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Girl Stuff #1
Girl Stuff.
The first book in a commercial middle-grade series--by the bestselling author of The Clique--featuring three girls starting seventh grade.
Fonda, Drew, and Ruthie have been besties forever, but seventh grade is going to be their year! Look out, Poplar Middle School (yup, that's PMS), here comes the coolest clique around. The three girls can't wait to do everything together and have an amazing time doing it. But you know what they say about the best laid plans...
On day one:
- Ruthie realizes that being in Talented and Gifted means being in a different part of the school. There go their stuck-together-like-glue dreams.
- Drew's crush--who seemed so into her like a week ago--suddenly acts like he doesn't know her. And now he's all she can think about.
- Fonda's finally being noticed by The Avas (aka the popular girls, all named, you guessed it: Ava), but can she really hang out with them if Ruthie and Drew aren't invited?
There's nothing like seventh grade to test the bonds of friendship. Fonda, Drew, and Ruthie are about to find out how much it stinks to be lied to, to be left out, and to feel like you're the only one who cares. But they'll also find out how meaningful female friendships are, and how great it feels to be yourself.
Get ready for the most meaningful, most fun stuff of all: girl stuff!
Fonda, Drew, and Ruthie have been besties forever, but seventh grade is going to be their year! Look out, Poplar Middle School (yup, that's PMS), here comes the coolest clique around. The three girls can't wait to do everything together and have an amazing time doing it. But you know what they say about the best laid plans...
On day one:
- Ruthie realizes that being in Talented and Gifted means being in a different part of the school. There go their stuck-together-like-glue dreams.
- Drew's crush--who seemed so into her like a week ago--suddenly acts like he doesn't know her. And now he's all she can think about.
- Fonda's finally being noticed by The Avas (aka the popular girls, all named, you guessed it: Ava), but can she really hang out with them if Ruthie and Drew aren't invited?
There's nothing like seventh grade to test the bonds of friendship. Fonda, Drew, and Ruthie are about to find out how much it stinks to be lied to, to be left out, and to feel like you're the only one who cares. But they'll also find out how meaningful female friendships are, and how great it feels to be yourself.
Get ready for the most meaningful, most fun stuff of all: girl stuff!
256 pages, Paperback
First published February 2, 2021
56 people are currently reading
441 people want to read
About the author
Lisi Harrison
95 books2,844 followersLisi Harrison is the author of the #1 New York Times best-selling series "The Clique", "Alphas", "Monster High," Pretenders," and her first adult novel: "The Dirty Book Club" out 10.10.17. Lisi was born in Toronto, Canada, and lived in NYC for 15 years while she worked at MTV. She now lives in Laguna Beach, CA and is a member or her own Dirty Book Club.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 35 reviews
December 28, 2021
Great book!
July 24, 2023
4.5 this was a great book would recommend!!
December 5, 2022
I thought this book was slow. To many characters in the book i could only keep track of the Nesties. And i think that there shoulve been more thought into Will and Drews Relationship. But the book wasnt bad. It had cute moments, But you should read this one then the 2nd because for me at the end it was worth it . If this is your favs of the books im sorry if my review hurt you.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 12, 2023
this was cute! I read bc I was obsessed with the clique series as a kid so I wanted to see what lisi harrison is writing these days and it was a fun read
August 10, 2024
This was kinda okay. I recommend this if your interested in girl drama.😎
June 13, 2022
as a long time lover of the clique, i knew i was going to love this book. what i did not expect was how MUCH i loved this book. lisi harrison has remained one of the funniest middle grade authors, fully making me laugh out loud in front of a group of 10-12 year olds multiple times. fonda, drew and ruthie all felt like girls i either was friends with in middle school or girls that i was in middle school, making the reading experience that much better. their friendship felt real and deep, the way they felt for each other was familiar and nostalgic and i found it hard not to get emotional over their inevitable fight. this book did the impossible of making me miss middle school.
Read
June 5, 2021For this marking period, I read a traditional paper copy book called Girl Stuff. The reason why I chose this book is that the summary of the book was interesting and the cover was colorful, and the drawing of three friends was pretty. The genre of the book is realistic fiction and our main characters of Girl Stuff are Fonda, Drew, and Ruthie. The setting is Poplar Middle (middle school), and Ava G’s party. The story takes place in the summer and although it doesn’t say in the book when the first day of school was, I can infer that it is September.
