3 1/2 stars for this coming of age YA novel, January 7, 2011
This novel is about choices -- the choices that a teen girl makes during her senior year of high school when she begins to make decisions that are going to affect the rest of her life. What kind of girl does Natalie want to be vs. what kind of girl do OTHERS think Natalie is? That conundrum is at the heart of this new YA novel by an author who obviously understands the pressure and tension that teenagers deal with every day at high school as well as with extracurricular activities
Natalie wants to be known as a girl who has her act together, who knows what she wants, and who gets it. She has a plan and finally during her senior year, it's all coming together. She's elected, barely, to the role of Student Council President -- only the 9th girl to have that honor in the history of the school. Though others might think so, I didn't feel the novel was about feminism or about the role of women in society. I felt it was about Natalie finding out that all those plans she had and all those high expectations -- of herself and of others -- might need to be reassessed and reevaluated as circumstances changed.
Natalie isn't very popular and she's quite controlling and bossy -- but she can't control herself where Connor is concerned and decides to begin a secret relationship with him. Why secret? Well she doesn't want to be sidetracked by having a boyfriend AND she doesn't want to be gossiped about at school. Not sure why she is too immature to understand that having a boyfriend doesn't automatically make you a slut, but that's her fear. Themes of sexuality and double standards are reiterated over and over in this novel, but the person who causes the most trouble for Natalie is Natalie. She has difficulty with insight -- into herself and into others. She doesn't seem to have the ability to do an honest self appraisal so concerned is she with outward appearances. She doesn't know what she feels about what she's doing or make much attempt to understand her best friend Autumn or the boy she's sneaking around to see only late at night. For a girl who supposedly was going places, she seemed to be running in circles around the dilemmas she created by trying to dictate to others the nature of their relationship with her. She's the kind of girl who wanted everyone to think well of her, and they did because they didn't really even know HER, just knew that she was a responsible girl who got things done. As long as she was doing that, and staying out of trouble, she received praise. Later on in the novel when things sort of fell apart for her, those same people didn't seem to be able to give her those same positive attributes. Her mistake? Being a teenage girl and having feelings and not knowing how to handle them because she'd spent so many years repressing them.
The ending seemed a little rushed and too pat with everything going nicely back into place after the shift that occurred when Natalie sort of "fell off the wagon" but I think teens will enjoy reading about Natalie's senior year and how she fixed her lapses in judgment. One thing to keep in mind is that most of the time mistakes in adolescence aren't permanently life altering, but some CAN be. The tricky part, and the one that teens find most difficult to master, is knowing which are and which aren't!
Teen girls looking for a fast-paced, thought-provoking read about social situations and high school will definitely like this
This novel is about choices -- the choices that a teen girl makes during her senior year of high school when she begins to make decisions that are going to affect the rest of her life. What kind of girl does Natalie want to be vs. what kind of girl do OTHERS think Natalie is? That conundrum is at the heart of this new YA novel by an author who obviously understands the pressure and tension that teenagers deal with every day at high school as well as with extracurricular activities
Natalie wants to be known as a girl who has her act together, who knows what she wants, and who gets it. She has a plan and finally during her senior year, it's all coming together. She's elected, barely, to the role of Student Council President -- only the 9th girl to have that honor in the history of the school. Though others might think so, I didn't feel the novel was about feminism or about the role of women in society. I felt it was about Natalie finding out that all those plans she had and all those high expectations -- of herself and of others -- might need to be reassessed and reevaluated as circumstances changed.
Natalie isn't very popular and she's quite controlling and bossy -- but she can't control herself where Connor is concerned and decides to begin a secret relationship with him. Why secret? Well she doesn't want to be sidetracked by having a boyfriend AND she doesn't want to be gossiped about at school. Not sure why she is too immature to understand that having a boyfriend doesn't automatically make you a slut, but that's her fear. Themes of sexuality and double standards are reiterated over and over in this novel, but the person who causes the most trouble for Natalie is Natalie. She has difficulty with insight -- into herself and into others. She doesn't seem to have the ability to do an honest self appraisal so concerned is she with outward appearances. She doesn't know what she feels about what she's doing or make much attempt to understand her best friend Autumn or the boy she's sneaking around to see only late at night. For a girl who supposedly was going places, she seemed to be running in circles around the dilemmas she created by trying to dictate to others the nature of their relationship with her. She's the kind of girl who wanted everyone to think well of her, and they did because they didn't really even know HER, just knew that she was a responsible girl who got things done. As long as she was doing that, and staying out of trouble, she received praise. Later on in the novel when things sort of fell apart for her, those same people didn't seem to be able to give her those same positive attributes. Her mistake? Being a teenage girl and having feelings and not knowing how to handle them because she'd spent so many years repressing them.
The ending seemed a little rushed and too pat with everything going nicely back into place after the shift that occurred when Natalie sort of "fell off the wagon" but I think teens will enjoy reading about Natalie's senior year and how she fixed her lapses in judgment. One thing to keep in mind is that most of the time mistakes in adolescence aren't permanently life altering, but some CAN be. The tricky part, and the one that teens find most difficult to master, is knowing which are and which aren't!
Teen girls looking for a fast-paced, thought-provoking read about social situations and high school will definitely like this
NOT THAT KIND OF GIRL, Siobhan Vivians third novel, succeeds where few other contemporary YAs do: it features a smart, determined, but not always nice or right female protagonist and a strong message of the different definitions of what female empowerment entails.
