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You Know I'm No Good
This razor-sharp novel from Printz Honor winner and Morris Award finalist Jessie Ann Foley will appeal to the fans of Rory Power and Mindy McGinnis.
Mia is officially a Troubled Teen - she gets bad grades, drinks too much, and has probably gone too far with too many guys.
But she doesn't realize how out of control she seems until she is taken from her home in the middle of the night and sent away to Red Oak Academy, a therapeutic girls' boarding school in the middle of nowhere. While there, Mia is forced to confront her painful past at the same time she questions why she's at Red Oak. If she were a boy, would her behavior be considered wild enough to get sent away? But what happens when circumstances outside of her control compel Mia to make herself vulnerable enough to be truly seen?
Challenging and thought-provoking, this stunning contemporary YA novel examines the ways society is stacked against teen girls and what one young woman will do to even the odds.
Mia is officially a Troubled Teen - she gets bad grades, drinks too much, and has probably gone too far with too many guys.
But she doesn't realize how out of control she seems until she is taken from her home in the middle of the night and sent away to Red Oak Academy, a therapeutic girls' boarding school in the middle of nowhere. While there, Mia is forced to confront her painful past at the same time she questions why she's at Red Oak. If she were a boy, would her behavior be considered wild enough to get sent away? But what happens when circumstances outside of her control compel Mia to make herself vulnerable enough to be truly seen?
Challenging and thought-provoking, this stunning contemporary YA novel examines the ways society is stacked against teen girls and what one young woman will do to even the odds.
320 pages, Kindle Edition
First published October 13, 2020
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5463 people want to read
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April 30, 2022
"Because if God were real, why would they cut down so many kind and decent people in the prime of their lives, so many brilliant artists,
and then decide to spare a piece of shit like me?"
I was so fucking angry when this book ended not because it was bad or something like that but it made me feel so many emotions I didn’t think I had in me. Like this book explored something which was deep buried inside me for years because all I knew was I am a “TROUBLED TEEN” and I know what it feels like when you are an constant source of disappointment.
Moving on,
TW:-
You Know I’m No Good is absolutely brilliant! It begins with Mia Dempsey acknowledging the validity of her “trouble teen” image, but once she ends up in “Red Oak Academy, A Therapeutic Girls’ Boarding School for Chronically Pissed-Off Humans Between the Ages of Thirteen and Nineteen", we see deeper into her wounded heart and psyche as her defense mechanisms are slowly whittled away. Mia’s character arc is brilliantly written and as she learns to value herself, probably for the first time ever, the reader is taken on the emotional journey with her.
"How can they ever find me when, even as I stood in front of them, they never really saw me?"
Ask yourself what it feels like when you read about yourself in most vulnerable way possible? That’s exactly what I felt like when I read this book.
"Feeling like my brain is always cranking, like it can never shut off, like the only thing that can calm it down is to inhale a book or a drug or a boy??"
This book is about a girl Mia, who is at war with herself. Yesss , I just loved her so much , like at times I feel like I am reading about myself , I inhaled, absorbed and consumed all of her and I never wanted this book to end. Mia’s entire arc is both subtle and hugely impactful and to see where she starts at the beginning of the book to how the story ends is incredibly stunning. The majority of the conflict she faces is internal, although there is a lot poignant social commentary about how teenage girls are treated in our society and how much of a double standard they are held to. The relationships she develops are each so interesting to read about and each other the side characters are complex with their own conflicts and lives outside of how they relate to Mia. I loved many of the relationships – Mia and her therapist, Mia and Vera, Mia and Poppy, and even Mia and her dad.
"I don’t care, I don’t care, I don’t care.
It became the song of my whole life."
Foley provided a great development of depth to each of these relationships, and I wish that we could hear more about them in the future. With totally sassy, arresting dialogues and tender moments this book was an absolute winner for me in every aspect expect that ending. I wanted to know what happened to other girls in Red Oak, I understand this story is about Mia but I still wanted a wrapped up ending. Hence 4 stars and not 5 stars.
" I see that no matter the weather or the climate, the erosive properties of the place in which we came up,
we troubled girls have to keep at it, twisting and pushing our way out of the earth, our vines green and reaching.
If we can just keep going, we can survive. We can prove them wrong, all of them: all of those experts who said we were undrinkable."
Overall, You Know I’m No Good is such an emotional, gritty, and hopeful book that had me completely engrossed the entire time. I am so glad I had the opportunity to read this.
