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Squad
This darkly comic debut novel by an award-winning playwright is like Mean Girls meets Heathers with a splash of Bring it On.
Jenna Watson is a cheerleader. But it’s not some Hollywood crap. Cheerleaders are not every guy’s fantasy; they are not the “popular girls” or the “mean girls” of Marsen High School. They’re too busy for that. They're literally just some human females trying to live their lives and do a perfect toe touch. But that all changed after Raejean stopped talking to Jenna and started hanging out with Meghan Finnegan. Jenna stopped getting invited out with the rest of the squad and she couldn’t tell if it was on purpose or if it was all in her head.
At times heartbreaking, at others hilarious, Squad follows Jenna through her attempts to get revenge on Raejean and invent a new post-cheer life for herself through LARPING (live action role-playing) and a relationship with a trans guy that feels like love—but isn't. In the, end Jenna discovers that who she is is not defined by which squad she's in.
Jenna Watson is a cheerleader. But it’s not some Hollywood crap. Cheerleaders are not every guy’s fantasy; they are not the “popular girls” or the “mean girls” of Marsen High School. They’re too busy for that. They're literally just some human females trying to live their lives and do a perfect toe touch. But that all changed after Raejean stopped talking to Jenna and started hanging out with Meghan Finnegan. Jenna stopped getting invited out with the rest of the squad and she couldn’t tell if it was on purpose or if it was all in her head.
At times heartbreaking, at others hilarious, Squad follows Jenna through her attempts to get revenge on Raejean and invent a new post-cheer life for herself through LARPING (live action role-playing) and a relationship with a trans guy that feels like love—but isn't. In the, end Jenna discovers that who she is is not defined by which squad she's in.
249 pages, Hardcover
First published March 12, 2019
27 people are currently reading
2470 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 134 reviews
December 7, 2020
Sometimes you just need a YA contemporary to cleanse the palate and this did the job, perfectly.
Despite not residing inside my usual genre, my fascination with cheerleading led me to pick this quick audiobook up and it proved exactly what I was looking for. What begins as a story of toxic teenage friendships and bitchy, back-stabbing antics turns into an inclusive, diverse, and wholesome story of finding yourself on the cusp of adulthood. I can't say much about the accuracy of the cheerleading aspects that were included but I am glad they played such a large portion of the plot, and were not just used as a plot device to have the central characters dress in tight outfits and make them the given 'in crowd' of this high school.
Despite not residing inside my usual genre, my fascination with cheerleading led me to pick this quick audiobook up and it proved exactly what I was looking for. What begins as a story of toxic teenage friendships and bitchy, back-stabbing antics turns into an inclusive, diverse, and wholesome story of finding yourself on the cusp of adulthood. I can't say much about the accuracy of the cheerleading aspects that were included but I am glad they played such a large portion of the plot, and were not just used as a plot device to have the central characters dress in tight outfits and make them the given 'in crowd' of this high school.
July 25, 2020
The first half of the book had a lot of promise, but the second half didn't deliver. Still a decent book, but the main conflict between Jenna and Raejean was never really explained. Why did their friendship fall apart? Wasn't that the basis of this entire book?
Quick and easy read, but definitely deserving of it's 3.3 overall rating.
Quick and easy read, but definitely deserving of it's 3.3 overall rating.
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June 23, 2019
3.5 stars, rounded up
Cheerleading. Best friends. LARPing. Falling in and out of relationships. All in a sophomore year, right?
Holy moly do I have feels about this book. I'm so torn.
For the purposes of talking freely about this book and my feelings, I'm going to put the rest of this review into spoilers.
I received this ARC from NetGalley for an honest review
Cheerleading. Best friends. LARPing. Falling in and out of relationships. All in a sophomore year, right?
Holy moly do I have feels about this book. I'm so torn.
For the purposes of talking freely about this book and my feelings, I'm going to put the rest of this review into spoilers.
I received this ARC from NetGalley for an honest review
March 3, 2019
I really liked parts of this novel and other parts I just totally couldn't relate with. Overall if wound up being not for me. The writing is good, but the plot could use some work. I don't read a lot of contemporaries, but I felt drawn to this one and really enjoyed it for a while, but then it just got too depressing to read. I'm sure plenty of people would love it, but it was just NOT for me.
Want to read
March 8, 2019If you think I want to read this because the author has the same name as me, and it comes out 6 days before my 26th birthday... you would be right.
January 23, 2020
"I’ve never been bullied. Not really. But it turns out no one has to shove you into a locker to make you want to die. All they have to do is aggressively not care about you."
I was really excited to read this book. The synopsis kind of reminded me of Mean Girls and Bring It On and I was so ready. But you really can’t enjoy a book when you absolutely despise the main character who made a lot of selfish decisions.
Hmm.. where do we start? Jenna Watson is an asshole of a person and that annoyed me the most. She was a self-centered whiny child and I didn’t feel sorry for her one bit. She brought all of these things upon herself but always wanted to be the center of attention. Umm you do ridiculous mean things and people will hate you. That’s how it works. People just aren’t going to forget how awful you really are.
The story wasn’t that interesting and I felt as if this was more boring that anything. There were a few things that I liked but I couldn’t get into it fully because a lot of the characters felt fake.
The best thing about this was Jack and his friends. They were themselves and didn’t care what anyone thought. That’s the kind of people we all need in our lives. But even they couldn’t save this disaster of a novel.
Squad has a great cover that is really appealing but it’s not worth the time. There has to be better cheerleading/ mean girls books that exist out there.
I was really excited to read this book. The synopsis kind of reminded me of Mean Girls and Bring It On and I was so ready. But you really can’t enjoy a book when you absolutely despise the main character who made a lot of selfish decisions.
Hmm.. where do we start? Jenna Watson is an asshole of a person and that annoyed me the most. She was a self-centered whiny child and I didn’t feel sorry for her one bit. She brought all of these things upon herself but always wanted to be the center of attention. Umm you do ridiculous mean things and people will hate you. That’s how it works. People just aren’t going to forget how awful you really are.
The story wasn’t that interesting and I felt as if this was more boring that anything. There were a few things that I liked but I couldn’t get into it fully because a lot of the characters felt fake.
The best thing about this was Jack and his friends. They were themselves and didn’t care what anyone thought. That’s the kind of people we all need in our lives. But even they couldn’t save this disaster of a novel.
Squad has a great cover that is really appealing but it’s not worth the time. There has to be better cheerleading/ mean girls books that exist out there.
