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Girl Out Loud
*Silent Scream!*
Kass Kennedy is nobody's idol. She does forget the lyrics. She's not a gleek. The x factor? Not her! Read her lips: She has the right to remain silent.
Just try telling that to her dad.
Because he's totally lost it this time, demanding Kass audition for a TV talent show. Which would be slightly less than death-by-embarrassment if Kass could (duh!) actually sing. And if even the smallest part of her craved the spotlight. Stardom is her dad's dream, not hers. But he's so fragile, she's afraid he just might crack if she doesn't go through with his latest, craziest plan.
Not helping: Her hopelessly MIA mom. The budding criminal mastermind also known as her kid brother. And amateur shrink Izzy and used-to-be-sweet Char, who've gone all frenemies over a boy in brown boots. (Don't ask.)
It's only rock n' roll? If only! Inside, Kass is screaming, but no one is listening. How loud does a girl have to shout to be heard?
Kass Kennedy is nobody's idol. She does forget the lyrics. She's not a gleek. The x factor? Not her! Read her lips: She has the right to remain silent.
Just try telling that to her dad.
Because he's totally lost it this time, demanding Kass audition for a TV talent show. Which would be slightly less than death-by-embarrassment if Kass could (duh!) actually sing. And if even the smallest part of her craved the spotlight. Stardom is her dad's dream, not hers. But he's so fragile, she's afraid he just might crack if she doesn't go through with his latest, craziest plan.
Not helping: Her hopelessly MIA mom. The budding criminal mastermind also known as her kid brother. And amateur shrink Izzy and used-to-be-sweet Char, who've gone all frenemies over a boy in brown boots. (Don't ask.)
It's only rock n' roll? If only! Inside, Kass is screaming, but no one is listening. How loud does a girl have to shout to be heard?
288 pages, Hardcover
First published December 7, 2009
10 people are currently reading
526 people want to read
About the author
Emily Gale
29 books97 followersEmily Gale has worked in the children’s & YA book industry for over twenty years. In London she worked as an editor for Penguin and Egmont, and later as a freelance manuscript consultant and pre-school book writer. In Melbourne she worked with the late literary agent Sheila Drummond, finding new children’s and YA authors; she has reviewed for Bookseller and Publisher, spent several happy years at independent bookshop Readings as a children’s buyer, during which time she was instrumental in establishing the Readings Children’s Book Prize, and worked in two school libraries. Emily’s writing includes novels for teenagers like Girl, Aloud, Steal My Sunshine, and I Am Out With Lanterns, as well as books for 10+ including The Other Side of Summer, Elsewhere Girls, and The Goodbye Year. Her junior fiction character is Eliza Boom, which is published all around the world.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 47 reviews
December 18, 2009
This book was nothing like what I expected. After reading the blurb on the back of the books (which is different to above) I was expecting perhaps a bit of a silly Dad playing a joke on his daughter, and seeing Kass embarrass herself hugely as she went through the stages of the X Factor auditions. What I got was much better. This is a hard-hitting emotional novel that deals with mental illness, adultery, friendship, crime, and the right to say no. So good, I read it in a day.
This is not to say that there aren’t light moments in this novel. Kass has such a great voice, and is sarcastic about most things unless it’s inappropriate. Some of the times with her friends are really quite amusing, her brother Raff has his moments, which normally involve him taking the mick out of Kass, and then The Other Cass can be a bit of a good distraction when things get a little too much. There are a great range of characters, and they all provide moments of amusements, but on the whole, this book is quite hard to read.
Kass lives a very different life to what I did at her age, but in some ways she reminded me so much of myself, that I couldn’t help but feel for her. The way she acted and behaved sometimes put me so much in mind of myself that I would smile, but it made it so much easier to imagine myself in the situation she finds herself in, and it was emotionally difficult to read. But amazing!
There isn’t a huge amount I can say about this book without spoiling it, but I can talk about how I reacted to it. I’m quite an empathetic person; if people around me are upset, I get upset for them. Even more so with fictional characters, as you get inside their head and completely understand them, as if they were you. It just so happened that at a particular point in this novel, while I was eating, I got so angry and so upset that I had to put the book down. I was fuming, and almost cried into my stew. I can’t tell you what happened at this point, it’s too much of a spoiler, but I could rant about this one thing for absolutely hours on end. I don’t know what it was exactly that had me reacting as I did, it could be the situation itself, it could be the characters, or perhaps it was because I could identify with Kass so much on some levels, but whatever it was, it came from Emily, and I think it’s a testament to her writing that it evoked such a reaction from me.
This is such an amazing novel, and I can’t recommend it enough! You really need to read this book, it’s just fantastic, and can really make you think. Emily Gale is an awesome author, and I can’t wait to read her future novels!
This is not to say that there aren’t light moments in this novel. Kass has such a great voice, and is sarcastic about most things unless it’s inappropriate. Some of the times with her friends are really quite amusing, her brother Raff has his moments, which normally involve him taking the mick out of Kass, and then The Other Cass can be a bit of a good distraction when things get a little too much. There are a great range of characters, and they all provide moments of amusements, but on the whole, this book is quite hard to read.
Kass lives a very different life to what I did at her age, but in some ways she reminded me so much of myself, that I couldn’t help but feel for her. The way she acted and behaved sometimes put me so much in mind of myself that I would smile, but it made it so much easier to imagine myself in the situation she finds herself in, and it was emotionally difficult to read. But amazing!
There isn’t a huge amount I can say about this book without spoiling it, but I can talk about how I reacted to it. I’m quite an empathetic person; if people around me are upset, I get upset for them. Even more so with fictional characters, as you get inside their head and completely understand them, as if they were you. It just so happened that at a particular point in this novel, while I was eating, I got so angry and so upset that I had to put the book down. I was fuming, and almost cried into my stew. I can’t tell you what happened at this point, it’s too much of a spoiler, but I could rant about this one thing for absolutely hours on end. I don’t know what it was exactly that had me reacting as I did, it could be the situation itself, it could be the characters, or perhaps it was because I could identify with Kass so much on some levels, but whatever it was, it came from Emily, and I think it’s a testament to her writing that it evoked such a reaction from me.
This is such an amazing novel, and I can’t recommend it enough! You really need to read this book, it’s just fantastic, and can really make you think. Emily Gale is an awesome author, and I can’t wait to read her future novels!
April 17, 2023
jiny nez jsem to cekala
September 30, 2022
What could have been a quote on the back: "Full of humor and heart, Kass' story will leave the reader with newfound understanding of different types people."
Now is a good time to talk about how I decide "best-reads" books. There a two ways. Way one is if it was without a doubt a 5-star book I just really loved it. Way two is if I feel as through the writing was really good(I can only think of one book on my "best-reads" list that is like that), or book talked about really important stuff. This book is type two.