Natalie is not a straightforwardly sympathetic protagonist. Shes smart and has obviously accomplished much, yes, and her narration is delightful for the over-read YA reader: anguished and angsty, determined and stubborn, without being overly dramatic and annoying. However, we get the sense early on that, despite the seeming solidness of her feminist creed, she could stand to learn a lesson or two. Too often I feel like YA protagonists are always made out to either be ethically perfect in dealing with external problems, or else have an identity utterly wrapped up in a love interest. Thus, Natalie is a breath of fresh aireven if she may snap at you, and even slap you, for daring to objectify her as refreshing.
There are a gratifying number of strong females in this noveleven if not all of them are strong in the best waysbut Spencer is probably the most admirable character of them all. She is the type of girl Natalie fears, though for all the wrong reasons. Spencer is confident, strong-willed, feminine, and, to Natalies horror, not afraid to play up her feminine appeal to get her way. Spencer and Natalie come from different schools of feminism, and while there is no clear answer as to which of them is more correctSpencer gets hurt more, but she also livesthey are excellent examples of the different manifestations of feminismwith a hearty dose of entertainment in their shenanigans and interactions, too.
NOT THAT KIND OF GIRL focuses on the feminism aspect, on what it could mean for a female to be empowered, but its hardly preachy, and not without a crackling romance as well (although Natalies interactions with Connor was something I wish had been more fleshed out). Siobhan Vivian is a strong writer with a talent for character subtleties. This is my first book of hers, but it will certainly not be my last. Dont overlook this strong gem of a contemporary YA read!
Natalie is not a straightforwardly sympathetic protagonist. Shes smart and has obviously accomplished much, yes, and her narration is delightful for the over-read YA reader: anguished and angsty, determined and stubborn, without being overly dramatic and annoying. However, we get the sense early on that, despite the seeming solidness of her feminist creed, she could stand to learn a lesson or two. Too often I feel like YA protagonists are always made out to either be ethically perfect in dealing with external problems, or else have an identity utterly wrapped up in a love interest. Thus, Natalie is a breath of fresh aireven if she may snap at you, and even slap you, for daring to objectify her as refreshing.
There are a gratifying number of strong females in this noveleven if not all of them are strong in the best waysbut Spencer is probably the most admirable character of them all. She is the type of girl Natalie fears, though for all the wrong reasons. Spencer is confident, strong-willed, feminine, and, to Natalies horror, not afraid to play up her feminine appeal to get her way. Spencer and Natalie come from different schools of feminism, and while there is no clear answer as to which of them is more correctSpencer gets hurt more, but she also livesthey are excellent examples of the different manifestations of feminismwith a hearty dose of entertainment in their shenanigans and interactions, too.
NOT THAT KIND OF GIRL focuses on the feminism aspect, on what it could mean for a female to be empowered, but its hardly preachy, and not without a crackling romance as well (although Natalies interactions with Connor was something I wish had been more fleshed out). Siobhan Vivian is a strong writer with a talent for character subtleties. This is my first book of hers, but it will certainly not be my last. Dont overlook this strong gem of a contemporary YA read!
Reviewed by Jaglvr for TeensReadToo.com
Natalie Sterling is not that kind of girl. No, she's the good one. She studies hard. She's done SAT preparation to ensure she gets into a good college. She's the president of student council and has the encouragement of her amazing teacher, Ms. Bee. And she's defended her best friend, Autumn, when the rest of the school was calling her names.
But now, Natalie's life is a mess. She's had a major blow-up fight with her best friend. The girl she used to babysit is now a freshman and getting into sticky situations. She's in full-out war mode with Mike Domski. And there's something going on with Connor Hughes.
Natalie can't afford to get off course now. And when she starts connecting with Connor in the middle of the night, she tells him that it's just for fun, and no one can ever know. Natalie is distracted and everything in her life is starting to suffer. She barely makes it to her SAT test. Her student council responsibilities are suffering.
Natalie has to come to terms with what kind of girl she really is. She has to decide if she's one type of girl or many small parts rolled into one body.
I really enjoyed NOT THAT KIND OF GIRL far more than I expected to. It read quickly and pulled me right into the heart of the action. I have to admit that Natalie was my least favorite character, though the story revolved around her. I found Connor the most realistic and lovable of all the characters. I wanted to just hug him and make him come right out and tell Natalie his true feelings.
Natalie Sterling is not that kind of girl. No, she's the good one. She studies hard. She's done SAT preparation to ensure she gets into a good college. She's the president of student council and has the encouragement of her amazing teacher, Ms. Bee. And she's defended her best friend, Autumn, when the rest of the school was calling her names.
But now, Natalie's life is a mess. She's had a major blow-up fight with her best friend. The girl she used to babysit is now a freshman and getting into sticky situations. She's in full-out war mode with Mike Domski. And there's something going on with Connor Hughes.
Natalie can't afford to get off course now. And when she starts connecting with Connor in the middle of the night, she tells him that it's just for fun, and no one can ever know. Natalie is distracted and everything in her life is starting to suffer. She barely makes it to her SAT test. Her student council responsibilities are suffering.
Natalie has to come to terms with what kind of girl she really is. She has to decide if she's one type of girl or many small parts rolled into one body.
I really enjoyed NOT THAT KIND OF GIRL far more than I expected to. It read quickly and pulled me right into the heart of the action. I have to admit that Natalie was my least favorite character, though the story revolved around her. I found Connor the most realistic and lovable of all the characters. I wanted to just hug him and make him come right out and tell Natalie his true feelings.