May 12, 2020
The seed for You Know I’m No Good was planted all the way back in 2007, when, for three days in a row, one of my freshman students didn't show up to class. On the fourth day, I contacted our counseling office, where I learned that Penny* had been taken from her bed in the middle of the night and sent to a school for “troubled teens” in the remote Arizona desert.
Penny had grown up in a wealthy family on Chicago’s affluent North Shore, and I knew that her parents had high expectations for her success. She was hardworking and diligent, vulnerable and funny. She was also loud and unfiltered; always blurting her opinions in class, breaking dress code, gushing about her crushes—and the truth is, I adored her. She struck me as a freshman who was, like most freshman, still trying to figure herself out. None of her behaviors, at least during school hours, struck me as wildly out of the ordinary for a girl her age. I wondered, if Penny had been a boy, would she have faced the same consequences?
Over the past thirteen years, I started and stopped this novel many times. It required more research than any project I’d ever attempted, and of the more than dozen therapeutic boarding schools I approached to interview, only one agreed to speak with me, and only one more allowed me to visit. All further information had to be gleaned from reading articles and tracking down interviewees on social media.
I thought these obstacles, plus the intensity of the world-building the book required, were the reason why this book was, despite being my fourth novel, by far the most difficult to write.
I lied to myself until the very end.
Because when I completed the final draft, I closed my laptop, rested my head on my desk and cried. It was suddenly so obvious to me: the process of writing this book was so painful because all along, I wasn’t just writing about Penny: I was also writing about myself.
To paraphrase the great Joan Didion, we don’t think about something and then write it; we write it so that we can find out what we’re thinking. Didion was an essayist, but the same rule applies to fiction; perhaps even more so. With fiction, one can place a veil between the story and the truth; one can change the setting without changing the substance; one can write about the truth of one’s experiences without ever having to name them directly. By hiding inside the fictional characters and settings I’ve created, I can throw myself off the scent of my own pain.
I wrote You Know I’m No Good for the girls—and the boys—who need to hear its message and feel less alone. I wrote it for Penny. I wrote it for the friends I’ve lost. I wrote it for my three young daughters in the hope that its message will play a tiny part in changing things for the better for young women from one generation to the next. I wrote it for my younger self. I wrote it for every kid who’s been called “troubled,” and took this label as a life sentence, an inevitable marker of how things had to be. And because of this, I know one thing for sure: the tears and the darkness, the torn-up drafts and the thirteen years of circling closer and closer to what I needed, finally, to say: it was worth it.
I hope you'll think so, too. Thank you for reading.
Penny had grown up in a wealthy family on Chicago’s affluent North Shore, and I knew that her parents had high expectations for her success. She was hardworking and diligent, vulnerable and funny. She was also loud and unfiltered; always blurting her opinions in class, breaking dress code, gushing about her crushes—and the truth is, I adored her. She struck me as a freshman who was, like most freshman, still trying to figure herself out. None of her behaviors, at least during school hours, struck me as wildly out of the ordinary for a girl her age. I wondered, if Penny had been a boy, would she have faced the same consequences?
Over the past thirteen years, I started and stopped this novel many times. It required more research than any project I’d ever attempted, and of the more than dozen therapeutic boarding schools I approached to interview, only one agreed to speak with me, and only one more allowed me to visit. All further information had to be gleaned from reading articles and tracking down interviewees on social media.
I thought these obstacles, plus the intensity of the world-building the book required, were the reason why this book was, despite being my fourth novel, by far the most difficult to write.
I lied to myself until the very end.
Because when I completed the final draft, I closed my laptop, rested my head on my desk and cried. It was suddenly so obvious to me: the process of writing this book was so painful because all along, I wasn’t just writing about Penny: I was also writing about myself.
To paraphrase the great Joan Didion, we don’t think about something and then write it; we write it so that we can find out what we’re thinking. Didion was an essayist, but the same rule applies to fiction; perhaps even more so. With fiction, one can place a veil between the story and the truth; one can change the setting without changing the substance; one can write about the truth of one’s experiences without ever having to name them directly. By hiding inside the fictional characters and settings I’ve created, I can throw myself off the scent of my own pain.