March 20, 2019
I feel like you could easily read either too much or too little into this but I’m taking this at surface value and just want to say that you need to have been a teenage girl to be here for it
I’m sure we’ve all had bouts of vindictiveness and I feel like this story nailed that experience of passive aggressive exclusion without much more melodramatics
the plot and tone abruptly shifted at the “larping and romance” point and again at the end for the quick wrap up umm it was strange
again strange but not completely unpleasant? I want to really like this, it’s defiantly memorable to me .. but idk
the description of “darkly comic” was what drew me in and I’d say this was neither of those nor was it anything like mean girls, heathers or bring it on .. at all .. and since it’s marketed that way that’s a huge miss
2/5
I’m sure we’ve all had bouts of vindictiveness and I feel like this story nailed that experience of passive aggressive exclusion without much more melodramatics
the plot and tone abruptly shifted at the “larping and romance” point and again at the end for the quick wrap up umm it was strange
again strange but not completely unpleasant? I want to really like this, it’s defiantly memorable to me .. but idk
the description of “darkly comic” was what drew me in and I’d say this was neither of those nor was it anything like mean girls, heathers or bring it on .. at all .. and since it’s marketed that way that’s a huge miss
2/5
July 30, 2020
4 Stars for Squad (audiobook) by Mariah MacCarthy read by the author. This was a fun story of teenage angst. I was a little surprised that the transgender character didn’t have a bigger role. The author did a good job of narrating.
May 19, 2019
I need more! This ended so soon and I want more PLEASE! In Squad, we follow Jenna Watson, a cheerleader who lately can't do anything right. Her best friend, Raejean, has been avoiding her to hang out with Meghan Finnegan. Jenna also feels apart from the rest of the squad, could the small insults be real or is everything in her head. After revenge gone wrong, Jenna decides to quit the cheer team and reinvent herself through LARPing with her brother.
I liked Jenna's character for the most part, but damn was this girl self-absorbed! She really had issues with empathy and putting others first. There were faults with other people, but Jenna would never blame herself. She was also really bad at reaching out and trying to work through the issues she had with people. She did start to get over this by the end of the book, but it was a little too late for some of her relationships.
I loved Jenna's discovery of LARPing and how much fun she had with it. I loved seeing her build new relationships with her brother, his friends and Heather from the cheer squad. The relationship between Jenna and James was soooo adorable and Jenna is totally pan!
Overall, such a fun story about self-discovery, friendship, love and cheerleading!
I liked Jenna's character for the most part, but damn was this girl self-absorbed! She really had issues with empathy and putting others first. There were faults with other people, but Jenna would never blame herself. She was also really bad at reaching out and trying to work through the issues she had with people. She did start to get over this by the end of the book, but it was a little too late for some of her relationships.
I loved Jenna's discovery of LARPing and how much fun she had with it. I loved seeing her build new relationships with her brother, his friends and Heather from the cheer squad. The relationship between Jenna and James was soooo adorable and Jenna is totally pan!
Overall, such a fun story about self-discovery, friendship, love and cheerleading!
March 15, 2019
I don't know what I was expecting when I requested this book; I think I thought this would be a darker book, but instead we got your classic coming-to-age story. I'm happy I read it, but it's not something I would have picked up on my own. The story followed Jenna who was quickly dropped by her cheerleading group and best friend and had to find herself again. There was a trans romance which I enjoyed, but it was also a by-the-numbers story. Jenna was a "popular" girl so she found herself in a hobby that could be categorized as the opposite of popular/trending (LARPing). It's a quick read because it's dialogue heavy. If coming-of-age stories are your jam, I recommend it. Note there is some usage of a trans character's deadname.
June 30, 2019
Hello Again!
Recently I finished reading two books! This is the second of those two books with the first being With the Fire on High (my review for that should already be posted). I was lucky enough to receive a copy of Squad as an ebook ARC through Netgalley a while back and honestly, I had not gotten to it due to illness but I am catching up on my Netgalley and I am so happy to be doing so!
SPOILERS AHEAD
Jenna is a cheerleader in her junior year of high school. Her friends are the other cheerleaders and more specifically her best friend Raejean is a cheerleader too! The girls are inseparable until things get weird between them and Jenna starts to feel disconnected not just from Raejean but from the whole team. It seems like no one cares if she is at the parties or hanging out or in on the group texts. Then her best friend starts hanging out more with another cheer girl than with her and Jenna wants mean girl style revenge on her. Jenna feels hurt, betrayed, and confused as to why Raejean has dropped her so fast, she has tried texting and offering her rides but nothing is working. So once Jenna gets her revenge (I am not saying what it is but she does get her revenge on Raejean or what she calls revenge) she feels like she can no longer be on the squad, she feels more like an outsider than ever. No one has officially kicked her off the team but things no longer feel right or good. So once she is off the team she has nothing to do, she spends most of her time staring at her ceiling that is until her brother Jack (who is older by a year) invites her to hang out with his friends and Jenna is introduced to the world of LARPing. Which holds many surprises for Jenna!
Being honest I enjoyed this story, it was a quick read, it had a strong plot and characters and I would definitely read it again. The only thing that for me was a little not okay was when Jenna started wanting revenge on Raejean (I understood she was hurt but just unfriend the girl). What she did in the book and some of the things she said in the book are crazy dark and a little too far. Other than this plot point, I enjoyed the book overall and I am giving it 3.5 stars on Goodreads!
Recently I finished reading two books! This is the second of those two books with the first being With the Fire on High (my review for that should already be posted). I was lucky enough to receive a copy of Squad as an ebook ARC through Netgalley a while back and honestly, I had not gotten to it due to illness but I am catching up on my Netgalley and I am so happy to be doing so!
SPOILERS AHEAD
Jenna is a cheerleader in her junior year of high school. Her friends are the other cheerleaders and more specifically her best friend Raejean is a cheerleader too! The girls are inseparable until things get weird between them and Jenna starts to feel disconnected not just from Raejean but from the whole team. It seems like no one cares if she is at the parties or hanging out or in on the group texts. Then her best friend starts hanging out more with another cheer girl than with her and Jenna wants mean girl style revenge on her. Jenna feels hurt, betrayed, and confused as to why Raejean has dropped her so fast, she has tried texting and offering her rides but nothing is working. So once Jenna gets her revenge (I am not saying what it is but she does get her revenge on Raejean or what she calls revenge) she feels like she can no longer be on the squad, she feels more like an outsider than ever. No one has officially kicked her off the team but things no longer feel right or good. So once she is off the team she has nothing to do, she spends most of her time staring at her ceiling that is until her brother Jack (who is older by a year) invites her to hang out with his friends and Jenna is introduced to the world of LARPing. Which holds many surprises for Jenna!
Being honest I enjoyed this story, it was a quick read, it had a strong plot and characters and I would definitely read it again. The only thing that for me was a little not okay was when Jenna started wanting revenge on Raejean (I understood she was hurt but just unfriend the girl). What she did in the book and some of the things she said in the book are crazy dark and a little too far. Other than this plot point, I enjoyed the book overall and I am giving it 3.5 stars on Goodreads!