My very spoilery review:
Now is a good time to talk about how I decide "best-reads" books. There a two ways. Way one is if it was without a doubt a 5-star book I just really loved it. Way two is if I feel as through the writing was really good(I can only think of one book on my "best-reads" list that is like that), or book talked about really important stuff. This book is type two.
My very spoilery review:
abandoned
June 30, 2012Didn't finish this book. I tried!! The first 50 wasn't doing anything for me but I gave it another 50 because I was told it would approach more emotional issues but yeah, I gave up after 100. I ended up going to the back and skimming the end to see what happens (I haven't done that for a book for like.. years) and I'm not too upset about marking this as DNF.
The main reason I couldn't get into the book is that it felt too "young" for me. The instant messaging with chatspeak made me extremely irritated and there were scenes like Kass talking about this 'dreamboat' boy that I felt I had.. outgrown. I like reading books that connect with me as a reader and I just couldn't do it with this novel and this protagonist. I had some interest in what was going to go down with her family but not enough, unfortunately.
I think Kassidy's voice is unique though so I wouldn't mind recommending it to others, it just really wasn't the book for me.
The main reason I couldn't get into the book is that it felt too "young" for me. The instant messaging with chatspeak made me extremely irritated and there were scenes like Kass talking about this 'dreamboat' boy that I felt I had.. outgrown. I like reading books that connect with me as a reader and I just couldn't do it with this novel and this protagonist. I had some interest in what was going to go down with her family but not enough, unfortunately.
I think Kassidy's voice is unique though so I wouldn't mind recommending it to others, it just really wasn't the book for me.
Read
November 9, 2017I thought this book was very good. I think the author did a good job with details and making sure you felt emotions when you were reading this book. The main character, Kass, thought that her life was normal, but then realized that everything she thought was ok wasn't. Her dad, who is bipolar, always has competitions he wants Kass to do because he said his parents weren't ever there for him. So he makes her audition for the X Factor, and she is too afraid of hurting his feelings to say "no". This book has many ups and downs. One minute you feel sorry for Kass and the next you feel like she deserved it. Emily Gale used fantastic descriptive writing that creates a picture in your brain of the scene or event. I enjoyed this book very much and encourage anyone who is dealing with peer pressure to read this book. It definitely inspired me to not be afraid to speak out and to live my life to the fullest.
April 3, 2020
Solid 4 star book. I really liked the topics it talked about, but I felt it could've done more. The ending was very good though. I also really liked that though this book talked mental health and mental illness, when it came to the latter, it didn't have the main character deal with this, but instead her father. I appreciated this as a reader for two reasons: 1. I feel this is not done often enough in books, or at least I haven't seen it often enough. 2. I don't like when authors try to write about something like mental illness or autism or things similar to those and have the main character deal with it when the author doesn't. Sometimes it can work, but often I don't think it does. I don't know the author's experience with her mental health, but it was a refreshing taste whatever it was.
May 27, 2021
Kass is a very deceptive protagonist. At first, you might think she's a typical whiny, wimpy teen girl, but read on. The more you get to know her, the more likely you will be to discover how strong she truly is...Maybe well before she does. She must navigate her bipolar dad, her placid mom, her selfish younger brother, her two intimidating and super angsty/analytical besties and a boy she tries to resist. Multiple crises hit her while she's simply trying to survive. Read the book and see how she manages. I think you'll agree that she serves as a great example of a strong female protagonist of the most realistic kind
July 5, 2023
so I was looking for a quick fix of early 00's novels you know like meg cabot/princess diaries/all-american girl type beat and I was pleased. this book does touch on some heavy topics, such as a parent having a mental illness (bpd) and deals with it quite well for a book written in 2009. I would definitely reccomend it to anyone as the context and time it was written at still holds up quote nicely, and it has a surprisingly accurate depiction of BPD. I DID however have a problem with the main love interest being 18 and the mc is 15 years old. that- that was odd. but at least Kass realizes that it's wrong (nothing about the age).
June 9, 2021
I read this book in middle school. This book got me more into reading. I remember it being good. I'm not sure what I would think of it now that I have grown. There's parts of the book that I can still remember. I think their kitchen table had a tablecloth with apples and I remember a dance and I can still remember how I imagined parts of the story now. I guess it was good because it really stuck with me after all these years.
July 17, 2019
The mental health issues were interesting.
April 25, 2025
It was cute but confusing u til the last 6 chapter. But I really liked it.
June 21, 2016
The synopsis to this book kind of confused me. I mean, the first parts make it sound like a comedy book, but the last part sounds like a drama. I decided to read this book because it looked alright to me, but I wasn't quite sure what to make of it before. I'm so thankful that I did, or else I wouldn't have read this really good novel.
Reasons to Read:
1.Kass's Narration:
The way the protagonist narrated the entire book reminded me a lot of Greg from Me and Earl and the Dying Girl, in the way that she's always constantly poking at herself in a funny way. She doesn't sugar coat herself, she just says it the way it is. For instance, she doesn't try to pretend she's an amazing singer. She's just like, I'm a really bad singer, nothing's going to change that, but I'm ok with being a not-so-awesome singer. I wouldn't exactly call it low self esteem either; I'm not quite sure how to define how Kass feels about herself. I admired her for being able to identify her flaws, but was also able to highlight her strengths. She made all these jokes about what was going on, but sometimes the things happened were just so crazy and drama filled that they were funny.
2.Kass's relationship with her dad:
I absolutely loved the relationship portrayed between Kass and her dad. From the plot synopsis, you can probably tell that he's not the most... Normal of parents. While many teens would just flat out refuse, but Kass makes an effort to make her dad proud, although it may not be her dream. They had their disagreements, and Kass got angry with her dad a lot in the book, but you could still tell that she felt really close to him, and that she loved him a lot. You could also see that she was really special in her dad's eyes. I wish that more YA books had parent relationships like this.
3.The author's ability to handle touchy subjects:
One of the major things brought up in the book was mental illness. I thought that the author did a really great job at dealing with this issue. She explained really well how hard things can be, but also explained how good things can also be. She also dealed with other things such as underage drinking, touched on self harm, and when a boy tries to take advantage of a girl. I thought that the way things played out in the novel for these was very well done, and they weren't downplayed too much. These things were kept serious in the book, because they were trying to get a good message across.
This book is very different, but it's also very well executed. The only thing that I hated in the book was one of the friends of Kass. She bugged me so much, and made me angry just thinking about her because I found her so annoying. Though, that was a pretty minor thing, and I think that she was written that way on purpose. I think that this book sends out a really good message, and I think that fans of comedic and dramatic books will like this novel.
ARC received from Scholastic Canada for my honest review; no other compensation was received.