I wrote You Know I’m No Good for the girls—and the boys—who need to hear its message and feel less alone. I wrote it for Penny. I wrote it for the friends I’ve lost. I wrote it for my three young daughters in the hope that its message will play a tiny part in changing things for the better for young women from one generation to the next. I wrote it for my younger self. I wrote it for every kid who’s been called “troubled,” and took this label as a life sentence, an inevitable marker of how things had to be. And because of this, I know one thing for sure: the tears and the darkness, the torn-up drafts and the thirteen years of circling closer and closer to what I needed, finally, to say: it was worth it.
I hope you'll think so, too. Thank you for reading.
August 12, 2020
This is one more YA novel that takes on the subject of what it is to be a "bad" girl. I've read a couple of similarly themed ones (Furious Thing or Tess of the Road), and I've liked them all. This must be my jam.
When Mia gives her stepmom a black eye, her parents send her to a boarding school for "troubled girls" like her, as the very last effort to set her straight. It's not a scary type of a boot camp, but a place of healing and self-discovery. Here Mia meets other "bad" girls and is encouraged to figure out if she really is just naturally bad or there is something behind her drinking, drugs and sleeping around.
Tragically, you can predict what really is the source of the girls' "troubles" and defiance, and Mia's story arc is not unexpected. My skeptical self didn't completely buy into the HEA for Mia. But I really liked her voice and stories of her friends. I flew through this book, like I rarely do anymore.
The story is written with a lot of empathy and compassion. You should read Jessie Ann Foley's "review" of this novel here on Goodreads . It talks so wonderfully about the author's inspirations and intentions, and I think she mostly achieved what she had set out to achieve in this work, even though structurally it could have used some more polishing. But you know me, I am always complaining about something.
P.S. Special thank you to the author for not cramming a romance into this story. What a rare relief.
When Mia gives her stepmom a black eye, her parents send her to a boarding school for "troubled girls" like her, as the very last effort to set her straight. It's not a scary type of a boot camp, but a place of healing and self-discovery. Here Mia meets other "bad" girls and is encouraged to figure out if she really is just naturally bad or there is something behind her drinking, drugs and sleeping around.
Tragically, you can predict what really is the source of the girls' "troubles" and defiance, and Mia's story arc is not unexpected. My skeptical self didn't completely buy into the HEA for Mia. But I really liked her voice and stories of her friends. I flew through this book, like I rarely do anymore.
The story is written with a lot of empathy and compassion. You should read Jessie Ann Foley's "review" of this novel here on Goodreads . It talks so wonderfully about the author's inspirations and intentions, and I think she mostly achieved what she had set out to achieve in this work, even though structurally it could have used some more polishing. But you know me, I am always complaining about something.
P.S. Special thank you to the author for not cramming a romance into this story. What a rare relief.
October 19, 2021
"An ice horse galloping into fire"--Joy Harjo,"She Had Some Horses"
I’ll confess two things, at the outset: 1) that Jessie Ann Foley is my friend and a former student in my program to prepare folks to become English teachers, which she did as her work for several years; she’s visited my YAL classes numerous times, so you’ll have to consider the source for this review, but I am honest in my appraisal of it, I’m a fan, but a principled one, and 2) my own son was recently housed in a rehab center, and would be described as Mia is described in this book, as “troubled,” so I read it with some personal investment and anguish and hope. And read with my Fall 2021 YAL class.
This is Foley’s fourth book, after The Carnival at Bray, Neighborhood Girls, and Sorry for Your Loss, all set for much of the books in Chicago, where she was born and raised.
Mia is a smart girl, a young teen, who makes terrible life choices, including punching her step-mother in the nose, which is the final straw that gets her flown from Chicago and admitted to a Therapeutic Boarding School in Minnesota. She’s snarky and clever and defensive and angry and self-destructive. I can say nothing--based on my experience as a teacher, parent, and former psych hospital aide working with “troubled teens”--particularly surprised me in much of the first half of the story. It was painfully familiar and reminded of the “problem” kids depicted in the world of Chris Crutcher and Benjamin Saenz and others.
Other "rehab" YA books I've read that I can recall include E.R. Frank’s America, and Life is Funny; Susanna Kaysen’s Girl Interrupted; Last Night I Sang to the Monster, Benjamin Saenz.
The edgy, blunt dialogue is fresh and strong and powerfully written, all the way through, though I have to say some of the things that surprised me in the book in the second half were also a delight. I’ll just name them without spoilers, I hope: the wolves; the boy named after the prophet Isaiah, the Biblical prophet; the poetry throughout, maybe especially the work of Joy Harjo.
