That's one of my issues though, a lot of this book is about other people doing things and not the MC Athena ever taking an active role. Even when she finally does, it is all because of her pro-choice and feminist best friend, not because of her own ideas and drive. I would have 100% liked this book more if it was from the best friend's POV. Also there were a lot of weird comments coming from Athena (and everyone else) talking about her sister Helen's body and how jealous she was... her sister is 14 and it weirded me out.

Athena's love life (or messy attempts at getting a boyfriend) took a weirdly large part of this book and I was just so uninterested in her going on about him. Even reading about their dates together where they were just listing bands back and forth was so boring to me. While I understand this book takes place in the '90s, I didn't need to be hit with references on the head every other page either.

As for the whole "feminist" aspect... yeah no. Ugh. It was not done well at all. Helen is super pro-life despite her parents and sister being pro-choice. Why is Helen like this? No reason. The only time Helen learns that huh, telling other women how to live their lives is wrong is because she gets accused of having an abortion herself and the rumors hurt. ????

Athena also happens to spend the entire book hating on other girls. There is a little bit of girl power, teaming up for a cause but really it was so shallow when the book still had so much girl on girl hate. Also the evil teachers in this book were so bizarre and cartoony.

I'm sorry but Athena is the worst feminist ever and this book missed every mark it wanted. Read Moxie and Girls on the Verge instead. ...more

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Jul 28, 2019 Nemo (The Moonlight Library) rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: arc, stand-alone, audience-young-adult, format-ebook, genre-contemporary, sts, publisher-harlequin, review-copy, rich-white-girl-problems, source-edelweiss

This review was originally posted on The Moonlight Library
I received a copy of this book from Edelweiss in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.Check out the original review on The Moonlight Library for gifs!

You would think, for a book that calls itself Rebel Girls, that there might be some actual rebellion going on in the plot.

It's not the author's fault (I hope!). Publishers can change the title of a book to whatever they want. This review was originally posted on The Moonlight Library
I received a copy of this book from Edelweiss in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.Check out the original review on The Moonlight Library for gifs!

You would think, for a book that calls itself Rebel Girls, that there might be some actual rebellion going on in the plot.

It's not the author's fault (I hope!). Publishers can change the title of a book to whatever they want. And sure, the idea of a good little Catholic girl rebelling in her school really appealed to me.

But this book could more accurately be called 'Girls who push boundaries but don't really break rules' and not appeal to the masses as much as 'Rebel Girls'. 'Girls who work within the established system.' Because Athena is a Good Girl (TM) and nothing will change that.

That's the thing that annoyed me the most about this book. I kept expecting actual rebellion, not teen girls helplessly looking at each other while your typical Mean Girl (TM) ran amok, actually ruining lives with their one-dimensional cruelty, armed with nothing but nasty gossip, rumours, and the ability to anticipate and get there with a sob story first.

Seriously, Leah is meaner than Regina George.

Although I didn't get the rebellion I was sold, I did like the characters and their motivations. Athena and Helen butted heads on their deepest beliefs, and their mother wasn't around to help guide them. Their dad was largely absent due to work, and actually triggered the inciting incident through his failure of managing domestic tasks: because nearly 6 foot tall Helen had to go to school in her first day of freshman year in her much shorter sister's skirt, people were already assuming that she was promiscuous... Due to wearing a short skirt. Yeah, this is the 90s, it totally happened, and it's totally believable. Everything in this well-researched, obviously much-loved novel is totally believable, even the relationships between a girl and a guy best friend, his bitchy girlfriend, and the Nice Guy (TM) our heroine Athena falls head over heels in-sta-love with.

I also really enjoyed watching the teens navigate their friendships, especially Athena with the senior girls, her own other best friend (a purple-haired Asian girl), and Athena with Helen's indistinguishable (at first) friends. I liked seeing girls come together, support each other, and work on a problem: that's the power of feminism. Also, I found it really refreshing how, although Athena and Helen were on opposite sides of the abortion debate, they could put their differences aside and work together - and neither of them changed their stance, so it never felt preachy.

