Noelle: The Mean Girl #3

Flyy Girls #3

by Ashley Woodfolk

Meet the Flyy Girls. The group of girls who seem like they can get away with anything. Veteran author Ashley Woodfolk pens a gorgeous and dynamic series of four Harlem highschoolers, each facing a crossroads of friendship, family, and love.

There are only three things that matter to Noelle Lee: her family, school, and the cello. She doesn't care if people see her as selfish or mean, because she knows she has her priorities in order. That's why when her dad loses his job, she doesn't hesitate to work more hours at her grandparents' Chinese restaurant. Seeing her girls and dealing with her ex-boyfriend have to take a backseat so she can help her family and prepare for her school's fall showcase. But things get even more complicated for Noelle when she realizes she can't stop thinking about Tobyn, one of the other Flyy Girls. With all of these distractions, Noelle starts to wonder if working hard even matters, especially if she can't keep her life from falling apart around her.

With simply stated text and compelling characters, Flyy Girls is a series that's perfect for readers of any level.

Genres: Young Adult, Contemporary, LGBT, Friendship, Fiction, Audiobook, Young Adult Contemporary

144 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published March 9, 2021

About the author

Ashley Woodfolk has loved reading and writing for as long as she can remember. She graduated from Rutgers University and worked in children's book publishing for over a decade. Now a full-time mom and writer, Ashley lives in a sunny Brooklyn apartment with her cute husband, her cuter dog, and the cutest kid in the world. Her books include The Beauty That Remains, When You Were Everything, and the Flyy Girls Series.

Reviews

[Bookishrealm · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ashley Woodfolk is doing amazing things with these shorter books. I'm so happy that there is an author that is actively attempting to create accessible HiLo books for teen readers. There are so important to the bookish community at large. CW: bullying, physical altercation

I've been keeping up with the Flyy Girls series as they come out and overall it's been an enjoyable series. This third installment specifically focuses on Noelle. From the first book where readers meet Lux, there is a clear indication that Noelle is the mean girl and not always the most fun individual to be around. At the beginning of the story, Noelle breaks up with her boyfriend as she attempts to navigate her sexual identity. It's something that she clearly struggles to understand and it unfolds in not so great ways for herself and her friends. Noelle is also bi-racial. She's Black and Chinese and the cultural aspects of her heritage are seamlessly woven into the narrative. This book is definitely about character growth and family dynamics.

Ashley Woodfolk really shines through in all of these books with her writing. In all of my reviews I find it necessary to let people know that the simplicity of the writing is intentional. These are Hi/Lo books where the interest level for reluctant or struggling readers is high, but the difficulty is low. Regardless, Woodfolk writes in such a unique and impactful manner that is engaging and really allows readers to connect with the characters. This is particularly important in the case of Noelle who struggles so much with her anger. There are parts that can be relatively difficult for readers to get through, but because Woodfolk allows for those connections to the characters, readers end up empathizing with Noelle rather than disliking her for her behavior. In terms of characterization, Noelle is allowed to make mistakes, but at the same time she has to grow. It takes a gifted writer to make that magic work on page. Overall, I thought that this was a great addition to the series and I'm looking forward to reading the final book.

[Gemini · Rating 4 out of 5]

Mean Like Me

This book felt as authentic as the others in the series. Noelle’s temper flared when she felt stressed or powerless. That’s very relatable for me. It would be easy to write her off as a mean girl and be done with her. Knowing the root cause of her meanness exposed her vulnerability. It made me want to root for her to overcome her anger issues. I enjoyed keeping up with the other Flyy Girls as their stories were intertwined into this book. I’m so curious about what will happen with Tobyn. I’m looking forward to reading the next book.

[Grace W · Rating 4 out of 5]

(c/p from my review on TheStoryGraph) Maybe my favorite of the series so far, I think it handled the length a lot better than the other ones did, with things both wrapping up and not wrapping up as necessary. For sure my favorite re: character development.

TW for this book include: Bullying, Infedelity, Chronic Illness, and Panic Attacks

[Milly · Rating 4 out of 5]

I connected with Noelle so much!