I liked and will think more about these ideas advanced by characters in the book: 1) the idea that trauma might prove to be a historical legacy handed down from one generation to the next--not predestination or fate, but hard to get loose from; 2) the idea of linguistic saturation, where the repetition of a word--such as “slut,” for instance, in this book--can on multiple iterations become just sound. As therapist Vivian says, "I want to see you grow strong enough to transcend language's ability to harm you." Or as Mia understands it, "I've allowed other people's opinions of me to become self-fulfilling prophecies," and 3) the terroir.
This is a book written by the mother of three daughters, one who began this book thirteen years ago because she had a “troubled teen” (and more than just her) in her classes. In The Carnival at Bray Foley has a girl experience sex in bad and good ways and in this book sexual activity--and assault--takes a central place; she wants girls to talk about these issues, with each other, with adults--teachers, parents. Books can open up difficult subjects like this for girls, and boys. What does it mean to be watched by boys and have your self-image shaped in part by that gaze? How can you see yourself for yourself? How can you make healthy choices for yourself? What would that look like?
I highly recommend, if you are considering this book, you read Foley’s own “review” or background information on the book here on Goodreads.
The title of the book is also the title of a song sung by Amy Winehouse:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b-I2s...
Amy Winehouse’s “Rehab” is also relevant to this story:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KUmZp...
I’ll confess two things, at the outset: 1) that Jessie Ann Foley is my friend and a former student in my program to prepare folks to become English teachers, which she did as her work for several years; she’s visited my YAL classes numerous times, so you’ll have to consider the source for this review, but I am honest in my appraisal of it, I’m a fan, but a principled one, and 2) my own son was recently housed in a rehab center, and would be described as Mia is described in this book, as “troubled,” so I read it with some personal investment and anguish and hope. And read with my Fall 2021 YAL class.
This is Foley’s fourth book, after The Carnival at Bray, Neighborhood Girls, and Sorry for Your Loss, all set for much of the books in Chicago, where she was born and raised.
Mia is a smart girl, a young teen, who makes terrible life choices, including punching her step-mother in the nose, which is the final straw that gets her flown from Chicago and admitted to a Therapeutic Boarding School in Minnesota. She’s snarky and clever and defensive and angry and self-destructive. I can say nothing--based on my experience as a teacher, parent, and former psych hospital aide working with “troubled teens”--particularly surprised me in much of the first half of the story. It was painfully familiar and reminded of the “problem” kids depicted in the world of Chris Crutcher and Benjamin Saenz and others.
Other "rehab" YA books I've read that I can recall include E.R. Frank’s America, and Life is Funny; Susanna Kaysen’s Girl Interrupted; Last Night I Sang to the Monster, Benjamin Saenz.
The edgy, blunt dialogue is fresh and strong and powerfully written, all the way through, though I have to say some of the things that surprised me in the book in the second half were also a delight. I’ll just name them without spoilers, I hope: the wolves; the boy named after the prophet Isaiah, the Biblical prophet; the poetry throughout, maybe especially the work of Joy Harjo.
I liked and will think more about these ideas advanced by characters in the book: 1) the idea that trauma might prove to be a historical legacy handed down from one generation to the next--not predestination or fate, but hard to get loose from; 2) the idea of linguistic saturation, where the repetition of a word--such as “slut,” for instance, in this book--can on multiple iterations become just sound. As therapist Vivian says, "I want to see you grow strong enough to transcend language's ability to harm you." Or as Mia understands it, "I've allowed other people's opinions of me to become self-fulfilling prophecies," and 3) the terroir.
This is a book written by the mother of three daughters, one who began this book thirteen years ago because she had a “troubled teen” (and more than just her) in her classes. In The Carnival at Bray Foley has a girl experience sex in bad and good ways and in this book sexual activity--and assault--takes a central place; she wants girls to talk about these issues, with each other, with adults--teachers, parents. Books can open up difficult subjects like this for girls, and boys. What does it mean to be watched by boys and have your self-image shaped in part by that gaze? How can you see yourself for yourself? How can you make healthy choices for yourself? What would that look like?
I highly recommend, if you are considering this book, you read Foley’s own “review” or background information on the book here on Goodreads.
The title of the book is also the title of a song sung by Amy Winehouse:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b-I2s...
Amy Winehouse’s “Rehab” is also relevant to this story:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KUmZp...