Reasons to Read:
1.Kass's Narration:
The way the protagonist narrated the entire book reminded me a lot of Greg from Me and Earl and the Dying Girl, in the way that she's always constantly poking at herself in a funny way. She doesn't sugar coat herself, she just says it the way it is. For instance, she doesn't try to pretend she's an amazing singer. She's just like, I'm a really bad singer, nothing's going to change that, but I'm ok with being a not-so-awesome singer. I wouldn't exactly call it low self esteem either; I'm not quite sure how to define how Kass feels about herself. I admired her for being able to identify her flaws, but was also able to highlight her strengths. She made all these jokes about what was going on, but sometimes the things happened were just so crazy and drama filled that they were funny.
2.Kass's relationship with her dad:
I absolutely loved the relationship portrayed between Kass and her dad. From the plot synopsis, you can probably tell that he's not the most... Normal of parents. While many teens would just flat out refuse, but Kass makes an effort to make her dad proud, although it may not be her dream. They had their disagreements, and Kass got angry with her dad a lot in the book, but you could still tell that she felt really close to him, and that she loved him a lot. You could also see that she was really special in her dad's eyes. I wish that more YA books had parent relationships like this.
3.The author's ability to handle touchy subjects:
One of the major things brought up in the book was mental illness. I thought that the author did a really great job at dealing with this issue. She explained really well how hard things can be, but also explained how good things can also be. She also dealed with other things such as underage drinking, touched on self harm, and when a boy tries to take advantage of a girl. I thought that the way things played out in the novel for these was very well done, and they weren't downplayed too much. These things were kept serious in the book, because they were trying to get a good message across.
This book is very different, but it's also very well executed. The only thing that I hated in the book was one of the friends of Kass. She bugged me so much, and made me angry just thinking about her because I found her so annoying. Though, that was a pretty minor thing, and I think that she was written that way on purpose. I think that this book sends out a really good message, and I think that fans of comedic and dramatic books will like this novel.
ARC received from Scholastic Canada for my honest review; no other compensation was received.
August 26, 2013
By reading this review on GR I'm sorry to say you are missing out on two GIF's... Other formatting may have also been lost during copying & pasting to Goodreads so you're welcome to check this out @ Amy Bookworm
Kass (the girl, not Cas) is rather special. Yeah, she's the main character and (talking about teen voices, ALERT!) her voice is absolutely realistic. I could ring her up right now & talk to her... I mean, she seemed that real. All the character voices were realistic in this book (teen perspective, here) even her Mum & Dad had realistic voices. In YA novels quite often we hear little about the parents as it's easy to get them off the scene. They might be workaholics or just too relaxed. There's lots of excuses authors use to avoid the parent/child dynamic. It causes me pain to see the death (literal or not) of so many fictional Mum's & Dad's. In this case it was far from "Mother& Father had baby. This baby is now an independent protagonist of this novel".
So, I was decently surprised to see that I had a teen protagonist on my hands, she had parents & it wasn’t all lovey-dovey. I didn’t expect that from this book... Especially as it wasn't Kass that was like (expression shown in GIF)
In fact, I didn’t expect a lot from this novel, I was mainly just interested in the twist on being a “TV star”, basically this isn’t what Kass wanted. I liked this book's inspiration. I mean it's not too bad to base a book on X Factor muse! The Voice would be better though (am biased as I watch it after Doctor Who).
The Voice didn’t exist then so there is no Will (yeah, I’m Team Will; I could easily write about both Doctor Who & The Voice just I’d probably include spoilers... Most people wouldn’t like The Voice spoilers). However, there is Simon Cowell. I'm gonna be transparent... I didn’t understand how the Simon Cowell/Kass conversations fitted in. I understand that it added character depth in some way (I mean we do sometimes have internal dialogues, ie. not with ourselves) but they popped up like every chapter. It met my expectations there, at least there was the focus of the X Factor (which turned out to be more of a sub-plot if you hadn’t guessed) that was hinted at on the cover & blurb.
The sneaky book deceived me in more than one way. I didn’t really expect a teen Bridget Jones’ humour extraordinaire to pop up. That's what makes Girl, Aloud so funny- Kass aspires to write a magazine column where she can lather on her sarcasm (and bitchiness, language in this book :L) on thick & tasty.
Is that how you like your Nutella (or your Kass)? If not, as I've said, there's another Cass. Despite the blurb, is he the love interest? No, Simon Cowell is.
(GIF)
Maybe. Or is that too shocking? A lot is; it's all realistic & just... beautiful. Such emotion, such realism, such dynamics in the book, such twists, such seriousness, such... actually, I'm bored of that word now XD So that's all from me!
Kass (the girl, not Cas) is rather special. Yeah, she's the main character and (talking about teen voices, ALERT!) her voice is absolutely realistic. I could ring her up right now & talk to her... I mean, she seemed that real. All the character voices were realistic in this book (teen perspective, here) even her Mum & Dad had realistic voices. In YA novels quite often we hear little about the parents as it's easy to get them off the scene. They might be workaholics or just too relaxed. There's lots of excuses authors use to avoid the parent/child dynamic. It causes me pain to see the death (literal or not) of so many fictional Mum's & Dad's. In this case it was far from "Mother& Father had baby. This baby is now an independent protagonist of this novel".
So, I was decently surprised to see that I had a teen protagonist on my hands, she had parents & it wasn’t all lovey-dovey. I didn’t expect that from this book... Especially as it wasn't Kass that was like (expression shown in GIF)
In fact, I didn’t expect a lot from this novel, I was mainly just interested in the twist on being a “TV star”, basically this isn’t what Kass wanted. I liked this book's inspiration. I mean it's not too bad to base a book on X Factor muse! The Voice would be better though (am biased as I watch it after Doctor Who).
The Voice didn’t exist then so there is no Will (yeah, I’m Team Will; I could easily write about both Doctor Who & The Voice just I’d probably include spoilers... Most people wouldn’t like The Voice spoilers). However, there is Simon Cowell. I'm gonna be transparent... I didn’t understand how the Simon Cowell/Kass conversations fitted in. I understand that it added character depth in some way (I mean we do sometimes have internal dialogues, ie. not with ourselves) but they popped up like every chapter. It met my expectations there, at least there was the focus of the X Factor (which turned out to be more of a sub-plot if you hadn’t guessed) that was hinted at on the cover & blurb.
The sneaky book deceived me in more than one way. I didn’t really expect a teen Bridget Jones’ humour extraordinaire to pop up. That's what makes Girl, Aloud so funny- Kass aspires to write a magazine column where she can lather on her sarcasm (and bitchiness, language in this book :L) on thick & tasty.
Is that how you like your Nutella (or your Kass)? If not, as I've said, there's another Cass. Despite the blurb, is he the love interest? No, Simon Cowell is.
