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Mafia Girl
What's in a name? Everything… if you have my name. At her exclusive Manhattan high school, half the guys lust after seventeen-year-old Gia. The other half are afraid to even walk near her. After all, everyone knows who she is. They know that her father doesn't have a boss. He is the boss―the capo di tutti, boss of all bosses. But they don't know the real Gia. She's dreaming of a different life―one where she can be more than her infamous name. And lately, she's thinking way too much about Michael, the green-eyed cop who's wrong for her for so many reasons. And yet being with him feels so right. Now the real Gia is keeping secrets of her own alongside her family's. And she's breaking all the rules to get what she wants.
272 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2014
24 people are currently reading
443 people want to read
About the author
Deborah Blumenthal
41 books142 followersDeborah Blumenthal is an award-winning journalist and nutritionist who now divides her time between writing children's books and adult novels. She has been a regular contributor to The New York Times (including four years as the Sunday New York Times Magazine beauty columnist), and a home design columnist for Long Island Newsday. Her health, fitness, beauty, travel, and feature stories have appeared widely in many other newspapers and national magazines including New York’s Daily News, The Washington Post, The Los Angeles Times, Bazaar, Cosmopolitan, Woman's Day, Family Circle, Self, and Vogue.
Blumenthal lives in New York City.
Blumenthal lives in New York City.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 117 reviews
July 29, 2016
“Two under, DUI, speeding, no license, possibly stolen vehicle, resisting.”DNF @ 50%
“We. Are. Fucked,” Ro whispers.
“Yeah,” I whisper back, staring at Officer Hottie. “But it was so worth it.”
I read some mightily terrible books, so I hope you guys understand how severely bad this book was in order for me to call it quits. I HATE marking books DNF. I usually leave them languishing on my shelves, hoping that one day I will revisit them and like them better. Not this one. This book deserves the guillotine of death.
This book is about a girl who is a stalker. I call out enough male stalkers in books to know one, and it doesn't matter if the stalker is fucking male or female. If you pursue someone when they don't want you to, you are insane. If you stalk someone without their knowledge, if you follow them to their usual hangout spots, you are a stalker. Just because a stalker is female doesn't mean she gets a free pass. There will be no double standards.
I know reality shows are all the rage everywhere now, but as a 'Murican, I am going to proudly (or not) proclaim that we have some of the worst reality TV shows out there. For example, there is a reality show called Mob Wives .
Mob Wives is about the wives and families of the men who have been arrested for their alleged connection to the US Mafia. And it just terrible. Much like this book.
The main character in this book is simply intolerable. Gia does not merely grate on my nerves, she rips them to bloody shreds. In the interest of fairness, I will call out a stalker when I see one, whether they're male or female.
The main character in this book is a 17-year old girl who will endlessly pursue (and come close to stalking) the guy she wants until he gives in.
The Plot...what's there of it: The book starts off with Gia and her friend getting drunk, stealing a car, and getting caught by cops. This would be a terrible thing, were it not for the fact that Gia's father is the Mafia boss, the "cappo di tutto i cappi...". Which is completely misspelled in the blurb, as my Italian friend will tell you.
Gia's father's lawyer ("Super Mario," yes, I am completely fucking serious) will get her off the hooks. Gia will not get into trouble at all, and getting arrested for underaged drinking/DUI is the best day of Gia's life because Gia got to meet Officer Hottie. Whom she then begins to doggedly pursue. Or stalk. Same thing.
Officer Hottie is Michael Cross. And there is insta-love.
“You,” he says. “ID.”He is so not interested in Gia, because hello, she is 17.
I turn to look up at him and he looks back at me and something like the wattage they must use for the electric chair shoots through me from head to toe. Because the cop is about the hottest thing on the face of the universe, and I am ready to roll on my back—but I mean, a cop?
Michael is probably horny and feeling guilty and conflicted in his cop role, but more than that, scared shitless because I’m seventeen, not to mention the don’s daughter.So not only is Gia pursuing a cop who is uninterested in her, she is pursuing a cop while being the daughter of the city's biggest crime boss.
“Gia. Someone like you does not fall for a cop. He wants to fry your tail. He wants your whole family to fry. He’s probably up nights fantasizing about locking up your dad, so wake the fuck up.”Clearly, not the wisest idea. She has seen Michael for all of one time before convincing herself that he is her One Twoo Wuv. He may act uninterested in her, but he's just lying to himself, because Gia KNOWS in her guts that Michael wants her.
If there’s one thing I am sure of, it’s that I have an unfailingly sharp radar when it comes to picking up vibes on how men feel about me. And even though, yes, I might be completely deranged, I am convinced that I just have to work on Michael Cross.
She only has his name, but Gia's not the daughter of the Mafia crime lord for nothing. Gia tracks him down to a bar, a cop hangout. Despite the fact that she's grounded and she's underaged, she follows him to that bar. And waits for him to appear.
I’m headed for a bar filled with lowlifes because I’m blind with longing for the cop who busted me.Michael swears left and right that he's uninterested in her. Gia doesn't listen.
“You never called,” I say.
“Right.”
“You didn’t want to?”
His eyes meet mine and he looks away first. “I didn’t want to,” he says robotically, looking back at me with a steady stare.
“Liar.”
Gia blindly pursues Michael until he's too tired, too weary to deal with it all. She counts down the minutes and seconds until she can see him again. Gia is a woman obsessed.
“This is fucked up, Gia,” he hisses. “Can’t you see that?”Gia's Idiocy:
“It’s not, Michael. It’s real.”
He closes his eyes and shakes his head. “It’s wrong.”
Don’t get me wrong, it’s not like we ditch school and go joyriding and get picked up by hot cops on a regular basis. This was singular.Not quite. Gia is an "A student" who works hard for her grades. Or so she tells us. It's not true. Gia demonstrates nothing of intelligence in the book. She doesn't know what a "prototype" is. She smokes. She drinks. She does drugs. She barely spends a moment on her schoolwork and yet completely shames every single girl in school for their idiocy. If you are going to sell me an "intelligent" character, you better provide some fucking proof.
Gia is a hypocrite. She is constantly harping on the fact that her father is the crime boss and she hates her family because she is not like that. Yeah, Gia hates her Mafia-crime family until she can use them to get something she wants. Like a dress.
And omigod. It is undoubtedly. The. Hottest. Dress. In. The. Universe.It is a designer dress for a photoshoot, and Gia wants it. The people at the Vogue photoshoot won't let her have it. It's a one-of-a-kind dress.
“Start talking to them about buying the dress,” I whisper, pointing to it hanging over a chair.So it's time to pull the Mafia name into play.
“No,” I hear them say when he asks. “No, it’s impossible, impossible. We have to FedEx it back to Paris.”
But Frankie keeps pushing and takes out his fat roll and starts counting out the hundreds, then adjusts the Glock in his ankle holster, getting impatient, cursing them out, and within a split second, they are exchanging looks and then packing up the dress, which he got for just under a thousand dollars.
It must be so nice to be able to pick and choose your morals.
The Rest, Blah Blah Blah: The writing is juvenile, sprinkled with WTFs and LOLs. The characters are caricatures, unrealistic and filled with tropes. Everyone who dislikes Gia are:
1. Bitches
2. Assholes
3. Stupid bitches and assholes
Gia's best friends are not used as relationship-building as they are a tool of deus ex fucking machina. Clive is her best friend, an ambiguously asexual/metrosexual trope for whom the sun rises and sets on Gia. He is wealthy enough, powerful enough, and brilliant enough to give Gia everything she needs, be it top-secret information, a bodyguard, or a Porsche.
Fuck this book.
February 6, 2014
You can also find this review at YA Midnight Reads
I decided to request this book on a limb, as I’m going to Italy during the spring and I thought this book would immerse me in not only Italian culture, but also the internal and external conflicts of the Italian mafia. Yeah, this book definitely didn’t deliver on any of those things. In fact, anything that could make me react negatively towards a book occurred in Mafia Girl.
First off, the writing in this book seemed amateur. Transitions were done abruptly, run-on sentences ran rampant, over description, random capitalization and lack/misuse of punctuation. I feel like the editing that happened wasn’t thorough at all, and it says something that a seventeen year old can notice these mistakes. These mistakes weren’t done once or twice either, they literally were on almost every single page. The writing also contained acronyms. Which I may have been okay with if they were contained in text messages. Alas, that wasn’t the case. The acronyms were said by the main character throughout the book. You get the pleasure of reading WTF, LOL, IMO and the lovely gem yada, yada, yada in normal ‘convo’. The writing also contained an overwhelming amount of Italian and mafia stereotypes. There was about one million references to the ‘Godfather’. Pasta and pizza was constantly eaten. One of the characters was even named Mario.
Oh so Mario is a lawyer in the book, not a plumber chasing after Princess Peach. That makes it so much better
If amateur writing wasn’t enough to make you throw your kindle at the wall, then meet Gia, the immature main character of the book. Not only does she make stupid decisions that would even make my 3 year old cousin cover his mouth and yell “BAD!”, Gia also seems to have a fun time basically failing the bechdel test. She apparently does have a female best friend, but she plays a microscopic role in this books. You only get to see her in the first lovely chapter which features the two taking a drunken joyride without their license. Appears to me that some inspiration from Justin Bieber was taken. Since Gia slut shamed so much in this book, I could go on and on about it. Instead I’ll allow to view some quotes (that also display the bad writing), and you can shake your head with me. These are unfortunately word for word from the book.
” Ro and I and Dante and his friend Marco and someone I’ve never met before who they call Little Paulie’s who’s about six five and some skanky girl named Viv with pink hair who’s getting on my nerves because of her gluten-free diet thing, go down to Ro’s basement.”
Alright. Read around two and a half paragraphs after the previous quote then you get to this:
"And then like the slut I turn to him and we start making out even though I know that’s the last thing I should be doing because tomorrow he’ll probably steal a diamond ring and ask my father if he can marry me. But I can’t worry about that now so I don’t. I pretend I’m into him and living for the moment, which is one way to justify being a slut.”
Let’s add one more quote that simply had my mind boggled at its utter stupidity and lack of proper punctuation."
“I could get over the skanky people at Morgan who hate me, because most of them are Spoiled, Stuck-up, Bitches who dress in paisley or what have you and wear things like Belgian shoes and have moms with names like Muffy who carry those stupid Nantucket baskets with scrimshaw medallions and talk interminably about going riding in Connecticut on the weekends or watching horse jumping or entering their purebreds at Westminster, or playing golf while the non wasp world are out of work and panhandling. I would love to drop kick most of them so that they would open their recessive gene eyes and get over that rarefied bullshit way of existing.”