[Stacia | stacialovestoread · Rating 5 out of 5]

This short book contains so much.
Noelle is the mean girl, and now we know why. Her family life is stressful, she trying to navigate feelings she’s never felt before, all while trying to maintain friendships and getting ready for college. I’m not saying it’s an excuse, but it helps to understand her plight.

Again, in just under 300 pages, a fully fleshed out story of a girl trying to keep the peace and find her own happiness emerges. I can’t wait for Tobyn’s story to close out the crew!


——-
Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for this free ebook in exchange for an honest review!

[decklededgess · Rating 4 out of 5]

trigger warnings: parents arguing, hurricane damage mention, bullying and physical fights

Love this series. These relatively short stories about a group of girls living through high school and growing into themselves is so wholesome. They girls are all upper high school age but the writing caters to younger kids I think in a “here’s what you can look forward to” way while folding in realistic struggles that all kids go through no matter the age. Enjoyed this very much!! Noelle is a wonderful main character. After reading about Lux and Micah, Noelle seemed really compelling and this really gave a lot of wonderful context to her!

[exorcismemily · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love reading the Flyy Girls books - they're relaxing and easy to read, and I love the characters. Noelle: The Mean Girl is book 3, and it was another enjoyable addition to the series. The characters are always questioning or learning about something in each story. This one is about questioning sexuality and learning about pride and kindness. I think Noelle is my favorite, and I relate to her. I'm looking forward to book 4!

[ipek · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5

[Lucie · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars
Noelle has been my least favorite in the series so far which was a bit disappointing, but I still appreciated her story.

[Lisa · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the 3rd installment in the Flyy Girls series. Thank you to Penguin Teen for sending me a copy in exchange for an honest review.

I enjoyed the series as a whole but generally speaking, I think this series was a bit too "YA" for me. I think I would've enjoyed this series much more as a teen. The diverse characters and realistic storylines were great but weren't enough to keep me interested in the last book but I did enjoy this one.

Noelle struggles with her duel cultures of being Black and Asian. I related to the Asian side and I thought it was refreshing to see a mixed race character. Noelle also struggles with expressing her feelings in a way that isn't just frustration and anger at her friends and that is also something I struggled with as a teen. I think these stories are an amazing way to show us how characters can have more than one dimension to them. However, I do not think I will continue onto the 4th book.

[Kera’s Always Reading · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have been absolutely loving this series of novellas from Ashley Woodfolk and Noelle’s story is no different. In fact, this is my favorite to date. Noelle is the daughter of a black mother and a Chinese father, though she claims to have more of her mother’s features. I loved the cultural aspects of this book.

Noelle has just broken up with the boyfriend she loves. She is dealing with some feelings that are new to her. She has a major crush on one of her best friends and this friend is going through some relationship difficulties of her own. Noelle is trying to come to terms with liking a girl and the only person she can talk to about it is her maternal grandmother whom she writes to. I thought that was a beautiful part of this story.

Noelle’s father is a proud man and does not like the fact that Noelle and (encouraged by her due to the fact that he is being bullied at school) her little brother are taking on duties at his parents’ restaurant. This tends to cause friction within her household.

This book was full of teenage insecurity and so so much love. I adored it very much. Noelle’s story and how she has been deemed the mean girl amongst her Flyy Girls friend group as a defense mechanism and how she decides to break free from that social constraint was a thing of beauty.

[Yuna · Rating 4 out of 5]

More like 3.5* but I love this series as a whole so much.

This is probably my least favorite of the three so far, but that's not to say it's bad or I didn't enjoy it. Just not as much as the others? I wish Noelle's friends had called out her meanness more specifically as to why/how it hurt them. Also seemed like the "reasons" behind her meanness were all things specific to this book (working through her feelings about Tobyn, worrying about her little brother, worrying about her family), but Noelle's been the mean one since before the series started.