So although I didn't get the rebellion the title of this novel sells, I still did enjoy the book - mostly - on the strength of its love and nostalgia for Louisiana in the 90s, and realistic portrayals of teen friendships in high school before social media existed which is a thing I think modern day teens might enjoy, too.

I received a copy of this book from in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review. ...more

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Sep 23, 2019 Jessica | Booked J rated it liked it

Blog | Twitter | Instagram | Review can be found here at Booked J.

(3.5) As always, a copy of this book was provided by the publisher or author in exchange for my honest review. This does not effect my opinion in any way.

As one of my most anticipated reads of 2019, Rebel Girls was at the tip top of my TBR for the end of summer. Look at that cover! Check out that synopsis! I mean, surely, you can see why it was a priority read for me.

Sign me up for girls supporting girls, which is one of the ...more

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Dec 11, 2019 Melanie Brinkman added it · review of another edition

Shelves: own-k, young-adult, contemporary, fiction

When life gets your fellow girl down, you stand back up with her.

It's 1992 and the rumor mill of one Baton Rouge high school is churning. Word quickly spreads that Athena Graves' little sister, Helen, had an abortion over the summer. Athena knows that it doesn't matter what Helen did or didn't do, but at their conservative Catholic High School, those words have the power to get her expelled. The sisters aren't ready to go down without a fight. Along with a few of their best friends, they band When life gets your fellow girl down, you stand back up with her.

It's 1992 and the rumor mill of one Baton Rouge high school is churning. Word quickly spreads that Athena Graves' little sister, Helen, had an abortion over the summer. Athena knows that it doesn't matter what Helen did or didn't do, but at their conservative Catholic High School, those words have the power to get her expelled. The sisters aren't ready to go down without a fight. Along with a few of their best friends, they band together behind a plan with the power to save more than Helen's reputation.

A story of girls with the might to take back their rights. When times get tough, it's time to stand up.

Trigger warning for girl hate, racism, sexism, slut-shaming, and bullying.

Punk rock loving, confident Athena was a bit of an outsider at St. Ann's. She and her best friend Melissa were part of the Riot Grrrl movement, but she often grappled with what it meant to be a feminist and whether she was feminist enough. The surge of overwhelming love she showed her little sister after the rumors started flying was so moving. However, I was never quite sure how to feel about Athena. Claiming to support all girls no matter what, there were definitely times when she didn't practice what she preached. I admired not only her determination to do what was right, but also her ability to get her point across without being forceful.

Sister is so much more than a noun. Biological or found, she's the girl you share your dearest memories with. She's the girl you might disagree with, but woe behold anyone who dares to mess with her. I'm an older sister myself, so I found the "I don't always understand you but I've always got your back" relationship of Athena and Helen extremely realistic.

From Athena's best friend, Melissa, to Helen's best friends, to the other girls in the high school, the term sister was so much thicker than blood. A great feeling of solidarity radiated from these characters as they stood together despite their differences. Seeing the supporting cast in action was interesting, but it was incredibly difficult to feel for them on a personal level as we never got to know much about them. It also felt like a few characters motivations, like the"mean girls" Leah and Amiee, were underdeveloped. There was so much potential, but sadly they were left at the surface level.

Quiet, small acts, pepperd throughout this novel proved movements don't have to be loud and flashy to be efficient. Littered with 90's musical nostalgia, Athena's justified, but nervous voice narrated a tale of sisters, rumors, and rights. While the rebellion aspect of the book was a bit tame, it was still very impactful. Although her work lent a little pro-choice, Elizabeth Keenan presented the pro-life/pro-choice at a level that was central, but not limited to teenagers' lives. Despite some meandering plot lines, discussions of feminism, religion, friendship, sisterhood, and abortion helped this contemporary deliver its most powerful message of all - your voice is important and you deserve to be heard. At times a bit dramatic, Rebel Girls was honestly thought-provoking.

Rebel Girls was a reminder to always stand up against injustice. ...more

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Sep 11, 2019 Sarah Ames-Foley rated it it was ok · review of another edition

Shelves: arcs, young-adult, feminism, involves-romance

This review can also be found on my blog.
disclaimer: I received an advanced copy of this book from NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for review consideration. All of the opinions presented below are my own.