(GIF)
Maybe. Or is that too shocking? A lot is; it's all realistic & just... beautiful. Such emotion, such realism, such dynamics in the book, such twists, such seriousness, such... actually, I'm bored of that word now XD So that's all from me!
May 25, 2012
What is it with all of the amazing debuts this year? Emily really has something special with her debut Young Adult novel. I feel as though there have been a lot of books that I have read this year that I really liked, but this is easily one of the few that I truly loved. What I thought was going to be a pretty simple story, ended up being so much deeper and emotional that I would of ever imagined it being. I was beyond impressed with what Emily was able to accomplish.
I really feel like this story is one of those that you can't help but love. As I mentioned, I thought it was going to be a fairly simple story about a girl on her journey to audition for X Factor because of it being something her dad wanted her to do, but as the story went on that started to become a very small factor of the story. This story is full of heart, you have all of the things Kassidy is going through with her Dad and not being sure where that is going to go.. And you also have everything going on between Kassidy and her group of friends. There is some drama, and quite a few mistakes made throughout the story but seeing how everything is overcome is what really shows how much heart is within this story. I also really liked how at the end of several chapters Kass has these dreams where she is talking to Simon Cowell, those were a lot of fun to read.
Kassidy is truly an amazing character. She isn't perfect by any means, she makes quite a few mistakes that leaves you wondering what she was thinking.. But in the end she is such a real character, that I really think a lot of people will love. Kass's Dad is another of the major characters, his story is extremely complicated and is also where the emotional part of the story comes into play. He was really one of the best characters, I felt really bad for what he was going through. He was easily my favorite character in this book. Izzy and Char are also two really great characters, there is a lot that goes on between Kass and Char but it was great seeing if everything was going to work out between them or not.
I adored the ending of this book, it was somewhat sad although not in a extremely negative way. But it was also a very enjoyable ending that I felt brought a very nice close to an already beautiful and touching story. There is absolutely nothing about this book which I disliked, and I can't recommend it enough. It's a fairly quick read, but it has so much heart. I can't even express just how much heart this book has. I really hope you all will take the chance to read this amazing book whenever you get the chance to. It is extremely worth it.
I really feel like this story is one of those that you can't help but love. As I mentioned, I thought it was going to be a fairly simple story about a girl on her journey to audition for X Factor because of it being something her dad wanted her to do, but as the story went on that started to become a very small factor of the story. This story is full of heart, you have all of the things Kassidy is going through with her Dad and not being sure where that is going to go.. And you also have everything going on between Kassidy and her group of friends. There is some drama, and quite a few mistakes made throughout the story but seeing how everything is overcome is what really shows how much heart is within this story. I also really liked how at the end of several chapters Kass has these dreams where she is talking to Simon Cowell, those were a lot of fun to read.
Kassidy is truly an amazing character. She isn't perfect by any means, she makes quite a few mistakes that leaves you wondering what she was thinking.. But in the end she is such a real character, that I really think a lot of people will love. Kass's Dad is another of the major characters, his story is extremely complicated and is also where the emotional part of the story comes into play. He was really one of the best characters, I felt really bad for what he was going through. He was easily my favorite character in this book. Izzy and Char are also two really great characters, there is a lot that goes on between Kass and Char but it was great seeing if everything was going to work out between them or not.
I adored the ending of this book, it was somewhat sad although not in a extremely negative way. But it was also a very enjoyable ending that I felt brought a very nice close to an already beautiful and touching story. There is absolutely nothing about this book which I disliked, and I can't recommend it enough. It's a fairly quick read, but it has so much heart. I can't even express just how much heart this book has. I really hope you all will take the chance to read this amazing book whenever you get the chance to. It is extremely worth it.
June 19, 2012
Kass Kennedy has a unique, slightly over-the-top personality. While interacting with the real world around her, she plays game shows and holds imaginary conversations with Simon Cowell in her mind. It's easy to tell when she's doing this, as the worlds are in italics. Her whole world is one big drama. Her dad is bipolar, and when he's not down in the dumps he's set on making Kass a star. Her mom is never there for her, her kid brother won't help her (he's too busy making money through not-very-legal methods), and her best friends are preoccupied with their own problems.
At first, I had trouble getting into the story with Kass's inner conversations interrupting the flow and her own personality over dramatizing her life (for valid reasons). Once I adjusted to Kass's voice and the plotlines connected, however, I was able to relate to Kass. Everyone has times when they freak out over little details or feel alienated from the rest of the family. Kass thinks that her mom likes her brother better, and Raff is jealous that their dad fawns over Kass, as troublesome as they know it is for Kass. My brother and I go through these kinds of phases as well, though we know our parents care about both of us. It's just hard sometimes not to think that parents play favorites.
Of course, there are frustrating moments. Kass makes a lot of naive decisions, which I entirely get. Fifteen is the age for teen angst that only seem funny and nonsensical when you're older; it is the age for making silly decisions and placing all the blame either on others or yourself. Char is one of Kass's best friends and supposed to be sweet, but she gets angry at Kass over a crush. Not to mention that Dream Boy is eighteen and they're fifteen. While the age different becomes less importance as you grow older, eighteen and fifteen is a bit creepy. I did appreciate how the romance is more of a side note to the bigger issues in her world, and it wraps up realistically.
Kass doesn't make the best decisions at first, and she blames herself for a lot of things that aren't her fault. Over the course of the novel, however, she will learn how to make her own decisions and make a stand for herself. Girl Out Loud is a short, sweet contemporary read about how a mental disorder can affect a family, overcoming the drama in life, and discovering your self-identity. It is about family, friendship, and first love. And there is teen angst, a whole lot of drama, and humor. Plenty of humor.
Review at Imaginary Reads
At first, I had trouble getting into the story with Kass's inner conversations interrupting the flow and her own personality over dramatizing her life (for valid reasons). Once I adjusted to Kass's voice and the plotlines connected, however, I was able to relate to Kass. Everyone has times when they freak out over little details or feel alienated from the rest of the family. Kass thinks that her mom likes her brother better, and Raff is jealous that their dad fawns over Kass, as troublesome as they know it is for Kass. My brother and I go through these kinds of phases as well, though we know our parents care about both of us. It's just hard sometimes not to think that parents play favorites.
Of course, there are frustrating moments. Kass makes a lot of naive decisions, which I entirely get. Fifteen is the age for teen angst that only seem funny and nonsensical when you're older; it is the age for making silly decisions and placing all the blame either on others or yourself. Char is one of Kass's best friends and supposed to be sweet, but she gets angry at Kass over a crush. Not to mention that Dream Boy is eighteen and they're fifteen. While the age different becomes less importance as you grow older, eighteen and fifteen is a bit creepy. I did appreciate how the romance is more of a side note to the bigger issues in her world, and it wraps up realistically.