I love the sibling relationship between her and Pierre. When he runs over and tells her that he'll be the one to watch her concert? omggggg. And I liked seeing the complicated but still loving family dynamics in this book. Even though there's a lot of family drama going on, I appreciated that in this book I wasn't wanting to hit the parents with the clue brick--unlike how I was when reading the previous two books in this series. Noelle's parents are flawed, but it felt very relatable/understandable.

[Florence Migga · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am really enjoying this little series. I thought I wouldn’t like this one, but I was actually really invested in the story and seeing how Noelle is not actually the worst. Also, this one ended not on a cliffhanger, but there’s definitely stuff that I hope is resolved in Tobyn. Which I’m looking forward to!

One more to go!

[Monique · Rating 4 out of 5]

These books read so fast and they are really good-..into Book Three--the story of Noelle, the mean one who is half Chinese and black mother from Martinique-black with wild curly hair, a passion for music and a bunch of secrets that keep her constantly snapping at others and secretive…

“Often when she played her own pieces, her deepest, most well-kept secret filled her thoughts.” (p. 7).
Noelle’s sharp wit and icy demeanor help her hide her deep down crush on one of her best friends and her feelings of hopelessness..she basically has no faith in people or that things will work out for her…

“But the worst of it was the hope that rose up inside her as Tobyn told this last part of her
story. The hope that if Ava didn’t love Tobyn anymore, maybe there would be room for Tobyn to love . . . someone new. It reminded Noelle too much of hoping her parents would come see her play, and she hated hoping for things that might never, ever happen.”(pp. 14-15). Penguin Young Readers Group. Kindle Edition.

“Noelle could tell Tobyn why she’d gotten so mad at her the other day now. She could tell
her about Travis and reveal the truth about everything. But Tobyn was too soft, too sweet to love her—a girl with so many sharp edges.” (p. 45).

Noelle struggles through this one with her snarky temper and the way it is pushing her friends away and damaging relationships..This one ends kind of abruptly and leaves you wondering heavily about Tobyn as she is kind of in between Noelle and her girlfriend Ava..Maybe this is my least favorite but yes this series gets better and better..can’t wait to recommend this to my 7th/8th graders!!

[Barbara · Rating 2 out of 5]

Although I appreciate the author's efforts to create characters and situations with which many teens will struggle and package all this in an accessible text that doesn't demand too much from its readers--and yes, this one as well as the others in this Flyy Girls series will be wildly popular--I just couldn't get into Noelle's story because things played out pretty much the way I expected them to and I like my stories with more substance and description. In this particular title, senior Noelle and her best friends are planning a prank for the end of their year, but she has plenty of distractions to keep her mind off that prank. She has just broken up with her boyfriend, realizes she has romantic feelings for her friend Tobyn, and is working in her grandparents' Chinese restaurant to help ends meet after her father loses his job. She's also worried about her grandmother in Martinique. The author effectively describes Noelle's hair trigger reaction and impulsiveness as her stress mounts, and she takes her frustration out on her friends and everyone around her, eventually realizing that this behavior only serves to push others away. Somehow, without her realizing it, Noelle has become something of a mean girl. Many middle grade and teen readers will see themselves in Noelle and her behavior and realize that there are better choices. Despite all these challenges, it's clear that she is musically talented and doing the best she can. There are plenty of loose ends hanging, which will keep readers interested in reading the next title in the series.

[Heather · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really wish they'd adapt this series into a tv show, I feel like these characters and their lives would translate to that format really well. Anyway, I think this was my favorite of the series so far. Noelle is really going through it, and she's not really the best at processing her problems, so she ends up taking things out on the people closest to her, causing yet more problems. Her family is struggling financially, her little brother is getting into more and more fights at school, and she doesn't know what to do with the romantic feelings that have been growing in her for months for someone close to her that she doesn't want to risk losing. Her stubbornness and her anger keep getting the better of her, and she's on the precipice of everything crashing down around her. Through letters with her grandmother, and some honest conversations with her loved ones, she starts to realize that pushing people away who just want to help may not be the best option, and if she doesn't start dropping the mean girl act, she may end up all alone. I can't wait to see where the story goes in the final book.