Oh, Mario and Luigi? May I borrow your hammers for a bit? I need them to knock the stupidity of this book out.
Mind numbing writing and awful main characters not bad enough for you? Well we also got an insta-love romance with some stalking in Mafia Girl. Remember how Gia and her best friend went for a little drunken joyride? The officer that caught them and took them to the police station just so happens to be the object of Gia’s affections. Gia declared him “officer hottie” I cringed for the rest of the book whenever he was mentioned. I renamed him Officer Lukewarm. She was in the back of Officer Lukewarm’s patrol car and Gia was already talking about being inexplicably drawn to his “electric green eyes.”
The quote previously mentioned that included slut shaming and Gia making out with somebody even though it was apparently the last thing she should be doing?Yeah during the poorly written make out scene, Gia was fantasizing she was making out with the police officer. This was on page 19 of the book. Gia then moves on to literally stalking him, getting her friends to help her find where he hangs out. By page 28 we have her lurking in bars for her lover. At first Officer Lukewarm was actually smart and shuts Gia and her craziness down. Normally one doesn’t end up dating the person they arrested, nor the daughter of the leader of Italian mafia that his precinct has been trying to shut down for years or and neither somebody’s who only 17 meanwhile they’re a fully trained police officer who’s definitely in his late twenties. Of course Miss Gia fits all of these bills.
Officer Lukewarm, I’d definitely recommend running and possibly moving. As far away as possible from Gia, for your own safety
Sadly Officer Lukewarm didn’t run or move away. Gia continued to freak out over him and keeps track of the time she’s last seen/stalked the Officer, fourteen hours and thirty seven minutes by page 44. By page 72, Officer Lukewarm has seemed to be warming up to Gia’s stalking charms as she claims that “not being with him” scares her. Instead of getting a restraining order the officer flirts back. All of a sudden this romance doesn’t become so one sided and instead it becomes mutually creepy and even reciprocated by the officer. Gia compared this moment to feel like “being on top of Mt.Vesuvius with smoke and molten lava erupting around us.” It was with that awful metaphor I burst into laughter at 1 AM and got a few questioning looks. From that horrible metaphor on, the romance became even more overpowering and made myself dislike the book even more.
Now onto the mafia part of the book. Oh wait?! There was a mafia part of the book? Oh yeah it was in the summary! And the title of the book. Yeah if you were excepting details about that, you’re going to be disappointed. The book spent much more time showcasing the instantaneous and creepy relationship between Gia and her arresting officer.
For barely mentioning what could have been the best part of this mess of a book
Overall this is a book that a even seventeen year old noticed extreme writing problems with it. It focused on a insta-love romance with a side of stalking. It had slut shaming and general hating of females other than the main character. It took the most interesting thing about the plot and tossed it to the side. It had so many Italian stereotypes that an reviewer of the book could use sarcastic Mario gifs and still could argue its relation to the book.
Shockingly enough I wouldn’t recommend this book.
~Thank you Albert & Whitman for sending me this copy!~
I decided to request this book on a limb, as I’m going to Italy during the spring and I thought this book would immerse me in not only Italian culture, but also the internal and external conflicts of the Italian mafia. Yeah, this book definitely didn’t deliver on any of those things. In fact, anything that could make me react negatively towards a book occurred in Mafia Girl.
First off, the writing in this book seemed amateur. Transitions were done abruptly, run-on sentences ran rampant, over description, random capitalization and lack/misuse of punctuation. I feel like the editing that happened wasn’t thorough at all, and it says something that a seventeen year old can notice these mistakes. These mistakes weren’t done once or twice either, they literally were on almost every single page. The writing also contained acronyms. Which I may have been okay with if they were contained in text messages. Alas, that wasn’t the case. The acronyms were said by the main character throughout the book. You get the pleasure of reading WTF, LOL, IMO and the lovely gem yada, yada, yada in normal ‘convo’. The writing also contained an overwhelming amount of Italian and mafia stereotypes. There was about one million references to the ‘Godfather’. Pasta and pizza was constantly eaten. One of the characters was even named Mario.
Oh so Mario is a lawyer in the book, not a plumber chasing after Princess Peach. That makes it so much better
If amateur writing wasn’t enough to make you throw your kindle at the wall, then meet Gia, the immature main character of the book. Not only does she make stupid decisions that would even make my 3 year old cousin cover his mouth and yell “BAD!”, Gia also seems to have a fun time basically failing the bechdel test. She apparently does have a female best friend, but she plays a microscopic role in this books. You only get to see her in the first lovely chapter which features the two taking a drunken joyride without their license. Appears to me that some inspiration from Justin Bieber was taken. Since Gia slut shamed so much in this book, I could go on and on about it. Instead I’ll allow to view some quotes (that also display the bad writing), and you can shake your head with me. These are unfortunately word for word from the book.
” Ro and I and Dante and his friend Marco and someone I’ve never met before who they call Little Paulie’s who’s about six five and some skanky girl named Viv with pink hair who’s getting on my nerves because of her gluten-free diet thing, go down to Ro’s basement.”
Alright. Read around two and a half paragraphs after the previous quote then you get to this:
"And then like the slut I turn to him and we start making out even though I know that’s the last thing I should be doing because tomorrow he’ll probably steal a diamond ring and ask my father if he can marry me. But I can’t worry about that now so I don’t. I pretend I’m into him and living for the moment, which is one way to justify being a slut.”
Let’s add one more quote that simply had my mind boggled at its utter stupidity and lack of proper punctuation."
“I could get over the skanky people at Morgan who hate me, because most of them are Spoiled, Stuck-up, Bitches who dress in paisley or what have you and wear things like Belgian shoes and have moms with names like Muffy who carry those stupid Nantucket baskets with scrimshaw medallions and talk interminably about going riding in Connecticut on the weekends or watching horse jumping or entering their purebreds at Westminster, or playing golf while the non wasp world are out of work and panhandling. I would love to drop kick most of them so that they would open their recessive gene eyes and get over that rarefied bullshit way of existing.”
Oh, Mario and Luigi? May I borrow your hammers for a bit? I need them to knock the stupidity of this book out.
Mind numbing writing and awful main characters not bad enough for you? Well we also got an insta-love romance with some stalking in Mafia Girl. Remember how Gia and her best friend went for a little drunken joyride? The officer that caught them and took them to the police station just so happens to be the object of Gia’s affections. Gia declared him “officer hottie” I cringed for the rest of the book whenever he was mentioned. I renamed him Officer Lukewarm. She was in the back of Officer Lukewarm’s patrol car and Gia was already talking about being inexplicably drawn to his “electric green eyes.”
The quote previously mentioned that included slut shaming and Gia making out with somebody even though it was apparently the last thing she should be doing?Yeah during the poorly written make out scene, Gia was fantasizing she was making out with the police officer. This was on page 19 of the book. Gia then moves on to literally stalking him, getting her friends to help her find where he hangs out. By page 28 we have her lurking in bars for her lover. At first Officer Lukewarm was actually smart and shuts Gia and her craziness down. Normally one doesn’t end up dating the person they arrested, nor the daughter of the leader of Italian mafia that his precinct has been trying to shut down for years or and neither somebody’s who only 17 meanwhile they’re a fully trained police officer who’s definitely in his late twenties. Of course Miss Gia fits all of these bills.
Officer Lukewarm, I’d definitely recommend running and possibly moving. As far away as possible from Gia, for your own safety
Sadly Officer Lukewarm didn’t run or move away. Gia continued to freak out over him and keeps track of the time she’s last seen/stalked the Officer, fourteen hours and thirty seven minutes by page 44. By page 72, Officer Lukewarm has seemed to be warming up to Gia’s stalking charms as she claims that “not being with him” scares her. Instead of getting a restraining order the officer flirts back. All of a sudden this romance doesn’t become so one sided and instead it becomes mutually creepy and even reciprocated by the officer. Gia compared this moment to feel like “being on top of Mt.Vesuvius with smoke and molten lava erupting around us.” It was with that awful metaphor I burst into laughter at 1 AM and got a few questioning looks. From that horrible metaphor on, the romance became even more overpowering and made myself dislike the book even more.
Now onto the mafia part of the book. Oh wait?! There was a mafia part of the book? Oh yeah it was in the summary! And the title of the book. Yeah if you were excepting details about that, you’re going to be disappointed. The book spent much more time showcasing the instantaneous and creepy relationship between Gia and her arresting officer.
For barely mentioning what could have been the best part of this mess of a book
Overall this is a book that a even seventeen year old noticed extreme writing problems with it. It focused on a insta-love romance with a side of stalking. It had slut shaming and general hating of females other than the main character. It took the most interesting thing about the plot and tossed it to the side. It had so many Italian stereotypes that an reviewer of the book could use sarcastic Mario gifs and still could argue its relation to the book.
Shockingly enough I wouldn’t recommend this book.
~Thank you Albert & Whitman for sending me this copy!~
March 27, 2014
I have a weakness for books involving the mafia. It started when I was a kid and wanted to grow up to be a mob boss, before I realized I didn't have a lot of the prerequisites and am ridiculously law abiding. But it still tempts me in fiction.
Gia is the daughter of a crime boss, but she has other hopes for her future. She's going to go to college. And really, it's not that she wants to get out of the life. She's sick of being worried about her father's safety, but she's perfectly happy having money and a powerful name behind her, no matter the source of that money or name.
MAFIA GIRL does follow a period of some change in Gia's life. She gets arrested for driving drunk and crushes hard on the arresting officer. She also decides she's going to run for class president, get something more positive on her record. The class president plotline worked fairly well for me. Gia's friends are pretty interesting (particularly neglected Clive) and it forced Gia to be somewhat introspective and think about what she had to offer.
The romance didn't work for me at all. MAFIA GIRL is very clear that Gia is recently seventeen. Meanwhile, Michael is a police officer who did a stint in the military. So, even if he just did a four-year active term, he's twenty-two at the very least. (Although I'd say closer to twenty-three at the least.) It might not be so weird if MAFIA GIRL addressed the age difference at any point. Instead, the only difficulty Gia and Michael see is her father and his line of work. I can see Gia just having a crush on an older guy, but I never figured out why Michael reciprocated. Because she looks good? Their early interactions don't really make a great case for Gia's personality. (In fact, to ensure they meet again, she employs a bit of stalking.) And, oh yeah, she's underage and he knows it.
I wanted to like MAFIA GIRL, but it was a bit of a mess. There was a hollowness at the core. The romance is creepy and the ramifications of Gia's father being a mob boss are never explored. I guess he's just one of those nice mob bosses. I'll stick to SON OF THE MOB.
Gia is the daughter of a crime boss, but she has other hopes for her future. She's going to go to college. And really, it's not that she wants to get out of the life. She's sick of being worried about her father's safety, but she's perfectly happy having money and a powerful name behind her, no matter the source of that money or name.
