What Kind of Girl

by Alyssa Sheinmel

"Both timely and timeless, a powerful exploration of abuse in its many forms, as well as the strength it takes to rise up and speak your truth."—AMBER SMITH, New York Times bestselling author of The Way I Used to Be

From New York Times bestselling author Alyssa Sheinmel comes an unflinching exploration of the labels society puts on girls and women—and the strength it takes to rise above it all to claim your worth and declare your truth.

The girls at North Bay Academy are taking sides.

It all started when Mike Parker's girlfriend showed up with a bruise on her face. Or, more specifically, when she walked into the principal's office and said Mike hit her. But her classmates have questions. Why did she go to the principal and not the police? Why did she stay with Mike if he was hurting her? Obviously, if it's true, Mike should face the consequences. But is it true?

Some girls want to rally for Mike’s expulsion—and some want to rally around Mike. As rumors about what really happened spread, the students at North Bay Academy will question what it means to be guilty or innocent, right or wrong.

Praise for What Kind of Girl:

"A poignant, thought-provoking novel that will resonate deeply."—Kirkus

"A rallying cry."—Booklist

"I immediately saw myself in this book, which so thoroughly explains the thought process when coming to terms with victimhood and survivorship. I felt understood."—Chessy Prout, author of I Have the Right To

"Important, raw, timely, and ultimately hopeful…demands readers discuss the trauma of teen dating violence and how girls are so often taught—even expected—to internalize their victimization."—Shannon M. Parker, author of The Girl Who Fell and The Rattled Bones

Genres: Young Adult, Contemporary, Mental Health, Fiction, Feminism, Realistic Fiction, LGBT

384 pages, Hardcover

First published February 4, 2020

About the author

Alyssa Sheinmel is the New York Times bestselling author of several novels for young adults, including A Danger to Herself and Others and Faceless, as well as the adult novel Such Sheltered Lives. Alyssa grew up in Northern California and New York, and currently lives and writes in New York. Follow her on Instagram @alyssasheinmel or visit her online at www.alyssasheinmel.com.

Reviews

[Chelsea (chelseadolling reads) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Even though this took me a little longer to read than I expected (because some of the scenes were pretty anxiety inducing for me), it was SO worth the time I spent with it. This book is a hard read for sure, but it was a very important one and I ultimately really liked it.

TW: physical abuse, eating disorders (bulimia), drugs, self harm

[sarah · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5 rounded to 5 stars

'What Kind of Girl' is the type of book that has the ability to deeply affect many people. This book impacted me in a visceral way, and I can tell that I will be left thinking about it long after I closed the last page.

One of the main reasons I loved this story so much was the raw emotions it pulled from me, as well as the ways it made me question my own morals. That in itself is one of my favourite parts of reading. Simply through experiencing another's life for a few hundred pages- your mindset can shift.

This book begins with a girl going into her principal’s office with a black eye. Her boyfriend Mike, the ‘golden boy’ hit her- and it wasn’t the first time. The book shows the school’s reaction, the mixed opinions, the victim blaming, the justifications people come up with.

I recommend going into this book not knowing much apart from that, as it is very easy to be spoiled. Even saying the character’s names is a potential spoiler, and I have seen several reviews giving too much information.
A unique element of this book is using superlatives like the popular girl, the bulimic, the burnout etc. to tell the story. It is up to you to try and figure out the connection.

Trigger warnings for graphic depictions of self harm, daring abuse, homophobia, drug use and bulimia.

I am a person who gets triggered rarely, if ever, by books. However, in some scenes, I had to close the book and get out of that headspace for a few seconds. To me, that was part of the intent of this book. By creating an uncomfortable and uneasy feeling, readers can experience empathy that will hopefully transcend from fictional characters to real people experiencing these very real problems.

What Kind of Girl didn’t necessarily have a satisfying ending, but I think that suited this story. Wrapping it up with a neat little bow is, unfortunately, unrealistic. And pretending that it isn’t would feel dismissive of those who have actually gone through this situation and have to deal with repercussions.

Overall, if you feel you can handle the subject matter- I would highly highly recommend picking this one up when it releases in February.

Thank you to Sourcebooks and Netgalley for the advanced copy!

[Katie · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a tough book to read, which I expected going in. Somehow, I still wasn't quite prepared for how *physically sick* some parts made me feel.

Overall, I think the author handled it beautifully. I did get tripped up a little on the format of the first two sections (section three I *flew* through), so it took me a little longer to read this than I was expecting. I also wasn't fully satisfied with the ending. I know the open-ended part wasn't the *point* but I still kind of wished we'd gotten to see how that all played out.

Overall, an important book that was definitely worth the read.

[Holly · Rating 4 out of 5]

What kind of girl stays with a boyfriend after he hits her? This is the question that one of our two protagonists continues to ask herself because she stayed for several months and she doesn’t know why. It’s a question that occurs to her peers, her BFF, her parents, etc. She even wonders if the abuser (Mike) knew she would keep quiet.

But then, why did I wait? Why didn’t I come forward sooner? What kind of girl stays after her boyfriend hits her? What kind of girl gets hit in the first place?

No self-respecting girl would stay with a guy who hit her. I don’t care how many times he apologizes or promises not to do it again or tells you he loves you.

Maybe the kind of girl who gets hit in the first place is the kind of girl who stays. The kind of girl who cheats rather than leaving.

Maya even tries rationalizing the abuse and why she stayed with him. She questions her feelings for Mike after reporting him to the principal. She considers all her feelings — such as both loving and hating him — and the questions she ponders are pertinent and reasonable.

I thought it wasn’t that big a deal. I thought it would stop, eventually. I thought it was worth it if I still got to be with him. It seemed like a small price to pay for how good things were the rest of the time.

I’m supposed to hate him. I’m supposed to hate him because he hurt me. The problem is, I can hate him for hurting me and still love him for the way things were when he didn’t hurt me.

Maya even contemplates whether the term domestic abuse applies because typically we’ve heard it in relation to a married couple. But alas, it does apply.