[Alicia · Rating 4 out of 5]

The series is so accessible and it finds its home alongside other series in which the friend group (or high school) series focuses on a different character for each but still feature the others. Noelle is the "mean girl" although I don't think that's necessarily the appropriate title for her and even within the story it emerges that it's her insecurities and nervousness that project the anger rather than from a true queen bee/mean girl perspective.

And she's questioning her sexuality (especially with Tobyn, one in the friend group who is already out as a lesbian), but Noelle is also first chair in orchestra for the cello, and working at her grandparents' restaurant (while keeping a lookout for her younger brother and now the added anxiety of her father losing his job). While it seems like a lot for a tiny book to handle, it's done with grace and focus because THIS IS OUR TEENAGERS' LIVES and WORLDS. But they still need their friends and that's exactly how the books always end. Positively and upbeat as they struggle through growing up.

Another fabulous addition.

[Brittany J. (BNJreads) · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thank you @penguinteen for the gifted copy of The Mean Girl!!! The newest release in the Flyy Girl series focuses on Noelle and her mean girl nature. We all know that we take our hurt and frustrations out on those who are closest to us. It doesn’t make it right, but we’ve all been there. In book three, we see Noelle’s attitude taking over her relationships due to all the different stressors in her life. Noelle’s story explores the behind the scenes of one now low-income family, the pride, false expectations and stressors associated with being the head of household and the child internalizing it all.

You can’t go wrong with either book but I highly recommend reading them all!

And guess what?! I recently saw that Tobyn’s story is coming and I can’t wait! It’s called TOBYN: The It Girl and it’s due to be released 8/31/2021!

[AMAO · Rating 5 out of 5]

Noelle: The Mean Girl (Flyy Girls, #3)
by Ashley Woodfolk
Published March 9, 2021


There are only three things that matter to Noelle Lee: her family, school, and the cello. She doesn't care if people see her as selfish or mean, because she knows she has her priorities in order. That's why when her dad loses his job, she doesn't hesitate to work more hours at her grandparents' Chinese restaurant. Seeing her girls and dealing with her ex-boyfriend have to take a backseat so she can help her family and prepare for her school's fall showcase. But things get even more complicated for Noelle when she realizes she can't stop thinking about Tobyn, one of the other Flyy Girls. With all of these distractions, Noelle starts to wonder if working hard even matters, especially if she can't keep her life from falling apart around her.

[Bee (BacchusVines) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Noelle was one of the Flyy girls I really wanted to know, and I'm glad that this book did not disappoint. Ashley Woodfolk knows how to write friendships, and I love how much Noelle's friends don't let her take her anger and stress out on them. And that Noelle's crush on one of the girls feels so genuine. She doesn't have all the answers for why she has a crush on a girl when all she dated and liked where boys before, and that is the brilliance of Woodfolk's story. And Noelle deals with real things that girls from immigrant families deal with: a penpal with their grandmother and sending money abroad to keep the family safe and comfortable. And with her dad's pride over not wanting to work at his parents restaurants.

All in all, Noelle: the mean girl is a great addition to the flyy girls series.

[Cammy]

I can't remember if I said this about the last book, but even though I like how short this is, I don't think it should be as expensive as it was lol. I get that she had to pack a lot into the story, but there was a part with her boyfriend that didn't make any sense to me because it was resolved so quickly.

I think the biggest thing I like about these books is having a bunch of Black girls growing up in the city. I love books about families or kids in the city anyway and it's rare that you see Black girls in those, so I love it. I also love the centering of a Black girl with anger issues.

This makes me sound like a jerk, but everyone in these books has odd names. They're kind of cool! Except the name "Tobyn" sounds completely random and made up and every time it came up, I kind of rolled my eyes. Very judgmental for a girl whose name is spelled the way mine is, I know.