MAFIA GIRL does follow a period of some change in Gia's life. She gets arrested for driving drunk and crushes hard on the arresting officer. She also decides she's going to run for class president, get something more positive on her record. The class president plotline worked fairly well for me. Gia's friends are pretty interesting (particularly neglected Clive) and it forced Gia to be somewhat introspective and think about what she had to offer.
The romance didn't work for me at all. MAFIA GIRL is very clear that Gia is recently seventeen. Meanwhile, Michael is a police officer who did a stint in the military. So, even if he just did a four-year active term, he's twenty-two at the very least. (Although I'd say closer to twenty-three at the least.) It might not be so weird if MAFIA GIRL addressed the age difference at any point. Instead, the only difficulty Gia and Michael see is her father and his line of work. I can see Gia just having a crush on an older guy, but I never figured out why Michael reciprocated. Because she looks good? Their early interactions don't really make a great case for Gia's personality. (In fact, to ensure they meet again, she employs a bit of stalking.) And, oh yeah, she's underage and he knows it.
I wanted to like MAFIA GIRL, but it was a bit of a mess. There was a hollowness at the core. The romance is creepy and the ramifications of Gia's father being a mob boss are never explored. I guess he's just one of those nice mob bosses. I'll stick to SON OF THE MOB.
dnf
June 17, 2014WARNING: review long and full of gifs!
Also, please note, I received a free ARC copy of this book in exchange for an honest review… and that is exactly what you’re about to get.
You know, I’ve struggled with even describing how I feel about this book—and this is new to me. I’m usually pretty clear on my feelings for any given book. This book, to me, is the literary equivalent of a rebellious teenage step-child, or that one close friend who absolutely will not leave her abusive boyfriend. It infuriates you, it disappoints you, you’re appalled by the things it does, its unapologetic irresponsibility, and most of all, the lack of follow through on the potential that you can see in it. You know, in your heart, that your little stepchild/friend/book could be more if it made better choices.
To me, that is Mafia Girl.
Let me start by saying this is one of the worst ARCs that I’ve ever received. Consequently, I have taken no points away for the horrific grammar (from a journalist, no less)/run-on sentences/missing words (or missing commas and clumsy wording?)/abuse of the word “and”/general grammar-related atrocities. Of which there are many, because I’m assuming that the finished product that I’m reviewing does not contain any/all of this. If it was not just error-infested-proof but the writing style, THAT SUCKS and it’s really fucking distracting.
Regardless, right away, not impressed. For one thing, the author is trying way too hard to sound like a teenager. I’ve been a teenager, and not that long ago. I also knew other teenagers. I also worked with teenagers. I have conversed with many teenagers from various walks of life at many points in my own life, and none of them have ever sounded like this outside of bad fiction/tv shows. Maybe when they were joking. While there is likely someone out there who does talk and think like this, I definitely don’t want to spend anytime inside their head.
Independent from all that, Gia is kind of an asshole. And leading on guys that she doesn’t like? Totally okay. I know guys are assholes when they do it, but it’s Gia, so it’s cool.
Also, this book is SO IRRESPONSIBLE that it makes my eyes cross. Gia is a STALKER. Period. Somebody needs to buy this girl a vibrator and a copy of He's Just Not That Into You: The No-Excuses Truth to Understanding Guys, because I’m going to be honest, she’s pretty fucking creepy. If she had the chance, I’m fairly certain she would rape Michael, but it would be okay, because she’s totally sure he wants it. She thinks obsessively about him—and doggedly pursues him despite his dismissal of her—after seeing him like twice, and this monosyllabic wonder is by no means trying to charm her. She’s a pest. Ever seen The Crush with Alicia Silverstone and Cary Elwes? That is Gia and Michael. This is basically a rewrite of that “relationship” except Mafia Girl isn’t aware that it’s creepy. Important difference.
Meet Gia and her “separated-at-birth best friend” Ro.
This was a pretty lackluster relationship. Which would be fine—if it was supposed to be. If Gia was a loner who didn’t have friends, or if she had a couple surface relationships but wasn’t (supposed to be) close to any of them, or if there was some other logical explanation, but there wasn’t. Because, let’s focus on boys. And being better than everyone else. And being Italian/the don’s daughter.
Now, you may not know this, but Gia is Italian. Anyone knows that if you’re Italian, that is 99% of what anyone needs to know about you—what else would define who you are? Gia is an unlikeable, stuck-up, irresponsible Jersey Shore Princess who would do very well on several reality shows. (Isn’t there a Jersey Princesses reality show or something like that? She should be on it.) She is the kind of heroine I loathe—so obsessed with herself and how super-awesome she is, how much better she is than everyone else around her that she can’t get through a chapter without reminding you. (Mace-face from Unteachable is the last heroine I stumbled across who loved herself this much. She and Gia should totes hang out sometime IMO.)
Now, I think what irked me most about Gia is that her character has potential, but every time I start to have hope for her, she ruins it by being a petty, insecure little asshole. Example: the election. At times, you can get behind her ideas and see that it’s something she might actually care about, but then she has to follow it up with a bitchy, I’m-so-insecure-that-I-have-to-put-other-girls-down-just-because paragraph about how she only wants to win to make the other girls feel like losers.
Gia:
Gia has a secret plan for her life. She has told no one, including (oh so cleverly!) the reader. Yawn.
Now onto Gia and Michael.
“So what,” I say, glancing at him over my shoulder, “you don’t like Italians?”
I can think of a good 30 reasons off the top of my head that he wouldn’t like you, and none of them has even the slightest to do with you being Italian.
These two are so unconvincing together. The things both of them do make them both just seem really stupid, and you never get anything from Michael’s character. Maybe he’s in love Ron-Swanson-style or something, and it just isn’t detectable by most human beings (which could really just be the result of this being first person; since Michael only speaks in monosyllabic bursts, and is typically just saying, “Gia,” in what I imagine to be the most obnoxiously condescending/exasperated tone known to man, none of their interactions make me like—or even not dislike—this guy. Honestly, he seems like kind of a jerk. And not the interesting kind).
The main problem, I guess, is that there’s no connection between these two (nor should there be! They're strangers, they're NOT WELL-SUITED AT ALL, and none of this should ever happen, nor would it, except pretty Gia is a stalker and Michael has a penis), and absolutely nothing to encourage Gia’s craziness except maybe her own bloated opinion of herself. And being spoiled, so she expects to get what she wants. Michael is no different to her than a new dress she really really really really wants. And why would she see him as a person? He doesn’t really come off as one. Certainly not stimulating enough to inspire crazy stalker pursuit from crazy Gia. Then, because he’s a man with a functioning penis, she thinks just because he’s attracted to her he wants to be with her. Sweetie, he doesn’t. Would he have no-consequences sex with you once if he thought he could get away with it? Sure; you’re an attractive female who is offering herself up on a silver platter in a most embarrassing way, and just ask Barney Stinson, guys love girls with low self-esteem—for an evening. Not so much for a relationship.
Why is this author afraid of italics? I hope the final product had italics where they should be.
Believe it or not, I could go on, but I won’t. I made it to 28% before I was going out of my mind and since their ridiculous "romance" was clearly not going to be going away anytime soon (and could only have possibly made me hate the book even more) I gave up. It's also a kindness, because this probably would have ended up a one-star rating, and I would have had to rate if I would have finished it.
You get the gist. Two thumbs down.
That’s not to say I would never read another book by this author or anything. I would give her another shot, and then if that one is an epic fail, I’d likely give up. But this book was definitely not for me. So much potential for a good story in the overall idea, and...this is what came out of it.
Things I liked: the cover (beautiful!). Clive. The potential for a fun (but maybe not so nice) buddy-read.
Review also found at Land of Fiction Book Blog
Also, please note, I received a free ARC copy of this book in exchange for an honest review… and that is exactly what you’re about to get.
You know, I’ve struggled with even describing how I feel about this book—and this is new to me. I’m usually pretty clear on my feelings for any given book. This book, to me, is the literary equivalent of a rebellious teenage step-child, or that one close friend who absolutely will not leave her abusive boyfriend. It infuriates you, it disappoints you, you’re appalled by the things it does, its unapologetic irresponsibility, and most of all, the lack of follow through on the potential that you can see in it. You know, in your heart, that your little stepchild/friend/book could be more if it made better choices.
To me, that is Mafia Girl.
Let me start by saying this is one of the worst ARCs that I’ve ever received. Consequently, I have taken no points away for the horrific grammar (from a journalist, no less)/run-on sentences/missing words (or missing commas and clumsy wording?)/abuse of the word “and”/general grammar-related atrocities. Of which there are many, because I’m assuming that the finished product that I’m reviewing does not contain any/all of this. If it was not just error-infested-proof but the writing style, THAT SUCKS and it’s really fucking distracting.
Regardless, right away, not impressed. For one thing, the author is trying way too hard to sound like a teenager. I’ve been a teenager, and not that long ago. I also knew other teenagers. I also worked with teenagers. I have conversed with many teenagers from various walks of life at many points in my own life, and none of them have ever sounded like this outside of bad fiction/tv shows. Maybe when they were joking. While there is likely someone out there who does talk and think like this, I definitely don’t want to spend anytime inside their head.
Independent from all that, Gia is kind of an asshole. And leading on guys that she doesn’t like? Totally okay. I know guys are assholes when they do it, but it’s Gia, so it’s cool.
Also, this book is SO IRRESPONSIBLE that it makes my eyes cross. Gia is a STALKER. Period. Somebody needs to buy this girl a vibrator and a copy of He's Just Not That Into You: The No-Excuses Truth to Understanding Guys, because I’m going to be honest, she’s pretty fucking creepy. If she had the chance, I’m fairly certain she would rape Michael, but it would be okay, because she’s totally sure he wants it. She thinks obsessively about him—and doggedly pursues him despite his dismissal of her—after seeing him like twice, and this monosyllabic wonder is by no means trying to charm her. She’s a pest. Ever seen The Crush with Alicia Silverstone and Cary Elwes? That is Gia and Michael. This is basically a rewrite of that “relationship” except Mafia Girl isn’t aware that it’s creepy. Important difference.
Meet Gia and her “separated-at-birth best friend” Ro.
This was a pretty lackluster relationship. Which would be fine—if it was supposed to be. If Gia was a loner who didn’t have friends, or if she had a couple surface relationships but wasn’t (supposed to be) close to any of them, or if there was some other logical explanation, but there wasn’t. Because, let’s focus on boys. And being better than everyone else. And being Italian/the don’s daughter.