Does domestic violence even apply to us, to Mike and me, a couple of teenagers? We’re not married. We don’t live together. Like my mom said, there’s no house to sell, no child custody to negotiate. We have our whole lives ahead of us. In one of the articles I read last week, I saw words like dating abuse and relationship violence. Are those the right words?

The other protagonist is her best friend Junie who suffers from a different form of abuse - self-harm in the form of cutting. Sheinmel paints an incredibly rich and realistic picture of such a person and how this behavior is a coping mechanism. I never completely understood what drives people to cutting aside from a self-destructive tendency and this book opened my eyes to the motivation behind such behavior.

...made a tiny cut on my inner thigh. And I felt better. It was a relief, like all that energy finally had a way to escape. My heart stopped racing, my hands stilled. I had one thing—the pain—to focus on, and suddenly it was easy to concentrate on that, and only that.

What Kind of Girl is a powerful story about two teen girls as they navigate through their issues and their worlds. Both girls’ inner dialogues add a rich layer to their stories and makes them very real and three-dimensional. Alyssa Sheinmel excels at creating teen characters that are very believable that you really get to know. She presents a very realistic portrayal of someone in a dating abuse situation.

The book touches on many themes relevant to young women today — besides dating violence and self-harm, bulimia is also explored and dealt with in a realistic way. The consequences for the domestic violence, committed by the school’s “golden boy,” is another important issue that is introduced into the story. Should Mike be expelled? If he is, he won’t get the scholarship he is counting on to attend college. Interestingly, the school did not have a policy in place for this kind of behavior and Sheinmel sends the message that they should. This is my second book by Alyssa Sheinmel and I look forward to her next one.

Thank you to Sourcebooks Fire and NetGalley for an advance reader copy in exchange for my honest opinion.

[Tee · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars
ARC provided via Netgalley. Thanks, guys!

Hey, you!
You reading this book's reviews!
Stop it! Stop it immediately!
Okay, you can read mine, now that you're here, because I promise I'll keep it clean and spoiler-free.
Which is quite hard, considering even telling you the characters' names is a spoiler.
Basically, this books tells the story through the eyes of the abused girlfriend, the most popular girl in school, the pothead and the bulimic girl.
The writer leaves it up to you to figure their connection out. That's why I recommend diving into this book without previous plot knowledge.
It's a well-written story dealing with important topics.
Reasons I'm not rating it higher is that I felt it dragged towards the end, made me very angry and I didn't get a satisfying ending.

[Carlene · Rating 5 out of 5]

Find this review and others at Carlene Inspired.

4.5 Stars

A young adult aged novel that explores themes of substance abuse, domestic violence, self harm, and sexuality. Written in a clever way, What Kind of Girl follows teen girls as they face societal expectations in the fast-paced, gossipy high school atmosphere. With no names, only self-given titles, we follow The Bulimic, The Popular Girl, The Pothead, The Abused Girlfriend. We see their interactions with family, friends, their abuser. We are given access to their emotions, to their decision making, to the truth. We know what others are whispering and thinking, we know how it's making them feel, but until the very end we don't know everything. There is a grand reveal, one I certainly didn't expect, that really tied this book together and made it jump above four stars for me. You see, we all take what society thinks of us and allow it to impact how we dress, act, feel, and Alyssa B. Sheinmel captures that in this book perfectly.

Written in a format that allows you to really step into the narrators shoes, What Kind of Girl is a heavy novel that forces readers to recognize that the hardships we'd like to pretend do not touch teens still do regardless of our pretending. It's emotional and raw, presenting readers with a relatable story that reminded me what it was like to not have a single version of myself at that age; I had no idea who I wanted to become or what I wanted others to see of me yet. The narrator(s) question their own opinions of themselves, we see them work through the beliefs they think others will have of them, we see them hide the truth from their parents afraid to speak up. The societal expectations the girls in this book feel are accurate, they're felt by women of all ages, and Sheinmel delivers a powerful story about those expectations and the harm they can do to us, both from our own actions and others.

I really enjoyed What Kind of Girl quite a lot, it's written with a punch, leaving an impact on me even as a reader well above the age group for the novel. It's a story about judgement and acceptance, about discovering oneself and the support needed when those expectations all become too much. I'd call it a coming-of-age story that is more up-to-date on the times than the romances we all like to believe in.

ARC provided.


Goodreads did what Goodreads does best, delete my entire review.

[Bookphenomena (Micky) · Rating 4 out of 5]

WHAT KIND OF GIRL was such an interesting read that addressed some relevant but less written-about themes in the context of physical abuse in a dating situation in YA. There are some additional trigger warnings at the beginning of the book for those who seek this out.

This story asked the question, what kind of girl would let something like this happen and focused on the individuals but also very importantly, it focused on the reactions from friends, enemies, family and the school community. I can tell you it frustrated me and infuriated me at times with people’s reactions and turns of events but it was utterly compelling.

The way the story was told was innovative and clever. It was told from mulitple POVS (not too many, I hasten to add) but for the first part of the story, you don’t have names for the characters. This worked really well and there came a point where it was all woven together and the reveals came. Interestingly, this story was also told over one week and yet the level of depth to this story was impressive. I loved the style and structure, it felt fresh. There were moments where I felt in the dark but I enjoyed the veil of mystery until the reveals.

There were two key characters in this book and some strong supporting characters. I loved Maya, Hiram and Junie, although there were moments for each of these characters where I felt unsure about who they were, how loyal they would be and how true to themselves they could be. This is the kind of story that builds and builds and really, you don’t know the full story until the final page.

The writing was inviting in story-telling and mysterious voices. I couldn’t put the book down and read it in less than 24 hours. Alyssa B Sheinmel has a strong narrative YA voice that captured my attention with its themes and ability to immerse me in a situation.

Plenty of women never tell. They don’t come forward and say their boyfriends are hitting them. They find thicker cover-up and better cover stories. They opened a cabinet and a mug fell on their faces. They walked into a doorknob in the middle of the night. Sure, it’s completely implausible-why would anyone be eye-level with a doorknob?-but that’s what women in the movies say. They cover for the men in their lives, at least at first. Eventually the woman stands up for herself and says: Enough.

