What Kind of Girl by Alyssa B. Sheinmel

Feb 10, 2020 Chelsea (chelseadolling reads) rated it really liked it

Shelves: 2020-releases

Even though this took me a little longer to read than I expected (because some of the scenes were pretty anxiety inducing for me), it was SO worth the time I spent with it. This book is a hard read for sure, but it was a very important one and I ultimately really liked it.

TW: physical abuse, eating disorders (bulimia), drugs, self harm

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Jan 08, 2020 sarah xoxo rated it it was amazing

Shelves: contemporary, arcs, 2020-read

4.5 rounded to 5 stars

'What Kind of Girl' is the type of book that has the ability to deeply affect many people. This book impacted me in a visceral way, and I can tell that I will be left thinking about it long after I closed the last page.

One of the main reasons I loved this story so much was the raw emotions it pulled from me, as well as the ways it made me question my own morals. That in itself is one of my favourite parts of reading. Simply through experiencing another's life for a few ...more

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Aug 18, 2019 Tijana rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: arc

3.5 stars
ARC provided via Netgalley. Thanks, guys!

Hey, you!
You reading this book's reviews!
Stop it! Stop it immediately!
Okay, you can read mine, now that you're here, because I promise I'll keep it clean and spoiler-free.
Which is quite hard, considering even telling you the characters' names is a spoiler.
Basically, this books tells the story through the eyes of the abused girlfriend, the most popular girl in school, the pothead and the bulimic girl.
The writer leaves it up to you to figure ...more

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Jan 27, 2020 Carlene Inspired rated it it was amazing

Shelves: reviewed-books, netgalley, new-adult, arc, coming-of-age, ng-2020-group-challenge, netgalley-2020-challenge

Find this review and others at Carlene Inspired.

4.5 Stars

A young adult aged novel that explores themes of substance abuse, domestic violence, self harm, and sexuality. Written in a clever way, What Kind of Girl follows teen girls as they face societal expectations in the fast-paced, gossipy high school atmosphere. With no names, only self-given titles, we follow The Bulimic, The Popular Girl, The Pothead, The Abused Girlfriend. We see their interactions with family, friends, their abuser. We are Find this review and others at Carlene Inspired.

4.5 Stars

A young adult aged novel that explores themes of substance abuse, domestic violence, self harm, and sexuality. Written in a clever way, What Kind of Girl follows teen girls as they face societal expectations in the fast-paced, gossipy high school atmosphere. With no names, only self-given titles, we follow The Bulimic, The Popular Girl, The Pothead, The Abused Girlfriend. We see their interactions with family, friends, their abuser. We are given access to their emotions, to their decision making, to the truth. We know what others are whispering and thinking, we know how it's making them feel, but until the very end we don't know everything. There is a grand reveal, one I certainly didn't expect, that really tied this book together and made it jump above four stars for me. You see, we all take what society thinks of us and allow it to impact how we dress, act, feel, and Alyssa B. Sheinmel captures that in this book perfectly.

Written in a format that allows you to really step into the narrators shoes, What Kind of Girl is a heavy novel that forces readers to recognize that the hardships we'd like to pretend do not touch teens still do regardless of our pretending. It's emotional and raw, presenting readers with a relatable story that reminded me what it was like to not have a single version of myself at that age; I had no idea who I wanted to become or what I wanted others to see of me yet. The narrator(s) question their own opinions of themselves, we see them work through the beliefs they think others will have of them, we see them hide the truth from their parents afraid to speak up. The societal expectations the girls in this book feel are accurate, they're felt by women of all ages, and Sheinmel delivers a powerful story about those expectations and the harm they can do to us, both from our own actions and others.

I really enjoyed What Kind of Girl quite a lot, it's written with a punch, leaving an impact on me even as a reader well above the age group for the novel. It's a story about judgement and acceptance, about discovering oneself and the support needed when those expectations all become too much. I'd call it a coming-of-age story that is more up-to-date on the times than the romances we all like to believe in.

ARC provided.

Goodreads did what Goodreads does best, delete my entire review. ...more

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Jan 18, 2020 Bookphenomena (Micky) rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: arc-read, ya, pback-owned, abuse, pback-arc, ya-contemporary, important-representation, 2020-read, 2020-jan

WHAT KIND OF GIRL was such an interesting read that addressed some relevant but less written-about themes in the context of physical abuse in a dating situation in YA. There are some additional trigger warnings at the beginning of the book for those who seek this out.

This story asked the question, what kind of girl would let something like this happen and focused on the individuals but also very importantly, it focused on the reactions from friends, enemies, family and the school community. I WHAT KIND OF GIRL was such an interesting read that addressed some relevant but less written-about themes in the context of physical abuse in a dating situation in YA. There are some additional trigger warnings at the beginning of the book for those who seek this out.

This story asked the question, what kind of girl would let something like this happen and focused on the individuals but also very importantly, it focused on the reactions from friends, enemies, family and the school community. I can tell you it frustrated me and infuriated me at times with people’s reactions and turns of events but it was utterly compelling.