Now, you may not know this, but Gia is Italian. Anyone knows that if you’re Italian, that is 99% of what anyone needs to know about you—what else would define who you are? Gia is an unlikeable, stuck-up, irresponsible Jersey Shore Princess who would do very well on several reality shows. (Isn’t there a Jersey Princesses reality show or something like that? She should be on it.) She is the kind of heroine I loathe—so obsessed with herself and how super-awesome she is, how much better she is than everyone else around her that she can’t get through a chapter without reminding you. (Mace-face from Unteachable is the last heroine I stumbled across who loved herself this much. She and Gia should totes hang out sometime IMO.)
Now, I think what irked me most about Gia is that her character has potential, but every time I start to have hope for her, she ruins it by being a petty, insecure little asshole. Example: the election. At times, you can get behind her ideas and see that it’s something she might actually care about, but then she has to follow it up with a bitchy, I’m-so-insecure-that-I-have-to-put-other-girls-down-just-because paragraph about how she only wants to win to make the other girls feel like losers.
Gia:
Gia has a secret plan for her life. She has told no one, including (oh so cleverly!) the reader. Yawn.
Now onto Gia and Michael.
“So what,” I say, glancing at him over my shoulder, “you don’t like Italians?”
I can think of a good 30 reasons off the top of my head that he wouldn’t like you, and none of them has even the slightest to do with you being Italian.
These two are so unconvincing together. The things both of them do make them both just seem really stupid, and you never get anything from Michael’s character. Maybe he’s in love Ron-Swanson-style or something, and it just isn’t detectable by most human beings (which could really just be the result of this being first person; since Michael only speaks in monosyllabic bursts, and is typically just saying, “Gia,” in what I imagine to be the most obnoxiously condescending/exasperated tone known to man, none of their interactions make me like—or even not dislike—this guy. Honestly, he seems like kind of a jerk. And not the interesting kind).
The main problem, I guess, is that there’s no connection between these two (nor should there be! They're strangers, they're NOT WELL-SUITED AT ALL, and none of this should ever happen, nor would it, except pretty Gia is a stalker and Michael has a penis), and absolutely nothing to encourage Gia’s craziness except maybe her own bloated opinion of herself. And being spoiled, so she expects to get what she wants. Michael is no different to her than a new dress she really really really really wants. And why would she see him as a person? He doesn’t really come off as one. Certainly not stimulating enough to inspire crazy stalker pursuit from crazy Gia. Then, because he’s a man with a functioning penis, she thinks just because he’s attracted to her he wants to be with her. Sweetie, he doesn’t. Would he have no-consequences sex with you once if he thought he could get away with it? Sure; you’re an attractive female who is offering herself up on a silver platter in a most embarrassing way, and just ask Barney Stinson, guys love girls with low self-esteem—for an evening. Not so much for a relationship.
Why is this author afraid of italics? I hope the final product had italics where they should be.
Believe it or not, I could go on, but I won’t. I made it to 28% before I was going out of my mind and since their ridiculous "romance" was clearly not going to be going away anytime soon (and could only have possibly made me hate the book even more) I gave up. It's also a kindness, because this probably would have ended up a one-star rating, and I would have had to rate if I would have finished it.
You get the gist. Two thumbs down.
That’s not to say I would never read another book by this author or anything. I would give her another shot, and then if that one is an epic fail, I’d likely give up. But this book was definitely not for me. So much potential for a good story in the overall idea, and...this is what came out of it.
Things I liked: the cover (beautiful!). Clive. The potential for a fun (but maybe not so nice) buddy-read.
Review also found at Land of Fiction Book Blog
October 18, 2013
General Thoughts: Good idea, horrible execution. Everything plot wise was really thrown in the air. Gia was a brat. Gia and Michael were gross. And there's a character named Super Mario and he's a lawyer not a plumber. And now I feel like I need a calzone because this book has generalized Italian American culture way too much.
To see full review go to my blog or Booklikes
Howdy YAL
Booklikes
To see full review go to my blog or Booklikes
Howdy YAL
Booklikes
March 7, 2014
This review was originally posted on The Storybook Kingdom
A copy of this book was provided by the author via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
Ok I’ll admit it. I picked Mafia Girl for the cover. The summery was mildly interesting, but I liked the cover. I should have stuck with my feelings on the summery because they’re closer to how I feel about this book after having read it. Unlikable characters, boring plot, and stereotypes sum my feelings up quickly, but stick with me while I elaborate.
I couldn’t bring myself to like Gia. She was a stuck up elitist, and a brat to boot. She was constantly judging everyone around her. Even as the story goes, and I got to know her better, I still didn’t like her. The side character, Clive, is the one I ended up liking the most. I’d love to know more about his life and story. That would have make a much better book than this one.
The story was pretty much about the daily life of Gia from her point of view. Even if something somewhat interesting happened, it was buried so far deep into her every day tasks that it really didn’t draw me in. I don’t think I could really give more then a vague description of this book because if you really want to know what happened in the book you’d have to read the entire thing. There just so many mundane things going on that I never really connected to Gia like I was supposed to.
Mafia Girl is filled with Italian stereotypes from start to finish. I feel like it was shoved in my face. I get it, Gia’s Italian. Then there was the constant high end brand name dropping. I get it, Gia’s rich and so are her friends. I don’t need constant reminders of how Italian or how rich Gia is every single page. I promise I won’t forget those two facts.
The relationship between Gia and Michael is straight up creepy, complete with stalking and background checks. I still feel like I know nothing about him. Their entire relationship just felt wrong. She’s ready to throw herself at someone she barely knows. Michael knows it’s wrong, but apparently doesn’t care. I don’t think I can say enough how wrong and creepy they are together.
I was really hoping Mafia Girl would be an interesting story about how hard it is to live with an infamous parent. I was hoping for something deeper. I did get the story of a girl with an infamous father, but it lacked depth.
A copy of this book was provided by the author via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
Ok I’ll admit it. I picked Mafia Girl for the cover. The summery was mildly interesting, but I liked the cover. I should have stuck with my feelings on the summery because they’re closer to how I feel about this book after having read it. Unlikable characters, boring plot, and stereotypes sum my feelings up quickly, but stick with me while I elaborate.
I couldn’t bring myself to like Gia. She was a stuck up elitist, and a brat to boot. She was constantly judging everyone around her. Even as the story goes, and I got to know her better, I still didn’t like her. The side character, Clive, is the one I ended up liking the most. I’d love to know more about his life and story. That would have make a much better book than this one.
The story was pretty much about the daily life of Gia from her point of view. Even if something somewhat interesting happened, it was buried so far deep into her every day tasks that it really didn’t draw me in. I don’t think I could really give more then a vague description of this book because if you really want to know what happened in the book you’d have to read the entire thing. There just so many mundane things going on that I never really connected to Gia like I was supposed to.
Mafia Girl is filled with Italian stereotypes from start to finish. I feel like it was shoved in my face. I get it, Gia’s Italian. Then there was the constant high end brand name dropping. I get it, Gia’s rich and so are her friends. I don’t need constant reminders of how Italian or how rich Gia is every single page. I promise I won’t forget those two facts.
The relationship between Gia and Michael is straight up creepy, complete with stalking and background checks. I still feel like I know nothing about him. Their entire relationship just felt wrong. She’s ready to throw herself at someone she barely knows. Michael knows it’s wrong, but apparently doesn’t care. I don’t think I can say enough how wrong and creepy they are together.
I was really hoping Mafia Girl would be an interesting story about how hard it is to live with an infamous parent. I was hoping for something deeper. I did get the story of a girl with an infamous father, but it lacked depth.
August 18, 2016
This story is about Gia, 17 years old daughter of a mafia boss, not just any bosses but the boss of all bosses. At her exclusive Manhattan high school, half of the boys in school are afraid to walk near her, and the other half swoon after for their own sick reasons, which gives her the dubious distinction of being the most hated/loved girl in school. Then one day, she and one of her best friend Ro decided to cut school to go shopping when they were caught for DUI, speeding and no license by an officer named Michael, a hot rookie cop. And from then on, Gia can't stop thinking about Michael.
I enjoyed reading this book... it is an easy read and I find quite interesting. This is not a love story but there is the love angle between Gia and Michael. This is Gia story, living a privilege life, going on exclusive school, with classmates who hate her because of who she is... all in all, it's about how much being the daughter of a famous mob boss affects her life.
Gia is 17! Yes she might appear spoiled or childish with the way she talks but in a way, she is spoiled and young.... but she is smart too. And I love that her father despite who he is, also teaches her about responsibility and tells her that her life is gonna be different.
Though I find Gia's action sometimes quite reckless... like her going alone at night, knowing who she is, to chase after Michael.. whose action towards her didn't really look like his that into her but she says so otherwise. But again, she is 17 and learning..... She kinda reminds me of the movie "clueless" except she doesn't say "as if" and all that...
And another thing that I love is her friendship with Clive.. then there's Clive's issue with his parents. his life being rich and fabulous but lonely and sad.
I love how the story ended too.... it shows a lot of promise on Gia's future.
So, all in all, I think it's a lovely read... I'd classify this as YA... written under Gia's POV.
Thanks to the publisher, Albert Whitman & Company, through Netgalley, for the ARC....
Review also posted here :
FB BLOG / PAGE : https://www.facebook.com/SLiTsReaD
I enjoyed reading this book... it is an easy read and I find quite interesting. This is not a love story but there is the love angle between Gia and Michael. This is Gia story, living a privilege life, going on exclusive school, with classmates who hate her because of who she is... all in all, it's about how much being the daughter of a famous mob boss affects her life.
Gia is 17! Yes she might appear spoiled or childish with the way she talks but in a way, she is spoiled and young.... but she is smart too. And I love that her father despite who he is, also teaches her about responsibility and tells her that her life is gonna be different.
Though I find Gia's action sometimes quite reckless... like her going alone at night, knowing who she is, to chase after Michael.. whose action towards her didn't really look like his that into her but she says so otherwise. But again, she is 17 and learning..... She kinda reminds me of the movie "clueless" except she doesn't say "as if" and all that...
And another thing that I love is her friendship with Clive.. then there's Clive's issue with his parents. his life being rich and fabulous but lonely and sad.
I love how the story ended too.... it shows a lot of promise on Gia's future.
So, all in all, I think it's a lovely read... I'd classify this as YA... written under Gia's POV.
Thanks to the publisher, Albert Whitman & Company, through Netgalley, for the ARC....