Thank you to Atom books for the early proof copy in return for an honest review.

This review can be found on A Take From Two Cities.

[MissBecka Gee · Rating 3 out of 5]

I loved how part #1 unfolded; revealing different POVs a tiny bit at a time.
I do wish that the author had changed the format starting with part #2.
I think it would have worked better for me.
Obviously this is a difficult topic to address with class as well as reality.
I think the author did a good job of accomplishing both.
The book seemed to drag a bit for me and I would have liked a little better pacing throughout.
Overall a okay read.
Thanks to NetGalley and SOURCEBOOKS Fire for my DRC.

[Amber · Rating 5 out of 5]

The full review + more can be found at The Book Bratz

*Trigger Warning: depictions of dating abuse, bulimia, self harm & drug use*

It has been a few days since I have read What Kind of Girl and I am still speechless. What ever I write here will not do this book one ounce of the justice and praise it deserves in the slightest. I loved this book with all my heart, I loved the subjects is brought up, the way the author addressed them and the message that there is light at the end of the tunnel. What Kind of Girl is one of those books that impacts you and leaves you thinking about this issue and these characters even after you read the last page.

The book is told in two POVs. Mia whose boyfriend has been abusing her for months and suffers from bulimia and June, Mia's best friend, who suffers from severe anxiety and self harms. Both girls stories are complex and heart wrenching. Having gone through some of these issues myself, it was easy to relate to both of these girls. To feel there anger, pain, the hopelessness in the situations they are in.

Mia with a bruise on her face, walks into her principals office and accuses her boyfriend, Mike Parker of hitting her. But Mike is the most popular guy in school and him and Mia are the "it" couple. Sides are taken and not everyone believes Mia. Throughout the novel we watch Mia struggle with the acceptance of Mike's actions, whether she still loves him or not and was it her actions that caused Mike's actions. Since dating Mike, Mia has become extremely unhappy with her body and began to force herself to throw up and skip meals. It isn't until later on in the novel does she acknowledge it as as an eating disorder.

June, is Mia's best friend. After everything with Mia and Mike she decides to stage a protest for Mike's expulsion, since it seems he is only going to get away with this with a slap on the wrists. June's character is the one I related to the most. She suffers from bad anxiety and self harm tendencies. The way Sheinmel explains and treads with the discussion of June's anxiety, how she feels, the physical symptoms, the mental, the obsessive thoughts, the intrusive thoughts. I've never seen anxiety represented almost exactly as I have experienced before. (I've never understood when readers explain how they feel seen within a novel, but with What Kind of Girl I feel seen and heard and that I am not a lone.)

What Kind of Girl brings up important discussions that are needed to be have in the world of young adult novels. People often relate domestic abuse to older people. But what about younger people? It isn't just visible bruises and injuries. It's the little things as well. We see how Mike pinches Mia, grabs her a little to tight, how he is manipulative. For me, I feel like this book is going to be an eye opener for many readers.

Overall I really enjoyed What Kind of Girl and I hope others who read it do as well. Sheinmel's writing style and language is both beautiful and stunning and is going to leave her readers wanting more. The ending was left a little open ended, but I didn't mind it as much. The self acceptance and the recovery that both girls are working towards was enough for me.

What Kind of Girl is not to be missed in 2020 and I hope everyone takes away the message that Sheinmel's giving her readers.

[Alison · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received an ARC of this in exchange for an honest review. So, ta-da! Here it is:
Video review: https://youtu.be/x62IJLosh8E
The synopsis of this was a little misleading because while this does focus on the abuse claim a girl makes, it is about so much more. It looks into bulimia, self-harm, anxiety, among other high school problems and stresses.
The way this is written from "multiple" points of views (such as The Bulimic, The Popular Girl, The Burnout) does a really good job at breaking down stereotypes to say that these are not just single people, but can be one person for all. What kind of girl? Any, all. These problems aren't limited to one person. I will say, it will probably help knowing that Part One is one person's POV and Part Two is another single person's POV.
I thought this played out well, but was trying to focus on too much, so not everything is really resolved or given enough time to really explore and pan out. It was a really interesting and important read.

[Kathryn S (Metaphors and Miscellanea) · Rating 4 out of 5]

What Kind of Girl is one of those books that, regardless of your opinions on its execution, you have to acknowledge is vitally important for its willingness to openly address difficult social phenomena that society likes to sweep under the rug. It is a heavy read, but in a necessary way, not the maudlin sort of sob-story that is an inherent risk of writing about so many serious issues that teens face today.

“Doing something when you’re scared is braver than doing something when you’re not.”

It’s hard to summarize this story, because of some “clever” narrative devices the author tries to use (more on those in a moment). All you need to know is that, when Mike Parker’s girlfriend comes to school with a black eye and says Mike gave it to her, her life–and the lives of her best friend and several others–are about to be changed in a major way. Some believe her, some don’t, but all seem to agree that something happened, and someone has to face consequences.

“Bad love is no better than not being loved at all. I think it might be worse.”

Writing about problems like mental illness, relationship abuse, and eating disorders is not uncharted territory for YA novels. A defining trait of YA is the desire to shine light on teenagers as whole, complex people facing problems of their own–whether those problems are overthrowing a corrupt government (a la The Hunger Games), combatting racism (as in The Hate U Give), or fighting drug addiction (like Crank and other Ellen Hopkins books). In the case of What Kind of Girl, though, Alyssa Sheinmel casts a wide net that encompasses multiple very real, very weighty, very complicated problems, and articulates the often-confusing interplay between various situations, symptoms, and comorbidities. Problems like self-harm and bulimia are not just alluded to but described in painful (though not romanticized) detail, through the constantly over-analyzing eyes of the teenagers who struggle with them. The main characters ruminate over their every choice, about “what kind of girl” their actions will brand them as in the eyes of others–when reduced to the simplistic terms of others’ opinions, how can you possibly hope to feel fully understood?

“I shouldn’t be feeling sorry for him! What kind of woman am I, worrying about what he’s going through? What kind of girlfriend would I be if I didn’t?

