Bad Girls Never Say Die by Jennifer Mathieu - Review

Where did I get it? My mum and stepdad bought me it for Christmas after I asked for it. I follow Jen on Twitter so knew she had a new book it! 

What's it about? It's set in 1964, almost a year after the death of John F Kennedy. It's set in Houston, Texas. Evie lives with her mum and grandmother; her elder sister recently got married and is living on an army base some way away. Evie misses her desperately. Evie has got friendly with three "bad" girls recently - Connie, Sunny, and Juanita, who lives next door. The neighbourhood they live in is pretty poor, and everyone knows that the police will try to pin anything on them. The girls cut school a lot. 

One Friday evening they head over to the drive thru movie theatre. Connie has recently been in Gainesville in some kind of juvenile detention, so the girls are celebrating her freedom. Connie's brother Johnny is there and to begin with I thought Evie had a little crush on him, but if she does, it's not really explored. 

Evie heads to the washrooms and while there a boy from the rich side of town starts to talk to her. Then he attacks her and threatens to rape her. She blacks out, and when she comes to a 'tea sipper', one of the girls from the rich side of town, is standing over her. She is Diane, and she has recently moved to Evie's "bad" neighbourhood and moved to Evie's school. None of her old friends will talk to her anymore, which Evie witnessed earlier in the evening. And now she has stabbed Preston, and he is dead. 

Evie realises the danger they are in, so the two run off quickly, to Diane's house. The house is cluttered and filled with bottles; Diane lives with her aunt. Her bedroom though is very tidy. Evie realises there's something deeper going on with Diane, but she doesn't press for details.

Realising that Diane has saved her from rape and possibly from death, Evie quickly brings her into the group. The other girls aren't sure, though, but Evie stands up for herself, and for Diane. Everything quickly unravels, of course - but this is a gorgeous book about girl friendship, about forging your own path, and about doing what is right.

For what it's worth I think Jen Mathieu isw a really underrated YA writer and I would encourage you to go read her stuff right now!

What age range is it for? 15+ 

Are any main characters LGBTQ+? No - I did wonder if the book was going to go that way and I was here for it! 

Are any main characters people of colour? Yes, Juanita is Mexican and there's mention of how she's treated at school, and Evie and Diane also discuss the fact that segregated schools still exist in Texas. I thought both of these points were a good way of showing the racial inequality of the time. 

Are any main characters disabled either mentally or physically? Not really 

Is there any sex stuff? Yes, trigger warning for sexual assault - it isn't graphic but it is there

Are drugs mentioned or used? No I don't think so. The girls do smoke a lot which is very true for the time but may be jarring for a modern reader! 

Is there any talk of death? Yes, it's somewhat graphic, but age appropriate I felt

Are there swear words? A few. It really gave the girls a flavour!

 

What criticisms do I have? Almost none 

Would I recommend the book? Yes absolutely. It's got that 60s nostalgia to it which I really liked; I wanted to run with the "bad" girls too 

Why did I choose to read it at this point in life? Trying to make my way through my Christmas books as is usual for January! 

 

What do I think of the cover? It's cute, it looks like a film (watch Moxie! It's really good!) 

 

What other books is it like? It reminded me of Pulp by Robin Talley which is set in a similar timeframe I think 

How many stars? Four out of five, a very good from me

 

Where is the book going now? I'll keep it! I've got a few of Jen's other books!

The Liars of Mariposa Island by Jennifer Mathieu - Review

Where did I get it? On Netgalley, so thank you very much to Hachette Children's Group for the opportunity to read and review it. As you may know, I'm already a big fan of Jen's work and was really interested to read her new book. Thanks! 

What's it about? The book is set in 1986, when the Finneys live on Mariposa Island, somewhere off Texas in the Gulf of Mexica. They are Elena, nearly seventeen, Joaquin, who has just graduated high school, and their mother, Caridad. The three of them have difficult relationships. Elena struggles under her mother's over-protective eye - Carrie rings her several times a day while she's on school vacation to make sure she's at home. Elena can only escape when she has her babysitting job. She meets J.C. one day at the beach and starts a secret relationship with him. 