Fonda, Drew, and Ruthie are nesties, which means they are next-door besties. The three nesties are inseparable and enjoy each other’s company. But over the summer the three best friends were separated. Drew had to go help her parents with the day camp they owned, Ruthie went to Washington DC, and Fonda stayed with her two older sisters and mother. Fonda’s mother made her daughters make a vision board. Fonda’s goal was for her and her friends to be the most popular girls in Poplar Middle. When the girls were finally able to see each other, Fonda told the girls her plan for the three of them to become popular; they would all have to do everything together, walking, sitting at lunch, using the bathroom, etc. It was the first day of school and things did not go as planned. For starters, Ruthie was assigned to a TAG program, talented and gifted program. Ruthie would be in a different classroom, with other kids, and without Fonda and Drew. As seventh grade begins, each girl wants something different. Fonda wants to be the most popular girl in school, Drew wants Will (crush) to like her, and Ruthie has been struggling with whether to pick TAG or the nesties. Although Fonda, Drew, and Ruthie go their own ways, they miss each other.
When Fonda saw how her friendship with Drew and Ruthie was falling apart, she decided that she would plan a Spa-tacular; it was a sleepover that involved a spa night. The date was set for Friday, the same day the Avas (a group of three popular girls, they are all called Ava) had their party at Ava G’s house. Even though the sleepover could be the solution to Fonda’s problem, she couldn’t help but get mad that she wasn’t invited to the party. It turned out that Fonda actually was invited to the party all along. Drew also was invited (without Fonda and Ruthie knowing) by Will, and couldn’t miss this opportunity. Fonda didn’t know how to tell Drew and Ruthie that she would miss the sleepover to be at a party. Drew couldn’t explain that she was going to a party with her crush and not be able to go to the sleepover. On the day of the party, the girls walked together and Fonda faked that she ate bad chicken, then Drew thought that this was her chance and lied about eating bad chicken too. Ruthie was upset that both of her friends were too “sick” to have their sleepover. Ruthie was very happy to hear that there would be a sleepover. She loved TAG and enjoyed the classes, but on the other hand, she missed her friends and wanted to be part of what they were doing. Ruthie felt left out. Her teacher gave the students a test to see if they were falling behind; Ruthie knew all the answers but purposely put the wrong answers to fail TAG and take regular classes to be with Fonda and Drew. She wanted to tell her friends the great news at the sleepover, but with the news that there wouldn’t be a sleepover, she wasn’t able to.
At the party, both Fonda and Drew were there, they weren’t aware of each other’s existence. Ruthie went to the party only because Sage (Ava G’s stepsister) invited her to spy on the guests. Ruthie spotted both Fonda and Drew, she was in disbelief that her friends lied to her to be at a party. She couldn’t believe that she was willing to fail a test for her so-called friends. The three girls got into a heated argument and everyone filmed their argument. For the past few days Fonda, Drew, and Ruthie avoided each other. Finally, Fonda had the attention that she had been craving for so long. Now that she had it she didn’t want it, she lost two of her closest friends because of it. Fonda went to apologize to Drew and Ruthie, her apology was sincere and the nesties were back! Fonda didn’t want to change her friends and wanted them to stay as themselves.
Girl Stuff is a great book and I feel that this book suits best for girls. I personally think that this book is for girls because the main characters are girls. The book has to do a lot with school drama, friendship, and romance which has a lot to do with girls. This book is a good choice for middle school girls, ages 11-13. I think that Girl Stuff is something that my teacher should read, especially because it mentions a little bit about The Outsiders. I wasn’t able to put the book down, every time I had a chance to read the book I took advantage of it. When I was left on a cliffhanger, I had to read more to find out what happened. My favorite part was when Ruthie figured out that Drew and Fonda were at the party.
Ultimately, I enjoyed this book; I’m very glad that I was able to (almost) finish the marking period with a great book. I think that I did well this marking period with the amount I read. Although I’m supposed to update GoodReads weekly, I try to read daily. There is always room for improvement, so I’m hoping that as we reach the end of the school year, I can be consistent in my reading. I want to be a good reader, so some things I’d like to do are read more often, maybe borrow books from the library, trade books with my brother, etc. I’d love to find more books about friendship. I’ve learned that friendship has its ups and downs and a true friend would have your back.