The way the story was told was innovative and clever. It was told from mulitple POVS (not too many, I hasten to add) but for the first part of the story, you don’t have names for the characters. This worked really well and there came a point where it was all woven together and the reveals came. Interestingly, this story was also told over one week and yet the level of depth to this story was impressive. I loved the style and structure, it felt fresh. There were moments where I felt in the dark but I enjoyed the veil of mystery until the reveals.

There were two key characters in this book and some strong supporting characters. I loved Maya, Hiram and Junie, although there were moments for each of these characters where I felt unsure about who they were, how loyal they would be and how true to themselves they could be. This is the kind of story that builds and builds and really, you don’t know the full story until the final page.

The writing was inviting in story-telling and mysterious voices. I couldn’t put the book down and read it in less than 24 hours. Alyssa B Sheinmel has a strong narrative YA voice that captured my attention with its themes and ability to immerse me in a situation.

Plenty of women never tell. They don’t come forward and say their boyfriends are hitting them. They find thicker cover-up and better cover stories. They opened a cabinet and a mug fell on their faces. They walked into a doorknob in the middle of the night. Sure, it’s completely implausible-why would anyone be eye-level with a doorknob?-but that’s what women in the movies say. They cover for the men in their lives, at least at first. Eventually the woman stands up for herself and says: Enough.

Thank you to Atom books for the early proof copy in return for an honest review.

This review can be found on A Take From Two Cities. ...more

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Jan 11, 2020 MissBecka rated it liked it

Shelves: netgalley-books-read, kindle-already-done, 2020-books-i-read

I loved how part #1 unfolded; revealing different POVs a tiny bit at a time.
I do wish that the author had changed the format starting with part #2.
I think it would have worked better for me.
Obviously this is a difficult topic to address with class as well as reality.
I think the author did a good job of accomplishing both.
The book seemed to drag a bit for me and I would have liked a little better pacing throughout.
Overall a okay read.
Thanks to NetGalley and SOURCEBOOKS Fire for my DRC.

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Feb 01, 2020 Holly rated it really liked it

Shelves: 2020

What kind of girl stays with a boyfriend after he hits her? This is the question that one of our two protagonists continues to ask herself because she stayed for several months and she doesn’t know why. It’s a question that occurs to her peers, her BFF, her parents, etc. She even wonders if the abuser (Mike) knew she would keep quiet.

But then, why did I wait? Why didn’t I come forward sooner? What kind of girl stays after her boyfriend hits her? What kind of girl gets hit in the first place?

No What kind of girl stays with a boyfriend after he hits her? This is the question that one of our two protagonists continues to ask herself because she stayed for several months and she doesn’t know why. It’s a question that occurs to her peers, her BFF, her parents, etc. She even wonders if the abuser (Mike) knew she would keep quiet.

But then, why did I wait? Why didn’t I come forward sooner? What kind of girl stays after her boyfriend hits her? What kind of girl gets hit in the first place?

No self-respecting girl would stay with a guy who hit her. I don’t care how many times he apologizes or promises not to do it again or tells you he loves you.

Maybe the kind of girl who gets hit in the first place is the kind of girl who stays. The kind of girl who cheats rather than leaving.

Maya even tries rationalizing the abuse and why she stayed with him. She questions her feelings for Mike after reporting him to the principal. She considers all her feelings — such as both loving and hating him — and the questions she ponders are pertinent and reasonable.

I thought it wasn’t that big a deal. I thought it would stop, eventually. I thought it was worth it if I still got to be with him. It seemed like a small price to pay for how good things were the rest of the time.

I’m supposed to hate him. I’m supposed to hate him because he hurt me. The problem is, I can hate him for hurting me and still love him for the way things were when he didn’t hurt me.

Maya even contemplates whether the term domestic abuse applies because typically we’ve heard it in relation to a married couple. But alas, it does apply.

Does domestic violence even apply to us, to Mike and me, a couple of teenagers? We’re not married. We don’t live together. Like my mom said, there’s no house to sell, no child custody to negotiate. We have our whole lives ahead of us. In one of the articles I read last week, I saw words like dating abuse and relationship violence. Are those the right words?

The other protagonist is her best friend Junie who suffers from a different form of abuse - self-harm in the form of cutting. Sheinmel paints an incredibly rich and realistic picture of such a person and how this behavior is a coping mechanism. I never completely understood what drives people to cutting aside from a self-destructive tendency and this book opened my eyes to the motivation behind such behavior.

...made a tiny cut on my inner thigh. And I felt better. It was a relief, like all that energy finally had a way to escape. My heart stopped racing, my hands stilled. I had one thing—the pain—to focus on, and suddenly it was easy to concentrate on that, and only that.

What Kind of Girl is a powerful story about two teen girls as they navigate through their issues and their worlds. Both girls’ inner dialogues add a rich layer to their stories and makes them very real and three-dimensional. Alyssa Sheinmel excels at creating teen characters that are very believable that you really get to know. She presents a very realistic portrayal of someone in a dating abuse situation.