This book was, unfortunately, a struggle for me. I loved the cover and was excited to read a political, feminist YA. It just didnt quite feel like thats what I got. At first, I really enjoyed Athenas thought processes and politics. What initially got me was how she ruminated upon the This review can also be found on my blog.
disclaimer: I received an advanced copy of this book from NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for review consideration. All of the opinions presented below are my own.

This book was, unfortunately, a struggle for me. I loved the cover and was excited to read a political, feminist YA. It just didn’t quite feel like that’s what I got. At first, I really enjoyed Athena’s thought processes and politics. What initially got me was how she ruminated upon the conflict one can face when trying to be a “good” feminist and respect other women while also struggling with the instinct to put them down when we feel threatened, something mainstream culture seems to have primed us to do. It gave me hope that the rest of the book would expand on this, and frame other struggles similarly.

I slowly realized that this wouldn’t go any further; sure, Athena thinks these things, but she doesn’t do them! She is judging women and putting them down based on her superficial slotting of them into roles. Every character here is just a trope, and Athena herself doesn’t make any effort to see them differently than that. We are told that Athena is a good feminist who struggles to fight against what she has been conditioned to feel for other women, but we aren’t shown this to be true. This gave the book a superficiality that made it impossible for me to become invested in.

To get more into the characters themselves, they’re truly just an amalgamation of the pop culture they consume. Everyone is described only by what they listen to or read -- except the mean girls, who are cardboard cut-out characters who have absolutely no redeemable qualities and are given absolutely no sympathy. I truly don’t understand how a book supposedly about justice and girl power could write women like this, but oh well. The constant pop culture references got stale very fast, and I found myself rolling my eyes every time they were brought up.

The plot was also confusing, I didn’t really understand what the author was trying to accomplish. The focus of the book is that Athena’s sister Helen is accused of getting an abortion. The book is mostly about Athena trying to figure out how to dispel these untrue rumors, but it’s also about Athena’s relationship with some guy who she had zero chemistry with? The scenes between them felt awkward and pointless and he only existed to further the mean girl plot. In an otherwise well-done book, I could have seen it as a play on how women are used as plot devices, but I truly don’t think that was the intention here. It felt like it was just thrown in to add to the drama Athena was going through. Not to mention that I essentially had to drag myself through the book; I kept checking the Goodreads page because I couldn’t believe that this was only 300 pages.

I feel bad, because I really wanted to like this and there was the potential for some good rep -- Athena’s best friend is half Vietnamese and her other best friend is black -- but none of the characters were sufficiently utilized or explored. Between that and the lack of an interesting plot, this just really fell flat for me. ...more

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Aug 23, 2019 Danielle (Life of a Literary Nerd) rated it it was ok

Rebel Girls, while enjoyable is probably going to be a mostly forgettable read for me. I loved the strong focus on sibling relationships, girl solidarity, and challenging belief you find harmful or disrespectful, but I just didn't connect with the characters as much as I wanted to. Sister Catherine was probably one of the standout characters and I loved seeing her throughout the story. Unfortunately, I didn't like any of the romances in the story - they were just too flat for me to care about. ...more

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Jul 14, 2019 Kristi Housman Confessions of a YA Reader rated it really liked it

Shelves: advanced-reader, netgalley-books

Rebel Girls really appealed to me based off the time that the book takes place in. The year is 1992 and I was in high school then. There were some definite reminders that felt accurate of the time period. Others not so much. Athena is the girl I wish I was. While I thought I was feminist and had some feminist views, I wasn't into punk yet, I obsessed too much over boys, and I very much cared what people thought of me. I wanted to fit in, not stand out. In some ways, I'm still like that. ...more

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Jun 16, 2019 Amber rated it really liked it

Shelves: kindlicious, strong-female-protagonists, advanced-reading-copies, something-to-think-about, read-in-2019

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

I LOVED this book. I feel like it did a pretty good job of filling the hole Moxie left behind when I finished that earlier this year. Its smart, the characters are great, and it doesnt hesitate to take on a difficult topic.