Kass doesn't make the best decisions at first, and she blames herself for a lot of things that aren't her fault. Over the course of the novel, however, she will learn how to make her own decisions and make a stand for herself. Girl Out Loud is a short, sweet contemporary read about how a mental disorder can affect a family, overcoming the drama in life, and discovering your self-identity. It is about family, friendship, and first love. And there is teen angst, a whole lot of drama, and humor. Plenty of humor.
Review at Imaginary Reads
June 30, 2013
I actually quite liked this book. I give out 2-star and 3-star ratings literally all the time, but this one made it to 4 :)
Where do I start with this? There were parts of the book I didn't like. But I think I'm a bit of a "hopeless romantic" (I'm not sure if I'm using this correctly), so I dislike reading books about people receiving very harsh treatment or anything like that. Let me elaborate: when a character gets treated unfairly by another, i.e. bullying, child abuse, harassment, etc., it makes me VERY uncomfortable, even if the case is very minor. But I digress.
The reason I mention that is because our main character Kassidy's dad has a sort of disorder. It's not very detailed in the story, and at parts it was so vague that it got to the point where I was wondering if the author even bothered to do any background research at all. But I understand that living with a parent with that disorder would make it hard for Kassidy to talk about it, and I don't blame her, so............that makes it all right.
I don't understand why Char, Izzy, and Kass, not to mention Luke and Cass(ian), all have family problems. Really? Is it that serious in their area? And Kass's family, apparently, has problems with both parents. But I see how living with Kass's dad could have caused her mom to do the things she did. (Trying not to spoil too much here (: )
One thing I really loved about the book was
I also loved how, in the end, because of what was going on with their mom, Raff and Kass became closer to each other. It seemed so sweet.
But it also seems impossible how Raff gets away with every. single. thing. he does. Really? That seems really odd, considering how uptight the parents are with Kass, who is two years older.
I wished that there could have been more descriptions of how Kass didn't stand up to her father's outrageous demands.
I know that the incident was one, but then they didn't describe any of the other failed Operation: Stardoms, such as the Mensa IQ Test and Youth Orchestra.
And it was so unfortunate that nobody realized that Kass had tried to rebel against her father, more than once. Deep down inside, she didn't want to let him down, I think, because that might unleash his inner "monster". (Something they refer to as GTD or something that I never quite managed to understand, *shrug*)
Anyway. That's it for this book.
~Dana
Where do I start with this? There were parts of the book I didn't like. But I think I'm a bit of a "hopeless romantic" (I'm not sure if I'm using this correctly), so I dislike reading books about people receiving very harsh treatment or anything like that. Let me elaborate: when a character gets treated unfairly by another, i.e. bullying, child abuse, harassment, etc., it makes me VERY uncomfortable, even if the case is very minor. But I digress.
The reason I mention that is because our main character Kassidy's dad has a sort of disorder. It's not very detailed in the story, and at parts it was so vague that it got to the point where I was wondering if the author even bothered to do any background research at all. But I understand that living with a parent with that disorder would make it hard for Kassidy to talk about it, and I don't blame her, so............that makes it all right.
I don't understand why Char, Izzy, and Kass, not to mention Luke and Cass(ian), all have family problems. Really? Is it that serious in their area? And Kass's family, apparently, has problems with both parents. But I see how living with Kass's dad could have caused her mom to do the things she did. (Trying not to spoil too much here (: )
One thing I really loved about the book was
I also loved how, in the end, because of what was going on with their mom, Raff and Kass became closer to each other. It seemed so sweet.
But it also seems impossible how Raff gets away with every. single. thing. he does. Really? That seems really odd, considering how uptight the parents are with Kass, who is two years older.
I wished that there could have been more descriptions of how Kass didn't stand up to her father's outrageous demands.
I know that the incident was one, but then they didn't describe any of the other failed Operation: Stardoms, such as the Mensa IQ Test and Youth Orchestra.
And it was so unfortunate that nobody realized that Kass had tried to rebel against her father, more than once. Deep down inside, she didn't want to let him down, I think, because that might unleash his inner "monster". (Something they refer to as GTD or something that I never quite managed to understand, *shrug*)
Anyway. That's it for this book.
~Dana
April 26, 2010
Don't let the bright pink cover or the misleading name turn you off this book. It looks like it's going to be a frothing book aimed at tweens but so much more is dealt with here than a girl trying to get on a talent tv show as the name suggests. Kassidy is living a normal, boring teenage life when one thing leads to another and her whole life turns upside down. Most of her problems stem from her undiagnosed Bipolar father who is obsessed with making her a star. Due to Kass' reluctance to admit there is something seriously wrong, she puts only up a little fight against his grand plans but always gives in as her mother makes her feel guilty about upsetting him and Kass never knows how he's going to react. This hits close to home for me but I've found my own way of dealing with it. Luckily I'm an adult.
Kass's dad's mental illness is the big picture of what this story is about but also touches on other real life issues of jealousy between friends over boys, annoying brothers, being too self-involved, selfish parents who play favourites between kids, pushy teenage boys...the list goes on. Kass is so easy to relate to and I've been though a few of the issues she goes through. She is a pretty strong character for somehow staying sane through it all. Her friends, while dealing with their own problems are pretty unsympathetic to hearing her side of the story making me want to say things to them that Kass couldn't. Being a reader of this story is so much better than it would be to live through it.
It did take me a few tries to get in this novel at first but once I settled down with it, I didn't want to put it down again. Emily Gale has a real talent for stating things as they are without either making the situations better again too quickly or too slowly. Ultimately the message I felt Gale was trying to get across is that no matter how bad things get, you have to stay strong and fight through them and one day they will become a memory that hopefully you have learned from. Also, there is always light at the end of the tunnel even if it's just a speck at the moment. YA readers should enjoy this one. There's heartache mixed with a good amount of humour.
Cover: While it's quite pretty and eye-catching, it should belong to a book aimed at 8-10 year olds. This is definitely for mid to older teens.
Kass's dad's mental illness is the big picture of what this story is about but also touches on other real life issues of jealousy between friends over boys, annoying brothers, being too self-involved, selfish parents who play favourites between kids, pushy teenage boys...the list goes on. Kass is so easy to relate to and I've been though a few of the issues she goes through. She is a pretty strong character for somehow staying sane through it all. Her friends, while dealing with their own problems are pretty unsympathetic to hearing her side of the story making me want to say things to them that Kass couldn't. Being a reader of this story is so much better than it would be to live through it.
It did take me a few tries to get in this novel at first but once I settled down with it, I didn't want to put it down again. Emily Gale has a real talent for stating things as they are without either making the situations better again too quickly or too slowly. Ultimately the message I felt Gale was trying to get across is that no matter how bad things get, you have to stay strong and fight through them and one day they will become a memory that hopefully you have learned from. Also, there is always light at the end of the tunnel even if it's just a speck at the moment. YA readers should enjoy this one. There's heartache mixed with a good amount of humour.