January 5, 2020
Initial Impressions 7/9/19 & review posted on The Book Addict's Guide 7/22/19: SQUAD was a very quick and interesting read! There was a lot to appreciate here from diverse characters, sibling friendships, transitioning friend groups, and even a bit of geek appreciation. What I didn't love was that it kind of lacked direction in terms of tone and seemed to wander around a bit, and the plot followed suit in some places.
Overall, SQUAD is about Jenna and how her life completely changes when her friends start alienating her, consequently affecting her best friendship and even further so, affecting her position on the cheerleading squad. I appreciated the difficulties that Jenna went through with her best friend and how quickly friendships can change in high school (and college and adulthood). I've been in a situation where a "former friend" has dropped nearly all forms of communication for what seems to be no reason so I could see how it could drive you to be a little obsessed with the confusion of it all. I also liked how Jenna finally started to really think about what she wanted (after going through the stages of grief, essentially) and how she treated other people as well. She wasn't a total victim and she wasn't totally innocent either.
What really threw me off was that I had no idea what this book was even supposed to be when I started it. The back cover contained some of the text from the beginning and it was a little misleading to start with a sentence like "I just woke up one morning and forgot how to do everything." With all the possibilities of YA books out there, it was entirely possible that Jenna literally woke up and forgot how to do everything and this was maybe a sci-fi/paranormal kind of book. I couldn't tell if it was supposed to be something like that or if it was supposed to be just a contemporary novel. Then there was the Goodreads synopsis which called it a "darkly comic debut novel", comparing to Mean Girls and Heathers with a splash of Bring it On. I didn't really feel like it was comic at all. It was nearly entirely serious and I'm not sure how this was supposed to be a funny book. It certainly had its darker moments as Jenna loses her friends, falls into a depression, and explores who she is but I didn't feel like it was a fun, campy experience like the movies mentioned above. These two things really set me up for something totally different and the actual contents of the novel just weren't what I was expecting.
The writing style was also a bit hard for me as well. It worked out all right, being a shorter audiobook read (it was only 5+ hours long and I listen at 2x speed so with my pauses to do things here and there, I finished in about three hours) but if it was something longer, I don't know if I would have stuck with it. Especially in the audiobook version (which is narrated by the author, Mariah MacCarthy (awesome!)), it felt like one long stream of consciousness. There wasn't a lot of dialogue in the beginning but more did develop throughout. Maybe if I had been reading a print version, that would have felt a little different BUT since the author narrated the audiobook, I also take the tone as they read it since they're the person who wrote the book! That's something I love about "authorators". I always feel like we're skipping one interpretation from author to narrator to listener and I get a more "straight forward" experience! That being said, I would have loved to see just a bit more development in the writing so it felt a little less like a stream of consciousness.
While I enjoyed the overall plot of the book, it seemed to just sort of dart off into different places. There were natural transitions but for some reason it didn't really seem to flow. I did like the change from cheer squad to geek squad as Jenna starts to hang out with her brother and his friends and actually goes LARPing with them. It reminded me a lot of a favorite, THE SUMMER I BECAME A NERD by Leah Rae Miller.
There was a lot of good things within the pages of SQUAD but I still had some issues that kept me from falling into the story. It was a quick read for me but I think stylistically, I just didn't click with it as much as I had hoped and confusing marketing was a little bit of an issue for me.
Overall, SQUAD is about Jenna and how her life completely changes when her friends start alienating her, consequently affecting her best friendship and even further so, affecting her position on the cheerleading squad. I appreciated the difficulties that Jenna went through with her best friend and how quickly friendships can change in high school (and college and adulthood). I've been in a situation where a "former friend" has dropped nearly all forms of communication for what seems to be no reason so I could see how it could drive you to be a little obsessed with the confusion of it all. I also liked how Jenna finally started to really think about what she wanted (after going through the stages of grief, essentially) and how she treated other people as well. She wasn't a total victim and she wasn't totally innocent either.
What really threw me off was that I had no idea what this book was even supposed to be when I started it. The back cover contained some of the text from the beginning and it was a little misleading to start with a sentence like "I just woke up one morning and forgot how to do everything." With all the possibilities of YA books out there, it was entirely possible that Jenna literally woke up and forgot how to do everything and this was maybe a sci-fi/paranormal kind of book. I couldn't tell if it was supposed to be something like that or if it was supposed to be just a contemporary novel. Then there was the Goodreads synopsis which called it a "darkly comic debut novel", comparing to Mean Girls and Heathers with a splash of Bring it On. I didn't really feel like it was comic at all. It was nearly entirely serious and I'm not sure how this was supposed to be a funny book. It certainly had its darker moments as Jenna loses her friends, falls into a depression, and explores who she is but I didn't feel like it was a fun, campy experience like the movies mentioned above. These two things really set me up for something totally different and the actual contents of the novel just weren't what I was expecting.
The writing style was also a bit hard for me as well. It worked out all right, being a shorter audiobook read (it was only 5+ hours long and I listen at 2x speed so with my pauses to do things here and there, I finished in about three hours) but if it was something longer, I don't know if I would have stuck with it. Especially in the audiobook version (which is narrated by the author, Mariah MacCarthy (awesome!)), it felt like one long stream of consciousness. There wasn't a lot of dialogue in the beginning but more did develop throughout. Maybe if I had been reading a print version, that would have felt a little different BUT since the author narrated the audiobook, I also take the tone as they read it since they're the person who wrote the book! That's something I love about "authorators". I always feel like we're skipping one interpretation from author to narrator to listener and I get a more "straight forward" experience! That being said, I would have loved to see just a bit more development in the writing so it felt a little less like a stream of consciousness.
While I enjoyed the overall plot of the book, it seemed to just sort of dart off into different places. There were natural transitions but for some reason it didn't really seem to flow. I did like the change from cheer squad to geek squad as Jenna starts to hang out with her brother and his friends and actually goes LARPing with them. It reminded me a lot of a favorite, THE SUMMER I BECAME A NERD by Leah Rae Miller.
There was a lot of good things within the pages of SQUAD but I still had some issues that kept me from falling into the story. It was a quick read for me but I think stylistically, I just didn't click with it as much as I had hoped and confusing marketing was a little bit of an issue for me.
May 3, 2019
I was really excited about Squad when I first heard about it because it was pitched as a mix of Mean Girls and Bring it On (which are both movies that I really enjoy)! When I picked the book up and started reading, however, I found that the tone of the main character, Jenna, and the atmosphere as a whole was considerably darker than in Bring it On and Mean Girls.