Before I go and squeal about it some more, I do want to leave some possible trigger warnings for Disclaimer: I received this book for free from NetGalley and Inkyard Press in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

I LOVED this book. I feel like it did a pretty good job of filling the hole Moxie left behind when I finished that earlier this year. It’s smart, the characters are great, and it doesn’t hesitate to take on a difficult topic.

Before I go and squeal about it some more, I do want to leave some possible trigger warnings for the book, and turn-offs, depending on your politics. Rebel Girls discusses extreme bullying, and there is one scene where a character’s locker is covered in graphic images of unborn fetuses. Additionally, one of the themes of this book is the abortion conversation and it found it leans to pro-choice. If you are a pro-life supporter, you may find parts of this book offensive, depending on your comfort levels in the discussion.

Rebel Girls is set in Louisiana in the early 90s. Our protagonist, Athena (thanks, Mom), loves the Riot Grrl revolution, but she goes to a strict Catholic School and they aren’t always supportive of her ideals. On the political spectrum, Athena swings left but she’s not outspoken and forceful about it (though she definitely wants to be). I liked Athena a lot as a character because she was so well-balanced. I think it’s easy to write characters who are fierce and brave, but characters who want to be but have insecurities but still try are the ones who really speak to me. Also, Athena felt like a younger high schooler. She gets all flushed and gooey talking about her crushes and has idols and has fixed love/hate feelings for her little sister.

When this book quickly became political, I was extremely worried it was going to be a one-sided soap box. While it may not have been perfectly balanced, Rebel Girls made a good effort. My experience with extreme left and extreme right opinions on any controversial topic is that they tend to villainize the other side. Although Athena is a pro-choice character, it was so important that her little sister was a pro-life character… and that they didn’t cancel one another out. Athena and Helen stuck to their believes and managed to work together despite them. It’s an interesting commentary, and I think given exactly how hot a topic abortion is right now, it was important that Elizabeth Keegan did this correctly.

I will say that the villains in this story felt like caricatures. Leah and Aimee were so blatantly ignorant and selfish that I figured something must be wrong – but no, they were just various much like Marianne from Easy A. That type of character drive me crazy. There’s never tolerance – always extremism in interactions. Because of characters like these and Mrs. Turner, it’s so important to have foils like Angelle, Helen, and Sister Catherine. There’s actually a couple really lovely moments with Sister Catherine in the second half of the book, making her one of my favorite characters.

There was so much focus on the plot and politics in this novel that the love story was extraneous. Romantic scenes seemed like setups to further the main plot in small ways rather than to push forward the relationship itself. They weren’t bad, but they felt more like filler to strengthen the evilness of Leah and Aimee than anything else.

Generally speaking, I really liked Rebel Girls. I liked the controversial topic and the different characters (some of the minor characters were really great) but I do wish there had been a little more variety in the political stances. Even if you don’t agree with something, I do think it’s important that everyone has a voice. That goes for both sides of the line. That aside, it was a great story with some really good lines and Louisiana in the early 90s was a fun stop – I wish there were more YA in the 80s and 90s because I am here for it. ...more

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Jul 02, 2019 Kendra rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

This is a great book. Everyone ages 9 and up should have this put in their hands to read ASAP. When her anti-choice younger sister Helen is rumored to have had an abortion by their Catholic school's mean girls clique, her pro-choice, riot grrrl sister Athena and her friends build a campaign to counter the accusations and to make everyone rethink their positions on shame, privacy, and autonomy. Along the way, Athena, whose collections of zines and punk rock albums is a solid reading and playlist ...more

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Sep 11, 2019 Becca rated it it was ok

Thank you to Netgalley for providing me with an e-arc of Rebel Girls by Elizabeth Keenan in exchange for an honest review!

It happened again. I was suckered by a gorgeous book cover. Rebel Girls had its pros (one being the book cover), but it unfortunately, also had plenty of flaws.

Rebel Girls has a case of important topic & concept, but not-so-great execution.