And, truly, the character development is handled wonderfully. Here we have teenagers who struggle to find their places amidst pressures to succeed academically, to have the perfect relationship, to look perfect, and to always make the right choices, even when there isn’t truly a “right choice” to be made. They hurt deeply and care deeply in that way that only teenagers are able to, when the problems they face are so narrow and specific and omnipresent and acutely crippling as a result. They second-guess themselves, blame themselves, hurt themselves, while doing all of those to each other was well. They are multifaceted and self-aware, but they also struggle to make the necessary choices for personal growth.

“That’s the kind of person I want to be…I just don’t know if I’m strong enough to do all the things I want.”

For all its success in narration and character development, though, What Kind of Girl does have its fair share of flaws. Its pacing is sometimes difficult to work with, dragging for long sections while characters are lost in their own thoughts. Although these thoughts are crucial to establishing the characters’ internal turmoil, they get unnecessarily prolonged in some places, especially in moments that would otherwise be incredibly tense, causing the narrative to stall when it needs to accelerate.

“What kind of girl doesn’t want to get the guy in trouble? Maybe the kind of girl who stays with a guy for three more months after the first time he hit her.”

My other frustration was with the author’s choice of structure for the first two parts of the book, refusing to name the girls in the story at first and instead referring to them by labels like “the popular girl,” “the girlfriend,” and “the best friend.” She has a reason for doing this, which makes sense in the context of the story, but the author overplays her hand at the start, foreshadowing the “twist” too heavily–I caught on almost right away–and confirming it too early, which weakens its effectiveness as a narrative device.

“I didn’t really see why it was less significant because it happened in high school, when we all had our lives ahead of us. If we were talking about anything else–drugs, drinking, sex–it would have been a bigger deal because we were only in high school, because we had our whole lives ahead of us, because the things that happened now would impact our futures.”

Still, even despite its flaws, this is a significant book for teenagers everywhere–especially teenage girls–as they fight to maintain their sense of self amidst the shifting tides of their social lives and the oft-contradictory elements of their personalities that develop as a result. It is easy to render teenagers as simplistic, self-absorbed thinkers, but in her writing, Sheinmel is keenly attuned to the fierce-yet-fearful flutterings of teenage anxieties, and to the agitation for justice that thrums beneath the surface, no matter how difficult the two may be to reconcile. This book is a testament to the fact that, even as everyone is one-of-a-kind, nobody is ever so simple as to be just one kind.

TRIGGER/CONTENT WARNINGS: abusive relationship, slut-shaming, vivid description of cutting/self-injury, teenage drug use, anxiety, OCD, bulimia

[W1nglockbooks · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was sent an eARC of this book from the publisher in exchange for a review.

Trigger warning: Abuse, self-harm, bulimia

What Kind of Girl is such a difficult and emotional book to read. But I think that's what makes it even more important. The themes this book follows, as shown in the trigger warnings, are what the two protagonists think that's all their life is. They believe that they have been or will be placed into certain stereotypes of what others think about them.

I liked how there wasn't a perfect tied in a bow or happily ever after ending but at the same time it still manages to put across a message of hope and believing in yourself that you will get better even if not everyone else believes that.

The only reason I couldn't give this a 5 star was the style just didn't work for me. I do understand that it played a good part in showing the read how each character was so many different parts of themselves but it was just a little bit confusing and hard to follow until I realised what was going on.

[Kristy · Rating 4 out of 5]

The rumors spread quickly at North Bay Academy. Popular track star Mike Parker's girlfriend has accused him of hitting her. She even told the principal. But, they wonder, why not the police? Why did she wait so long to tell? Why hasn't Mike been expelled? Some students at the school want to hold a rally--to expel Mike. But others aren't so quick to believe his girlfriend.

"But (of course), by lunchtime everyone at school knows, as easily and quickly as if they'd announced it over the loudspeaker: Sad Girl accuses Golden Boy of abuse."

This was an interesting book. It tackles a lot of heavy subjects within its pages. It also presents an intriguing format. The beginning of the book is told via archetypes: think popular girl; nerd; sad girl; the girlfriend, etc. It's a strange, almost gimmicky, format and meant it took some time for me to warm to any of the characters (especially since you don't know their names). Over time, the book grew on me, but it was hard to overcome that slow start.

There's so much going on in this one. Abuse, self-harm, drug use, mental health, eating disorders, and more. Please keep this in mind in terms of trigger warnings. I applaud Sheinmel and all she takes on. It's a very brave book, and the characters have a lot of depth. I think it might have had even more if the book maybe shortened its focus on just a few issues, versus trying to take on so many. Still, it's a very relevant story, and you can't help but appreciate how it tackles such big themes and emotions. I can see how it would be helpful to young adults. Even I found myself identifying with one of the characters and growing to root for all of them. 3.5 stars; rounded to four here for the powerful topics and messaging.

I received a copy of this book from Netgalley and Sourcebooks Fire in return for an honest review.

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[JenacideByBibliophile · Rating 4 out of 5]

Actual Rating: 4.5 Stars

Disclaimer: This book was sent to me by the publisher, Sourcebooks Fire, via Netgalley for an honest review.

*sigh*

This one is heavy.

“No self-respecting girl would stay with a guy who hit her.”



What Kind of Girl is more than just a domestic violence story.

It’s about two best friends who are both going through extremely trying times in their lives, but don’t reach out to each other for support. It’s about the expectations put on a person by their parents and peers, the assumptions that are made from onlookers, how trauma can drive a person towards self-harm, and the importance of mental health.

“I need you to come with me. I need you to say you’re too worried about me to let me go. I need you to stay that you’ll love me whether I change the world or not.”

This book is told by Maya and Junie, two teenagers who are best friends but find themselves suffering alone. Maya is struggling with the repercussions of telling her principle that her boyfriend Mike had been hitting her, as the entire school divides itself and chooses sides. For Maya, the situation is just as confusing to her as it is to others. On the outside, her relationship with Mike seemed perfect, and most days, even she thought so. Mike is the responsible and stellar student, the track star. He is popular and nice to everyone around him, which makes it so hard for students to believe that he was abusing his girlfriend. Throughout the story Maya professes her love for Mike, how sweetly he treated her and how he didn’t want him to get in trouble for fear of him being expelled and losing his scholarship.