May 18, 2021
my favorite genre is women experiencing their emotions and seeking out and taking comfort in other women
So I guess she’s a hypocrite—the quality I hate most in people. But the weird thing is, I don’t care. I just feel this surge of love for her.
there was a lot of heart and it captured my attention and teenage angst really well
Have I ever beheld my own body?
thank you to the publisher and netgalley for providing my review copy
So I guess she’s a hypocrite—the quality I hate most in people. But the weird thing is, I don’t care. I just feel this surge of love for her.
there was a lot of heart and it captured my attention and teenage angst really well
Have I ever beheld my own body?
thank you to the publisher and netgalley for providing my review copy
June 26, 2022
I finished You Know I'm No Good in one day, however, that whole day consists of a couple of breaks because some chapters was such a punch, I had to put the book down and process. This book will definitely be close to my heart and I probably won't stop recommending it to readers who needs this books, which, in my own opinion, is everyone.
It all started when Mia punched her stepmother. Yes, you read that right. She punched her stepmother. But thats just one of the many things that she have done to be branded as "troubled teen" One day, she was woken up by a group of people dragging her somewhere and her family is not doing anything about it. And this is how she ended up in Red Oak.
I breezed through the whole book, in exception of some chapters that were a little difficult to read, NOT BECAUSE ITS BADLY WRITTEN in any way, only because its difficult. You Know Im No Good touches tough subjects such as sexual assault, OCD, and self harm. I don't want to use my review of this book to focus on my own trauma but I will just say that I am not unfamiliar with said disorders. The author did not shy away from the harsh realities of the possible struggles of some people who suffers with the same trauma or/and disorder. This book is through Mia's eyes and I must say that she's one of the most realistic "troubled teen" that I've encountered. The thing is, she knows what she's doing and she's calling out herself. It was painful and heartbreaking to read her thoughts sometimes, I'm not gonna lie. It was too real and too upsetting to read and think about. But this is reality. This is happening. And its not just to Mia.
Jessi Ann Foley penned characters that are too hard to let go. I want to know more about them because I felt so much for them. Is it because of what they've gone through or is it because they are all beautifully written? Scars and all. I'd say BOTH. Mias stay in Red Oak was terrifying but also an eye-opener. These girls aren't just "bad girls" who got sent away to a boarding school in the middle of nowhere due to bad behaviour. They all got their reasons and saddening back stories. I love how even though they are just secondary characters, they still got depth.
After reading You Know I'm No Good, I slept and thought if I have anything bad to say about this book the next day. I came up with nothing. The writing was engrossing, the whole plot was believable, engaging, at some times distressing but overall beautiful and necessary.
Now, who would I recommend this book to? Will you not enjoy it because you're an adult? Because you were not a "troubled teen"? I want to say, read it still. Read this book to gain empathy. To widen your compassion not only to other people, but also to yourself. To gain perspective. You Know I'm No Good is heartbreaking, but a poignant and powerful read. You won't want to miss it.
It all started when Mia punched her stepmother. Yes, you read that right. She punched her stepmother. But thats just one of the many things that she have done to be branded as "troubled teen" One day, she was woken up by a group of people dragging her somewhere and her family is not doing anything about it. And this is how she ended up in Red Oak.
I breezed through the whole book, in exception of some chapters that were a little difficult to read, NOT BECAUSE ITS BADLY WRITTEN in any way, only because its difficult. You Know Im No Good touches tough subjects such as sexual assault, OCD, and self harm. I don't want to use my review of this book to focus on my own trauma but I will just say that I am not unfamiliar with said disorders. The author did not shy away from the harsh realities of the possible struggles of some people who suffers with the same trauma or/and disorder. This book is through Mia's eyes and I must say that she's one of the most realistic "troubled teen" that I've encountered. The thing is, she knows what she's doing and she's calling out herself. It was painful and heartbreaking to read her thoughts sometimes, I'm not gonna lie. It was too real and too upsetting to read and think about. But this is reality. This is happening. And its not just to Mia.
Jessi Ann Foley penned characters that are too hard to let go. I want to know more about them because I felt so much for them. Is it because of what they've gone through or is it because they are all beautifully written? Scars and all. I'd say BOTH. Mias stay in Red Oak was terrifying but also an eye-opener. These girls aren't just "bad girls" who got sent away to a boarding school in the middle of nowhere due to bad behaviour. They all got their reasons and saddening back stories. I love how even though they are just secondary characters, they still got depth.