Joaquin has just finished school and isn't sure what he wants to do with his life. He's a waiter at a local restaurant but he really wants to take off to California. His dad, who took off when Elena was small, supposedly lives there. 

Carrie drinks too much and often passes out late at night, requiring one of the kids to be at home to get her to bed. She's abusive towards them both and they live on eggshells around her, trying to gauge her moods and not make her angry. Joaquin is closer to not caring than his sister is, but Elena knows that she'll never get out from under her mother's control.

The first half of the book is told from Elena's point of view, and the second half of Joaquin's. I found it slightly jarring when it changed - I really wanted Elena back! I loved her, I thought she was a great character. I did like Joaquin's point of view too, but it felt like he was doing more tidying up, kind of? Interspersed between both kids is the story of what happened to Caridad. She was born in Cuba in the 1940s, to a well off family. On the night of her quinceanera, a bomb goes off as revolution builds, and Caridad has to leave Cuba (under what turns out to be Operation Pedro Pan, which really happened). We set Caridad reach the United States, marry the children's dad, and have the children. I found it interesting that we saw Carrie as both a teenager and as a young woman, that doesn't often happen in YA books but I thought it was perfectly appropriate for the book. There's a real insight into what makes Carrie tick and why she is like she is. 

I loved this book, I thought the clash of cultures between Cuba and the US was really interesting and brilliantly written. 

What age range is it for? 14+ 

Are any main characters LGBTQ+? No 

Are any main characters people of colour? Yes, they're Cuban and Caridad is a first generation immigrant. I liked a lot of the storylines here. 

Are any main characters disabled either mentally or physically? No 

Is there any sex stuff? Yes, it's not graphic

Are drugs mentioned or used? Yes, it may be somewhat graphic 

Is there any talk of death? Yes, I didn't think it was graphic but your mileage may vary

Are there swear words? No 

What criticisms do I have? Almost none! I was just a bit jarred when the point of ivew changed, but I did like Joaquin too 

Would I recommend the book? Absolutely 

Why did I choose to read it at this point in life? I was desperate to read something else by Jen! 

What do I think of the cover? On Netgalley the book is simply called The Liars and has a different cover, but all other publicity seems to be calling it by the fuller title and using this cover. I think it's really pretty! 

What other books is it like? I've seen a couple of comparisons to We Were Liars, and while I don't think the stories are similar, I do think there are similarities with the closed, claustrophobic feeling which isn't helped by the harsh sun. 

I also kept thinking of the sitcom One Day At A Time while I was reading it - Lydia, the grandmother in the series, also left Cuba under Operation Pedro Pan and also has a hard time adjusting to American life. Definitely watch this if you haven't already!

How many stars? Four and a half out of five. 

The Liars of Mariposa Island will be published on the 5th of September 2019. 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. 

The Truth About Alice by Jennifer Mathieu - Review

Where did I get it? I requested it on Netgalley, so thank you very much to Hachette Children's Group because I really wanted to read this book! I've read two books of Jen's previously and really enjoyed them, so I was keen to read this too. It was published in the United States in 2014, but is only just being published here in the UK. I hope that means a whole new audience for it! 

What's it about? It's set in a small town in Texas called Healy, where there are three thousand people and where everyone knows everyone's business. There's a girl called Alice Franklin, and everyone knows two things about her: firstly, that she slept with Brandon and Tommy at the same time at a party at the end of the summer, and that she was sending texts to Brandon a few weeks later when he is driving in a fatal car crash. Everyone knows those things are true, right? That's why no one is talking to Alice anymore and why she's started coming to school in a huge grey sweatshirt. 

