Ultimate Survival Guide to Being a Girl

by Christina De Witte

Addressing the struggles of young girls everywhere, this hilariously relatable comic guide to life provides real advice and encourages a new generation of teen girls to find confidence and embrace individuality.

With friends, love, social media, body image, and more--navigating young adulthood can seem impossible. The Ultimate Survival Guide to Being a Girl provides humorous and highly relatable guidelines for all of the struggles young girls face, presented in author Christina De Witte's signature comic style and told from the point of view of her lovable Instagram and Internet character, Chrostin. A Hyperbole and a Half for the young adult audience, the book includes comics and hands-on advice about serious issues like mental health and self-care, and also deals with questions on every young girl's mind, like "Can you survive on pizza alone?"

Quirky, hilarious, and sincere, The Ultimate Survival Guide to Being a Girl empowers young women to challenge society's unrealistic standards of beauty and embrace their individuality. This is sure to be a favorite for teen girls.

Genres: Nonfiction, Graphic Novels, Self Help, Comics

241 pages, Paperback

Published August 7, 2018

Reviews

[Kylie Amber · Rating 5 out of 5]

** I received an ARC from NetGalley and publisher Running Press Kids in exchange for my honest review**

"It's so much easier to chase your dreams if you charge your batteries now and again."

This little survival guide was absolutely spot-on. It’s honestly the perfect gift for a mom with a daughter going through puberty or starting high school. But, it is also good for older teen girls as well, dealing with image and anxiety.
Some sections that resonated well with me were:
- The art of (not) giving up
- Breaking through that comfort zone
- Social anxieties and how to deal with them
Any girl that picks up this book will be able to relate to most of it, if not the entirety.

It’s perfect because this book references and explains things that every girl has searched on google before, but never wants to admit it.

Also, the illustrations were adorable! And I loved the little add-ons like the detox smoothies or food recipes.

The author really took her time to make sure she executed each idea very thoroughly and didn’t leave anything out at all.

Every message that was sent in this book was important, like:
- Taking me time!
- Listening to your body
- Flaws=unique features

To me, this is a must read for girls going through puberty, or starting to be sexually active, or having trouble with self-image. (So basically I recommend this to every single girl out there)

[Sara ➽ Ink Is My Sword · Rating 4 out of 5]

4“Needed this in my high school years” Stars

Disclaimer: Copy provided by the publisher and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

"feminine hygiene products are taxed as "luxury items". Yep, you read right, and nope, I am not kidding. The government thinks we bleed for fun, so they think is reasonable to let us pay thousands of dollars to buy the accessories we need to stop the blood from squirting all over the place."

If you feel like this and you are a teen, pick this up:



I am 18-years-old and I still enjoyed this very much.

Although this is a survival guide, this is not going to magically change your life to perfect. The aim of this is to help you navigate teenage days as a woman.

I liked this survival guide because it had consistency. You could notice the author put herself in the words, she investigated, she cared. Many times when I read self-help or tips books, I end up feeling like I wasted my time to read a list. 1. Beauty is not all, 2. Eat healthy, 3. Be yourself, etc. This is not the case for this book. It was well distributed and it touched on every topic I thought about when I was 15, in depth. Plus it has doodle/illustration breaks. I would have loved to have this in high school, to help me feel more secure and confident, and to tell me I am not alone.

It had humor and it touched upon important topics like sexuality, feminism, diversity, ambition, empowerment, sex, period, body changes, mental health, identity, online security, jobs. It was honestly on point. My favorite parts that helped me, even if I am in my last stage of teenage years, was to make me realize how much men affect the vision of myself as a woman. Talking about shaving, I realized that reason why I started to fill disgusted about my body hair was that a male guy told me "wow you look like a bear", even though he had certainly more body hair than I did. Funny right? But is true, it hurts to see how much we are affected by others opinions. It also reminded us of the importance of open-mindedness and respect, so A+ for that.

The only problem or thing that bothered me a bit was the bullying talk, everything was good, but I still think that no matter how screwed is your life is no excuse to treat like garbage another person. I understand the author was talking about forgiveness and empathy, but I honestly don’t think a bully deserves all this on a silver plate.