After reading You Know I'm No Good, I slept and thought if I have anything bad to say about this book the next day. I came up with nothing. The writing was engrossing, the whole plot was believable, engaging, at some times distressing but overall beautiful and necessary.
Now, who would I recommend this book to? Will you not enjoy it because you're an adult? Because you were not a "troubled teen"? I want to say, read it still. Read this book to gain empathy. To widen your compassion not only to other people, but also to yourself. To gain perspective. You Know I'm No Good is heartbreaking, but a poignant and powerful read. You won't want to miss it.
January 6, 2022
I’m not sure what I was expecting when I started this book, but I didn’t imagine it would be as heavy-hitting as it was. I read this in a day, but I had to take multiple breaks because of how hard it could be to read. Please be aware that this book portrays many sensitive issues, including rape, sexual assault, self-harm, suicide, murder, and death. This was by no means a light read.
Full review to come.
Full review to come.
Read
January 28, 2021The fact that I read the majority of this on company time just makes this more powerful for me.
You Know I'm No Good is about a troubled teen named Mia. After getting in a fight and punching her stepmother, Mia's parents send her away to a therapeutic boarding school. While there, Mia starts confronting her painful past while befriending the other girls there.
This book was good enough, and it went by really fast. But it felt like some things it wanted to hit on it just completely missed. This book is tagged feminism and there is a whole paragraph in the blurb about how they are only at a special school because they are girls but it doesn't feel like it really goes there. Maybe I've read too many books that hit these topics on the nose because this didn't even hit the face ?? There is a troubled girl who is made the villain and the main character and her friends literally assault her and yeah they are doing it in revenge of her laughing at another girl but like bruh what.
This book has a lot of serious topics and it was dark and hard to read, and for what. Maybe this is because the book is because of Mia's warped and bitter world view but her descriptions of people was just ugly. It never felt like Mia really got better either, just that she went through a bunch of hardships and then was like alright I'm good. I wanted more development in her recovery and I wish it focused more on that instead of boarding school shenanigans. I really liked her friendship with Vera though, seriously the best thing in the book for me highkey.
I do like the message of "bad girls or just not good" but I wanted more from it. Plus legal kidnapping to yeet troubled kids away is bad but okay make it a good thing I guess.
You Know I'm No Good is about a troubled teen named Mia. After getting in a fight and punching her stepmother, Mia's parents send her away to a therapeutic boarding school. While there, Mia starts confronting her painful past while befriending the other girls there.
This book was good enough, and it went by really fast. But it felt like some things it wanted to hit on it just completely missed. This book is tagged feminism and there is a whole paragraph in the blurb about how they are only at a special school because they are girls but it doesn't feel like it really goes there. Maybe I've read too many books that hit these topics on the nose because this didn't even hit the face ?? There is a troubled girl who is made the villain and the main character and her friends literally assault her and yeah they are doing it in revenge of her laughing at another girl but like bruh what.
This book has a lot of serious topics and it was dark and hard to read, and for what. Maybe this is because the book is because of Mia's warped and bitter world view but her descriptions of people was just ugly. It never felt like Mia really got better either, just that she went through a bunch of hardships and then was like alright I'm good. I wanted more development in her recovery and I wish it focused more on that instead of boarding school shenanigans. I really liked her friendship with Vera though, seriously the best thing in the book for me highkey.
I do like the message of "bad girls or just not good" but I wanted more from it. Plus legal kidnapping to yeet troubled kids away is bad but okay make it a good thing I guess.
July 5, 2020
Just wow.
I don’t know of any other author more adept at creating fully-dimensional characters who breathe right off of the page and into your life. And not just the main characters, but the secondary ones. Not just the teens, but the adults. There is no two-dimensionality here; there are no shortcuts. We are drawn right into Mia’s dysfunctional family life with her father and her stepmother, and we are pulled along when her family, at wits’ end, arranges to have her transported to Red Oak Academy, “a therapeutic girls’ boarding school for troubled teens.”
The story Foley tells of Mia and the other residents is sharp and insightful, while being utterly respectful of each girl’s journey. There is triggering content (references to sexual assault, cutting, suicide attempts, trichotillomania) but this novel will resonate with so many teens who feel desperate, unseen, or defined by their past. Painful, hopeful, beautiful.