The book touches on many themes relevant to young women today — besides dating violence and self-harm, bulimia is also explored and dealt with in a realistic way. The consequences for the domestic violence, committed by the school’s “golden boy,” is another important issue that is introduced into the story. Should Mike be expelled? If he is, he won’t get the scholarship he is counting on to attend college. Interestingly, the school did not have a policy in place for this kind of behavior and Sheinmel sends the message that they should. This is my second book by Alyssa Sheinmel and I look forward to her next one.

Thank you to Sourcebooks Fire and NetGalley for an advance reader copy in exchange for my honest opinion. ...more

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Feb 09, 2020 Kristy rated it really liked it

Shelves: netgalley, ebook, arc, ya, sourcebooks, teens, read-in-2020

The rumors spread quickly at North Bay Academy. Popular track star Mike Parker's girlfriend has accused him of hitting her. She even told the principal. But, they wonder, why not the police? Why did she wait so long to tell? Why hasn't Mike been expelled? Some students at the school want to hold a rally--to expel Mike. But others aren't so quick to believe his girlfriend.

"But (of course), by lunchtime everyone at school knows, as easily and quickly as if they'd announced it over the ...more

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Jul 31, 2019 Amber (The Book Bratz) rated it it was amazing

Shelves: reviewed, netgalley, young-adult, wish-list, 2019-reads, mental-health-reads, ownovoices

The full review + more can be found at The Book Bratz

*Trigger Warning: depictions of dating abuse, bulimia, self harm & drug use*

It has been a few days since I have read What Kind of Girl and I am still speechless. What ever I write here will not do this book one ounce of the justice and praise it deserves in the slightest. I loved this book with all my heart, I loved the subjects is brought up, the way the author addressed them and the message that there is light at the end of the The full review + more can be found at The Book Bratz

*Trigger Warning: depictions of dating abuse, bulimia, self harm & drug use*

It has been a few days since I have read What Kind of Girl and I am still speechless. What ever I write here will not do this book one ounce of the justice and praise it deserves in the slightest. I loved this book with all my heart, I loved the subjects is brought up, the way the author addressed them and the message that there is light at the end of the tunnel. What Kind of Girl is one of those books that impacts you and leaves you thinking about this issue and these characters even after you read the last page.

The book is told in two POVs. Mia whose boyfriend has been abusing her for months and suffers from bulimia and June, Mia's best friend, who suffers from severe anxiety and self harms. Both girls stories are complex and heart wrenching. Having gone through some of these issues myself, it was easy to relate to both of these girls. To feel there anger, pain, the hopelessness in the situations they are in.

Mia with a bruise on her face, walks into her principals office and accuses her boyfriend, Mike Parker of hitting her. But Mike is the most popular guy in school and him and Mia are the "it" couple. Sides are taken and not everyone believes Mia. Throughout the novel we watch Mia struggle with the acceptance of Mike's actions, whether she still loves him or not and was it her actions that caused Mike's actions. Since dating Mike, Mia has become extremely unhappy with her body and began to force herself to throw up and skip meals. It isn't until later on in the novel does she acknowledge it as as an eating disorder.

June, is Mia's best friend. After everything with Mia and Mike she decides to stage a protest for Mike's expulsion, since it seems he is only going to get away with this with a slap on the wrists. June's character is the one I related to the most. She suffers from bad anxiety and self harm tendencies. The way Sheinmel explains and treads with the discussion of June's anxiety, how she feels, the physical symptoms, the mental, the obsessive thoughts, the intrusive thoughts. I've never seen anxiety represented almost exactly as I have experienced before. (I've never understood when readers explain how they feel seen within a novel, but with What Kind of Girl I feel seen and heard and that I am not a lone.)

What Kind of Girl brings up important discussions that are needed to be have in the world of young adult novels. People often relate domestic abuse to older people. But what about younger people? It isn't just visible bruises and injuries. It's the little things as well. We see how Mike pinches Mia, grabs her a little to tight, how he is manipulative. For me, I feel like this book is going to be an eye opener for many readers.

Overall I really enjoyed What Kind of Girl and I hope others who read it do as well. Sheinmel's writing style and language is both beautiful and stunning and is going to leave her readers wanting more. The ending was left a little open ended, but I didn't mind it as much. The self acceptance and the recovery that both girls are working towards was enough for me.

What Kind of Girl is not to be missed in 2020 and I hope everyone takes away the message that Sheinmel's giving her readers. ...more

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Jan 12, 2020 Kathryn Speckels (Metaphors and Miscellanea) rated it really liked it

Shelves: arcs

What Kind of Girlis one of those books that, regardless of your opinions on its execution, you have to acknowledge isvitally important for its willingness to openly address difficult social phenomenathat society likes to sweep under the rug. It is a heavy read, but in a necessary way, not the maudlin sort of sob-story that is an inherent risk of writing about so many serious issues that teens face today.

“Doing something when you’re scared is braver than doing something when you’re not.”

It’s hard What Kind of Girl is one of those books that, regardless of your opinions on its execution, you have to acknowledge is vitally important for its willingness to openly address difficult social phenomena that society likes to sweep under the rug. It is a heavy read, but in a necessary way, not the maudlin sort of sob-story that is an inherent risk of writing about so many serious issues that teens face today.