The book is told from the points of view of four people. Firstly there's Elaine, who is a super popular girl in school and who hates Alice because Alice made out with Brandon even though Elaine is pretty sure Brandon belonged to her. Then there's Kelsie, who was Alice's best friend until all of this happened, and who remembers being an outsider in Flint and doesn't want to go back to that. Kelsie had some really awful stuff happen to her, which was one of the best bits of the book (and it's a good book!). There's Josh, Brandon's best friend, who was with him at the time of the crash and who ended up injured. Lastly there's Kurt, who is the resident school geek, and who was Brandon's next door neighbour. He has a huge crush on Alice, and is the only person in the school who will talk to her.

I know Jen is a high school teacher and I think it really shows. She writes beautiful and beautifully flawed teenagers who are really realistic and who do really stupid things, but Jen makes us understand why they do these things. From an adult point of view I was often thinking "Oh, love, please just use your words and sort this out", but teenagers don't have adult brains yet and they're often surviving a lot and just trying to get through life. If I was a teenager I think I would totally understand why these teens made a lot of these decisions. I think Jen has such a talent here. I liked how we got the full story of what happened to Alice bit by bit, and that we could only see the full story because we read so many points of view. Each teen didn't have the full story and probably wouldn't ever know it, so had their own prejudices and point of view. 

I loved the depiction of small town life, I think Jen brought that alive really well and made me think a lot about small towns and the politics and people that co-exist in them. 

There's a lot of political stuff in the book but without it being overtly so. There's a lot about sex, and sexual assault, and slut shaming, all done really well and in ways that I would hope make readers think. Jen is one of my favourite authors at the moment and I'm pretty sure that's partly due to the fact I follow her on Twitter and see her political opinions there. This book definitely deserves to be read. 

What age range is it for? 14+

Are any main characters LGBTQ+? No 

Are any main characters people of colour? No, I don't think so

Are any main characters disabled either mentally or physically? No

Is there any sex stuff? Yes, it's not graphic but be warned for descriptions of sexual assault and slut shaming 

Are drugs mentioned or used? I don't think so? 

Is there any talk of death? Yes but again it's not graphic

Are there swear words? Very few 

What criticisms do I have? You know, almost none. Like I said, as an adult I just wanted to make the teenagers just talk to each other and sort things out, but I appreciate that teenagers often exist in little cliques that rarely cross paths. I actually thought the book was too short! I would've liked more of it! 

Would I recommend the book? Absolutely 

Why did I choose to read it at this point in life? I just couldn't wait after getting it approved 

What other books is it like? It's a bit like Wing Jones, which i read recently, and it's a lot like Moxie, also by this author, especially in its depiction of high school. I guess teaching in one is really good for writing!

How many stars? Four out of five, nine out of ten! 

Moxie by Jennifer Mathieu - Review

Where did I get it? I bought it, I had it on pre-order. I follow Jen on Twitter and am always excited to read a new book from her. Especially this one as it's about feminism and zines! 

What's it about? Vivian is a junior at high school in East Rockport, Texas, a small town where nothing much happens and where the high school football team rules everyone's social life. Each Friday, the entire town closes for the football game. Vivian usually attends with her friends and her mother and grandparents. 

Viv's mum was a 90s Riot Grrrl, who moved to Portland to find the scene there but had to move back after the death of Viv's dad when Viv was a small child. She keeps a box labelled My Misspent Youth, and Vivian sometimes rifles through it, looking at the zines that her mum made. 

One day, star football player Mitchell Wilson is rude and sexist towards new girl Lucy, and Vivian has had enough of the sexism rampant around the school. From boys saying "make me a sandwich" to them bumping into girls and grabbing them before running off, Vivian is fed up. So she makes a zine called Moxie and leaves it in girls' bathrooms before school one morning. In order for girls to show support, she suggests they should draw hearts and stars on their hands that Friday.

She's thrilled when people do, including Lucy, who she ends up being friends with. Over the next few months Moxie takes on a life of its own and the girls in the school learn how to fight back against the sexism they receive from boys, but also against systemic sexism like arbitrary dress codes. Viv really comes into her own in confidence as Moxie grows.