Cover: While it's quite pretty and eye-catching, it should belong to a book aimed at 8-10 year olds. This is definitely for mid to older teens.
December 11, 2012
At first, Kass's voice seemed forced to me. There is immense pressure on authors to have an idiosyncratic protagonist, and I was sure this was the product. But gradually Kass's voice slows down in the wacky metaphor department, a few of the more consistent stylistic features smooth out and some truly funny observations pop up.
The development of Kass's relationships with the secondary characters is really what drives Girl Out Loud: her and Raff's relationship progress can be predicted before the book even starts (and is strikingly similar to Antony John's Five Flavors of Dumb -- but obvs FFoD did it better), but the twist with the love interest is unprecedented and refreshing. (Well, calling it "refreshing" is probably the wrong word, especially since I don't feel Kass handled the problem well... but it's definitely not common.)
This novel's major fault lies in the combination of its brevity and its subject matter. The story plunges deep into the crevices of adultery and personality diseases, adding to the relationship stresses with friends & boy. This load of Serious Issues makes the book, in my head, into the shape of a sharp, steep V; the book's shortness compresses all these Issues and either makes them too inconsequential or too quickly resolved. Plus, there's a dose of Kass going "I have no friends to turn to, woe is me" through the middle.
But what can I say? I'm a sucker for a good ending that leaves me tingly with warmth, and the repetition with Simon Cowell worked out extremely nicely in my mind. (You'll have to read the book to understand.) So Girl Out Loud gets a better-than-average rating.
The cover:
Linna said it -- why on Earth is this cover so fluffy? So pink? Do they want readers to be sidelined by this novel's heavy topics like I was? Especially with the blonde. (Not to stereotype hair colour... although you can see her brunette roots showing. I can't decide if I want to point and laugh or facepalm.)
*Review originally published on Pass the Chiclets.
The development of Kass's relationships with the secondary characters is really what drives Girl Out Loud: her and Raff's relationship progress can be predicted before the book even starts (and is strikingly similar to Antony John's Five Flavors of Dumb -- but obvs FFoD did it better), but the twist with the love interest is unprecedented and refreshing. (Well, calling it "refreshing" is probably the wrong word, especially since I don't feel Kass handled the problem well... but it's definitely not common.)
This novel's major fault lies in the combination of its brevity and its subject matter. The story plunges deep into the crevices of adultery and personality diseases, adding to the relationship stresses with friends & boy. This load of Serious Issues makes the book, in my head, into the shape of a sharp, steep V; the book's shortness compresses all these Issues and either makes them too inconsequential or too quickly resolved. Plus, there's a dose of Kass going "I have no friends to turn to, woe is me" through the middle.
But what can I say? I'm a sucker for a good ending that leaves me tingly with warmth, and the repetition with Simon Cowell worked out extremely nicely in my mind. (You'll have to read the book to understand.) So Girl Out Loud gets a better-than-average rating.
The cover:
Linna said it -- why on Earth is this cover so fluffy? So pink? Do they want readers to be sidelined by this novel's heavy topics like I was? Especially with the blonde. (Not to stereotype hair colour... although you can see her brunette roots showing. I can't decide if I want to point and laugh or facepalm.)
*Review originally published on Pass the Chiclets.
March 22, 2010
Girl, Aloud is about Kass, an average teenager with a dysfunctional family. Her father has decided she has to audition for The X-Factor - problem is, Kass can't sing, and she really doesn't want to be a star. But when her dad decides to do something, it must be done - and he's not giving up on the idea of his daughter being a star - so now they're spending every spare moment practising for the audition, while Kass tries to figure out a way to get out of it. Then, when a boy who Kass's friend Char has had a crush on for years shows interest in Kass, she has a falling out with her two best friends. On top of this, Kass's mother seems to be keeping secrets, and her brother's in trouble, and the only person who can help is Kass...
When I started reading Girl, Aloud I expected it to be a light and funny read about a girl auditioning for a reality TV show. And it was light and funny - hilariously, laugh-out-loud funny in some parts - but it was a lot more than that, too. It dealt with a vast range of issues - including mental illness, among problems with family, friends and boys - always with a great deal of honesty and tact. Kass was an easy to relate to character, and a very entertaining narrator. I usually find myself skipping over chat transcripts in books, but the use of IM chats was really well integrated into Girl, Aloud.
Sometimes, when I'm reading something that gets me really angry, I have to stop reading and get up and stamp around the room (luckily I was reading this at home. That mightn't have gone down well had I been out in public). I really sympathised with Kassidy - so I was really annoyed, first by her incredibly frustrating friends, infuriating dad, her brother, her mother and most of all dumb Cass (Kass and Cass - different people, similar names. Read the book and you'll see). Everything just kept going wrong for her, and it irritated me no end. Of course, everything will somehow work out... You'll have to read the book to find out whether or not she actually auditioned, though!
I recommend this book to teenage girls looking for a funny, smart and easy read - if you're a fan of Jacqueline Wilson's books, I think you'll love this one.
When I started reading Girl, Aloud I expected it to be a light and funny read about a girl auditioning for a reality TV show. And it was light and funny - hilariously, laugh-out-loud funny in some parts - but it was a lot more than that, too. It dealt with a vast range of issues - including mental illness, among problems with family, friends and boys - always with a great deal of honesty and tact. Kass was an easy to relate to character, and a very entertaining narrator. I usually find myself skipping over chat transcripts in books, but the use of IM chats was really well integrated into Girl, Aloud.
Sometimes, when I'm reading something that gets me really angry, I have to stop reading and get up and stamp around the room (luckily I was reading this at home. That mightn't have gone down well had I been out in public). I really sympathised with Kassidy - so I was really annoyed, first by her incredibly frustrating friends, infuriating dad, her brother, her mother and most of all dumb Cass (Kass and Cass - different people, similar names. Read the book and you'll see). Everything just kept going wrong for her, and it irritated me no end. Of course, everything will somehow work out... You'll have to read the book to find out whether or not she actually auditioned, though!
I recommend this book to teenage girls looking for a funny, smart and easy read - if you're a fan of Jacqueline Wilson's books, I think you'll love this one.
September 28, 2012
First, I would like to say that I received this book as part of the Goodreads First Reads program. If I hadn't, truthfully I probably would have put it down after the first 50 pages. I just was not hooked on this book right away, and for me, my valuable reading time is often better spent on books that hook me right off the bat.
However, after making it through to the end of the novel, I have to say that overall I did like it, I just didn't love it. I think this comes from the fact that it was most definitely not what I was expecting. I had no idea that the reason Kass's father was wanting her to audition for the x-factor was not just because he loved his daughter, but because he was pretty much bipolar and was on a high, and she did not want him to fall back into a low.