The three stories definitely share the common themes of cheerleading and girls bullying each other, but that is where I found that the similarities of Squad to Mean Girls and Bring it On ended (at least for me personally). I was quite happy that LGBT elements were added to the story, and also that the main character got involved in LARPING (live-action role-playing) since we always need more of the former and I’ve never seen the latter used in any literature that I’ve read before.
I feel like those elements kind of carried the story for me, though, in that I was reading mainly for those elements, rather than the story as a whole. I think that there was definitely some potential when considering all of the pieces of Squad separately, but I personally find that they may just not have been fit together quite in the way that I may have preferred (when considering my personal tastes). I’m sure that there are many readers out there who have enjoyed, and will enjoy, this book though, so please don’t be discouraged from reading Squad simply due to my personal opinion.
The three stories definitely share the common themes of cheerleading and girls bullying each other, but that is where I found that the similarities of Squad to Mean Girls and Bring it On ended (at least for me personally). I was quite happy that LGBT elements were added to the story, and also that the main character got involved in LARPING (live-action role-playing) since we always need more of the former and I’ve never seen the latter used in any literature that I’ve read before.
I feel like those elements kind of carried the story for me, though, in that I was reading mainly for those elements, rather than the story as a whole. I think that there was definitely some potential when considering all of the pieces of Squad separately, but I personally find that they may just not have been fit together quite in the way that I may have preferred (when considering my personal tastes). I’m sure that there are many readers out there who have enjoyed, and will enjoy, this book though, so please don’t be discouraged from reading Squad simply due to my personal opinion.
April 2, 2019
I sat down to read something fun and light and stumbled upon a book that felt like it was written for me. I felt so completely transported back to my time on a team not unlike Jenna’s: the intensity, the fierce loyalty, the complicated friendships wrapped up in competition and sisterhood. Mariah absolutely nailed it. Authentic and full of feeling and a truly lovely romantic arc that is brimming with enthusiastic consent and so much goodness, highlighting complications within queer relationships in a way that is informative without ever sacrificing authenticity. Jenna and James felt so real to me. I quietly cried through more of this book than was probably necessary. I couldn’t stop reading it and literally hugged it when I finished. What a damn delight.
March 6, 2019
Rating: 3.5 Stars
When I first saw the cover of this book, I thought this was going to be a story about cheerleading, but it's really a tale of one girl's struggle, when she loses her "squad".
Jenna couldn't figure out when or why it all began, but her teammates were icing her out. Between the in-jokes, the backhanded compliments, and the unanswered text messages, Jenna knew she was now on the outside looking in. All of this was very painful for Jenna, but the worst part was how her long-time best friend, Raejean, abandoned her.
I won't lie, Jenna's reaction to all of these changes was FAR from positive. She made a bunch of really questionable decisions, but I was still able to empathize with her, because I had experienced this sort of thing first hand. It hurts, it starts to make you question yourself, and I thought MacCarthy did an excellent job capturing the fear, anxiety, desperation, and insecurities Jenna experienced.
I was a little worried about this story, because the first half of the book was kind of dark and bleak, but then Jenna sort of comes to terms with her situation. In an effort to atone for her bad behavior, she cuts herself off from the cheer squad, and that was when she really started to figure out who she was. She began to expand her circle of friends and renewed her relationships with her brother and mother. She made new friends and even picked up some new interests (LARPing!). It was great to see her grow, heal, acknowledge her mistakes, and make an effort to achieve some closure.
Overall: An interesting look at fading friendships, getting through tough times, and finding yourself.
*ARC provided in exchange for an honest review.
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When I first saw the cover of this book, I thought this was going to be a story about cheerleading, but it's really a tale of one girl's struggle, when she loses her "squad".
Jenna couldn't figure out when or why it all began, but her teammates were icing her out. Between the in-jokes, the backhanded compliments, and the unanswered text messages, Jenna knew she was now on the outside looking in. All of this was very painful for Jenna, but the worst part was how her long-time best friend, Raejean, abandoned her.
I won't lie, Jenna's reaction to all of these changes was FAR from positive. She made a bunch of really questionable decisions, but I was still able to empathize with her, because I had experienced this sort of thing first hand. It hurts, it starts to make you question yourself, and I thought MacCarthy did an excellent job capturing the fear, anxiety, desperation, and insecurities Jenna experienced.
I was a little worried about this story, because the first half of the book was kind of dark and bleak, but then Jenna sort of comes to terms with her situation. In an effort to atone for her bad behavior, she cuts herself off from the cheer squad, and that was when she really started to figure out who she was. She began to expand her circle of friends and renewed her relationships with her brother and mother. She made new friends and even picked up some new interests (LARPing!). It was great to see her grow, heal, acknowledge her mistakes, and make an effort to achieve some closure.
Overall: An interesting look at fading friendships, getting through tough times, and finding yourself.
*ARC provided in exchange for an honest review.
BLOG | INSTAGRAM |TWITTER | BLOGLOVIN | FRIEND ME ON GOODREADS
May 31, 2021
Want to see more bookish things from me? Check out my Youtube channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCfer...
*I received a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for my honest review*
Jenna Watson is a Junior in high school and a cheerleader. Her squad has always been close, always watching out for one another. Until, they're not. When Jenna's best friend Raejean seems to turn against her, Jenna doesn't know how to react. She feels excluded and left out. When Raejean begins hanging out with another squad member, Jenna is out for revenge.
This was an extremely fast read, I read it in one sitting, but I wasn't all that impressed with it... I didn't particularly care for any of the characters. Jenna was... a lot... I couldn't connect with her at all. I do think that she was treated unfairly, and I do understand why she's upset and I think its justified... but I was not a fan. I liked when the story went away from the seeking revenge and focused more on Jenna finding herself, but then it went back to Jenna just being obsessive... and at that point, I was just over it.
*I received a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for my honest review*
Jenna Watson is a Junior in high school and a cheerleader. Her squad has always been close, always watching out for one another. Until, they're not. When Jenna's best friend Raejean seems to turn against her, Jenna doesn't know how to react. She feels excluded and left out. When Raejean begins hanging out with another squad member, Jenna is out for revenge.
This was an extremely fast read, I read it in one sitting, but I wasn't all that impressed with it... I didn't particularly care for any of the characters. Jenna was... a lot... I couldn't connect with her at all. I do think that she was treated unfairly, and I do understand why she's upset and I think its justified... but I was not a fan. I liked when the story went away from the seeking revenge and focused more on Jenna finding herself, but then it went back to Jenna just being obsessive... and at that point, I was just over it.