Review also posted here :
FB BLOG / PAGE : https://www.facebook.com/SLiTsReaD
March 14, 2014
DNF
I really wanted to like this book. The premise sounded appealing, mafia girl into cop dude. I was like this is going to be freaking awesome then I get to the book...not so awesome. The introduction was all over the place, I had no idea who was speaking and what was going on. Literally, one page, Gia and her friend Ro were driving, skipping school and second paragraph, they're in jail but hey they got released in a sentence. All of a sudden, there was information thrown out there for no apparent reason, everything happens too quickly in this book, there's no character building, there's no depth or world building. I have no idea what part of New York they're in, I have no idea why Gia is suddenly into this cop, Michael and I have no idea why Gia is so dumb. Like one minute she acts like a bad A and next she's like oh I want people to know me for more than my father, so, she says she acts all holy. I swear to you, in a page, she went from jail, home, and school. Then she suddenly wants to run for President of the school, no idea why and honestly I don't care. What needs to happen with this book is the author needs to elaborate on the characters, make me care about them. This book tries way to hard to be funny and throw too many puns out there. Most of the book, I'm confused on which character is speaking and why there are so many location/time changes in a short period of time. One second she's making out with her friend's brother which I thought she was at her friend's house, I swear, at the beginning of that part the author describes her being at Ro's house and suddenly, Gia's parents walk in. I would have been like...ohhh maybe they're at Ro's parents house but no, the author says Gia's parents walked into their living room. Ugh...this is just exasperating. I do not recommend at all.
This was an ARC by Albert Whitman & Company...obviously, no money or anything was exchanged since I didn't give this book a decent review.
I really wanted to like this book. The premise sounded appealing, mafia girl into cop dude. I was like this is going to be freaking awesome then I get to the book...not so awesome. The introduction was all over the place, I had no idea who was speaking and what was going on. Literally, one page, Gia and her friend Ro were driving, skipping school and second paragraph, they're in jail but hey they got released in a sentence. All of a sudden, there was information thrown out there for no apparent reason, everything happens too quickly in this book, there's no character building, there's no depth or world building. I have no idea what part of New York they're in, I have no idea why Gia is suddenly into this cop, Michael and I have no idea why Gia is so dumb. Like one minute she acts like a bad A and next she's like oh I want people to know me for more than my father, so, she says she acts all holy. I swear to you, in a page, she went from jail, home, and school. Then she suddenly wants to run for President of the school, no idea why and honestly I don't care. What needs to happen with this book is the author needs to elaborate on the characters, make me care about them. This book tries way to hard to be funny and throw too many puns out there. Most of the book, I'm confused on which character is speaking and why there are so many location/time changes in a short period of time. One second she's making out with her friend's brother which I thought she was at her friend's house, I swear, at the beginning of that part the author describes her being at Ro's house and suddenly, Gia's parents walk in. I would have been like...ohhh maybe they're at Ro's parents house but no, the author says Gia's parents walked into their living room. Ugh...this is just exasperating. I do not recommend at all.
This was an ARC by Albert Whitman & Company...obviously, no money or anything was exchanged since I didn't give this book a decent review.
March 23, 2014
You can find my full review as well as casting choices on my blog, here: http://wp.me/p47EpU-1OJ
Can I give this book TEN FRIGGIN' STARS?!?! I'm seriously distressed seeing the low ratings Mafia Girl is getting on Goodreads. This book is character driven and guess what? The people who are crying about grammar/run on sentences/colloquialisms/ yada yada yada ARE MISSING THE POINT. That's exactly how Gia thinks and it is supposed to read like that. COME ON. Give the editors some credit here. They didn't just skip over stuff like that or ''miss it'' because they are dumb. IT'S LIKE THAT ON PURPOSE. Also, if you are planning a trip to Italy and think you need to brush up on Mafioso culture, I suggest renting a documentary or reading a true life account. Not blaming an author and a BOOK OF FICTION because it didn't educate you within your parameters. Seriously, if you want to brush up on Italy, read Rick Steve's travel book or watch the film Gomorrah (available on Netflix).
I loved the style of this book, the subject matter of this book, the characters in this book, and the theme of this book. From what I'm reading of the low rated reviews on here, these people didn't read far enough into the book to understand it or they just don't get the style in which it is written. Their loss. Official review to come on my blog soon.
Can I give this book TEN FRIGGIN' STARS?!?! I'm seriously distressed seeing the low ratings Mafia Girl is getting on Goodreads. This book is character driven and guess what? The people who are crying about grammar/run on sentences/colloquialisms/ yada yada yada ARE MISSING THE POINT. That's exactly how Gia thinks and it is supposed to read like that. COME ON. Give the editors some credit here. They didn't just skip over stuff like that or ''miss it'' because they are dumb. IT'S LIKE THAT ON PURPOSE. Also, if you are planning a trip to Italy and think you need to brush up on Mafioso culture, I suggest renting a documentary or reading a true life account. Not blaming an author and a BOOK OF FICTION because it didn't educate you within your parameters. Seriously, if you want to brush up on Italy, read Rick Steve's travel book or watch the film Gomorrah (available on Netflix).
I loved the style of this book, the subject matter of this book, the characters in this book, and the theme of this book. From what I'm reading of the low rated reviews on here, these people didn't read far enough into the book to understand it or they just don't get the style in which it is written. Their loss. Official review to come on my blog soon.
May 13, 2015
DNF @ page 116
I just couldn't do it! I hate to DNF a book, but this book...I had so many problems with it!!
1. It was sooooooooo boring! And on top of that the characters were empty and flat. The writing was very immature. It was overly-descriptive in a negative way! And I wonder if the author knows how to use any punctuation... as the sentences were "runons" constantly!
2. The first 3 chapters made me want to slap Gia and tell her to get to the point. It felt like she was just rambling on and on and on telling me 1001 details that didn't really matter.
3. Gia is a stalker which really creeped me out. Having a 17 yr old female act all obsessed and stalker-like was the breaking point for me! Not because I couldn't handle reading about an overly-obsessed teen... but because the thoughts she was thinking and the way she was thinking them... made me feel like she was not connected to reality... she was prime serial killer material. and honestly, I have no desire to read that.
I was expecting... Goodfellas...The Godfather... but from a teens perspective with some love and romance thrown in... and what I got was... Boring...longwinded....empty stereo-type with nothing to support it... and a creepy teen with some serious mental issues!
I just couldn't do it! I hate to DNF a book, but this book...I had so many problems with it!!
1. It was sooooooooo boring! And on top of that the characters were empty and flat. The writing was very immature. It was overly-descriptive in a negative way! And I wonder if the author knows how to use any punctuation... as the sentences were "runons" constantly!
2. The first 3 chapters made me want to slap Gia and tell her to get to the point. It felt like she was just rambling on and on and on telling me 1001 details that didn't really matter.
3. Gia is a stalker which really creeped me out. Having a 17 yr old female act all obsessed and stalker-like was the breaking point for me! Not because I couldn't handle reading about an overly-obsessed teen... but because the thoughts she was thinking and the way she was thinking them... made me feel like she was not connected to reality... she was prime serial killer material. and honestly, I have no desire to read that.
I was expecting... Goodfellas...The Godfather... but from a teens perspective with some love and romance thrown in... and what I got was... Boring...longwinded....empty stereo-type with nothing to support it... and a creepy teen with some serious mental issues!
December 8, 2013
Although Gia is overall a likeable character with mostly good intentions, I didn't quite get her, or know whether the Gia we got know was the real her. I felt like she constantly adopted different personas for different situations. The ending just didn't satisfy me at all and there wasn't enough action or things going on to really grab and focus my attention. I found it quite slow and dull.
March 18, 2014
Such an incredible book! The end was perfect but a little more Michael and Gia interaction would have been good through the middle of the book. Overall an incredible read! :)
July 2, 2016
Also on my blog, Luthien Reviews
3.5/5
Sure, it can be a bit vapid and silly in places, and the main character, Gia, has a narrative voice that’s sometimes annoying and not always grammatically correct. I’m not saying this is a great work of literature. It’s entertainment: fast-paced (often a bit too much so), un-sugarcoated YA entertainment. There’s sex, drugs androck’n’roll a whole lot of Italian food. And there’s serious stuff in there, too: bullying, depression, suicide, parental abandonment, drug and alcohol addiction, money problems, and of course Gia’s ongoing dilemma of loving her father while struggling to accept that he may be responsible for some truly heinous crimes. I felt that very few of these issues are breezed over or dismissed. The narrative, by way of Gia, has to juggle them all–as well as her conflicted feelings for Michael–and uses sarcasm, shopping, and the like to cope on the side.
It all feels a little unbalanced, and Gia doesn’t always come off as likable, but it also felt realistic to me in that way. Who was a saint, or totally likable, or made all good decisions as a teenager? And along with all the standard teenage issues Gia faces, she also has to deal with cameras being shoved in her face all the time and has to worry about whether or not her house is going to be shot up by her dad’s enemies in the middle of the night.
Unlike others, I didn’t get distracted by glaring grammatical mistakes or typos. I saw one or two, maybe. Then again, unlike when those things occur books that are Serious and Acclaimed, I could’ve breezed right past the supposedly myriad mistakes because I found this book too fun and light to get hung up over small errors.
Also unlike many other readers, I loved Gia. I thought her voice–while some of Blumenthal’s stylistic choices are a bit grating from time to time–was a breath of fresh air. She has a voice, a distinctive one, unlike half of the other first-person YA heroines I’ve read about in the past few years. She’s smart, sassy, and spirited, but that doesn’t mean she has no struggles or inner conflicts–she absolutely does.
The other characters are a bit hit-or-miss, though I also loved Gia’s best friend Clive. I wish both Michael and Gia’s father had been more fleshed-out, because they each had potential to add something to the story. In fact, I wish the organized crime part of the story had been brought a bit more to the fore (hey, it’s why I picked up the book!), though I understand why it wasn’t. Mafia Girl, despite the title, is not a mafia or crime book the way The Godfather is; it’s a coming-of-age story.
As for the other complaint I’ve read, that Mafia Girl stereotypes Italian culture, maybe so. But it’s no more stereotypical than, say, My Big Fat Greek Wedding (I know that’s Greek, not Italian, but the point stands) or frankly, even than the much-praised film Goodfellas. And even if they were stereotypes, they were mostly harmless: for instance, Gia’s mother’s outlet is cooking, especially pasta dishes (but “she draws the line at baking”), and wears about twenty crosses “in case someone might not realize she’s a serious Catholic.”
Take this bit from Thanksgiving for example. It might have been my favorite comic sequence from the entire book:
I would have found Gia’s love interest Michael compelling, as I said before, if he’d had a smidge more time in the book. He feels a little two-dimensional. And while I wasn’t a huge fan of their relationship (as some people have pointed out, Gia’s underage and Michael’s a cop, after all–though it’s really no worse than Rose and Dimitri in the Vampire Academy series, one of my all-time OTPs), it felt real the same way Gia did: an over-the-top, hot and heavy, first-love-which-means-it’s-forever type of romance. If the book had been a little bit longer, it would’ve worked a little bit better for me.