Rebel Girls deals with the taboo-subject, abortion, at a Catholic high school. Rumor has it that Athenas sister, pro-life Helen, had ...more

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Aug 21, 2019 Katie rated it did not like it

Shelves: ya, contemporary, kill-it-with-fire

I very rarely give one-star ratings, so I feel like I've really got to back this up.

I went super long in my full review, but it's not really that complicated. I only give one star to a YA book that I didn't enjoy if I think that book is poorly written and I think it's bad for the world of YA.

My complaints with the writing are the easiest to back up.

→The protagonist, Athena, has almost nothing to do with the actual story. As a self-insert for the author, she only serves to filter everything that

I very rarely give one-star ratings, so I feel like I've really got to back this up.

I went super long in my full review, but it's not really that complicated. I only give one star to a YA book that I didn't enjoy if I think that book is poorly written and I think it's bad for the world of YA.

My complaints with the writing are the easiest to back up.

→The protagonist, Athena, has almost nothing to do with the actual story. As a self-insert for the author, she only serves to filter everything that happens through her perspective. That perspective, unfortunately, is irritating, shallow, and resistant to growth, so it doesn't serve the story at all.

→The real story, theoretically, is about Athena's sister Helen, who probably should have been the protagonist. That's not really possible, though, because the book shares Athena's dismissive attitude towards pretty, perfect Helen. Rebel Girls is completely disinterested in Helen's inner life.

→Those POV problems basically break the book, because I was never about to understand the stakes or the characters' actual goal. Athena doesn't seem to have a direction in mind besides "make a statement!!1!" so the book doesn't either.

→Without a real story to tell, the book flounders for 400 pages. The pacing is infuriating. Supposedly, the story is kicked off by a rumor spreading about Helen. Athena (and the reader) first hear that rumor on page 96. A quarter of the way into the book. Before that? Directionless chapters about pin selection and cute boys.

→Line by line, the writing is juvenile. Chapters are laden with pop-culture references and overly-detailed physical descriptions but have no depth at all.

Yes, it's a badly written book, but mediocre books come out all the time. Why do I feel so strongly that Rebel Girls is a harmful addition to the YA shelves?

→The book's core message is a rejection of empathy. Athena is supremely unconcerned with the humanity of the people around her, and so is the book. Even at the book’s climax, when another young woman has been very publicly outed about personal and potentially traumatic history, Athena watches from the background, emotionally unaffected. “This was better drama than 90210,” Athena gushes to the reader, watching a moment that should have been emotionally wrecking with the attitude of a popcorn-crunching movie-goer. Athena's attitude, unchanged throughout the whole novel, is the attitude of the book itself, which never bothers to take any other character seriously. The sympathetic characters are firmly two-dimensional, while the unsympathetic characters are cartoon villains flinging over-the-top, pointless cruelty at teenagers.

→Rebel Girls is not prepared to take its subject matter seriously either. Athena doesn't think pregnancy and abortion are a big deal, and the book takes that attitude and runs with it, treating teen pregnancy as a joke and the abortion debate as a circus. It's just not something to worry about--if someone disagrees with you about something important, the book seems to say, don't sweat it. Just privately dismiss and mock them--no need to make an effort to understand them. After all, people who think differently than you are either pure evil or will immediately change their minds once they have the Facts.

I received an advance copy of this title from the publisher in expectation of an honest review. No money changed hands for this review and all opinions are my own. ...more

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Jun 06, 2019 Pamela Stennett rated it it was amazing

https://iwriteinbooks.wordpress.com/2...

{I was given a copy of this book by the publisher through Netgalley in exchange for an honest review and all thoughts are my own.}

Holy crap. This book is SO good, yall. Its not out till September but you should definitely read it. It basically covers the Life/Choice conversations happening in the south in 1992 (in a fictional Baton Rouge Catholic high school) and its got Riot Grrrls and 90s punk rock and Bikini Kill and third wave feminism critique and https://iwriteinbooks.wordpress.com/2...