April 27, 2023
Stepping back into the mind of a troubled teenager is such a time
Also just remembered how much I laughed when the main character was like “idk I might be queer maybe but I’m not sure” MAAM?? You told your bff you want to be inside her😭 even if you meant just her mind.. that’s so sapphic
Also just remembered how much I laughed when the main character was like “idk I might be queer maybe but I’m not sure” MAAM?? You told your bff you want to be inside her😭 even if you meant just her mind.. that’s so sapphic
December 4, 2018
This was just alright for me. The book felt overly weighed down with cliches and stereotypes despite trying so desperately to be fresh.
A brief summary: Jenna is a cheerleader, but she wants you to know she isn't a stereotypical cheerleader. The story follows her as she has a mini-breakdown after the fallout with her former best friend, Raejean. Jenna has an identity crisis and doesn't even seem to know who she is anymore, but after initially losing herself and her best friend, she begins to find a new version of herself.
Things I Liked (usually I would write loved, but I’m not sure I felt that strongly):
- Gemma/James -- I was intrigued by Gemma/James’ character being transgender. It didn’t feel over the top, and the arc here seemed to relate more to the relationship James has with Jenna, rather than him being transgendered. It was nice to see that character in the novel; however, it felt tossed in there and underdeveloped. I almost the book had deleted all of the Raejean nonsense at the beginning and just made itself about Jenna and James. That seemed to be the closest the book got to being authentic.
Things I Didn't Like:
- The sex/drugs content -- While I'm not typically one to censor a novel, I felt like the references to drugs and sex were a bit over the top and unnecessary. It could be because I actually coach cheer, but I would be furious if my athletes participated in this behavior as often as it is portrayed in the book. ESPECIALLY for a team that consistently places well and takes itself so seriously. Obviously, I don't want to think of myself as a naive adult, but I think it's unrealistic that their coach couldn't notice all these behaviors within them and that they wouldn't negatively take a toll on their athletic abilities. Also, while I typically don't have huge problems with sexual content, the sexual content in this book appeared right away, and it felt like it was simply for shock value. The main character describes a lot of "sexual fantasies" with a little too much detail... It's one thing when sexual content is later in the book after it's been built up and developed, but it's another when it's thrown in in the very beginning just to prove the main character isn't a stereotype. It just felt forced.
- Speaking of stereotypes... For a book that tried to break the mold of stereotypes, it felt like there were a lot -- Jenna's brother is a "goth" who is into LARP-ing. That's pretty much all the development he got. Jenna "isn't a ditz" but then I didn't see much more to her character other than her mental breakdown. The cheerleaders are supposed to be serious athletes, but they all just come off like the popular crowd from any teen movie ever.
- Lack of development - Jenna goes to great lengths to explain her past with Raejean, but then she never really explains why all the sudden she switched into this mental breakdown. It would be one thing if Jenna spent most of the book trying to figure out why she can't even pinpoint what made her come apart, but it seems like the author (and Jenna) don't even care that she's suddenly losing it. It just felt awkward, and the only thing I knew about their friendship was that they shared sexual fantasies over some guy, so I wasn’t really that invested when Jenna decided she suddenly hated her.
- This book seems all over the place -- I wasn’t sure if it was trying to prove to me that cheer is more than we think, if it was a novel about female friendship, if it was a novel about sexuality and fluid relationships, if it was a novel about a mental health breakdown, or if it was a novel about discovering oneself. It just felt really disjointed, and none of the plotlines really came together. The closest thing I felt to a really developed idea was that Jenna “finds herself” while LARP-ing. The author could’ve done something great with Jenna and James, but it was over after one date.
Overall: I'm not likely to recommend this one. It was trying too hard, and I don't think many of its points ever really landed and felt fresh. It felt underdeveloped and inauthentic.
I received a complimentary copy of this book from MacMillan Children's Publishing through NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own. The book will be published on March 12, 2019.
A brief summary: Jenna is a cheerleader, but she wants you to know she isn't a stereotypical cheerleader. The story follows her as she has a mini-breakdown after the fallout with her former best friend, Raejean. Jenna has an identity crisis and doesn't even seem to know who she is anymore, but after initially losing herself and her best friend, she begins to find a new version of herself.
Things I Liked (usually I would write loved, but I’m not sure I felt that strongly):
- Gemma/James -- I was intrigued by Gemma/James’ character being transgender. It didn’t feel over the top, and the arc here seemed to relate more to the relationship James has with Jenna, rather than him being transgendered. It was nice to see that character in the novel; however, it felt tossed in there and underdeveloped. I almost the book had deleted all of the Raejean nonsense at the beginning and just made itself about Jenna and James. That seemed to be the closest the book got to being authentic.
Things I Didn't Like:
- The sex/drugs content -- While I'm not typically one to censor a novel, I felt like the references to drugs and sex were a bit over the top and unnecessary. It could be because I actually coach cheer, but I would be furious if my athletes participated in this behavior as often as it is portrayed in the book. ESPECIALLY for a team that consistently places well and takes itself so seriously. Obviously, I don't want to think of myself as a naive adult, but I think it's unrealistic that their coach couldn't notice all these behaviors within them and that they wouldn't negatively take a toll on their athletic abilities. Also, while I typically don't have huge problems with sexual content, the sexual content in this book appeared right away, and it felt like it was simply for shock value. The main character describes a lot of "sexual fantasies" with a little too much detail... It's one thing when sexual content is later in the book after it's been built up and developed, but it's another when it's thrown in in the very beginning just to prove the main character isn't a stereotype. It just felt forced.
- Speaking of stereotypes... For a book that tried to break the mold of stereotypes, it felt like there were a lot -- Jenna's brother is a "goth" who is into LARP-ing. That's pretty much all the development he got. Jenna "isn't a ditz" but then I didn't see much more to her character other than her mental breakdown. The cheerleaders are supposed to be serious athletes, but they all just come off like the popular crowd from any teen movie ever.
- Lack of development - Jenna goes to great lengths to explain her past with Raejean, but then she never really explains why all the sudden she switched into this mental breakdown. It would be one thing if Jenna spent most of the book trying to figure out why she can't even pinpoint what made her come apart, but it seems like the author (and Jenna) don't even care that she's suddenly losing it. It just felt awkward, and the only thing I knew about their friendship was that they shared sexual fantasies over some guy, so I wasn’t really that invested when Jenna decided she suddenly hated her.
- This book seems all over the place -- I wasn’t sure if it was trying to prove to me that cheer is more than we think, if it was a novel about female friendship, if it was a novel about sexuality and fluid relationships, if it was a novel about a mental health breakdown, or if it was a novel about discovering oneself. It just felt really disjointed, and none of the plotlines really came together. The closest thing I felt to a really developed idea was that Jenna “finds herself” while LARP-ing. The author could’ve done something great with Jenna and James, but it was over after one date.