Side-note: Other reviewers have condemned Gia as a “stalker” who can’t take no for an answer; I think that criticism is a little over-the-top. It never really bothered me, because to me, Gia’s pursuit of Michael reads like the actions of a naive-but-spoiled girl used to getting her own way and desperate for affection. Were some of her methods when it came to tracking Michael down and “courting” him dubious? Maybe. But then again, Gia was raised by a mafia boss . She might have a slightly skewed sense of what’s right and wrong, what’s acceptable and what crosses the line. Plus, as Michael is a grown man and a cop–and most importantly, is actually interested in Gia, too–so I think he can handle himself.
Anyway.
Gia’s relationship with her BFF Clive (who, again, I loved) is really sweet, too. And her love-hate relationship with her father is by turns touching and heartbreaking. I guess I’m a sucker for tough guys who turn to mush around their little girls, I don’t know. But the last scene between them really makes you want to cry.
I’ve talked myself into upping my rating by a half-star over the course of writing this review.
Tl;dr? Don’t believe all the bad reviews. Mafia Girl has a lot going for it: a unique, almost stream-of-consciousness style that–for the most part–sounds authentic rather than forced; a fast-paced story that doesn’t shy away from mature or serious topics or strong language; and a funny, smart-mouthed, memorable heroine with a spine made of steel. You might not love it, but don’t dismiss it before reading it because of what you think it is. (Incidentally, that’s pretty much the theme of the entire book.)
For all its flaws, it’s also infinitely better than the other YA crime family book (Hold Me Like a Breath) I read this year.
3.5/5
They call me Gia. Just Gia. Even the teachers taking attendance. Never mind my last name with the operatic mouthful of syllables and vowels. Unless you need a dinner reservation in a place that’s booked, then doors open and you get comped with antipasti and fritto misto, and after the main course when you’re stuffed, Napoleons and cannoli appear when you didn’t order dessert, and then we act impressed and my dad overtips.This book has a shockingly abysmal rating on Goodreads (2.96/5; not even books with massive hate clubs–think Twilight–have average ratings that low!), which I don’t think it deserves.
Sure, it can be a bit vapid and silly in places, and the main character, Gia, has a narrative voice that’s sometimes annoying and not always grammatically correct. I’m not saying this is a great work of literature. It’s entertainment: fast-paced (often a bit too much so), un-sugarcoated YA entertainment. There’s sex, drugs and
It all feels a little unbalanced, and Gia doesn’t always come off as likable, but it also felt realistic to me in that way. Who was a saint, or totally likable, or made all good decisions as a teenager? And along with all the standard teenage issues Gia faces, she also has to deal with cameras being shoved in her face all the time and has to worry about whether or not her house is going to be shot up by her dad’s enemies in the middle of the night.
Unlike others, I didn’t get distracted by glaring grammatical mistakes or typos. I saw one or two, maybe. Then again, unlike when those things occur books that are Serious and Acclaimed, I could’ve breezed right past the supposedly myriad mistakes because I found this book too fun and light to get hung up over small errors.
Also unlike many other readers, I loved Gia. I thought her voice–while some of Blumenthal’s stylistic choices are a bit grating from time to time–was a breath of fresh air. She has a voice, a distinctive one, unlike half of the other first-person YA heroines I’ve read about in the past few years. She’s smart, sassy, and spirited, but that doesn’t mean she has no struggles or inner conflicts–she absolutely does.
The other characters are a bit hit-or-miss, though I also loved Gia’s best friend Clive. I wish both Michael and Gia’s father had been more fleshed-out, because they each had potential to add something to the story. In fact, I wish the organized crime part of the story had been brought a bit more to the fore (hey, it’s why I picked up the book!), though I understand why it wasn’t. Mafia Girl, despite the title, is not a mafia or crime book the way The Godfather is; it’s a coming-of-age story.
As for the other complaint I’ve read, that Mafia Girl stereotypes Italian culture, maybe so. But it’s no more stereotypical than, say, My Big Fat Greek Wedding (I know that’s Greek, not Italian, but the point stands) or frankly, even than the much-praised film Goodfellas. And even if they were stereotypes, they were mostly harmless: for instance, Gia’s mother’s outlet is cooking, especially pasta dishes (but “she draws the line at baking”), and wears about twenty crosses “in case someone might not realize she’s a serious Catholic.”
Take this bit from Thanksgiving for example. It might have been my favorite comic sequence from the entire book:
[A]nd then the pumpkin and chocolate pecan pies and the sugar cookies and espresso and tea and then after-dinner drinks, and then Frankie drops to the floor because he has a massive heart attack.This book is also, in part, a romance. It was the only part that didn’t really work for me.
The ambulance screeches up and the EMT guys give Frankie oxygen and it takes three of them to carry him out on a stretcher. By then everyone has switched over to speaking Italian because that way they feel closer to God and then they’re praying and throwing their hands up and everybody heads for their cars to follow the ambulance. (148-9)
I would have found Gia’s love interest Michael compelling, as I said before, if he’d had a smidge more time in the book. He feels a little two-dimensional. And while I wasn’t a huge fan of their relationship (as some people have pointed out, Gia’s underage and Michael’s a cop, after all–though it’s really no worse than Rose and Dimitri in the Vampire Academy series, one of my all-time OTPs), it felt real the same way Gia did: an over-the-top, hot and heavy, first-love-which-means-it’s-forever type of romance. If the book had been a little bit longer, it would’ve worked a little bit better for me.
Side-note: Other reviewers have condemned Gia as a “stalker” who can’t take no for an answer; I think that criticism is a little over-the-top. It never really bothered me, because to me, Gia’s pursuit of Michael reads like the actions of a naive-but-spoiled girl used to getting her own way and desperate for affection. Were some of her methods when it came to tracking Michael down and “courting” him dubious? Maybe. But then again, Gia was raised by a mafia boss . She might have a slightly skewed sense of what’s right and wrong, what’s acceptable and what crosses the line. Plus, as Michael is a grown man and a cop–and most importantly, is actually interested in Gia, too–so I think he can handle himself.
Anyway.
Gia’s relationship with her BFF Clive (who, again, I loved) is really sweet, too. And her love-hate relationship with her father is by turns touching and heartbreaking. I guess I’m a sucker for tough guys who turn to mush around their little girls, I don’t know. But the last scene between them really makes you want to cry.
I’ve talked myself into upping my rating by a half-star over the course of writing this review.
Tl;dr? Don’t believe all the bad reviews. Mafia Girl has a lot going for it: a unique, almost stream-of-consciousness style that–for the most part–sounds authentic rather than forced; a fast-paced story that doesn’t shy away from mature or serious topics or strong language; and a funny, smart-mouthed, memorable heroine with a spine made of steel. You might not love it, but don’t dismiss it before reading it because of what you think it is. (Incidentally, that’s pretty much the theme of the entire book.)
For all its flaws, it’s also infinitely better than the other YA crime family book (Hold Me Like a Breath) I read this year.
July 7, 2017
More like 3.5 - this book is trashy but it does it so well. it was addicting. It's like that line from Wildest Dreams - [It's] so bad but [it] does it so well.
March 23, 2024
what the hell was that age gap 17 and like 25 is such a no
December 31, 2013
Title: Mafia Girl
Author: Deborah Blumenthal
Rating: 2/5
This young adult novel depicts a few months in the life of Gia, the daughter of a mafia boss. She meets and falls in love with a police officer named Michael, or "Officer Hottie", who at first wants nothing to do with her, but slowly falls to her charm. With the help of Ro and Clive, her two best friends, Gia vows to beat the reputation that comes with her name and her family.
Oh my goodness, where do I start my review. Let's begin with a bit of good; the novel's premise was good. Despite the flagrant Italian stereotypes, I enjoyed the characterization of the family. I liked the Don, I liked Super Mario, and I would hug Gia's mom in a heartbeat. The food in the book literally had me gnawing at something through most of the read, I swear. It was really easy to read, also.
Now, I'll explain why I gave this only two stars. Even though "Clockwork Orange" by Anthony Burgess distorts language to help us get into Alex's head and culture, it is obviously done on purpose. I'm not sure if the author meant to have so much grammar mistakes in her book, but I cringed at least once every chapter. Now, it could simply be that Gia's point of view is more of a stream of consciousness, but for me it didn't work at all. To give credit, though, I can imagine the Italian teenage girl going, "What? What? WHAT?" repeatedly, so I hope it's the author's intention. If that's your style, then you'll enjoy it.
Gia herself was a silly most of the time. The only time I truly related to her was when she was bullied, or when she revealed the true nature of her "dream" for her future. Atta girl, really; it's a good dream and it was probably the only moment in the novel that I felt truly fond of her. Clive was such a great character, though! I didn't really expect him to be asexual, but it would seem that he is. Atta boy! He felt more developped than Gia, at times.
Plot wise is where it lost another star. What happened to the plot? I was convinced that the plot was about having Gia overcome the stigma about her family... There were also a couple of plot holes and rapidly switching sceneries... It just definitely wasn't my style of writing and, overall, I was a bit disappointed.
I wouldn't recommend this novel to anyone over eighteen. Despite my love for YA books, this one felt both stretched and rushed. I did love the concept, however, and to the appropriate audience, I'd say it could be easily a 3-4 stars.
I would also like to thank Albert Whitman & Company, as well as Netgalley, for the free ARC of this book to review.
Author: Deborah Blumenthal
Rating: 2/5
This young adult novel depicts a few months in the life of Gia, the daughter of a mafia boss. She meets and falls in love with a police officer named Michael, or "Officer Hottie", who at first wants nothing to do with her, but slowly falls to her charm. With the help of Ro and Clive, her two best friends, Gia vows to beat the reputation that comes with her name and her family.
Oh my goodness, where do I start my review. Let's begin with a bit of good; the novel's premise was good. Despite the flagrant Italian stereotypes, I enjoyed the characterization of the family. I liked the Don, I liked Super Mario, and I would hug Gia's mom in a heartbeat. The food in the book literally had me gnawing at something through most of the read, I swear. It was really easy to read, also.
Now, I'll explain why I gave this only two stars. Even though "Clockwork Orange" by Anthony Burgess distorts language to help us get into Alex's head and culture, it is obviously done on purpose. I'm not sure if the author meant to have so much grammar mistakes in her book, but I cringed at least once every chapter. Now, it could simply be that Gia's point of view is more of a stream of consciousness, but for me it didn't work at all. To give credit, though, I can imagine the Italian teenage girl going, "What? What? WHAT?" repeatedly, so I hope it's the author's intention. If that's your style, then you'll enjoy it.