“It’s hard to believe he would ever do what he’s accused of doing. And if he did, maybe he didn’t mean it. Maybe it was an accident. Or maybe it was justified, somehow.”

Maya always saw herself as a girl who would stick up for herself and immediately tell someone if she was being abused, but sometimes it just doesn’t happen like that. A lot of times victims stay in their relationships because they think that it could have been an accident, that their partner didn’t mean to hurt them, that they just got angry and lost control for a second. But other times it goes deeper. Manipulation plays a huge role. The abuser will not always be the screaming and violent character that is usually portrayed. Some abusers take the opposite approach. Soothing voices, promises of love and respect, ignoring the fact that they have hurt their partner, and learning how to control with their words.

“Now, when I think about it, the bracelet reminds me of a handcuff.”



Unfortunately, this isn’t the only thing in Maya’s life that is causing her harm. She is bulimic and uses purging as a way to stay in control. Though she is a beautiful girl inside and out, she see’s herself as needing to be thinner or better. Her thoughts on when to eat, when she can throw up, how much food she has consumed takes over her thoughts and places her in an even more isolating place than she already was. To see how her bulimia and abuse were intertwined broke my heart, and all I wanted to do was give her a hug and tell her she wasn’t alone.

“His fingers wrap around my upper arm. Sometimes he held me there instead of holding hands, and I’d see extra flesh in between his fingers. I don’t remember if I noticed that before or after I started throwing up.”

The other half of this story is told by Junie, Maya’s best friend. Junie is yet another beautiful girl who struggles with her own demons. She suffers from OCD and panic attacks, intrusive thoughts that leave her dissecting conversations and putting herself down, and cuts herself in order to finally quiet her mind and be still. Junie fights to be the strong and self-assured woman that her parents believe and want her to be. Their high expectations of her to be an activist, to stand up for what is right and make a change, weighs on her greatly. Whether it is her parents, her girlfriend or her peers, Junie feels she must be a leader and shouldn’t have issues like OCD. She sees these things as immense weaknesses and the reason for why she thinks nobody wants her.



“So I went deeper again, like I thought maybe I could cut out the bad parts, the lonely parts, the needy parts. The parts that were sad about being alone. The parts that explained why I was alone in the first place.”

This is my second story by Alyssa B. Sheinmel, and it was just as amazing as the first book I read by her – A Danger to Herself and Others. This author knows how to talk about real mental health issues, and display them in a way that is equally beautiful and heart-achingly sorrowful. It’s as if she reaches inside a person’s mind, body and soul, extracts their fears and quirks, and displays them like she’s lived and breathed every aspect of who they are. Her writing and expertise on mental health is superb and she gives a voice to so many people who are struggling or feel lost.

As I suspected it would be, this story was beautiful. It is a gentle portrayal of some very serious topics that so many of us have been affected by, whether it be personally or through a friend or loved one. This author makes these characters so realistic-they have flaws that compliment their stunning attributes and voices that want to speak but just don’t know how. Yes, this book is about mental health and abuse, but it’s also about finding self-love and the importance of friendship. About reaching out when something is wrong, and not worrying about how other’s will look at you or judge you.

“We may suffer alone, but we survive together”

-Aly Raisman

[Alana · Rating 3 out of 5]

"Doing something when you're scared is braver than doing something when you're not."

After reading Alyssa Sheinmel's novel A Danger to Herself and Others last year and thoroughly enjoying it, I was really excited to jump back into another one of her books. The author has a way of discussing tougher topics in thought-provoking ways that make you extremely empathic towards her main characters and this book was no exception. Despite the fact that I did not like this story as much as the book I read last year, I still think this was a great book that discusses realizing that it is absolutely okay to not be okay when doing the right thing feels like the hardest thing in the world.

What Kind of Girl is definitely a book that makes you feel a whole lot of emotions throughout your reading journey. Right from the get go, it tugs on your heart when a girl goes into her principal's office with a black eye claiming it was at the hands of her boyfriend. From there it's a rollercoaster of emotions when her classmates are divided on whether she was lying or not. Unfortunately, it is difficult to speak on a lot of the plot points of this book without spoiling anything, but if you feel you're in an okay headspace to read this it is an incredibly moving read.

One of my issues with this book was the way the story is told. Initially, each chapter starts out with an unnamed narrator and instead all we know is that each chapter is told through "the girlfriend, the cool girl, the burnout", etc.  It gives readers just the right amount of suspense to keep going but unfortunately, I think the author overdid it and then killed it too quickly. I caught on easily to the direction the author was going in, and then having the "twist" revealed 25% into the story made for a very weird, jarring experience to move past. Another issue was that the narrators also seemed to go off on tangents and get lost in their thoughts very frequently, so pairing up these two issues really threw off the pacing of the book for me.

*spoilers ahead*

The last issue I had with this was the ending. Usually, when books tackle heavier topics I do prefer for them to have an open ending since growth and healing doesn't happen overnight. However, this was a little too open-ended for me and I found it to be dissatisfying since it was hard to find any closure for the main character since we have no idea what the outcome of the situation was. I think an epilogue may have made the ending a little more favorable for readers since I have seen a few other people talk about feeling the same way over the end.

Favorite Quotes 

"We may suffer alone, but we survive together."

"But maybe the things that happened between us should at least shift his future. Because what happened between us changed my life."

"Mike never hurt me so badly that I needed a doctor's care. But the first slap didn't leave a bruise and the last one did. It was getting worse, not better. With our whole lives ahead of us, we had a lifetime for things to get worse, and worse, and worse still."

"Bad love is no better than not being loved at all. In fact, I think it might be worse."

All in all, even though this book was a bit of a let down for me I still think that it's such an important story and deserves to be heard. I love stories where people stand up for themselves even when it's so incredibly hard. I am the biggest believer that if you don't advocate for yourself no one will and I love that there are books out there in the world for young readers to see how important it really is to stand up for yourself and what you believe in.

tw: domestic violence, self-harm, eating disorders (bulimia), panic attacks

Thank you SourceBooks Fire for providing me with an e-ARC in exchange for a honest review!