Is long but you could certainly digest it at your own speed. And is fun.

🎁If you are a parent or family of a younger girl (inclusive), this is a perfect present. Or honestly buy it for yourself, if you have the means and desire to read this.

[♛ Garima ♛ · Rating 3 out of 5]

I think I am bit too old, at the age of 30+ something, to really enjoy and relate to teen issues book but I can see it addresses many issues which would really be helpful for any teenager girl out there.

It is book that is mix of traditional and comic style writing - the style I really like so if you are teenager, this is the book for you. I strongly recommend but too unrelatable for my taste.

It is available in read-now section of netgalley so if you are curious, easier to request and read on!

[Анна Полегенько · Rating 5 out of 5]

"Пісібник з виживання" - це книга, яку на мою думку потрібно мати усім дівчатам.
Тут авторка, Крістіна Де Вітте ділиться з нами своїм досвідом підліткового життя та й загалом, розповідає про все те, про що інколи стає незручно говорити. А ще вона розповідає про лайфхаки з різних сфер, які будуть корисними 😉
⠀
Вона зачіпає абсолютно усі теми життя дівчини: психологію, важливість сприймати себе такою, яка ти є, комплекси, їжу, одяг, стосунки, планування навчання, перша робота, онлайн життя.
Словом ви зрозуміли, дійсно багато 😁
⠀
Я вважаю книгу потрібною, і дуже рада, що вона потрапила до мене в руки!😍
Кожен розділ навчив мене чогось важливого, і з усіх порад я винесла для себе найголовніше.
⠀
А ще найбільше мені запали в душу розділи де Крістіна розповідає про їжу, а саме повний розбір усієї проблеми, що для нас несе м'ясо та форми веганства. І ще мене зачепила тема про дискримінацію та її ознаки.
Адже інколи, коли ми жартуємо над чимось незначним у людині, ми навіть не уявляємо, як сильно це може вплинути на неї.
⠀
Як на мене книга дійсно чудово мотивує! Після неї хочеться встати, подивитися в дзеркало та почати працювати над собою!
⠀
Крістіна і Кростін показують, що за допомогою чарівної палички нічого не відбудеться, допоки ти не захочеш і не почнеш щось робити.
⠀
"Посібник" дуже допоміг мені. Я довго не могла від нього відріватися, адже книга дууже захоплива. І хоча я не фанатка Нон-фікшн, але ця книга дійсно мене захопила 😍🔥
І захопило мене саме те, що протягом усієї книги авторка наче подруга ділилася зі мною своїми історіями з підліткового життя.
І це так круто!

[Amanda Koger · Rating 3 out of 5]

note: this was sent to me by the publisher for review.

i definitely found this helpful in some aspects of my life, expect that it did read a little bit like a textbook and sometimes the slang used put me off a bit. i do think some parts of this book will date itself in reference to social media and websites, but i do think this will be helpful to younger girls in middle school and high school and early college (I think i might be getting too old for this since i am almost 24.) In the end i would say this is a pretty valuable read.

[Lucie · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 Stars

*I received an eArc of this book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review*
This was... fine. This was a cute read and based on the majority of the content and conversational tone I can see this being a nice book for younger girls just entering high school, but I don't see this being very useful if you're any older than that.
I had an ARC copy and a lot of the formatting got super messed up, but hopefully that was fixed by publication and I won't judge it on that.
My biggest problems with this is that the order of the topics within this. There was just no cohesiveness and the book would jump around from topic to topic with each section seeming to have nothing to do with each other. This does make the reading experience feel a bit off. Also De Witte can come off kind of preachy (everyone should go on a plant based diet?) and the last chapter on *diversity* could've probably expanded.