Overall: I'm not likely to recommend this one. It was trying too hard, and I don't think many of its points ever really landed and felt fresh. It felt underdeveloped and inauthentic.
I received a complimentary copy of this book from MacMillan Children's Publishing through NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own. The book will be published on March 12, 2019.
March 21, 2019
This review and many others can also be found at Musings of a (Book) Girl.
The tone of Squad is one of the most authentic I’ve ever read. Everything, from the characters themselves to the way they talked, the situations they were in and the way they reacted to them, was all so genuine and real. Mariah MacCarthy did such an incredible job bringing us into Jenna’s head and helping us understand not just what she was feeling, but why, which is such an important factor that oftentimes gets missed.
One of my absolute favorite things about this novel was how Jenna wasn’t always a good person, and it’s not because she’s inherently bad, but instead, because she’s a flawed human being that doesn’t react to situations in the best way every single time. It doesn’t matter how nice somebody is at the core, teenagers are angsty and those feelings are going to come out. Jenna doesn’t always treat her family well and she lets her emotions control how she responds to things instead of logic and reason. Each time something like this happens though Jenna learns from it and we’re really able to see her develop. Not only are relationships mended by her realizing the mistakes that were made, but she also discovers a lot of self-worth.
A big theme in Squad is friendship and not just the positive aspects, but what the fallout is like when something goes wrong. As much as we may want every friendship to last forever, the reality is that very few do, and sometimes when it ends it’s incredibly painful. Understanding what went wrong and learning that a lot of times it’s for the best are hard lessons to learn but so important, but learning how to give people second chances is equally important. The way this novel showed both aspects was so relatable and done perfectly.
It would honestly be a disservice to not talk about the representation that is shown in Squad. Jenna seems to be questioning her sexuality throughout the book and that was so refreshing to see. Most of the characters I read about seem to have it all figured out, but there are a lot of teens out there that just don’t know yet whom they are attracted to, and that’s okay! We also see queer rep in one of the supporting characters, James, who is a transgender boy. This was a new situation for Jenna, and she didn’t get everything right all the time, but the way she made conscious efforts to be respectful and accepting was wonderful. There is also so much consent, especially between Jenna and James, and I’ve never seen anything like it. We really need to start seeing more authors follow MacCarthy when it comes to this subject.
Squad is definitely one that I recommend picking up. It focuses on some important themes and contains lessons we could all use refreshers on. I really hope Mariah MacCarthy keeps writing because I’m wildly excited to see what they might have in store for us next.
The tone of Squad is one of the most authentic I’ve ever read. Everything, from the characters themselves to the way they talked, the situations they were in and the way they reacted to them, was all so genuine and real. Mariah MacCarthy did such an incredible job bringing us into Jenna’s head and helping us understand not just what she was feeling, but why, which is such an important factor that oftentimes gets missed.
One of my absolute favorite things about this novel was how Jenna wasn’t always a good person, and it’s not because she’s inherently bad, but instead, because she’s a flawed human being that doesn’t react to situations in the best way every single time. It doesn’t matter how nice somebody is at the core, teenagers are angsty and those feelings are going to come out. Jenna doesn’t always treat her family well and she lets her emotions control how she responds to things instead of logic and reason. Each time something like this happens though Jenna learns from it and we’re really able to see her develop. Not only are relationships mended by her realizing the mistakes that were made, but she also discovers a lot of self-worth.
A big theme in Squad is friendship and not just the positive aspects, but what the fallout is like when something goes wrong. As much as we may want every friendship to last forever, the reality is that very few do, and sometimes when it ends it’s incredibly painful. Understanding what went wrong and learning that a lot of times it’s for the best are hard lessons to learn but so important, but learning how to give people second chances is equally important. The way this novel showed both aspects was so relatable and done perfectly.
It would honestly be a disservice to not talk about the representation that is shown in Squad. Jenna seems to be questioning her sexuality throughout the book and that was so refreshing to see. Most of the characters I read about seem to have it all figured out, but there are a lot of teens out there that just don’t know yet whom they are attracted to, and that’s okay! We also see queer rep in one of the supporting characters, James, who is a transgender boy. This was a new situation for Jenna, and she didn’t get everything right all the time, but the way she made conscious efforts to be respectful and accepting was wonderful. There is also so much consent, especially between Jenna and James, and I’ve never seen anything like it. We really need to start seeing more authors follow MacCarthy when it comes to this subject.
Squad is definitely one that I recommend picking up. It focuses on some important themes and contains lessons we could all use refreshers on. I really hope Mariah MacCarthy keeps writing because I’m wildly excited to see what they might have in store for us next.
May 10, 2019
Wow. This book was so much more than I was expecting.
April 7, 2020
At first, I wasn't sure I was going to like this book but it grew on me. I read a lot of it in one sitting since it was a quick read. At one point I realized I was sort of uncomfortable while reading it and then when I thought about why it was because the author really made you remember those times in junior high/high school when you were uncomfortable in a situation/yourself because you were still figuring out the world. It was a really interesting time and feeling to be transported back to, something I didn't really remember until reading this.
I would love to read another story about these characters, I want to see what they do, where they go, how they grow.
I would love to read another story about these characters, I want to see what they do, where they go, how they grow.
March 20, 2019
Charming book about a teen girl that goes from self-absorbed to scrappy.
December 31, 2018
I’m not usually one for stories about cheerleaders, but MacCarthy’s debut was engaging, authentic, and tender. I finished it in three days and could hardly put it down.
Jenna, a very human cheerleader, starts to feel a growing distance between her and her best friend Raejean. She tries desperately to double down on being besties, only to have it backfire and make things worse and worse. This sense of the friendship being a Sisyphusian boulder of hopelessness grows until Jenna snaps and decides to cut ties. In an idiotically obvious and malicious way.
What follows is a Jenna’s desertion of her cheerleading life, a self-imposed exile stemming from her shame in how terribly she reacted to suddenly finding out she was not on the same page as her now-ex-best friend. She makes friends with her brother’s goth friends and, in the process of figuring out what she wants her LARP character to be, she starts figuring out who she wants to be herself. She begins dating the transgendered Gemma/James, which is handled respectfully and beautifully and contributes to, but doesn’t distract from, Jenna’s own personal journey of growth.
Jenna comes to realize her squad is whoever she wants it to be. She may not have as much in common with her cheer crew as she thought, but she still wants them in her life. She makes amends as best she can and owns up to the horrible and childish things she did. There is catharsis and a definite feeling of Jenna having changed for the better. But there is also a sense that things aren’t really over because there is so much of life still to come.
Being a teenager is confusing and chaotic. I often shy away from YA novels specifically because this chaos is not represented and hence doesn’t feel authentic to the teenage experience. But in MacCarthy’s “Squad,” the intersectionality of trying to figure yourself out amidst conflicting pressures, desires, and duties is front and center. And I loved it.