I think the way that mental health issues were dealt with in the book was effective, and showed a child's perspective, but considering I really had no idea that this topic was going to be so prominent within the book, I can't say I really enjoyed the subject. The friendship events, relationship events, and family interactions were often well-written and true to a 15 year old, which at times seemed a little "young" as I am not 15 years old, although generally I am a huge fan of YA novels.
So overall, I wish I had liked this book more, and I wish the book description gave me more of an idea of what the book was really about - I think a different audience would be interested in this book, yet because of the description it is not reaching them, but instead it is reaching people who actually may not be as interested in the subject of mental health and family relationships.
However, after making it through to the end of the novel, I have to say that overall I did like it, I just didn't love it. I think this comes from the fact that it was most definitely not what I was expecting. I had no idea that the reason Kass's father was wanting her to audition for the x-factor was not just because he loved his daughter, but because he was pretty much bipolar and was on a high, and she did not want him to fall back into a low.
I think the way that mental health issues were dealt with in the book was effective, and showed a child's perspective, but considering I really had no idea that this topic was going to be so prominent within the book, I can't say I really enjoyed the subject. The friendship events, relationship events, and family interactions were often well-written and true to a 15 year old, which at times seemed a little "young" as I am not 15 years old, although generally I am a huge fan of YA novels.
So overall, I wish I had liked this book more, and I wish the book description gave me more of an idea of what the book was really about - I think a different audience would be interested in this book, yet because of the description it is not reaching them, but instead it is reaching people who actually may not be as interested in the subject of mental health and family relationships.
May 12, 2010
Girl, Aloud really is a cross between the Diary of Adrian Mole and a Jodi Picoult, balancing a level of everyday humour with emotional realism to create an emotive flash-back producing story about a normal teen-age girl.
Parts of this story made me want to cry, the horrid flash-backs to teen-age fights with best friends, the pain and suffering, the embarrassment that only parents can put you through at that age. Other parts just made me want to laugh, with happy flash-backs to teen-age giggling and the shared looks that only best friends will get.
Although incredibly well written, it just has horrible level of realism that left me cringing in sympathy more than once. Kass gets to deal with her slightly insane father, her mother going through a mid-life crisis, discovering the boy that she likes is also the same boy that her best friend has had a crush on for the last year, as well as the usual difficulties involved in being a teen-ager.
Although terribly funny at times, I found the level of realism just a little too hard. I like to read a world of nice cosy make-believe. Not to be able to relate to the characters on such a personal level. So, for me, I just found this far too believable and realistic, in an everyday sort of way.
http://www.fangtastic.com.au/books/sh...
Parts of this story made me want to cry, the horrid flash-backs to teen-age fights with best friends, the pain and suffering, the embarrassment that only parents can put you through at that age. Other parts just made me want to laugh, with happy flash-backs to teen-age giggling and the shared looks that only best friends will get.
Although incredibly well written, it just has horrible level of realism that left me cringing in sympathy more than once. Kass gets to deal with her slightly insane father, her mother going through a mid-life crisis, discovering the boy that she likes is also the same boy that her best friend has had a crush on for the last year, as well as the usual difficulties involved in being a teen-ager.
Although terribly funny at times, I found the level of realism just a little too hard. I like to read a world of nice cosy make-believe. Not to be able to relate to the characters on such a personal level. So, for me, I just found this far too believable and realistic, in an everyday sort of way.
http://www.fangtastic.com.au/books/sh...
May 20, 2012
Whoa! If you want to start reading a amazing novel, Girl Out Loud is the book for you!
The characters: Kassidy or Kass as she is usually called, is a fun girl. She is about 15 or 16 but thinks that she's 24. She was very mature and handled a lot of tough situations really good. She was always there if her friends needed her but in this book they get into a few little fights and that kind of breaks up their terrific trio. I felt that sometimes she could be kind of childish and I wanted to slap her and tell her to get her head in the game.
The plot and writing style: We follow Kass Kennedy. Your average every day girl. Except, her dad is kinda messed up. He wants her to be the star and do everything that he can't and that is really hard on Kass. One day, well everything changes when her dad says that he wants her to audition for the X Factor and that this would be really really good. The writing style was so awesome and fast paced and omg!
Overall, well I don't think I need to say anymore. I know I say 'Go get this book now!' a lot. Ok maybe more than a lot but this is definitely one to go check out or pre-order or whatever it is that you guys do.
The characters: Kassidy or Kass as she is usually called, is a fun girl. She is about 15 or 16 but thinks that she's 24. She was very mature and handled a lot of tough situations really good. She was always there if her friends needed her but in this book they get into a few little fights and that kind of breaks up their terrific trio. I felt that sometimes she could be kind of childish and I wanted to slap her and tell her to get her head in the game.
The plot and writing style: We follow Kass Kennedy. Your average every day girl. Except, her dad is kinda messed up. He wants her to be the star and do everything that he can't and that is really hard on Kass. One day, well everything changes when her dad says that he wants her to audition for the X Factor and that this would be really really good. The writing style was so awesome and fast paced and omg!
Overall, well I don't think I need to say anymore. I know I say 'Go get this book now!' a lot. Ok maybe more than a lot but this is definitely one to go check out or pre-order or whatever it is that you guys do.
October 24, 2015
4.5 Stars
Both the cover and blurb of Girl, Aloud do this book a disservice. It’s a really wonderful, desperately sad story of a girl who is forced to “perform” because her father is convinced she is special, when all Kass wants to be is ordinary.
Being at the centre of her Dad’s moods means that Kass has tried everything on his quest to prove she isn’t just any girl. Musical instruments, world chess champion, actress – and each time Kass fails her Dad goes into a Down period. When he decides that she is a singer and needs to audition for the X-Factor Kass has no choice because while her father is impossible Up he is so much worse Down.
Girl, Aloud follows Kass as she tries to cope with her Dad’s latest impossible project, her friends deserting her and discovering her family has more secrets then she imagined.
It took barely the first page for me to love this book, Emily Gale has a wonderful way of bringing humour to story that is very touching. Kass is a really strong person who tries to make her father happy because she thinks it her responsibility.
I am so glad I read this.
Both the cover and blurb of Girl, Aloud do this book a disservice. It’s a really wonderful, desperately sad story of a girl who is forced to “perform” because her father is convinced she is special, when all Kass wants to be is ordinary.
Being at the centre of her Dad’s moods means that Kass has tried everything on his quest to prove she isn’t just any girl. Musical instruments, world chess champion, actress – and each time Kass fails her Dad goes into a Down period. When he decides that she is a singer and needs to audition for the X-Factor Kass has no choice because while her father is impossible Up he is so much worse Down.
Girl, Aloud follows Kass as she tries to cope with her Dad’s latest impossible project, her friends deserting her and discovering her family has more secrets then she imagined.