Gia herself was a silly most of the time. The only time I truly related to her was when she was bullied, or when she revealed the true nature of her "dream" for her future. Atta girl, really; it's a good dream and it was probably the only moment in the novel that I felt truly fond of her. Clive was such a great character, though! I didn't really expect him to be asexual, but it would seem that he is. Atta boy! He felt more developped than Gia, at times.
Plot wise is where it lost another star. What happened to the plot? I was convinced that the plot was about having Gia overcome the stigma about her family... There were also a couple of plot holes and rapidly switching sceneries... It just definitely wasn't my style of writing and, overall, I was a bit disappointed.
I wouldn't recommend this novel to anyone over eighteen. Despite my love for YA books, this one felt both stretched and rushed. I did love the concept, however, and to the appropriate audience, I'd say it could be easily a 3-4 stars.
I would also like to thank Albert Whitman & Company, as well as Netgalley, for the free ARC of this book to review.
October 26, 2013
I got a copy of this book for free through netgalley in exchange of an honest review.
I jumped back and forth with this book rating between 2.5 stars and 3 stars. In the end I settled a little.
Growing up in your father's shadows isn't easy, especially if your father happens to be the boss of all bosses and is suspected of multiple crimes. Gia is a 17-year-old high school student who attends one of the most prestigious schools in Manhattan and where half the students either love her or hate her based on her family name. Not to mention that life is about to get even more complicated when she meets a cop that she calls “Officer Hottie” when he arrests her for speeding in a car that isn't hers.
How do I feel about this book?
On the fence with this one I think. I like how easy it was to read the book, even thought at times I felt like I was reading a run on sentence. Gia's tone grips you from the beginning of the book and holds on to you till the end. Unfortunately to me, even thought it was fast paced,she seemed a little immature for a 17-year old. Some of the things she says and the way she says them is a bit immaturish sounding to me. – Like What? On top of it all, there was a lot of caps used to express her feelings when she got overall excited. And oh my gosh I won't even go to the conversations she has with other character's in the book because there was a time or two where I was completely put off by her behavior.
The fact that she was 17-years-old and chasing a cop well over 21, was a bit awkward for me too. Especially the fact that they were two very different people and I just couldn't find the spark between them. Not to mention that I had a really hard time believing that someone with his personality is okay with a teenager who has the personality of a 14 year old. I was once again, completely put off.
So what did I like?
Besides those two points, the book was kinda of a nice, easy and relaxing read. I like the theme, the plot was pretty straight forward as well as Gia goes through everyday motions of trying to deal with school life along with her family life. It was interesting to see how it effected her, but at the same time I was pleasantly surprised by her strength. When the other girls and kids at school teased her and picked at her and where downright mean, she was the bigger person.
The thing that saved this book for me was probably Clive, her best friend. He was just amazing, and his story itself is heart touching and sad but he kept the book together for me.
The ending was a bit more emotional and with a few exceptions I kind of liked it, because the turn of events really effected Gia I think significantly and where her life would lead from there.
Overall, it was an easy read. Kind of enjoyable if you don't let her ton of voice, some of her behavior, and the weird cradle-robbing theme get In your way.
I jumped back and forth with this book rating between 2.5 stars and 3 stars. In the end I settled a little.
Growing up in your father's shadows isn't easy, especially if your father happens to be the boss of all bosses and is suspected of multiple crimes. Gia is a 17-year-old high school student who attends one of the most prestigious schools in Manhattan and where half the students either love her or hate her based on her family name. Not to mention that life is about to get even more complicated when she meets a cop that she calls “Officer Hottie” when he arrests her for speeding in a car that isn't hers.
How do I feel about this book?
On the fence with this one I think. I like how easy it was to read the book, even thought at times I felt like I was reading a run on sentence. Gia's tone grips you from the beginning of the book and holds on to you till the end. Unfortunately to me, even thought it was fast paced,she seemed a little immature for a 17-year old. Some of the things she says and the way she says them is a bit immaturish sounding to me. – Like What? On top of it all, there was a lot of caps used to express her feelings when she got overall excited. And oh my gosh I won't even go to the conversations she has with other character's in the book because there was a time or two where I was completely put off by her behavior.
The fact that she was 17-years-old and chasing a cop well over 21, was a bit awkward for me too. Especially the fact that they were two very different people and I just couldn't find the spark between them. Not to mention that I had a really hard time believing that someone with his personality is okay with a teenager who has the personality of a 14 year old. I was once again, completely put off.
So what did I like?
Besides those two points, the book was kinda of a nice, easy and relaxing read. I like the theme, the plot was pretty straight forward as well as Gia goes through everyday motions of trying to deal with school life along with her family life. It was interesting to see how it effected her, but at the same time I was pleasantly surprised by her strength. When the other girls and kids at school teased her and picked at her and where downright mean, she was the bigger person.
The thing that saved this book for me was probably Clive, her best friend. He was just amazing, and his story itself is heart touching and sad but he kept the book together for me.
The ending was a bit more emotional and with a few exceptions I kind of liked it, because the turn of events really effected Gia I think significantly and where her life would lead from there.
Overall, it was an easy read. Kind of enjoyable if you don't let her ton of voice, some of her behavior, and the weird cradle-robbing theme get In your way.
January 7, 2014
My copy was provided to me by Netgalley.
This book sounded really interesting. The premise intrigued me considering I haven't read a book about the Mafia. I wanted to know the inner workings of the Mafia and how Gia would react to it. But the book kind of flopped for me.
Here's the good:
Cline is an awesome, asexual sidekick. He was always supportive about Gia and so funny, but we got to see his sensitive side when he expressed his troubles to Gia. Cline definitely deserves his own book. And Gia's mom. I felt so bad for her and I wanted to hug her whenever she cried.
The bad:
I'm a teenager and so I'm not "too old" for this book, but what Gia thinks/says sometimes annoyed me. There were many instances when all caps were used in words and that made Gia seem more immature than she really is. Also, it takes awhile for Gia to get to the point, even when she's thinking about things.
I remember there was one chapter when before reaching a revelation, she kept thinking about what her science teacher was talking about and it went on for way too long.
She also never listens to anyone. While that is how teens act (I should know) she kept putting herself in dangerous positions that she should have known better than to get herself into, especially since she's the mob boss' daughter.
And the relationship between Gia and "Officer Hottie" aka Michael. Their relationship was kinda weird where Gia kept hitting on Michael and he just wanted to protect her. They didn't really talk that much and they seem kind of stilted, their relationship relying more on hormones and insta-love rather than substance and a connection between the two. Also, how old is the guy? He's a cop so he's either in his early twenties or older. Gia is seventeen so their relationship was definitely illegal, especially since her parents didn't know about him at all.
While Gia was annoying a couple of times, the book was okay though it did get boring at a couple of points. Readers over 18 years old probably wouldn't enjoy this book as much as teenagers would. The concept of the book was good and it did let you into the life of the Mafia, letting you know there is no easy way out of the life.
This book sounded really interesting. The premise intrigued me considering I haven't read a book about the Mafia. I wanted to know the inner workings of the Mafia and how Gia would react to it. But the book kind of flopped for me.
Here's the good:
Cline is an awesome, asexual sidekick. He was always supportive about Gia and so funny, but we got to see his sensitive side when he expressed his troubles to Gia. Cline definitely deserves his own book. And Gia's mom. I felt so bad for her and I wanted to hug her whenever she cried.
The bad:
I'm a teenager and so I'm not "too old" for this book, but what Gia thinks/says sometimes annoyed me. There were many instances when all caps were used in words and that made Gia seem more immature than she really is. Also, it takes awhile for Gia to get to the point, even when she's thinking about things.
I remember there was one chapter when before reaching a revelation, she kept thinking about what her science teacher was talking about and it went on for way too long.
She also never listens to anyone. While that is how teens act (I should know) she kept putting herself in dangerous positions that she should have known better than to get herself into, especially since she's the mob boss' daughter.
And the relationship between Gia and "Officer Hottie" aka Michael. Their relationship was kinda weird where Gia kept hitting on Michael and he just wanted to protect her. They didn't really talk that much and they seem kind of stilted, their relationship relying more on hormones and insta-love rather than substance and a connection between the two. Also, how old is the guy? He's a cop so he's either in his early twenties or older. Gia is seventeen so their relationship was definitely illegal, especially since her parents didn't know about him at all.
While Gia was annoying a couple of times, the book was okay though it did get boring at a couple of points. Readers over 18 years old probably wouldn't enjoy this book as much as teenagers would. The concept of the book was good and it did let you into the life of the Mafia, letting you know there is no easy way out of the life.
dnf
October 20, 2014Note: I received an eARC of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. some things may be changed in the final version.
DNF
Stopped at: 30%
I hate to do it, but this book is not working for me at all; so, I'm making the call to put it down now and part amicably. Forcing myself to finish would only lead to frustration for me and a very negative review for the book.
But before we go our separate ways, I want to take a moment to discuss why the book and I did not get along:
Gia: the protagonist and narrator. She's self-absorbed, self-righteous, hypocritical, prone to bouts of "love/lust at first sight," rebellious, whiny, vain, spoiled and full of bad decisions. In short, she's a teenager. But she's a ridiculously over the top teenager whose every characteristic has been blown out of proportion into a caricature of a rich, spoiled, teenage brat.
The first-person point of view narration only served to beat the reader upside the head with all these traits and her general lack of common sense. (Seriously? She's a 17-year-old high school student trying to seduce a cop who, based on his time in the Marines, has to be significantly older than she?)
Putting aside the issue of Gia's character, the plot, or lack thereof, failed to draw me in. Gia gets caught drunk and ditching and becomes infatuated with the cop. Gia decides to run for class president. Gia gets a call from Vogue. Gia stalks the cop, with bits and pieces of the other plot lines mixed in. There's no discernible, main antagonist, unless we're viewing Gia as her own self-destructive antagonist.
Perhaps the story hits a big turning point soon. Perhaps, by book's end, Gia has learned important life lessons and is well on her way to adulthood. Regardless, as the book failed to grab me in any way within the first 30%, I will not be continuing.
DNF
Stopped at: 30%
I hate to do it, but this book is not working for me at all; so, I'm making the call to put it down now and part amicably. Forcing myself to finish would only lead to frustration for me and a very negative review for the book.
But before we go our separate ways, I want to take a moment to discuss why the book and I did not get along:
Gia: the protagonist and narrator. She's self-absorbed, self-righteous, hypocritical, prone to bouts of "love/lust at first sight," rebellious, whiny, vain, spoiled and full of bad decisions. In short, she's a teenager. But she's a ridiculously over the top teenager whose every characteristic has been blown out of proportion into a caricature of a rich, spoiled, teenage brat.