“Doing something when you’re scared is braver than doing something when you’re not.”

It’s hard to summarize this story, because of some “clever” narrative devices the author tries to use (more on those in a moment). All you need to know is that, when Mike Parker’s girlfriend comes to school with a black eye and says Mike gave it to her, her life–and the lives of her best friend and several others–are about to be changed in a major way. Some believe her, some don’t, but all seem to agree that something happened, and someone has to face consequences.

“Bad love is no better than not being loved at all. I think it might be worse.”

Writing about problems like mental illness, relationship abuse, and eating disorders is not uncharted territory for YA novels. A defining trait of YA is the desire to shine light on teenagers as whole, complex people facing problems of their own–whether those problems are overthrowing a corrupt government (a la The Hunger Games), combatting racism (as in The Hate U Give), or fighting drug addiction (like Crank and other Ellen Hopkins books). In the case of What Kind of Girl, though, Alyssa Sheinmel casts a wide net that encompasses multiple very real, very weighty, very complicated problems, and articulates the often-confusing interplay between various situations, symptoms, and comorbidities. Problems like self-harm and bulimia are not just alluded to but described in painful (though not romanticized) detail, through the constantly over-analyzing eyes of the teenagers who struggle with them. The main characters ruminate over their every choice, about “what kind of girl” their actions will brand them as in the eyes of others–when reduced to the simplistic terms of others’ opinions, how can you possibly hope to feel fully understood?

“I shouldn’t be feeling sorry for him! What kind of woman am I, worrying about what he’s going through? What kind of girlfriend would I be if I didn’t?

And, truly, the character development is handled wonderfully. Here we have teenagers who struggle to find their places amidst pressures to succeed academically, to have the perfect relationship, to look perfect, and to always make the right choices, even when there isn’t truly a “right choice” to be made. They hurt deeply and care deeply in that way that only teenagers are able to, when the problems they face are so narrow and specific and omnipresent and acutely crippling as a result. They second-guess themselves, blame themselves, hurt themselves, while doing all of those to each other was well. They are multifaceted and self-aware, but they also struggle to make the necessary choices for personal growth.

“That’s the kind of person I want to be…I just don’t know if I’m strong enough to do all the things I want.”

For all its success in narration and character development, though, What Kind of Girl does have its fair share of flaws. Its pacing is sometimes difficult to work with, dragging for long sections while characters are lost in their own thoughts. Although these thoughts are crucial to establishing the characters’ internal turmoil, they get unnecessarily prolonged in some places, especially in moments that would otherwise be incredibly tense, causing the narrative to stall when it needs to accelerate.

“What kind of girl doesn’t want to get the guy in trouble? Maybe the kind of girl who stays with a guy for three more months after the first time he hit her.”

My other frustration was with the author’s choice of structure for the first two parts of the book, refusing to name the girls in the story at first and instead referring to them by labels like “the popular girl,” “the girlfriend,” and “the best friend.” She has a reason for doing this, which makes sense in the context of the story, but the author overplays her hand at the start, foreshadowing the “twist” too heavily–I caught on almost right away–and confirming it too early, which weakens its effectiveness as a narrative device.

“I didn’t really see why it was less significant because it happened in high school, when we all had our lives ahead of us. If we were talking about anything else–drugs, drinking, sex–it would have been a bigger deal because we were only in high school, because we had our whole lives ahead of us, because the things that happened now would impact our futures.”

Still, even despite its flaws, this is a significant book for teenagers everywhere–especially teenage girls–as they fight to maintain their sense of self amidst the shifting tides of their social lives and the oft-contradictory elements of their personalities that develop as a result. It is easy to render teenagers as simplistic, self-absorbed thinkers, but in her writing, Sheinmel is keenly attuned to the fierce-yet-fearful flutterings of teenage anxieties, and to the agitation for justice that thrums beneath the surface, no matter how difficult the two may be to reconcile. This book is a testament to the fact that, even as everyone is one-of-a-kind, nobody is ever so simple as to be just one kind.

TRIGGER/CONTENT WARNINGS: abusive relationship, slut-shaming, vivid description of cutting/self-injury, teenage drug use, anxiety, OCD, bulimia ...more

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Dec 24, 2019 Stacy Fetters rated it really liked it

"With our whole lives ahead of us, we had a lifetime for things to get worse."

We never really know what’s going on in people’s lives but we are always ready to make assumptions. No matter if we know them or not, we guess or hear rumors and go with what sounds truthful. But what you hear or think might not be accurate. This book travels through those and sets the record straight.

Maya walks into school on Monday and goes into the Principal’s office. Her black eye should clue the Principal in on ...more

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Feb 02, 2020 JenacideByBibliophile rated it really liked it

Shelves: fiction-ya, coming-of-age, fiction-ya-teen, heart-smashers, school-settings, mental-health, lgbt, contemporary, important-issues, down-with-the-patriarchy

Actual Rating: 4.5 Stars

Disclaimer: This book was sent to me by the publisher, Sourcebooks Fire, via Netgalley for an honest review.

*sigh*

This one is heavy.

“No self-respecting girl would stay with a guy who hit her.”

description

What Kind of Girl is more than just a domestic violence story.