It took barely the first page for me to love this book, Emily Gale has a wonderful way of bringing humour to story that is very touching. Kass is a really strong person who tries to make her father happy because she thinks it her responsibility.
I am so glad I read this.
May 15, 2011
I had a bit of a problem getting into the book. Mostly, this was due to the discrepancy between the cover and blurb and the actual story of the book. This is indeed a book that you shouldn't judge by its covers. When I looked at it, it seemed like a fun, light read. What I got when I opened it and started reading was a powerful, thought-provoking, great YA novel.
The topic the novel deals with is far from easy, in fact, it's difficult even for the grown-ups to cope with (as is obvious from the way Kass's Mom and Dad deal with it), it's even more of a burden for a fifteen-year-old to carry on her shoulders. Kass has more on her plate than she can deal with, more even than she should have to deal with at her age. But she's a compelling, well-written character that proves to be more mature and responsible than even she expected.
The funny scenes, the sarcasm and humour add a touch of lightness to an otherwise troubling story and add another layer to this great novel. A layer that makes 'Girl, Aloud' not only an enlightening book, but also an enjoyable one.
The topic the novel deals with is far from easy, in fact, it's difficult even for the grown-ups to cope with (as is obvious from the way Kass's Mom and Dad deal with it), it's even more of a burden for a fifteen-year-old to carry on her shoulders. Kass has more on her plate than she can deal with, more even than she should have to deal with at her age. But she's a compelling, well-written character that proves to be more mature and responsible than even she expected.
The funny scenes, the sarcasm and humour add a touch of lightness to an otherwise troubling story and add another layer to this great novel. A layer that makes 'Girl, Aloud' not only an enlightening book, but also an enjoyable one.
June 28, 2013
OK, so this book isn't the best book I've ever read. I liked the mini-game show/conversations with Simon. I don't know what Kass hoped to find out from meeting him in person. Out of curiosity, how did she pass the first stage of X Factor if she was 'so horrible'? I think she should've told her dad, maybe not fro his approval but just for his pride in Kass. Is that so bad?
Other Cass...remember him? Well, he was really pushy. I don't really like him. I don't see what the major crush was. Especially, why would Kass make a deal with Charlotte (AKA Char) about not talking to him so much, when she immediately went back on her promise (or, at least it went something like that ;)) Also, he was totally rude to Kass. I can understand why she was mad at him.
But the author kinda made it seem like Cass and Kass were meant to be - after all, they have the same names (homonyms, I think they're called).
Maybe if you're into semi-life crises and more reality books, this is a book for you. Not for me, though.
Other Cass...remember him? Well, he was really pushy. I don't really like him. I don't see what the major crush was. Especially, why would Kass make a deal with Charlotte (AKA Char) about not talking to him so much, when she immediately went back on her promise (or, at least it went something like that ;)) Also, he was totally rude to Kass. I can understand why she was mad at him.
But the author kinda made it seem like Cass and Kass were meant to be - after all, they have the same names (homonyms, I think they're called).
Maybe if you're into semi-life crises and more reality books, this is a book for you. Not for me, though.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 19, 2010
Kass is a girl with problems. Not only does her younger brother seem hell-bent on a life of petty crime but her mum is pre-occupied with work and her dad has decided she's the next Leona Lewis. Unstable at the best of times, it isn't long before he's pinned his hopes and happiness on Kass's dubious singing ability and the pressure begins to tell. Soon her friendships and love life are dangling by a thread, along with her sanity.
I really felt for Kass in this book and my heart ached over the situations she found herself in. Emily Gale doesn't flinch away from tackling some pretty heavy duty subjects so mental illness, adultery and teenage drinking are all covered. That said, the lightness of touch in the writing means that you'll be sniggering one minute and swallowing hard with sadness the next. Overall, I loved this and will be keeping an eye out Emily Gale's next book.
I really felt for Kass in this book and my heart ached over the situations she found herself in. Emily Gale doesn't flinch away from tackling some pretty heavy duty subjects so mental illness, adultery and teenage drinking are all covered. That said, the lightness of touch in the writing means that you'll be sniggering one minute and swallowing hard with sadness the next. Overall, I loved this and will be keeping an eye out Emily Gale's next book.
December 31, 2009
Girl, Aloud is the story of a girl finding her voice that’s at once painfully embarrassing and incredibly sad.
Emily Gale wrote a brilliant cast of characters in Girl, Aloud. Kass is strong, funny, and even though nothing ever goes right for her, I didn’t want to pity her. I felt that she would work things out. Raff is funny and strange, like all little brothers, and even a little sweet. And Char and Izzy are great friends with distinctive character traits that set them apart.
One of the elements of Girl, Aloud that I really enjoyed was Kass’s dream conversations with Simon Cowell. They were really brilliant. I loved the way that they argued and it made Kass realise things about herself. I’d never be able to talk to Simon Cowell, though: he scares me a little!
After such a great debut, I’m really looking forward to reading what Emily Gale writes next.
Emily Gale wrote a brilliant cast of characters in Girl, Aloud. Kass is strong, funny, and even though nothing ever goes right for her, I didn’t want to pity her. I felt that she would work things out. Raff is funny and strange, like all little brothers, and even a little sweet. And Char and Izzy are great friends with distinctive character traits that set them apart.
One of the elements of Girl, Aloud that I really enjoyed was Kass’s dream conversations with Simon Cowell. They were really brilliant. I loved the way that they argued and it made Kass realise things about herself. I’d never be able to talk to Simon Cowell, though: he scares me a little!
After such a great debut, I’m really looking forward to reading what Emily Gale writes next.
January 30, 2013
This book was really good and it contains a very important message. Kass is a girl who wanted to be a normal teenager, but her dad ruins it by wanting her to sing on the X Factor. She has to practice singing every day, but that doesn't help her. Her voice still sounds like a duck getting choked. Then she founds she and her friend both likes the same boy and a rival starts, and the worse thing is, her other friend is siding with her friend! On the way, she learns more about friendship, crushes, brothers, and she sees the world now in a different way.
June 27, 2010
I won a copy of this book on Goodreads.
The story starts off at a rapid pace and it took me a few chapters to settle into it. I really liked the mix of humour and life dramas that surrounded the main character, her friends and family. The main character, Kass, is very likeable and you can really feel her emotions through the story. Overall a very enjoyable and easy read.
The cover is very eye catching and I would definitely have picked this book up for the cover alone.
The story starts off at a rapid pace and it took me a few chapters to settle into it. I really liked the mix of humour and life dramas that surrounded the main character, her friends and family. The main character, Kass, is very likeable and you can really feel her emotions through the story. Overall a very enjoyable and easy read.
The cover is very eye catching and I would definitely have picked this book up for the cover alone.
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