The first-person point of view narration only served to beat the reader upside the head with all these traits and her general lack of common sense. (Seriously? She's a 17-year-old high school student trying to seduce a cop who, based on his time in the Marines, has to be significantly older than she?)
Putting aside the issue of Gia's character, the plot, or lack thereof, failed to draw me in. Gia gets caught drunk and ditching and becomes infatuated with the cop. Gia decides to run for class president. Gia gets a call from Vogue. Gia stalks the cop, with bits and pieces of the other plot lines mixed in. There's no discernible, main antagonist, unless we're viewing Gia as her own self-destructive antagonist.
Perhaps the story hits a big turning point soon. Perhaps, by book's end, Gia has learned important life lessons and is well on her way to adulthood. Regardless, as the book failed to grab me in any way within the first 30%, I will not be continuing.
December 11, 2016
This review was originally posted on my blog, Paperbacks & Protagonists.
This will be a short review as I only read a small portion of this book – this is the first book that I haven’t finished. Generally, I would push myself to finish this book, but have decided that if it’s a book for review, I’m not going to do that. Instead, what I will be presenting in this and any future DNF reviews is what I liked about the novel and I will summarise what I didn't like.
What I liked about Mafia Girl:
* The premise is great. I haven’t ever come across a novel about the daughter of some big king pin in the mafia, so I would love to read a book with a similar synopsis if only the execution was better.
* The cover. I usually don’t like any books with real faces on it, but this one is nice.
What I didn’t like about Mafia Girl:
* Gia. Now, I’ve read quite a few books where I haven’t liked the protagonist. But never has my dislike been so strong towards a character. In a nutshell, Gia is why I couldn’t finish this book. Sure, she’s a teenage and she acts like one, but the way Blumenthal presents her is over-the-top and unnecessary. Gia’s characteristics were blown out of proportion and I think that’s the main cause of me not being able to finish this book.
* The plot was not what I was expecting. And sure, usually this isn’t a bad thing; but instead of reading about Gia’s life combined with mafia elements, we only see the life and consequences of Gia and her bad choices.
This will be a short review as I only read a small portion of this book – this is the first book that I haven’t finished. Generally, I would push myself to finish this book, but have decided that if it’s a book for review, I’m not going to do that. Instead, what I will be presenting in this and any future DNF reviews is what I liked about the novel and I will summarise what I didn't like.
What I liked about Mafia Girl:
* The premise is great. I haven’t ever come across a novel about the daughter of some big king pin in the mafia, so I would love to read a book with a similar synopsis if only the execution was better.
* The cover. I usually don’t like any books with real faces on it, but this one is nice.
What I didn’t like about Mafia Girl:
* Gia. Now, I’ve read quite a few books where I haven’t liked the protagonist. But never has my dislike been so strong towards a character. In a nutshell, Gia is why I couldn’t finish this book. Sure, she’s a teenage and she acts like one, but the way Blumenthal presents her is over-the-top and unnecessary. Gia’s characteristics were blown out of proportion and I think that’s the main cause of me not being able to finish this book.
* The plot was not what I was expecting. And sure, usually this isn’t a bad thing; but instead of reading about Gia’s life combined with mafia elements, we only see the life and consequences of Gia and her bad choices.
March 23, 2014
I really liked the Mafia girl idea. It was good and refreshing. I just don't like how it was executed. I love that they are close. The family, that is. Like even if her Dad is a Boss, he is still a loving father to her and her brother, Anthony. But Gia struck me as a bit of a brat but she actually have dreams for herself and she says she doesn't want her Dad's mob status to affect her life or something but she actually displays somewhere along the book that she uses her Dad's money to do things she wanted to.
And that love story with Michael... Uh... Most of the time, Michael was not even in the picture. Gia is mostly with Clive. And how could you love someone you just met and you just became obsess with? And Michael being a cop... He should know better to wait for Gia to turn 18 before going out with her. He's a cop, for God's sake! I mean the age difference is not shown here but still, Gia is just a minor, seventeen years old. A cop should know how to handle it. He should have waited. I'm not against him, in fact I like him. Just... Again, should have waited. :/
In a nutshell, yeah, I somehow enjoy reading this. But I am still a bit I dunno, wary? Of the ending. Didn't want it to end like that.
And that love story with Michael... Uh... Most of the time, Michael was not even in the picture. Gia is mostly with Clive. And how could you love someone you just met and you just became obsess with? And Michael being a cop... He should know better to wait for Gia to turn 18 before going out with her. He's a cop, for God's sake! I mean the age difference is not shown here but still, Gia is just a minor, seventeen years old. A cop should know how to handle it. He should have waited. I'm not against him, in fact I like him. Just... Again, should have waited. :/
In a nutshell, yeah, I somehow enjoy reading this. But I am still a bit I dunno, wary? Of the ending. Didn't want it to end like that.
October 11, 2013
Mafia Girl is about Gia who is the daughter of a mob boss but just wants to be seen as an individual outside of her father's legacy. Even her plan for running for class president is tainted by the press and stereotypes surrounding her family. Even being a bosses daughter she is not above facing the challenges that come with being different in high school.
Gia is a likeable character although a bit annoying at times. Especially when continues to ignore people's warnings to her and puts herself in unnecessary danger. The author did a great job of making her friendships feel very genuine. I thought it was very refreshing that it took time for her and Michael to develop something more. There were times when there were just ramblings in the story from Gia and it would take a whole page for her to get to the point. Almost like the author was just trying to fill up space. Overall it was a good story and I would recommend it to anyone who wants a good lighthearted read.
ARC of this book courtesy of NetGalley for a honest review.
Gia is a likeable character although a bit annoying at times. Especially when continues to ignore people's warnings to her and puts herself in unnecessary danger. The author did a great job of making her friendships feel very genuine. I thought it was very refreshing that it took time for her and Michael to develop something more. There were times when there were just ramblings in the story from Gia and it would take a whole page for her to get to the point. Almost like the author was just trying to fill up space. Overall it was a good story and I would recommend it to anyone who wants a good lighthearted read.
ARC of this book courtesy of NetGalley for a honest review.
January 25, 2023
This was between a 3-3.5 star read for me. It was definitely fast paced and easy to read, but there was nothing really 5 star worthy about it. The author did the voice of the narrator really well, and also showed a lot of character growth. It was refreshing to hear mafia family life from the POV of the younger daughter. What at first sounds like a bratty naïve don's daughter, turned into a smart and wise young lady. Of course she made questionable choices along the way, but I wouldn't say she wasn't self aware or out of touch with reality. In fact, she knew exactly what she was doing. She reminded me a lot of myself when I was 17.
I do wish there was more between Gia and the officer. All the scenes between them seemed to be short lived. I know this had to do a lot with Officer Mikes personality, but it is only a few times that we see them interact longer than a minute.
Honestly- the only thing that wasn't really good about this book was the grammar. Lots of run on sentences. Otherwise, not sure why there are some really bad reviews. I thought it was a nice quick YA read.
I do wish there was more between Gia and the officer. All the scenes between them seemed to be short lived. I know this had to do a lot with Officer Mikes personality, but it is only a few times that we see them interact longer than a minute.
Honestly- the only thing that wasn't really good about this book was the grammar. Lots of run on sentences. Otherwise, not sure why there are some really bad reviews. I thought it was a nice quick YA read.
March 15, 2024
I don't like trashing books because someone took time to write this, but this was really a terrible book. Gia is unhinged. She meets this grown ass cop and decides she's gotta have him, harassing him every chapter. He on the other hand is a creep for eventually dating her. Gia who is a teenager. Her parents are worse because they allow this but also it's super unrealistic. Why would a crime family allow their young daughter to date this grown cop?
The crime family should have been explored more. Would have loved to see Gia grapple with learning the more seedy things that her father does and possibly getting involved. Now that would have been interesting.
The crime family should have been explored more. Would have loved to see Gia grapple with learning the more seedy things that her father does and possibly getting involved. Now that would have been interesting.
March 15, 2015
Based on the reviews, I expected to hate this book, but it turns out it wasn't half bad. It was definitely predictable & cheesy, but sometimes there is a place for predictable & cheesy. The story went beyond the love interest of Gia & went more into what it's like to be the child of such a high profile person. I enjoyed Gia's revelations throughout the book - even though I sometimes was rolling my eyes at how obviously stated those revelations were. All in all, a quick read that asks you to go beyond the stereotypes.
October 21, 2013
DNF.
Page 104/40%
I'm sure someone else would absolutely love this book, but I just can't get into it. I'm bored of it and so I've decided that I can't finish it.
Page 104/40%
I'm sure someone else would absolutely love this book, but I just can't get into it. I'm bored of it and so I've decided that I can't finish it.
May 24, 2023
So it could've been good. It really could've. There's something intriguing about the idea of a mafia daughter in love with a cop. I won't admit it, but I was excited. But then... it was a letdown. Gia, I actually liked- I know, I know. Everyone else? Not so much. Michael was cookie cutter, her dad was stereotypical, and Clive, while a cool character, was kind of overdone. Deborah Blumenthal barely mentioned the mafia except when she needed to make Gia seem mysterious. Otherwise, this book was about a 17-year-old girl's romance. And that would have been fine- if the romance hadn't been so effing lazy. Like, they fell in love so quickly and randomly. Like what? Add that to one of the worst seggs scenes I've ever read. It sounded like a fifth grader on Wattpad who is still writing Nick Wilde smut. If you're going to include a seggs scene- which IMO you never actually need, I literally have a there didn't need to be seggs shelf- then at least do it right, and don't make it so bad it ruins the book!
Anyways I had a lot more feelings about this book than I thought and they were more negative than I thought, too.
Anyways I had a lot more feelings about this book than I thought and they were more negative than I thought, too.
June 19, 2023
Not my vibe. It sounded good, daughter of a mafia boss falling for a cop, that’s interesting. But this girl is 17. Why? And it didn’t seem very deep in any way. The romance was creepy. We don’t even know how old he is? She loves him before she literally knows anything about him? Her friendships even felt hollow. Didn’t appreciate the fat shaming in this book either. Definitely don’t even know how this book is YA, other than the characters age.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 20, 2023
I tried SO HARD to enjoy this book, but I should have DNFd it. The story was plain and moved way too fast! The author focused on too many things at one in this book without giving each issue/topic proper time. I felt that the ending fell flat as well. The writing is very amateur and quite frankly cheesy. Don't waste your time!
September 17, 2017
Modern day Romero and Juliet. Absoulutely brethtaking. The line between fighting for family or the one yoou love. ANd the realization of seeing someone you love through a new set of eyes, and not bieng able to forgive them.
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