Meanwhile, her mum has started dating a colleague called John, who happens to be a Republican voter, even though Viv's mum is really liberal. Viv doesn't understand what her mum sees in him and has to try to come to terms with his involvement in her mum's life. There's also a new boy at school, Seth, who Viv has a crush on. She eventually starts a relationship with him, her first ever. Seth knows about Moxie and keeps telling Viv that not all guys are like Mitchell and co. Vivian knows that, but she is frustrated that he just doesn't get it. I actually thought these two things - John and Seth and Viv's reactions to them - were the truest parts of the book. There are parts when Viv and Seth argue and get frustrated and they are so true and real to life. I liked Seth, I loved how real he was while also being a total dish. I would have liked a little bit more resolution to Viv's mum and John's storyline, but it doesn't detract from the novel in total. 

I am a zinester myself. You can buy my zines here if you'd like to! I loved this part of the book. I honestly believe that zines are little political protests and can change the world. I loved how Vivian explained what zines were and was Riot Grrrl was. I am a little bit too young for Riot Grrrl but I of course know about it and like some of the bands. I felt like Jen really expressed the history well for new readers. 

While the novel is simple, it isn't simplistic. There's lots going on and Vivian is really well drawn and an utterly likeable character. 

What age range is it for? Anything from fourteen plus, probably

Are any main characters LGBTQ+? No 

Are any main characters people of colour? Yes, race is mentioned a few times. While Viv is white, there are parts when some of her friends who are other races mention how that intersects with the sexism they face. I thought this was nicely done. 

Are any main characters disabled either mentally or physically? No 

Is there any sex stuff? Viv and Seth have a really frank conversation about sex which I thought was perfect without being preachy. There's no sexual activity, though. 

Are drugs mentioned or used? No 

Is there any talk of death? A little about Viv's dad, but not much 

Are there swear words? Yes, quite a few - I actually loved this and thought it was one of the most natural and realistic portrayals of teenagers that I've read recently. Teenagers swear. A lot. 

What criticisms do I have? To begin with I thought Seth was a bit too perfect, a bit of a Manic Pixie Dream Boy, but that may be just because Vivian didn't know him very well. I was frustrated by the inactions of the school administrators but this is probably really true to life too. I have very little to criticise! 

Would I recommend the book? Yes with my whole heart! Zines and feminism and badass girls, oh my! 

Why did I choose to read it at this point in life? I really loved Devoted by Jen, so I couldn't wait to read this as soon as it arrived. 

What other books is it like? I only know one other YA book which talks about zines and that's Hard Love by Ellen Wittlinger which I read about six years ago. I think Moxie is also quite a lot like Becoming Betty by Eleanor Wood in the way it focuses on female friendship. 

How many stars? Four out of five, utterly recommended. 

Where is the book going now? I'll keep it for sure, but I think my friend Laura would like to read it first as she's also a feminist and a zinester!

Devoted by Jennifer Mathieu - Review

Where did I get it? Amazon, I pre-ordered it on the recommendation of my friend Angie, so had it in my hands on release day!


What's it about? Rachel is one of the oldest girls in her large, fundamentalist Christian family. She's homeschooled and expected to take care of her younger siblings. One Sunday in church, one of her peers is just back from Jesus Camp and repenting his sins. Rachel starts thinking, and remembers a girl who left the church but who has moved back to the area. Rachel isn't really allowed unsupervised access to the computer, but snatches time here and there to google the girl who left and read her blog. 

What age range is it for? It would depend on the teen, I think. Anything from 14+, but it would be useful to have a conversation about spiritual abuse. 

Are any main characters LGBTQ+? No.

Are any main characters non-white? No.

Are any main characters disabled either mentally or physically? No.

Is there any sex stuff? No.

Are drugs mentioned or used? No

Is there any talk of death? No.

Are there swear words? Very few. Like maybe two instances. 

Would I recommend the book? Yes, definitely

How many stars? An excellent 9 out of 10.

Where is the book going now? It's currently with my friend Lucinda who expressed an interest in reading it.