{I was given a copy of this book by the publisher through Netgalley in exchange for an honest review and all thoughts are my own.}

Holy crap. This book is SO good, y’all. It’s not out till September but you should definitely read it. It basically covers the Life/Choice conversations happening in the south in 1992 (in a fictional Baton Rouge Catholic high school) and it’s got Riot Grrrls and 90’s punk rock and Bikini Kill and third wave feminism critique and yeah…it’s also dead on accurate for my current feelings about the same damn topic over and over and over again.

The book is set about four years before I hit my freshman year of high school so all of the music and pop culture and political references churned up some pretty solid nostalgia. I mean, listen: I didn’t love high school a whole lot but I think almost everyone has a fondness for their teen years (even if you couldn’t pay them enough to ever go back). And my brother is four years older than I am so a lot of his music trickled down to me.

It did take me a minute to realize that it was, in fact, set in the 90’s and even longer to realize that this was a teen story with no cell phones. Call waiting and your parents being able to tell when you’re on the phone at night? What? Oh, those were the days. I’m kidding. I’m never going back.

The abortion/life/choice conversation was really well done. I have always and forever been ProChoice but I grew up in a VERY Catholic town in New England where the events of this book may have been reasonably possible. It was interesting to look at the entirety of the conversation with bits of empathy developing on both sides. The idea being that each person should be able to chose for themselves what is done with their body. I really liked that. I will never force someone to make a choice they personally disagree with but I will absolutely fight for each individual to be able to make that choice.

Anyway, so much good stuff going on in this book. Again it doesn’t come out till the fall but wait for it and find it and read it. ...more

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Sep 26, 2019 Hayley rated it did not like it

This did not work for me on any level.It was long yet didn't go anywhere,was repetitive and the characters were really one-dimensional.Also the main character claims to be a feminist but spends the entire book judging every single other female character and finds all of them lacking,exactly how I found this book.

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Sep 25, 2019 Sarah Perchikoff rated it really liked it

This book could not have been more my thing. Feminism, pro-choice, and girls protecting and fighting for each other...it was like it was made for me! When I first saw this book, I was a little worried about how it would handle the abortion situation, but luckily, it dealt with it really well, focusing on each girl having their own choice rather than one thing being right for all people. But before I talk too much (lol), let's get to the review!

The book starts off with Athena and Helen Graves ...more

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Aug 23, 2019 Kelly added it

Shelves: ya-fiction, read-in-2019

Athena leans into the riot girl movement of 1992 hard, even when it means idealizing an idea of feminism that's not existent and thereby failing to live up to her own impossible standards. That's the big point of this one, and it's handled well. Though a little longer than necessary, this is a great read alike to MOXIE or WATCH US RISE in that it's about girls who rebel against authority and the system more broadly. When a rumor about Athena's sister Helen circulates -- that she had an abortion ...more

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Sep 19, 2019 Laura rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: historical, young-adult, female-protagonist, realistic-fiction, religion, north-america, friendship, moral-or-ethical-dilemma, female-solidarity, politics

I absolutely judge a book by its cover, and this one was an eye-catcher. I was pumped to find that it dealt with abortion rights, feminism and the Riot Grrrl movement. Yes, please!

The biggest hill I climbed with this book was the initial pacing - it killed me to wait nearly 100 pages to find out the rumor that the entire book was supposed to hinge on. And even then, it took another 40 or so pages before the plan of solidarity really took shape. That said, once the girls started working together, ...more

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Sep 03, 2019 Devann rated it really liked it

Shelves: a-young-adult, 4-0-star, sg-girls-helping-girls, g-contemporary, c-arcs, z-19-netgalley, z-19-the-floor-is-lava

I received an ARC copy of this book from NetGalley

This was really cute! I'm normally not one for the contemporary genre or books that focus so much around what I would generally call 'teen drama', but this was actually really relatable even as an adult and reminded me a lot of my teen years. I think the book did a good job of portraying the girls' struggles in a realistic manner and showing that it is possible to grow and change your opinions on things and also that you can protest something and ...more

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Jul 11, 2019 Mike Chen rated it it was amazing

As a 1990s teen who was into indie rock and Green Party and Rock The Vote, this book encapsulated so much of what I was feeling at the time (I'm old). But it's not just a nostalgia trip with great characters (though seriously, I would have been friends with Athena and we would have listened to Throwing Muses and The Replacements together), it's fun and funny and meaningful and provides accessible insight into what pro-choice and women's rights are about -- and why they're important. But also ...more

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Jun 25, 2019 Bryn Coape-arnold rated it really liked it

A fun romp of a book that threw me right back to high school. All of the drama, all of the angst, all of the highs and lows that come with being a teen. The best part? It's set in 1992, complete with great pop culture references (including a Kids in the Hall reference - yes!) and appropriate clothing choices (Doc Martens anyone?).