Fonda, Drew, and Ruthie are nesties, which means they are next-door besties. The three nesties are inseparable and enjoy each other’s company. But over the summer the three best friends were separated. Drew had to go help her parents with the day camp they owned, Ruthie went to Washington DC, and Fonda stayed with her two older sisters and mother. Fonda’s mother made her daughters make a vision board. Fonda’s goal was for her and her friends to be the most popular girls in Poplar Middle. When the girls were finally able to see each other, Fonda told the girls her plan for the three of them to become popular; they would all have to do everything together, walking, sitting at lunch, using the bathroom, etc. It was the first day of school and things did not go as planned. For starters, Ruthie was assigned to a TAG program, talented and gifted program. Ruthie would be in a different classroom, with other kids, and without Fonda and Drew. As seventh grade begins, each girl wants something different. Fonda wants to be the most popular girl in school, Drew wants Will (crush) to like her, and Ruthie has been struggling with whether to pick TAG or the nesties. Although Fonda, Drew, and Ruthie go their own ways, they miss each other.
When Fonda saw how her friendship with Drew and Ruthie was falling apart, she decided that she would plan a Spa-tacular; it was a sleepover that involved a spa night. The date was set for Friday, the same day the Avas (a group of three popular girls, they are all called Ava) had their party at Ava G’s house. Even though the sleepover could be the solution to Fonda’s problem, she couldn’t help but get mad that she wasn’t invited to the party. It turned out that Fonda actually was invited to the party all along. Drew also was invited (without Fonda and Ruthie knowing) by Will, and couldn’t miss this opportunity. Fonda didn’t know how to tell Drew and Ruthie that she would miss the sleepover to be at a party. Drew couldn’t explain that she was going to a party with her crush and not be able to go to the sleepover. On the day of the party, the girls walked together and Fonda faked that she ate bad chicken, then Drew thought that this was her chance and lied about eating bad chicken too. Ruthie was upset that both of her friends were too “sick” to have their sleepover. Ruthie was very happy to hear that there would be a sleepover. She loved TAG and enjoyed the classes, but on the other hand, she missed her friends and wanted to be part of what they were doing. Ruthie felt left out. Her teacher gave the students a test to see if they were falling behind; Ruthie knew all the answers but purposely put the wrong answers to fail TAG and take regular classes to be with Fonda and Drew. She wanted to tell her friends the great news at the sleepover, but with the news that there wouldn’t be a sleepover, she wasn’t able to.
At the party, both Fonda and Drew were there, they weren’t aware of each other’s existence. Ruthie went to the party only because Sage (Ava G’s stepsister) invited her to spy on the guests. Ruthie spotted both Fonda and Drew, she was in disbelief that her friends lied to her to be at a party. She couldn’t believe that she was willing to fail a test for her so-called friends. The three girls got into a heated argument and everyone filmed their argument. For the past few days Fonda, Drew, and Ruthie avoided each other. Finally, Fonda had the attention that she had been craving for so long. Now that she had it she didn’t want it, she lost two of her closest friends because of it. Fonda went to apologize to Drew and Ruthie, her apology was sincere and the nesties were back! Fonda didn’t want to change her friends and wanted them to stay as themselves.
Girl Stuff is a great book and I feel that this book suits best for girls. I personally think that this book is for girls because the main characters are girls. The book has to do a lot with school drama, friendship, and romance which has a lot to do with girls. This book is a good choice for middle school girls, ages 11-13. I think that Girl Stuff is something that my teacher should read, especially because it mentions a little bit about The Outsiders. I wasn’t able to put the book down, every time I had a chance to read the book I took advantage of it. When I was left on a cliffhanger, I had to read more to find out what happened. My favorite part was when Ruthie figured out that Drew and Fonda were at the party.
Ultimately, I enjoyed this book; I’m very glad that I was able to (almost) finish the marking period with a great book. I think that I did well this marking period with the amount I read. Although I’m supposed to update GoodReads weekly, I try to read daily. There is always room for improvement, so I’m hoping that as we reach the end of the school year, I can be consistent in my reading. I want to be a good reader, so some things I’d like to do are read more often, maybe borrow books from the library, trade books with my brother, etc. I’d love to find more books about friendship. I’ve learned that friendship has its ups and downs and a true friend would have your back.