It’s about two best friends who are both going through extremely trying times in their lives, but don’t reach out to each other for support. It’s about the expectations put on a person by their parents and peers, the ...more

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Jan 27, 2020 Jennifer rated it really liked it

Review to come

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Nov 12, 2019 Obsidian rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: netgalley

Trigger warning: Abuse, self-harm, bulimia
Please note that I received this book via NetGalley. This did not affect my rating or review.

I think this book did a very good job of showcasing how domestic violence can occur with teens. The last time I recall having a big discussion about this was when that Lifeftime movie starring Fred Savage and Candace Cameron called "No One Would Tell" that followed a young couple in love, but the boy in questions starts abusing the girlfriend. That movie showed Trigger warning: Abuse, self-harm, bulimia
Please note that I received this book via NetGalley. This did not affect my rating or review.

I think this book did a very good job of showcasing how domestic violence can occur with teens. The last time I recall having a big discussion about this was when that Lifeftime movie starring Fred Savage and Candace Cameron called "No One Would Tell" that followed a young couple in love, but the boy in questions starts abusing the girlfriend. That movie showed how many people knew what was going on and how more people should speak up when they suspect someone they love is being abused. That said, the book's switching POVs among several teen girls was distracting and caused me to not engage as much as I should have while reading. Everything is eventually revealed, but I felt myself slightly annoyed because this book really didn't need a gimmick.

"What Kind of Girl" shows the different people who are linked together after one of the most popular boys at North Bay Academy, Mike Parker, is accused by his girlfriend of him hitting her. The book follows different teen girls in this one with them only being identified as "the girlfriend," "the popular girl," "the bulimic," and "the pothead." Eventually the author reveals who is who in this one.

I didn't get a very good sense of the male in this story, Mike Parker. He's obviously abusive, but the book chooses (rightfully so) to focus on the teen girls in this story and the widening sides at the school with those who don't believe Mike hit his girlfriend and those that do. The girlfriend chapters were the best in my mind. That said, I just got tired of jumping around after a while. When the book reveals who is who though it was much easier to read in my opinion. It just felt very gimmicky and I don't think the book needed that, that's the main reason I gave this book three stars. The book also starts to read as repetitive after a while. When Sheinmel reveals who the girls are in the book things become clearer, but I think that could have been dealt with better earlier. I can see this turning off some readers after a while with them not wanting to wade through all of this.

The setting of this book is North Bay Academy. Through the multiple POVs you get the sense the school is diverse, but also has a lot of wealthy classmates mixed in with many people, the principal included, shocked that Mike could hit anyone. And of course there are a lot of people questioning why "the girlfriend" put up with it then. I thought this book tackled a lot of strong subject matter well, and others a little rushed. I think it was good though that we have a young adult book talking about abuse between younger people. I think the last young adult book that did that I read was Sarah Dessen's "Dreamland."

The ending was okay, the book really didn't grab me much except when I was trying to work out the connection between all of the girls in this one. ...more

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Jul 02, 2019 lady book reader rated it really liked it

Shelves: netgalley

Great young adult book! What Kind of Girl is about teens in high school and the struggles they go through daily. Popular guy Mike’s girlfriend goes to the principals office to report he’s hit her causing a black eye. This is where the students take sides. Why didn’t she tell anyone this has been going on for months? Why didn’t she leave him? People are wondering if this is true or just for attention. This book deals with a lot of important stuff. Bulimia, abuse,self harm. I think it is a very ...more

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Jul 09, 2019 PinkAmy loves books, cats and naps rated it it was amazing

***Thanks to NetGalley for providing me a complimentary copy of WHAT KIND OF GIRL by Alyssa Sheinmel in exchange for my honest review.***

4.5 STARS

After months of abuse, Maya finally tells her principal that her boyfriend Mike, school Golden Boy, hits her. Soon everyone at school has an opinion including Junie, the best friend Maya never told. Junie has her own problems with anxiety disorders and her girlfriend and the two friends aren’t as close as before Mike. Junie plans a rally to get Mike ***Thanks to NetGalley for providing me a complimentary copy of WHAT KIND OF GIRL by Alyssa Sheinmel in exchange for my honest review.***

4.5 STARS

After months of abuse, Maya finally tells her principal that her boyfriend Mike, school Golden Boy, hits her. Soon everyone at school has an opinion including Junie, the best friend Maya never told. Junie has her own problems with anxiety disorders and her girlfriend and the two friends aren’t as close as before Mike. Junie plans a rally to get Mike expelled, but Maya isn’t certain what she wants.

Alyssa Sheinmel blew me away with WHAT KIND OF GIRL. Told in Maya’s and Junie’s voices readers are privy to Maya’s self doubts, conflicted feelings about Mike and love. She minimizes, blames herself and questions the seriousness of the abuse. Junie’s anxiety manifests itself, in part, in racing thoughts of self doubt. Her stream of consciousness anxiety is palpable in her narration. Sheinmel gave both young women pitch perfect, distinct voices.