Athena Graves attends a conservative Catholic private school in Baton Rouge, Louisiana but her beliefs don't quite align with the school's. When her conservative, ...more

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Jun 29, 2019 Kristin rated it liked it

I enjoyed many aspects of this book but there were definitely some flaws here.

I loved the whole idea of the plot, two sisters go to a strict Catholic school and a rumor is started involving the youngest sister. I liked that it discussed a serious topics of abortion and bullying. I enjoyed the author weaving through some 90s music references and other references to 90s culture. I loved the feminist aspects in the story as well. Athena, the main character, was very true to trying to rise above ...more

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Aug 22, 2019 Amelia rated it did not like it

This book truly had the potential to wow me and it fell so far from even being average and I'm so disappointed. I spent over half the book just absolutely seething from how angry it made me feel. Further review to come once I can actually gather my thoughts.

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Aug 30, 2019 Anamelia Regan rated it liked it · review of another edition

This definitely wasn't the book I was hoping for. I wanted a fight for feminism and reproductive rights. Instead I got an angry teen that spends the first half of the book pining over a guy more than supporting her sister or protesting against pro-lifers like her best friend, who seemed far more interesting
I enjoyed the 90s nostalgia and the good music, but it read more like a wannabe love letter to Bikini Kill than anything. There wasn't enough rebellion, and Athena was a pretty crappy feminist ...more

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Jun 09, 2019 Jenn rated it it was amazing

Shelves: own, arc

I received a digital ARC of this title from Edelweiss for an honest review.

"Rebel girl! Rebel girl! Rebel girl, you are the queen of my world!". Athena attends a Catholic high school in Baton Rouge in the early 90s. This year, her little sister Helen is joining her. Helen is everything that Athena is not: she's outgoing, gorgeous, and popular. But when Athena's best friend's girlfriend spreads a rumor that Helen had an abortion over the summer after getting pregnant by a super racist classmate, ...more

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Sep 10, 2019 Meg rated it it was amazing

I really liked how the relationship between the two sisters developed and strengthened, and generally how they both grew and matured over the course of the book. That experience of learning new things which leads to a deepening of one's personality felt very true to life in terms of my own experience as a teen. I also liked how the group of girls fell on a spectrum of viewpoints about abortion, and how they each held onto those beliefs while still being able to come together for a single goal, ...more

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Sep 06, 2019 Rachel rated it really liked it

Shelves: featuring-social-commentary, age-young-adult, set-in-20th-century, featuring-religion, form-fiction, review, that-cover-tho, set-in-high-school, read-in-2019, featuring-poc

Note: an eARC of this title was acquired via NetGalley.

On its surface, Rebel Girls is a book about abortion, which shouldn't have been a dirty word in 1992, the year the book takes place, or even now, in 2019, but it still kind of is and so here we are. 🤷♀ I loved that Elizabeth Keenan decided to write a book focusing on abortionas well as feminism, female friendships, slut-shaming, and bullyingbecause where were those books when I was a teenager? It took me until I was 26 until I remember even ...more

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Sep 10, 2019 ♥ WishfulMiss ♥ rated it really liked it

Shelves: arc, ya

This book tackles a lot of important issues and in a way that is really relatable. I loved that it brings to the forefront some important topics that need more exposure and more attention.

The author gets your head and your heart involved with the help of some great characters that will definitely leave an impression on you. I loved it all. The teenage drama, the rocky ride that is your first crush, the complex family situations, the friendships and of course, the battle of doing whats right ...more

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