[Elgyn · Rating 1 out of 5]

„Hele, byla jsem v pubertě, takže kdo jiný by to napsal lépe.
Ano, měla jsem na tuhle knížku spoustu času, ale protože jsem prokrastinovala (no co, to děláme všichni), měla jsem na každou kapitolu jenom týden. Možná nejlíp pracuju pod stresem...“
Nebo by možná měla psát o něčem jiném. Tohle je IMHO ztráta času.

s. 31 Kapitola o sociální fobii, není to jen puberta, pravděpodobně je to fobie. Jestli cítíš, že by ti prospěla odborná pomoc, určitě zajdi za lékařem, který ti doporučí vhodnou terapii nebo léky.

Kapitola na s. 38-42 je o tetování. To zjevně autorku trápilo nejvíc.
Pak se poradila se svojí „koučkou zdravého životního stylu“ a „zdravotní poradkyní“ a vyplodila další kapitoly o ničem.

s. 154 Celý odstavec s nedotisknutými písmeny na konci řádků.

s. 288 poh-laví

[Shaila · Rating 4 out of 5]

It took me a little while to read this book from cover to cover... And it was worth it, even though I'm not a teen and it's not written for my age group, there were still things in here that even I needed!

I guess this was a good way to close my 2023 reading 🧡

[Anvita (anvitascorner)]

i WISH i could go back and read this when i was a teenager, it would definitely be a 5 star then

[Brandi · Rating 3 out of 5]

Positives: The author has obviously done her research, and has written in a conversational, relatable tone that should appeal to teens. This “survival guide” covers a WIDE variety of topics and is incredibly inclusive.

Potential Drawbacks: Librarians shelving this book in conservative communities should be prepared for challenges as the author advocates for free menstrual hygiene products and vegetarianism/veganism in addition to the usual “target” issues (LGBTQ, feminism, etc). Be aware that the author does get a little “preachy” about such issues at times. The author’s unfortunate use of platitudes such as “time heals all wounds” detracts from her message. The author’s intended audience is a little murky since she spends a significant portion discussing puberty and the changing body (in a way that read as if intended for readers just starting this experience) and elsewhere discusses creating a resume. Overall, best suited for older teens. Some colorful language is interspersed throughout her commentary, including the use of the term “bitchy” which seems antithetical to her pro-feminism attitude.

Verdict: Recommended for large library collections looking to beef up their self-help section. Better offerings with a similar message are available.

[christinemm · Rating 3 out of 5]

I am confused about the target age range. Assumed this was for preteens and teens. Front and back cover says teens, young adults, and then girls. There is advice here for girls age 13 and puberty and there is also advice on getting a tattoo But never talks about the implications that they will not be able to be hired at certain jobs were teenagers and college age students as well as 20 somethings off and find employment for entry-level jobs. There is an illustration showing girls socializing with wine, and talking about smoking. Also advises to attempt to self treat for social anxiety, if this is a book from minors girl should be encouraged to speak to their parents to seek the appropriate medical a valuation with a doctor and to get counseling. I stopped on page 36 that was enough for me. I think this is for college age girls over 18.

[Kim · Rating 4 out of 5]

** I received an advanced copy from the publisher through NetGalley, in exchange for an honest review ** Let's start!

When I found this book in the NetGalley lists, it seemed an interesting title, which I thought was focused for women, but it is really a book for girls and teenagers, so the tips and guides were not exactly for my age ( 21 years) but that did not stop me from enjoying it though.

Let's start with the parts that I liked:

Christine writes the list of tips and guides in a clear and concise manner, giving a short introduction to each topic by giving the meaning of the terms that are important to understand the text well. It is a way for girls and young people who are reading it to understand perfectly and can receive guidance in a better way! Her writing is fast and interesting.

Chrostin, the character that accompanies us in the story, helps us with the most important details and allows us to laugh a little with the comics.

The themes that Christine talks about are very important for girls and young women who start in a free time, such as bullying, feminism, self-love, among others. It is a book that tackles many topics that I found excellent, which can sometimes be difficult to learn.

I agreed on many things that we like the author, she mentions controversial issues in an excellent way, professionally. So it is a great book to share with young people!


Now a couple of things that I did not like:

Being an advance copy, many errors are reviewed and changed, but I think some topics that contained each chapter and could be considered outside the central topic, the author began to talk about dressing in an original and unique way and then followed a comment about an odor rare in the earrings, which seemed to me that it did not have much to do with the central theme, and so it contained the themes that seemed to be filled.