[Nursebookie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Noelle: The Mean Girl #3
By Ashley Woodfolk

I really enjoyed the first two books in this series and I knew I had to read another one and this one is by far my favorite of the stories of the FLYY girls series. Noelle is bi-racial half Chinese and half black, a Cellist, helps in her family business and is a wonderful big sister for her younger brother. There are lot of issues she is dealing with from her family, her friendships especially with another girl in her group Tobyn. I found this book packed a lot of punch for a short novella but a wonderful read for young adults going through these complex angst and insecurities. the writing was phenomenal and addressed the stories in a way that the readers will find it uplifting full of hope.

[D.T. · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked this one a bit less than others due to Noelle’s attitude. But as you continue reading, it makes sense why she lashes out like that. I also liked learning a bit more about Noelle’s fam. I love, love that line “Lux was not the one.” I’m not sure where Noelle and Tobyn’s story ends, but I’m glad Tobyn didn’t just drop everything because Noelle discovered she had feelings for her. You can’t talk to someone like dirt then confess to them and expect to be booed up in minutes. It don’t work like that.

Noelle has a lot muddled feelings and insecurities that feel true to a high schooler. I heard someone say anger is really a secondary emotion. Whenever you’re getting angry, it’s because you’re already scared. Very true.

[Alexia · Rating 5 out of 5]

Actual rating: 4.5 stars

Micah is still my favorite of the Flyy Girls, but I really enjoyed Noelle's book. This series is just amazing in general as it feels so relatable, and I think it's really a gift to young people and the girls who will be able to see themselves in these characters.

I definitely can snap at my friends like Noelle, so I liked seeing how the people in her life held her accountable for her actions and didn't keep letting her behavior slide. Noelle was dealing with a lot between her family, her job, and her feelings for Tobyn, so her misplaced anger and frustration made a lot of sense. I think it's really beneficial to read about mean Black girls, especially when their meanness is a cover up for their actual feelings.

The resolutions in these books always feel realistic and not like tidy fairytale endings. I'm gonna miss the Flyy Girls after Tobyn's book.

[Christine · Rating 4 out of 5]

These books are great. The covers are appealing enough to compete with the bestsellers on the shelf at the library and the stories are capable hi/lo offerings. I would love to see more books in this shorter format. I love how quickly the stories move. Things happen and then the book says "two weeks later, they did this, this, and this" without showing every detail. I think the focus on the broad strokes will effectively grab hesitant readers.

Anxiously waiting on Tobyn to come out -- I have a hold on the audiobook!

[Alvina · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a bit slower paced than the previous books, yet it was still good. I like how short, yet packed full, these stories are. Friendship has been the center and I love that. Takes me back to my middle and high school years; I had some of the best times with some of the best people; a time I'll never forget and always cherish. This book took me there; this series has taken me there and that has allowed for me to enjoy this series that much more. Highly suggest.

[aviva · Rating 3 out of 5]

Noelle : the mean Girl ⭐️⭐️⭐️💫
.
I’ve waited a longtime for this book! I’ve read the two others in the series and I’ve loved them so much ! Those short stories packed such a powerful punch that I couldn’t get enough . With that said , I didn’t love noelle’s story as a much as I did the others. I feeL Like I need more of her story, now I definitely understand her much more but, there was so much that transpired with her family, her talent and her sexuality that I wish it went deeper.

[channy. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Gonna give this one five stars just because it was my favorite of them all so far. Noelle’s journey was so good and realistic imo. Love the added arc of her being into girls, I can’t lie — the mean/popular girl being the repressed one is always fun to read to me. I thought her conflicting feelings for Tobyn were handled well and made a lot of sense and I hope they’re explored a little more in Tobyn’s story.

[Shantel]

I really don’t know how to rate this one. I rated the other 2 books in this series 5 stars, with no hesitation and while I still LOVE the series and look forward to Tobyn’s book, I still kind of hated Noelle by the end of the story. I get it, I even get her, but I still kind of hate her. I do love her brother Pierre and her grandparents, especially her granna in Martinique!!!

[LS Johnson · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked this one, but not as well as the other 2 books in the series that I’ve read so far. The girls seemed a little less mature in this one than they did in the others. But I’m still looking forward to the final book!