April 9, 2021
Cute but in nowhere near the same league as the Clique.
April 16, 2025
ATY 2025 Reading Challenge: two books with opposites in their titles (1/2) "girl" match with "boy"
January 22, 2024
Now that the "nesties" (neighbor best friends) are all at the same school, everything is going to be perfect! Except, it's not. They all have different goals for 7th grade: Fonda wants to create a new "it" group with her friends and rule the school, Drew wants to make some progress with her summer crush that goes to her new school, and Ruthie wants to spend time with her friend but struggle being part of a special advanced program where she doesn't seem them at all during the school day. It's a super realistic portrayal of middle school chaos, desire to fit in, and drama. Nothing super notable, but it's by the author of the Clique series. For fans of friendship and drama, like Baby-Sitters Club, Invisible Emmie, Kayla Miller' series, the Wish series, and the Abby in Between series.
May 6, 2022
Tween, friendship
What a great book for Tweens. Three girls, Fonda, Drew and Ruthie, have expectations for Jr high. Unfortunately, their expectations don't coincide with each other. Great book for girls who are entering Jr. High, as the book presents issues that Jr High girls would have ( crushes, wanting to be popular, being in a gifted program) and has reasonable outcomes and solutions for those problems.
Not a book, really, for anyone over age 12.
What a great book for Tweens. Three girls, Fonda, Drew and Ruthie, have expectations for Jr high. Unfortunately, their expectations don't coincide with each other. Great book for girls who are entering Jr. High, as the book presents issues that Jr High girls would have ( crushes, wanting to be popular, being in a gifted program) and has reasonable outcomes and solutions for those problems.
Not a book, really, for anyone over age 12.
September 13, 2022
This is a cute contemporary story about three girls going to middle school for the first time and struggling with what life is like. They all have different goals for the year, and none of them align. This leads to a lot of hurt feelings and miscommunication, but in the end they're able to work it out to a happy end. This is great for kids struggling with going to school and learning to navigate friendships.
June 9, 2022
Definitely a young adolescent book.. cute ideas and definitely a situation a young teenage girl can find themselves in. Was such a quick read that I finished in almost one day.. I was trying to slow down but I was caught up in the characters and the trials they were going through as they started seventh grade.
May 22, 2021
This book was such a cute and fun read! It had all of the same quippy and iconic writing from "The Clique" series, but with a modern and probably more age appropriate lens. I read it in one sitting while waiting in the ER, and it made time fly lol.
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May 29, 2021This book illustrated the jungle that is middle school in a funny and perfect way! The characters are relatable, the story is well thought-out, and the setting is easy to see. I couldn’t recommend this book enough!
March 9, 2022
Three best friends are at the same school for the first time ever and are super excited for all the fun they'll have together but nothing goes exactly as planned. First crushes, first periods, first parties, and first lies --this book is reminiscent of a Judy Blume book.
June 21, 2023
5 stars! I loved how relatable it was for me! My favorite part was when Drew and Will said that they liked each other! I couldn’t put it down! Definitely recommend!! Can’t wait to read the sequel! 5 stars!!
May 6, 2021
A cute book for middle readers. And a couple of nods to us die-hard Clique fans (bad chicken, PMS)
July 6, 2021
Neighborhood gals and some parenting
January 14, 2022
good book really enjoyed it 👍📚
January 27, 2022
It was cute. All though in comparison to the Clique series, definitely more for younger ages. But if you grew up loving the Clique series, this is another similar cute series by Lisi Harrison.
March 1, 2022
It was a cute book, but it's like every other "friend drama" book I've read. Nothing special.
March 22, 2022
This was cute! My only complaint is the pull-out gifted program. I don’t like that only the “gifted” kids would get escape rooms and creative projects and the message that sends.
May 8, 2022
A tender coming of age story to read on a nice weekend. I loved everything about this book.
February 28, 2023
not bad!
July 4, 2023
A great read for a tween.
May 27, 2024
One of my favorites of 2024!! Can’t wait to get the next book: Crush Stuff
April 10, 2025
Amazing!
July 1, 2025
This was a great book about growing up and friendship. This book shows that being popular isn't everything and you don't have to be with someone 24/7 to make you close friends.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 35 reviews