Jenna, a very human cheerleader, starts to feel a growing distance between her and her best friend Raejean. She tries desperately to double down on being besties, only to have it backfire and make things worse and worse. This sense of the friendship being a Sisyphusian boulder of hopelessness grows until Jenna snaps and decides to cut ties. In an idiotically obvious and malicious way.
What follows is a Jenna’s desertion of her cheerleading life, a self-imposed exile stemming from her shame in how terribly she reacted to suddenly finding out she was not on the same page as her now-ex-best friend. She makes friends with her brother’s goth friends and, in the process of figuring out what she wants her LARP character to be, she starts figuring out who she wants to be herself. She begins dating the transgendered Gemma/James, which is handled respectfully and beautifully and contributes to, but doesn’t distract from, Jenna’s own personal journey of growth.
Jenna comes to realize her squad is whoever she wants it to be. She may not have as much in common with her cheer crew as she thought, but she still wants them in her life. She makes amends as best she can and owns up to the horrible and childish things she did. There is catharsis and a definite feeling of Jenna having changed for the better. But there is also a sense that things aren’t really over because there is so much of life still to come.
Being a teenager is confusing and chaotic. I often shy away from YA novels specifically because this chaos is not represented and hence doesn’t feel authentic to the teenage experience. But in MacCarthy’s “Squad,” the intersectionality of trying to figure yourself out amidst conflicting pressures, desires, and duties is front and center. And I loved it.
January 7, 2019
I thoroughly enjoyed reading Squad. I think what I enjoyed most about it was McCarthy's ability to create really awesome characters and a plot that made me feel for Jenna, her plight, and how sometimes friends drift apart and the jealousy and lack of understanding we feel when this happens. McCarthy also tackles the anxiety of "Having to find a new friend group," and participating in new experiences (Vampire LARPing) really well.
I also just straight up loved James, and how, yeah Jenna is coming to terms with herself and it has some of the "This character is learning" moments but that /isn't/ what Squad, or James, is all about. It exists because it's a real issue that Jenna hasn't had to deal with before, and because James is still working himself out (They're High Schoolers, the point isn't to tell the full story or have all the answers, it's to show satisfying growth of character) and you can tell McCarthy took time to figure out how to balance all the characters but reading James I identified with him and really loved getting to know him in the book.
(Full disclosure McCarthy hired me in to read drafts of Squad in it's development... And I'm REALLY glad they did, I really love it.)
I also just straight up loved James, and how, yeah Jenna is coming to terms with herself and it has some of the "This character is learning" moments but that /isn't/ what Squad, or James, is all about. It exists because it's a real issue that Jenna hasn't had to deal with before, and because James is still working himself out (They're High Schoolers, the point isn't to tell the full story or have all the answers, it's to show satisfying growth of character) and you can tell McCarthy took time to figure out how to balance all the characters but reading James I identified with him and really loved getting to know him in the book.
(Full disclosure McCarthy hired me in to read drafts of Squad in it's development... And I'm REALLY glad they did, I really love it.)
November 13, 2022
I've never been bullied. Not really. But it turns out, no one has to shove you into a locker to make you want to die. All they have to do is aggressively not care about you.Jenna Watson had the perfect life. She was a high school cheerleader and best friends with Raejean Winters. One day, Raejean became close friends with another girl named Meghan and stopped talking to Jenna altogether. While it was not explicitly stated in the book, Jenna's friendship with Raejean had a clear homoerotic subtext. For instance, Jenna also stated that she wanted to crawl inside of Raejean.
Ever had a friend that you wanted to crawl inside of just to hear the noise in their head, feel the movement of their body, the shape of their skin? For as long as I can remember, I have wanted to crawl inside Raejean Winters.
After Jenna lost her best friend, the rest of her friends on the cheerleading squad also distanced themselves from her. Jenna had a Heathers-esque reaction to the isolation. I wished the book had a better message about mental health. The plot centered around Jenna's mental health, like many of the other plot points in the book, was not neatly resolved at the end. What will happen the next time Jenna loses someone she loves?
The first half of the book seemed disconnected from the second half of the book. After quitting the cheerleading squad, Jenna wanted to participate in a live action role-playing game (LARP) to make new friends. I did not know about LARP before, but enjoyed learning about it through reading this book. Even though I did not enjoy this book per se, I liked listening to the audiobook, particularly since Mariah McCarthy narrated their own book. Overall, I am giving this book 2 stars.
May 16, 2023
Squad attempted to be a sort of Heathers-type story, especially considering McCarthy is a playwright and thus experienced in scriptwriting, but it definitely did not translate well to novel format.
The biggest problem with the book is that the narration did a fun little flip and turned "show not tell" into "make literally every paragraph an info dump about information we really don't need." There were so many long statements and sections made up of the narrator just telling us things. I can barely remember the plot, because every time a character actually did something it was slipped between five sentences of description like a narrative needle in an exposition haystack.
The narrator's descent into "madness" or whatever it was supposed to be is, thus, totally out of left field. After going through some experiences fairly typical to high schoolers, our main character suddenly has suicidal thoughts and then decides she has to kill her former best friend. As you can probably tell, the reader got no indication of any kind of downward spiral at all. The narrator just tells us she's mad and goes from there.
The characters were completely uninteresting and rather two-dimensional. This is, again, most likely because we never get to learn about them from their actions. A character will say something and then we'll be given an entire page about their fashion and their school clique and their history with the main character, without actually learning anything about their personality or motives or anything for ourselves.
A lot of what this book is lacking could be solved by formatting and writing it like a novel and not an encyclopedia entry on the main character and the people she knows.
The biggest problem with the book is that the narration did a fun little flip and turned "show not tell" into "make literally every paragraph an info dump about information we really don't need." There were so many long statements and sections made up of the narrator just telling us things. I can barely remember the plot, because every time a character actually did something it was slipped between five sentences of description like a narrative needle in an exposition haystack.
The narrator's descent into "madness" or whatever it was supposed to be is, thus, totally out of left field. After going through some experiences fairly typical to high schoolers, our main character suddenly has suicidal thoughts and then decides she has to kill her former best friend. As you can probably tell, the reader got no indication of any kind of downward spiral at all. The narrator just tells us she's mad and goes from there.
The characters were completely uninteresting and rather two-dimensional. This is, again, most likely because we never get to learn about them from their actions. A character will say something and then we'll be given an entire page about their fashion and their school clique and their history with the main character, without actually learning anything about their personality or motives or anything for ourselves.
A lot of what this book is lacking could be solved by formatting and writing it like a novel and not an encyclopedia entry on the main character and the people she knows.