I like a book that can help many girls who feel confused or overwhelmed by the changes they have in the adolescence stage. I would give this book to anyone. I also loved reading something that I would lijke when I was going through those changes. Chrostin, you already have another fan here!

"Feminism is not about how you look or what you wear, it's not about who you go out with or fall in love with, it's not about thinking you deserve more than someone else, it's about thinking you deserve the same thing. Women are already strong, I just want society to perceive us as strong as well."

[Jackie · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Ultimate Survival Guide to Being a Girl gave me some mixed feelings.

On the one hand, I'm always supportive of books that want to educate young women about their bodies. It was cool that De Witte mentioned tattoos, having online friends, and other topics that rarely get discussed straightforwardly with teens. However, it's important to note that a lot of the book read as opinion or anecdotal because of a lack of citations or outside examples.

There were a few patently false things described here (without any citations), like an anecdote where the author says her hair "grew back thicker and darker, and in a very odd pattern."

Hair that has been shaven does not grow back thicker or darker but does grow back with a blunted edge. Some may think the blunted edge makes the hair look thicker, but either way, it does not actually get any thicker or any darker, and certainly not more so each time it is shaved.

Also, the author mentioned teens should "call themselves out on being a Negative Nancy." I can't describe how many times in my teen years I was invalidated and pushed aside because I was written off as a 'Negative Nancy' instead of actually told that my feelings were valid and logical and I needed to work through them and understand how to understand them.

Every once in a while, De Witte also threw in a "Duh!" or similar note, which came off as a little condescending, implying the reader should already know the advice she just gave. It was a bit off-putting.

Overall, I'm concerned about the amount of "survival guide" type books for teen girls that perpetuate stereotypes like those outlined above. Also, coming out to friends and family is considered "breaking difficult news" which seems weird. Anyway, overall, I just have extremely mixed feelings!

[Michal Lynn · Rating 2 out of 5]

The Ultimate Survival Guide to Being a Girl is the book equivalent of getting advice from a big sister or an older friend. It's perfect for teens who have questions but who might not feel super comfortable confiding in their parents.

Christina De Witte is 22, so she's fresh out of her teen years. Reading this as a 31 year old, it's obvious that there is still a lot more that can be said and taught while still maintaining a young perspective. This isn't the authority here, but rather someone who might still be going through the same thing or is still figuring out what is and is not important.

It might not have been for me, but I am sure many young gals will be grateful for a book like this.

I received an ARC from the publisher through Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

[Lauren · Rating 4 out of 5]

Disclaimer: Title provided by Netgalley in exchange for a review.

I found "The Ultimate Survival Guide to Being a Girl" pretty refreshing compared to other titles that solely focus on the physical and chemical changes that happen to young girls. The style of this book reminds of something an older sibling might reveal to their younger sister, like how not to be a mean girl, how to wear makeup, what styles of clothing work best for certain body types, etc. It is so much more than a " how to manage boobs, period, and hormonal rage" guide that could legitimately help young girls navigate through the wonders and strains of puberty with helpful cheat codes to get them through life successfully. I would gladly purchase for my library or own children.

[Anne · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not just a guide to puberty and the changing body but a guide to growing up and dealing with all things associated with this time of life including what to wear for your body type, how to eat healthier, deal with peer pressure - as well as puberty, love, sex, dating, etc. For girls, definitely. Illustrated throughout with author's web-comic cartoon character, Chrostin. Writing is very dry, despite attempts to be engaging. I ended up skimming desperately when I got to the back third of the book. Found at least 4 editing errors. Page 33, 147, then lost track of the others. However, I did like that author included helpful websites and links on page as appropriate instead of sticking them all in the back.