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[Stay Fetters · Rating 4 out of 5]

"With our whole lives ahead of us, we had a lifetime for things to get worse."

We never really know what’s going on in people’s lives but we are always ready to make assumptions. No matter if we know them or not, we guess or hear rumors and go with what sounds truthful. But what you hear or think might not be accurate. This book travels through those and sets the record straight.

Maya walks into school on Monday and goes into the Principal’s office. Her black eye should clue the Principal in on why she’s there but she spills everything to her. Her boyfriend, Mike, the guy everyone loves and praises, hit her and this wasn’t the first time.

As word gets out about what has happened to Maya, students start picking sides as they start asking questions. With her best friend, Junie by her side, Maya is ready to face the world head-on.

Junie plans a protest to have Mike expelled at his next race. But Junie has issues of her own that she keeps hidden from mostly everyone.

With the way rumors work, someone isn’t telling the truth and, people aren’t sure what or who to believe. Will Mike get expelled for the despicable thing he did? Or will his popularity let it get swept under the rug?

Wow! This book left me speechless. It was such an important read that I think people need to read this. This shows the inner workings of how teens deal with tough situations and how popularity plays a role in just about everything.

The different povs threw me a bit at first because they weren’t labeled with names but with descriptions of that person. But it also shows you how people label one another and that makes it genius.

What Kind of Girl was a heavy and brilliant read. It clued me into what actually happens in certain situations and I now have a better understanding of them. It teaches us not to judge one another and if you know someone in need of help, offer help even if it’s just a smile and a pleasant greeting.

[dd · Rating 5 out of 5]

i’m so grateful that i read this when i did and i don’t want to ruin the experience for myself by rereading it, but this book was power

[Rebecca Crunden]

Why did it take me so long to reach the last straw?

This is an absolutely beautiful, gut-punching book. 4.5/5 rounded up. The only reason it's not a full five stars is because there were a few bits that I felt went on for too long, but overall I thought it was wonderfully well done.

I need you to say that you'll love me whether I change the world or not.

It's rare for me to find a book that writes anxiety well. Few enough do, but this one definitely makes the list. I'm utterly impressed with Sheinmel's writing and understanding of anxiety. Fair play.

I lie awake, going over every single word I said that day (and lucky for me, I have a really good memory so I can usually remember exactly what was said), wondering whom I might have offended, what I might have done wrong, what terrible thing will come back to haunt me ...

The story itself focuses on Maya and Junie, two girls struggling with a variety of problems. Maya's boyfriend has been abusing her for months, but the final straw comes when he slaps her so hard across the face that it leaves a bruise, and Maya goes into her principal's office and tells her what's been happening. The problem is, everyone loves Mike. Instantly, some people believe her; inevitably, many don't.

Junie on the other hand, is struggling with OCD and cutting, and desperately frets over her relationship with her girlfriend Tess. The story unfolds over just one week and how Maya's confession changes everything for both girls and at their school.

My favourite characters were Maya and Hiram, the so-called 'loser stoner' who is also the only one to stand up to Mike. Hiram was just lovely. The point that's emphasised over and over again by Maya is that he asks, he waits, he listens. Hiram is also the only person to notice how Mike's treating Maya before the confession comes.

Hiram listens to me. Junie listens.
They do more than listen - they ask.

This is one of those books that gets it, I think. The struggles victims go through when it comes to bringing their stories forward. The doubt and vitriol they face. Even Maya's own best friend doubts her at points. Maya herself doubts, doubts, doubts. But the book address these emotions with raw honesty and compassion.

Totally, totally recommend.

[Emma · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars - review to come!!
In summary:
I loved this way this portrayed an issue that is, of course, insanely important. There were aspects of the story, however, that kept it from earning a full four - especially when the twist was revealed. I feel like it built up momentum, but after about 25% the suspense aspect is completely gone. I realize this wasn’t the focus of the story, and I understand the direction the author was going, but revealing a massive plot twist so early in made for a very strange reading experience.
Overall, I’d still recommend this because of the excellent portrayal of an issue that never fails to be important.

[PinkAmy loves books, cats and naps · Rating 5 out of 5]

***Thanks to NetGalley for providing me a complimentary copy of WHAT KIND OF GIRL by Alyssa Sheinmel in exchange for my honest review.***

4.5 STARS

After months of abuse, Maya finally tells her principal that her boyfriend Mike, school Golden Boy, hits her. Soon everyone at school has an opinion including Junie, the best friend Maya never told. Junie has her own problems with anxiety disorders and her girlfriend and the two friends aren’t as close as before Mike. Junie plans a rally to get Mike expelled, but Maya isn’t certain what she wants.

Alyssa Sheinmel blew me away with WHAT KIND OF GIRL. Told in Maya’s and Junie’s voices readers are privy to Maya’s self doubts, conflicted feelings about Mike and love. She minimizes, blames herself and questions the seriousness of the abuse. Junie’s anxiety manifests itself, in part, in racing thoughts of self doubt. Her stream of consciousness anxiety is palpable in her narration. Sheinmel gave both young women pitch perfect, distinct voices.

My only issue is that the narration was confusing and I needed half the book to figure out whose words I was reading even though the voices were different. Sections titled The Girlfriend, The Popular Girl etc first seemed like different characters, like in Jennifer Mathieu’s THE TRUTH ABOUT ALICE before realizing they were different roles Maya played in her own life. I didn’t even know Maya’s name until the end of the first section. I assume this was by design, but I would have preferred more direction.

WHAT KIND OF GIRL does a fantastic job showing domestic and dating violence, from the victim’s self doubt to the loved ones who wonder why Maya didn’t speak up sooner to bystanders victim blaming and slut shaming to authorities hoping the “problem” will go away before they have to act. Maya grows a great deal throughout the story, but still has a long way to go which she realizes. Junie develops insight and assertiveness throughout the book and finally embraces participating in treatment with her therapist.