July 7, 2020
I really loved the inclusion of a trans man, and how Jack was a true ally to him. However, aside from that, everyone in this book was truly awful. The main character was practically groomed into a codependent relationship (friendship) with Raejean, who then dropped her out of the blue, no warnings, no explanations, she was just bored and found someone "better." And when the main character, someone who was again in a codependent relationship, starts falling into a depressive spiral and showing clear signs of it, everyone around her tells her something along the lines of it being karma or her fault et cetera. As another reviewer stated, have some compassion.
May 7, 2020
I cried like 6x's during this book. If you're looking for a YA book that actually has a teen voice then look no further. This is queer, honest, and full of the crippling doubt so many of us suffer from.
June 30, 2019
Come outta Shabbos like A KATRILLION THOUGHTS ON TWO DIFFERENT BOOKS WHOO
Ok so grabbed this book off a display at Farmington Library too, thought it would also be some stupid light fluff I’d have issues with and yes ok it’s YA light fiction involving a high schooler and drama but like
It was GOOD
like
Omigod I did not expect to LIKE it
Ok I will now note down some disjointed thoughts (basically my “updates”)
First off I’m out here feeling the emotions and drama, they was well written, character realistic, ok I just wish I had that level of flexibility XD
ok how my girl not know shit about trans people (well I guess if she hadn’t interacted with any before) but girl do you even internet? Even I know what camel toe is! AND YOU IN PUBLIC SCHOOL
Generic white boys tho XD AND PLEASE ILL TAKE ALL THE SUSHI GINGER
ok you want to crawl inside Raejean’s skin? Y’all weird as fuck are you ok is this relationship ok so normal people curl up with their friends and sleep together I never do that are you in love with her are you in an unhealthy relationship like that ominous new serial in Teen Pages that reads like they gay
Yea how this chick just cheerleading and getting A’s and I out here having panic attacks over the slightest assignment
No FAIR I want to play D&D and LARP but like first off seems super complicated and don’t know how to find out (or now I can I internet I guess) OR YOU NEED FRIENDS FOR THAT yes I have friends but like.... ok now maybe I know 2 people who would find it cool.... I guess that’s better than one?
Yo I love the name Andraleia
Isn’t Czarina a title?
Oof the writing she into sounds amazing
Also that hair cutting scene I FELT it ok I FELT that
BIG BLACK BELL SLEEVES! ALSO CORSETS! TIGHTE! GOTH!!!
“Twirling whoosh of black skirts and stiletto boots and woodsy-smelling perfume”
Love you getting all “what is actually the definition of sex” but like before we get TOO far out here like I don’t care if you gay or straight or a blOOD SUCKING VAMPIRE if you getting off on that sure but like sexual intercourse those things are not and let’s not just this fuzzy
AH THE NOT QUITE TEARS!!!
Heather’s routine sounds AMAZING!!!
Y’all James and Jenna are so cute :3
Yea you need Raejean closure girl you are a MESS
tho still seems it was kinda her fault
“I don’t actually care about AP Biology”
I. Hate. You. Jenna.
Jenna’s mom tho! (Also look at fictional characters not having everything materially!)
“You know Michigan’s freaking cold, right” Jenna says to her brother Jack
“You BET it is” I say, sweating away on the humid porch at like 11:30 at night
“You’re gonna freeze your balls off”
Me: *thinking back to that phrase in AGOT, just replaced with the word manhood* oh you WILL *considers getting a fan cause it is DAMN humid*
Ok even my room is boiling for some reason WHY IM INSIDE DAMN YOU
Anywayssssss off to the torture that is going through my twenty thousand updates of ADWD
Ok so in all seriousness, the characters and emotions were amazing, Jenna’s whole eating herself up inside and being depressed and outbursts and guilt and everything were so realistic and GOD I legit could not put this book down
Ok so grabbed this book off a display at Farmington Library too, thought it would also be some stupid light fluff I’d have issues with and yes ok it’s YA light fiction involving a high schooler and drama but like
It was GOOD
like
Omigod I did not expect to LIKE it
Ok I will now note down some disjointed thoughts (basically my “updates”)
First off I’m out here feeling the emotions and drama, they was well written, character realistic, ok I just wish I had that level of flexibility XD
ok how my girl not know shit about trans people (well I guess if she hadn’t interacted with any before) but girl do you even internet? Even I know what camel toe is! AND YOU IN PUBLIC SCHOOL
Generic white boys tho XD AND PLEASE ILL TAKE ALL THE SUSHI GINGER
ok you want to crawl inside Raejean’s skin? Y’all weird as fuck are you ok is this relationship ok so normal people curl up with their friends and sleep together I never do that are you in love with her are you in an unhealthy relationship like that ominous new serial in Teen Pages that reads like they gay
Yea how this chick just cheerleading and getting A’s and I out here having panic attacks over the slightest assignment
No FAIR I want to play D&D and LARP but like first off seems super complicated and don’t know how to find out (or now I can I internet I guess) OR YOU NEED FRIENDS FOR THAT yes I have friends but like.... ok now maybe I know 2 people who would find it cool.... I guess that’s better than one?
Yo I love the name Andraleia
Isn’t Czarina a title?
Oof the writing she into sounds amazing
Also that hair cutting scene I FELT it ok I FELT that
BIG BLACK BELL SLEEVES! ALSO CORSETS! TIGHTE! GOTH!!!
“Twirling whoosh of black skirts and stiletto boots and woodsy-smelling perfume”
Love you getting all “what is actually the definition of sex” but like before we get TOO far out here like I don’t care if you gay or straight or a blOOD SUCKING VAMPIRE if you getting off on that sure but like sexual intercourse those things are not and let’s not just this fuzzy
AH THE NOT QUITE TEARS!!!
Heather’s routine sounds AMAZING!!!
Y’all James and Jenna are so cute :3
Yea you need Raejean closure girl you are a MESS
tho still seems it was kinda her fault
“I don’t actually care about AP Biology”
I. Hate. You. Jenna.
Jenna’s mom tho! (Also look at fictional characters not having everything materially!)
“You know Michigan’s freaking cold, right” Jenna says to her brother Jack
“You BET it is” I say, sweating away on the humid porch at like 11:30 at night
“You’re gonna freeze your balls off”
Me: *thinking back to that phrase in AGOT, just replaced with the word manhood* oh you WILL *considers getting a fan cause it is DAMN humid*
Ok even my room is boiling for some reason WHY IM INSIDE DAMN YOU
Anywayssssss off to the torture that is going through my twenty thousand updates of ADWD
Ok so in all seriousness, the characters and emotions were amazing, Jenna’s whole eating herself up inside and being depressed and outbursts and guilt and everything were so realistic and GOD I legit could not put this book down
Displaying 1 - 30 of 134 reviews