[Indy · Rating 5 out of 5]

It is challenging to be a female in modern society, not only because of the society and culture, but also the expectations we have on ourselves as well as those from family and others. This is an awesome book for girls to read, no matter how old you are, you will still find it inspiring one way or the other - outer environmental of community and culture all the way to inner self: appearance, self care, mentality, how to be more open minded, influence your community, live a happier life, stay fit and healthy, and most importantly, accept and appreciate yourself. It is quite stunning that this book is actually written by a girl who is in her early twenties! Feel like some kind of guru there~

[Ari Augustine · Rating 5 out of 5]

I wish I had this as a teen to explain the things adults thought were too...."inappropriate"...for me to know, even in regards to my own body. LOVED all the little illustrations and how caring the author was when it came to thoroughly covering each topic....like self-care and body image. It doesn't preach or spout the usual advice that sounds like a broken record - it actively seeks to get teens to think about themselves as more of their own person, instead of an extension of what others want to see.

[Shelby · Rating 5 out of 5]

*I was sent a e-arc from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. The Ultimate Survival Guide to Being a Girl is a book that I would recommend to any young girl or parent of a young girl. I found it overall informative and can see how it could be helpful to younger girls

[Becca · Rating 2 out of 5]

Sent to the school from the publisher -- passed on to the HS.

[Alexandra · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book for teenage girls, loved it!

[Miriam Passman · Rating 4 out of 5]

A Very good book on positive body image.

[Ezra]

i love this book, it really connects to myself when i was stuggling

[Aniyah · Rating 1 out of 5]

This was merrily ok. I kinda got bored and started skimming the chapters but from the parts I did read it was okay.

[Lotte · Rating 4 out of 5]

How the heck did they come up with "The ultimate survival guide to being a girl" when the Dutch title is "Some girls don't like pink".
It's obviously a book for teenagers growing up, but a lot of the stuff is still applicable later in life. It's not the typical guide for teenage girls, so I really don't understand why the title had to be different in English.
I've been following Chrostin for a while, and was curious about the book, but it is true to her personality. She is all about positivity and being strong and honest. I'm older than she is, but I get how a lot of girls would look up to her.

[CC Sanders · Rating 3 out of 5]

See my thoughts in my "Recent Reads - August Wrap Up of 9 Books!" video https://youtu.be/E4N7fEaMdSk

This book could most likely help a lot of girls out there. The author touched some topics really well and I was actually surprised by the range of topics and how current topics were picked up (How to be avoid being catfished, how to decide what to post on the internet, ...) but on the other hand most of the time it simply did not feel like a non-fiction book and it fell short touching some very important topics like sexism and racism. Some topics are touched on quite bluntly and might be a bit provocative (meat-free diet, tampons should be free, ...) - for my taste, the author put her personal opinion and point of view a bit too bluntly out there for a non-fiction book. Also for a non-fiction book this book to me lacked a clear structure - it felt more like somebody sitting down with me and preaching on one topic after the other. This might be considered relateable but it also could end up feeling overpowering.

Disclaimer: Copy provided by the publisher and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

[Romy · Rating 3 out of 5]

utile se sei piccola e stai entrando nell’adolescenza

[Océane Garceau · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very nice book I learnt a lot from it!!

[Michelle · Rating 1 out of 5]

I received a copy of this book from NetGalley. While some may enjoy this book I am concerned that there is a blurring between opinion and fact. There is a distinct lack of citations. I did enjoy the cartoons though. I was not able to finish this book (I stopped just under 100 pages in)

[Katrina Rose · Rating 2 out of 5]

The Ultimate Guide to Being a Girl held so much potential yet fell kind of short. I had read this in hopes of handing it over to my daughter someday. However, I’m no longer quite comfortable with that. Even for girls in high school, I feel some content is inappropriate or not discussed well.

While I like that the author was unabashed in giving out a lot of advice, I feel like several things could have been left out. Do girls need to know about hygiene, proper bra fitting and how to handle sticky situations? Yes, absolutely. Do they need to be concerned with tattoos, or how to meet an online friend in real life? I say no.

The audience for this book has me confused. There is a significant chunch dedicated to girls getting ready to go through puberty while simultaneously using words like “bitchy” and talking about things that seem more mature than the age of girls who are going through the big change.

I’m on the fence, some may really like this brash, feminist, tell it like it is book, but I wouldn’t let my child read it.