WHAT KIND OF GIRL would be a great classroom read and should be read by everyone.

[Lindsey Lynn (thepagemistress) · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5 stars

This has an incredible message on self harm, abuse and eat disorders. Along with dealing with mental health. It's told in a beautiful yet thoughtful way. It's a powerful book with a lot to say. It's not easy to accept or hear for some so all I can say is, go into this with an open mind and open heart. Don't let yourself judge. See the girl behind it all.

[Jennifer · Rating 4 out of 5]

Review to come

[Susana · Rating 4 out of 5]

ARC provided by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.


4 stars ⭐


As soon as I heard about this book, I wanted to get my hands on it. It sounded like my favourite type of contemporary novels: those with a heart-wrenching and often difficult story to read, but nonetheless extremely powerful and important.

What Kind of Girl is not just about domestic violence. Although that is one of this story's main themes, it is so much more than that. It touches on topics such as eating disorders and self-harm and does so flawlessly.

At first, I had problems getting into this book due to its unusual narrative style which is something I believe might deter some readers; however, when I did, I was gripped to the story and these characters until the very end. I can definitely see how many people could resonate with this novel because I was also able to see some parts of myself in it. This can be majorly atributted to how well the protagonists were written and their complexity.

One of my favourite aspects of this story is that it highlights the idea that we never truly know what the people around us are going through. This is visible in the main characters relationship: it shows that even one of the closest people in our lives might be hiding their pain and suffering without us even realising it. For this reason, I loved the scene in which the protagonists finally open up to each other and share their struggles.

That's good love. The kind of love that's there even when you're a mess, even when you're so disappointed in yourself that you can't imagine you're worth loving.

On the other hand, I really wish Mike's character, the abuser, had been more fleshed out. I think it would have added more impact and realism to the story had we had more scenes with him.

In conclusion, I believe What Kind of Girl will undoubtedly strike a chord with many readers. In my opinion, it is a 2020 release you should not miss, especially if it sounds like something up your alley!


Trigger warnings: domestic violence; self-harm; eating disorders (bulimia); drugs.

[ꪑꪖᦔꫀꪶ꠸ꪀꫀ · Rating 4 out of 5]

Overall Summary:

The first half of the book was very confusing with the different POV's (I'll get into that later), so here's a clarification of them:

Maya: the bulimic, the girlfriend, the popular girl, the stoner
Junie: the anxious one, the cool girl, the activist


The first half of the book is written and with all of the points of view above, we are left to figure out which character belongs to which defining quality (ex: the girlfriend) and what their role in the abusive relationship/school is. I thought this was a unique way to introduce the characters to us and force us to see the different sides in a situation like this, even if some sides aren't good. Although I thought it was important and it made the second half of the book very impactful, I didn't necessarily enjoy it. I flew through the second half of the book it was so entertaining, it had me on edge, and it made me very anxious for our characters. I died for the second half it would have been a five-star read if the entire book was like that!!! However, I can't say the same for the first half. I just found it confusing and not as engaging when you don't know who the characters are. I'm a very character-driven reader so I think that's why it kind of threw me off. However, again I can appreciate why the author did this. This is the main reason why I didn't give it 5/5 stars and I only gave it 4/5 stars.

Another reason why this book wasn't a 5-star read was because of the ending. I wanted more closure and I wanted to know what would have happened to Mike (if he got expelled, etc.). However, we didn't get any of that and I felt that it made the ending lackluster. It was going in an incredible and empowering direction that made me fly through the book, but having no idea what had happened to Mike or Hiram just threw the book off for me. It's not something I think about too deeply though. The confusion I felt for the first half of the book bothered me more than the ending of it.

Overall, this is a beautifully written book. It had such uniqueness in its writing and depth to the characters that made me overlook some of its flaws. I wish the whole book would have been written how the second half was, but I think that just made the second half of the book so much more impactful. I was so proud of all of the characters for coming to terms with their mental illnesses, recognizing them, and having the strength to reach out for help even if it did take a few months for them to do so. This book covers some very difficult topics that are talked about enough in some of the other young adult books that have been released in the past couple of years. I'm grateful that the author wrote the book in a way that made every single character have a different opinion about the situation, some people think Maya should have reached out sooner, some people only believe Mike, it discusses how the schools handle situations like this, and how the victim herself deals with the situation. Even though some of these opinions and point of views, bothered me because there are so clearly wrong, I think it's something that needed to be talked about as there are so many people who are quick to judge the victim, after never being in a situation like this before. You can't judge the victim or tell them to reach out sooner as YOU DON'T know what it's like to be in a situation like that.

I really can't express how much this book deals with difficult topics so perfectly and I think it could be really useful for young adult readers who can handle these heavy topics. It's an eye-opening book that makes you more aware of other people and their situations. It really sums up "don't judge a book by its cover" perfectly.

[TheGeekishBrunette · Rating 2 out of 5]

eARC provided by publisher through NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

I read another book by this author at the beginning of this year called A Danger to Herself and Others. You can find the review for that title here. I liked her take on mental illness as it was very intriguing. Since I liked that one, I decided to request this book in hopes I would like it just as much. Unfortunately, there was just too much to try to grasp and it made the book lack in certain areas along with being quite slow at times.

One of the issues I had from the beginning was how the chapters were separated. It was hard trying to figure out if each person (the burnout, the girlfriend, the popular girl, the bulimic) were in fact the same person. This was also the case in part two of the book, except the titles were different. I didn’t start to realize that the book was two point-of-views until after part two. It was only then did it make more sense and that part one was Maya, the girl in an abusive relationship with other issues, and her best friend, who also had issues of her own. Even though it made more sense, the two characters still felt like they had the same voice and there wasn’t much to distinguish between the two voices.

When it came to the issues that the girls dealt with, I can’t speak on every one because I have never been in any of the situations besides being bulimic. I have struggled with my weight since I was young and as I got older I struggled with Anorexia and Bulimia. The bulimia in the book is mentioned just a couple of times and then is glossed over. There is no resolution for it or at least her getting help with it. I felt that even though the book was trying to bring light to the issue it shouldn’t have been included if it wasn’t going to be more informative. The other topics like OCD, self-harm, abuse, and drugs, were discussed more. I thought that most were pretty informative but if the author would have talked about just a few then it could have been more effective.