My only issue is that the narration was confusing and I needed half the book to figure out whose words I was reading even though the voices were different. Sections titled The Girlfriend, The Popular Girl etc first seemed like different characters, like in Jennifer Mathieu’s THE TRUTH ABOUT ALICE before realizing they were different roles Maya played in her own life. I didn’t even know Maya’s name until the end of the first section. I assume this was by design, but I would have preferred more direction.

WHAT KIND OF GIRL does a fantastic job showing domestic and dating violence, from the victim’s self doubt to the loved ones who wonder why Maya didn’t speak up sooner to bystanders victim blaming and slut shaming to authorities hoping the “problem” will go away before they have to act. Maya grows a great deal throughout the story, but still has a long way to go which she realizes. Junie develops insight and assertiveness throughout the book and finally embraces participating in treatment with her therapist.

WHAT KIND OF GIRL would be a great classroom read and should be read by everyone. ...more

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Oct 18, 2019 Kristi rated it really liked it

Shelves: netgalley, arc, young-adult, socialissues, readin2019, 2020release

First sentence:

It’s hard not to want to defend him.

What Kind of Girl examines many of the problems that teenagers face today with the focal point on dating violence. The book centers on the aftermath that occurs when a teen girl, Maya, accuses her very popular and well-liked boyfriend, Mike, of physically abusing her.

The story is told in three parts, mostly narrated by Maya and her best friend, Juniper aka Junie. There are some parts that are narrated by others i.e. The Best Friend of Mike and ...more

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Jan 15, 2020 Samantha (WLABB) rated it really liked it

Shelves: arcs, ya, contemporary, 2020, mentalhealth, 2020diverseread

When resident golden boy, Mike, was accused of hitting his girlfriend, everyone was forced to choose sides. Did they believe him or did they believe her? And, if they believed her, what kind of girl would stay with a boy like that?

There's quite a bit to unpack with respect to the myriad of issues Sheinmel tackled in this book, but I think she did a rather good job. This is a story, that focuses on the challenges faced by females every day. Domestic violence, body image, and mental health take When resident golden boy, Mike, was accused of hitting his girlfriend, everyone was forced to choose sides. Did they believe him or did they believe her? And, if they believed her, what kind of girl would stay with a boy like that?

There's quite a bit to unpack with respect to the myriad of issues Sheinmel tackled in this book, but I think she did a rather good job. This is a story, that focuses on the challenges faced by females every day. Domestic violence, body image, and mental health take center stage in this novel, and they are attacked head on.

I have seen some reviewers comment on the narrative structure, but here I am, declaring that it was brilliant! In part one, I was presented with all these different points of view on the domestic abuse issue. I heard from the stoner, the bulimic, the popular girl, as well as many others, and it was an interesting way to deliver so many varied opinions and thoughts on the issue, but I recognized the genius in part two of the book. All I can say is - be patient. For me, the payoff due to the structure was pretty big, because I thought it made a HUGE statement, which I would love to elaborate on, but I feel like it's spoilery, and seriously! This was one of my favorite things about the book.

Aside from the rather innovative structure, there were many other elements I appreciated in this story. I loved the focus on friendship, the idea of women supporting women, the honest discussions that eventually occurred between the girls and their parents, the idea of being true to yourself and standing up for what's right - there were so many fantastic things woven into this tale.

This was quite an emotional and thought provoking look into the lives of young women, which was honest, raw, and unflinching. I appreciated the candor and the honesty with which Sheinmel approached each issue, and thought there was a lot of valuable messaging in there as well.

*ARC provided in exchange for an honest review.

BLOG | INSTAGRAM |TWITTER | BLOGLOVIN | FRIEND ME ON GOODREADS ...more

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Jan 31, 2020 Anne Carty rated it really liked it

Shelves: ebooks, arcs, 2020-releases, february-2020-tbr

This story is really close to my heart. Although I never was in an abusive relationship. I have been abused by someone I loved so I really connected with the main character Maya in this story.

This is a dual perspective novel with a twist. We follow two main characters Maya and her best friend but each chapter title is broken up into the different types of labels that they are associated with. For example: the popular girl, the anxious girl, the bulimic, etc. I really loved the way Alyssa did ...more

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Dec 21, 2019 Liz Barnsley rated it liked it

What Kind Of Girl is a really well written piece of teen drama, featuring engaging and realistic characters and touching on some emotionally resonant themes.

Maya walks into her principals office and reports boyfriend Mike for abuse. The black eye she is sporting creates gossip and division amongst her peers, best friend Junie is determined to bring Mike down and the author explores the group dynamic beautifully - the underneath of it all, the thoughts and decisions and fallout - and for the most ...more

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Feb 17, 2020 Fall-Out-Book-Nerd rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: read-on-kindle, netgalley

Review to come.

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Dec 30, 2019 Rae rated it really liked it

Shelves: fiction, bt-e-book, arc, 2019

What Kind of Girlby Alyssa Sheinmel explores relationship violence in teenagers, the struggles of labels, and mental illness.

What does it take to step forward and speak out against the person you love?

When Mike Parker's girlfriend shows up with a bruise on her face to school, she decides enough is enough. She tells the principal what happened and the abuse she's faced at Mike's hands.

