Where did I get it? I wanted to join in the blog tour because I liked the sound of the book, so thanks to The Write Reads and Penguin Books for letting me join the tour!
What's it about? Alex is a junior at a co-educational Catholic boarding school in the wilds of Minnesota, miles away from where Alex grew up in California. But her parents are divorced and her dad has decided that his alma mater is where Alex will go to high school. She's been there two years and has been close to getting kicked out more than once. She's definitely familiar with the principal's office, and at the beginning of the book she breaks curfew and faces another discipline charge.
She then decides she will get herself kicked out before the semester ends. She's president of the Feminist Club, and she decides they will stage a showing of The Vagina Monologues. That should be enough to get herself kicked out, right?
Her best friend and roommate Mary Kate makes her own semester goal - before it ends she will have a walk around the lake with a boy - a tradition that is meant to intend the couple will be together forever.
Alex is trying to rail against everything and everyone at St Mary's, but she gets caught up in things beyond her control. There's a sweet romance, and a lot of character growth, and I ended up really loving Alex and her escapades. The book is fun and funny and there's a lot of calamity which I liked. I feel like it could be the first in a series - I would love to see the rest of Alex's time at St Mary's!
There's plenty in the book about feminism, about the bodies of women and girls, about consent and choice, about safe sex and so on, but none of it felt like it was written about in a forced way. It was funny.
What age range is it for? Fourteen plus
Are any main characters LGBTQ+? No
Are any main characters people of colour? No
Are any main characters disabled either mentally or physically? No, I don't think so.
Is there any sex stuff? Yes, it's not graphic - I thought this was done really well
Are drugs mentioned or used? Yeah I think like marijuana
Is there any talk of death? No
Are there swear words? Yes, in very funny ways
What criticisms do I have? Almost none - it took me a little bit to get into but once I did I really enjoyed it.
Would I recommend the book? Yes definitely
What do I think of the cover? I love it - it's Alex with her purple fauxhawk and I think it's really eyecatching.
What other books is it like? It reminded me of a few films actually, mostly Wild Thing starring Emma Roberts, which I thoroughly recommend
How many stars? Four out of five.
Bad Habits will be published on 11th February 2021. I was given a free electronic copy of the novel but was not compensated in any other way for this post. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
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