Overall, I understand why this book would be important for teenagers to read but feel that it could have been executed better.

[love2read · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great young adult book! What Kind of Girl is about teens in high school and the struggles they go through daily. Popular guy Mike’s girlfriend goes to the principals office to report he’s hit her causing a black eye. This is where the students take sides. Why didn’t she tell anyone this has been going on for months? Why didn’t she leave him? People are wondering if this is true or just for attention. This book deals with a lot of important stuff. Bulimia, abuse,self harm. I think it is a very good informative book.

[Melanie · Rating 1 out of 5]

Yet another book that appears to discuss important topics and has so much promise but gets so much wrong that it has the potential to do damage than good. If you’re going to portray mental health issues and mental health care in a published novel, at least do your research.

After I encountered the line in the book that seems to be “educating” the reader about the difference between a psychiatrist and a psychologist INCORRECTLY it took me a lot of willpower to continue reading.

A psychiatrist DOES NOT PROVIDE THERAPY PEOPLE. They aren’t trained in it - they are M.D’s who got med school and I don’t know why books and TV keep getting it wrong. As a psychologist, I have to educate people about the difference so many times and people are always so confused so books like this do not help.

Besides this, the book covers so many different mental health issues that none of them get really flushed out or explained further. The use of OCD was inappropriate and incorrect (it’s not just about keeping things neat and clean) and I didn’t quite understand the connection between the main character being late all the time because of OCD? This whole thing really just fueled a lot of the misunderstandings people have about diagnoses and I fear it perpetuated stigma associated with many of them.

As a novel, the book was also hard to follow due to the POV changes which were further complicated by the changing labels for the same characters. The writing style was overall pretty simplistic and I felt that the dialogue was a bit repetitive and over explanatory at times. I really don’t recommend reading this book if you’re looking for insight on teen mental health issues. That’s all I’ve got.

[Izzie · Rating 2 out of 5]

eARC provided by Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
DNFed at 50%. I think this may be partially due to me and my reading mood, but I really did try and force myself to continue, but the book just made it almost impossible for me. It's a real shame as I did really appreciate the subject matter it was tackling.
This book follows multiple female perspectives during the week that a girl reports to her Principal that her boyfriend has been abusing her, in this case by hitting her, and she couldn't deal with it anymore. This book looks at the different reactions of the student body as this news starts to spread.
In concept, this sounded like just my sort of book, but it just didn't work. Like I said, we follow multiple perspectives, which I usually don't mind, but there was a ridiculous amount of repetition. When switching between perspectives we repeat the same events again and again, making the book feel stagnant and directionless. And even within the same perspective, the author just says the same thing over and over again. The same thoughts and feelings were stated on almost every page, and again made the book feel very directionless and like it didn't have enough plot to fill the book.
This, along with detached writing which may or may not have been on purpose, I'm not sure, just meant it was painful to push myself through and I genuinely couldn't read another page. I've decided to give it 2 stars as I am pleased it's a topic that's being discussed and I'm sure there are plenty of people who will enjoy this book, I just wasn't one of those people.

[Kristi · Rating 4 out of 5]

First sentence:

It’s hard not to want to defend him.

What Kind of Girl examines many of the problems that teenagers face today with the focal point on dating violence. The book centers on the aftermath that occurs when a teen girl, Maya, accuses her very popular and well-liked boyfriend, Mike, of physically abusing her.

The story is told in three parts, mostly narrated by Maya and her best friend, Juniper aka Junie. There are some parts that are narrated by others i.e. The Best Friend of Mike and it was especially hard to understand exactly what was going on and who was talking for the first third of the book. This was distracting and confusing for me and interrupted the forward movement of the book. I kept going back to re-read the previous chapter to try and figure out who exactly was who.

I think the author did an excellent job shining a light on dating violence and the lines that are drawn when accusations are made. The emotions that Maya goes through, self-doubt, guilt, struggling with feelings that maybe she deserved it, etc.… I think these are all things that victims often feel. Ms. Sheinmel does a great job illuminating these areas throughout the book along with the attention she brings to the matters of bulimia, drug abuse, anxiety, and self-harm.

It’s a worthy read that sheds light on What Kind of Girl stays with a boy that hits her, why she stayed, and what her friends, family and peers think about it

A big thank you to NetGalley and Sourcebooks for allowing me to read and review this title.

[Samantha (WLABB) · Rating 4 out of 5]

When resident golden boy, Mike, was accused of hitting his girlfriend, everyone was forced to choose sides. Did they believe him or did they believe her? And, if they believed her, what kind of girl would stay with a boy like that?

There's quite a bit to unpack with respect to the myriad of issues Sheinmel tackled in this book, but I think she did a rather good job. This is a story, that focuses on the challenges faced by females every day. Domestic violence, body image, and mental health take center stage in this novel, and they are attacked head on.

I have seen some reviewers comment on the narrative structure, but here I am, declaring that it was brilliant! In part one, I was presented with all these different points of view on the domestic abuse issue. I heard from the stoner, the bulimic, the popular girl, as well as many others, and it was an interesting way to deliver so many varied opinions and thoughts on the issue, but I recognized the genius in part two of the book. All I can say is - be patient. For me, the payoff due to the structure was pretty big, because I thought it made a HUGE statement, which I would love to elaborate on, but I feel like it's spoilery, and seriously! This was one of my favorite things about the book.

Aside from the rather innovative structure, there were many other elements I appreciated in this story. I loved the focus on friendship, the idea of women supporting women, the honest discussions that eventually occurred between the girls and their parents, the idea of being true to yourself and standing up for what's right - there were so many fantastic things woven into this tale.

This was quite an emotional and thought provoking look into the lives of young women, which was honest, raw, and unflinching. I appreciated the candor and the honesty with which Sheinmel approached each issue, and thought there was a lot of valuable messaging in there as well.

*ARC provided in exchange for an honest review.

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