Now the school is up in arms. Is she telling the truth? Was it a misunderstanding? Why didn't she come forward What Kind of Girl by Alyssa Sheinmel explores relationship violence in teenagers, the struggles of labels, and mental illness.

What does it take to step forward and speak out against the person you love?

When Mike Parker's girlfriend shows up with a bruise on her face to school, she decides enough is enough. She tells the principal what happened and the abuse she's faced at Mike's hands.

Now the school is up in arms. Is she telling the truth? Was it a misunderstanding? Why didn't she come forward sooner?

And most importantly, which one of the two is lying? Because that's something the student body knows: either Mike or his girlfriend is lying.

The school begins to pick sides, and Mike's girlfriend struggles with the repercussions of her decision.

Meanwhile, her best friend is struggling with demons of her own. Can the two girls come together--stronger than ever--to fight for what's right and bring the truth to light?

I really enjoyed reading What Kind of Girl by Alyssa B. Sheinmel. This is the second book by Alyssa B. Sheinmel that I've read, and I'm thoroughly impressed by her ability to explore such deep, thought-provoking topics and handle them with the utmost care and attention.

The way the chapters were laid out was brilliant. Each chapter began with a label like "popular girl" or "cool girl." The girlfriend and the best friend each have labels assigned to them, and the book delves into each label. As an individual, you can be a lot of things: popular, cool, anxious. We are more than a label, and I think the book promotes that concept perfectly.

The messages in the book were strong. Whether talking about eating disorders or anxiety, the book dives in deep!

My key takeaways from the book are this: it's okay to stand up for yourself, and it's okay to not be okay.

I highly recommend What Kind of Girl by Alyssa B. Sheinmel to other lovers of contemporary young adult books. Keep in mind that there are several sensitive topics covered in the book, so be kind to yourself.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing the Kindle version of this book in exchange for an honest review. ...more

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Aug 13, 2019 Cody Nicole rated it it was amazing

What Kind of Girl is undoubtedly going to be one of the most influential books I've read this year. This poignant tale of two teenage girls is bound to strike a nerve with almost anyone who picks up the book. It has an important impact and will leave you quite literally shell-shocked.

Told from two perspectives, What Kind of Girl follows two teenage friends - Maya and Juniper. I really liked both the characters. They were well-rounded, in-depth characters with honest thoughts and feelings. I What Kind of Girl is undoubtedly going to be one of the most influential books I've read this year. This poignant tale of two teenage girls is bound to strike a nerve with almost anyone who picks up the book. It has an important impact and will leave you quite literally shell-shocked.

Told from two perspectives, What Kind of Girl follows two teenage friends - Maya and Juniper. I really liked both the characters. They were well-rounded, in-depth characters with honest thoughts and feelings. I could relate to Maya when she questioned whether her every move would be scrutinised. I felt the air closing around me when Juniper suffered an anxiety attack. Maya was undoubtedly brave, though I could sense that she was still naive. Not as naive as she had been, but it was very clear that though she was developed, she wasn't fully there yet. This was not a bad thing - Maya is a teenager. It would be strange for her to be fully emotionally developed, with a complete understanding of wrong and right. I know plenty of adults who still struggle with that today - let alone teenagers.

The book does touch upon a lot of trigger warnings, such as dating abuse, bulimia, self harm, anxiety and drug use. Alyssa Sheineml beautifully portrays both girl's struggle: from the insanely convincing portrayal of modern day victim blaming to an interesting take on how we allow labels define us in society. For a long time in the novel, the only name we hear is Mike. It's a complex route to take in withholding the main characters' names. It worked, because I was drawn in - wondering who the labels could possibly belong to.

Though the antagonist of the story, Mike was a character that is needed in fiction today. There is this massive expectation that all the abusive men in the world are drunks, or rude, or a 'bad boy'. Mike was none of these things: he was charismatic and charming, popular and well loved. He was the golden boy, on track to receive a scholarship and in a relationship outside eyes adored. This speaks absolute volumes to me, as it's important to be telling people that the nice guys can be just as abusive as the bad guys. It's important to emphasise that just because your partner is well-loved and sweet to everyone else, you can report them when they do something that's not right.

I was completely blown away by the novel. It didn't drag or feel drawn out - each moment having it's own particular purpose to the story. Every thought was well planned, every character movement progressing the story perfectly. It's increasingly rare to find a book that can pull you to the side and make you contemplate the seriousness of the issues mentioned above.

When this book is finally published on 1 February 2020, I advise you to buy a copy and give it a read. My review won't do it enough justice - but this is the kind of empowering book young teenagers need to be reading. Perhaps if there had of been more books around like this when I was younger, I wouldn't have allowed myself to fall victim to abuse. I wouldn't have believed that it was love, or that I would be blamed for someone else's wrong actions.

I think you need to read this book. ...more

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Jul 10, 2019 Meghan rated it it was amazing

Shelves: library

This book was received as an ARC from SOURCEBOOKS Fire in exchange for an honest review. Opinions and thoughts expressed in this review are completely my own.

This book was very eye opening just as The Hate You Give and Girl in Pieces talking about domestic violence and how some couples can not resolve their issues. This book in particular had a lot of eye opening scenes and questions such as why did she talk to her high school principal and not go to the police? Why are all her friends taking ...more

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Jun 12, 2019 Bunmi rated it really liked it

Content warning: This book contains dating abuse, bulimia, and self-harm.

Told through multiple points of view, the story centers on best friends Maya and Juniper. The whole book takes place in a week. I found the story-telling device used is unique and really powerful.

On Monday, Maya comes to school and heads straight to the principal's office. She's there to report that her boyfriend, the golden boy of campus, hit here. And it wasn't the first time.

Juniper wants to be there for Maya. After ...more

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May 11, 2019 Nia •ShadesOfPaper• added it

Shelves: arcs, contemporary, young-adult, mental-health, standalone, feminism, 2020-releases, 2020-arcs, books-read-in-2020

Thank you Sourcebooks for the ARC

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Jan 30, 2020 Sha rated it it was amazing

Shelves: eye-opening, mental-health-illness, abuse-and-trauma, realistic-fiction, young-adult, 2020

From a young age, I knew that “domestic abuse” was when a man hit his wife, and that it was wrong, and that no woman should ever tolerate that kind of behaviour. Dr. Phil was my main professor on the topic, bringing women on stage to tell them in no uncertain terms that it was not okay. It took much longer before I realized, “Oh, wait, women can abuse a man?” and even longer before I caught on to violence in LGBTQ+ couples and emotional abuse.

WHY? Um, simple. Unless you’re experiencing one of From a young age, I knew that “domestic abuse” was when a man hit his wife, and that it was wrong, and that no woman should ever tolerate that kind of behaviour. Dr. Phil was my main professor on the topic, bringing women on stage to tell them in no uncertain terms that it was not okay. It took much longer before I realized, “Oh, wait, women can abuse a man?” and even longer before I caught on to violence in LGBTQ+ couples and emotional abuse.

WHY? Um, simple. Unless you’re experiencing one of these situations first- or second-hand, no one is talking about them. Schools are not teaching students how to handle relationship abuse. Parents will drop the “treat my daughter well, haha!” line, but who believes their child is being battered/manipulated?

The fact that Sheinmel wonderfully illustrates in her novel is that we don’t expect teens to deal with relationship abuse. So we don’t prepare them for it.

I haven’t started talking about What Kind of Girl yet, but in a way, I am? This book has made relationship abuse—the survivor’s emotions, the relations’ feelings, the courses of action—accessible to teens. (Who enjoys reading What to Do if You’re in a Bad Relationship pamphlets?)

Mike Parker’s girlfriend, Maya, is a mess of emotions throughout the book. She struggles with self-identification after coming forwards to her school principal. Is she still “Mike Parker’s girlfriend”? Is she only “the girl who was abused” or “the girl who lied about abuse”? I have not experienced relationship abuse, but Maya’s thoughts gave me insight into some of the feelings a person may have during or after an abusive relationship. I hope some of that insight may help me help someone else one day.

Aside from Maya’s relationship, What Kind of Girl deals with bulimia, self-harm, self-medication, and self-image. Each topic was given its time to expand and be explored. The endings to each plot point could be called HEAs, as they are resolved quite timely, but I had no issue with this.

OVERALL

4.5 stars and an Aurora rating for a book that truly showed up with clean writing, sharp plot, and a strong message. While I loved the characters in this book (I mean, obviously not Mike), the message of this book resonated with me more than Maya and Junie.
representation: main character with OCD and anxiety (mental illness)
content warnings: bulimia, self-harm, relationship violence, emotional manipulation, panic attack **some scenes may be triggering**
read this if you: want to learn more about relationship violence or get better insight into the thoughts of someone with bulimia/who self-harms **bearing in mind this is not own-voices** ...more

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Aug 01, 2019 Paula rated it really liked it

Shelves: netgalley

Maya is very popular at high school. Her boyfriend Mike is popular and admired by everyone, including the teachers and staff. When Maya walks into the principal's office one day with a black eye and accuses Mike of hitting her. This starts a tumultuous series of events.

Sheinmel has created some interesting characters with some very serious problems. It brings date abuse, bulimia, cutting and anxiety into focus. These are important issues facing our youth today and the author does a good job of ...more

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Jan 02, 2020 Clare rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: favourites, arc

Trigger Warnings for dating abuse, self harm, bulimia.

This triggers are mentioned at the top of the book. I received this as an ARC so thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to give a non biased review.

To keep this review as spoiler free as possible, this book is told through duel POV and tells the story of a girl who reports her boyfriend who gave her a black eye, and a girl who suffers from OCD but also cuts herself.

For a lot of the book, you don't know which character is ...more

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Jan 17, 2020 Amber rated it liked it

Shelves: contemporary, netgalley, read-2020

This book hands so many topics in a careful and thoughtful way. Unfortunately, it took me way too long to get the whole story format. Which is understandable considering how the chapters are formatted. I feel like this book will be and do great things. I just didn't fully get it.

I received an ecopy of this through netgalley; however, all opinions are my own.

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