Thank you, Edelweiss and Quill Tree Books, for the electronic arc.
I don’t know of any other author more adept at creating fully-dimensional characters who breathe right off of the page and into your life. And not just the main characters, but the secondary ones. Not just the teens, but the adults. There is no two-dimensionality here; there are no shortcuts. We are drawn right into Mia’s dysfunctional family life with her father and her stepmother, and we are pulled along when her family, at wits’ end, arranges to have her transported to Red Oak Academy, “a therapeutic girls’ boarding school for troubled teens.”
The story Foley tells of Mia and the other residents is sharp and insightful, while being utterly respectful of each girl’s journey. There is triggering content (references to sexual assault, cutting, suicide attempts, trichotillomania) but this novel will resonate with so many teens who feel desperate, unseen, or defined by their past. Painful, hopeful, beautiful.
Thank you, Edelweiss and Quill Tree Books, for the electronic arc.
August 25, 2022
Thank you NetGalley for providing me with an e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.
4.5 stars
Mia is what you would call a Troubled Teen. She drinks, does drugs, has sex, doesn't care about school, and most recently, she punched her stepmother. With her family--if you could even call them that--no longer able to deal with Mia's behavior, Mia is forcibly transported to Red Oak Academy, a therapeutic girls' boarding school that will hopefully change her ways. Although Mia is resistant to the school's seemingly controlling nature, from confiscated items, to strip searches, to 9pm bed times, it is through this school that Mia finally has a chance to be vulnerable and reflect on and process her relationships and experiences.
You Know I'm No Good had me hooked from the very first sentence all the way to the last. Through Mia's down-to-earth narration, the reader gets a nitty-gritty front row seat to the catastrophic events in her life. This is a story about what it means to be a "bad" girl--a slut, a whore, a junkie, a lost cause--and why this perception is deeply problematic and destructive. Intertwining themes of double standards, feminism, sexuality and sexual assault, mental health, family and friendships, just to name a few, Jessie Ann Foley's writing is deeply poignant and honest. Whether you have ever been in Mia's place, or perhaps have made some assumptions about someone in Mia's place, Foley encourages the audience to look beyond the surface and truly understand the burdens that "troubled teens" often carry.
I thought Mia's character, despite her decisions, was wonderfully written. She was angry and messy, but her voice was genuine. Of course, the idea misunderstood teens is far from new, but Foley offers a refreshing perspective on how harmful it is to demonize girls that may have "strayed from the path," as they might not even understand themselves or the events they have been through.
For readers of more mature, heavy YA, I would recommend this in a heartbeat. Powerful, heartbreaking, and realistically messy, this is the kind of story that will stay with you long after finishing it.
Content warnings: rape, underage sex, underage drinking, drug use, manipulation, mentioning of self harm
4.5 stars
Mia is what you would call a Troubled Teen. She drinks, does drugs, has sex, doesn't care about school, and most recently, she punched her stepmother. With her family--if you could even call them that--no longer able to deal with Mia's behavior, Mia is forcibly transported to Red Oak Academy, a therapeutic girls' boarding school that will hopefully change her ways. Although Mia is resistant to the school's seemingly controlling nature, from confiscated items, to strip searches, to 9pm bed times, it is through this school that Mia finally has a chance to be vulnerable and reflect on and process her relationships and experiences.
You Know I'm No Good had me hooked from the very first sentence all the way to the last. Through Mia's down-to-earth narration, the reader gets a nitty-gritty front row seat to the catastrophic events in her life. This is a story about what it means to be a "bad" girl--a slut, a whore, a junkie, a lost cause--and why this perception is deeply problematic and destructive. Intertwining themes of double standards, feminism, sexuality and sexual assault, mental health, family and friendships, just to name a few, Jessie Ann Foley's writing is deeply poignant and honest. Whether you have ever been in Mia's place, or perhaps have made some assumptions about someone in Mia's place, Foley encourages the audience to look beyond the surface and truly understand the burdens that "troubled teens" often carry.
I thought Mia's character, despite her decisions, was wonderfully written. She was angry and messy, but her voice was genuine. Of course, the idea misunderstood teens is far from new, but Foley offers a refreshing perspective on how harmful it is to demonize girls that may have "strayed from the path," as they might not even understand themselves or the events they have been through.
For readers of more mature, heavy YA, I would recommend this in a heartbeat. Powerful, heartbreaking, and realistically messy, this is the kind of story that will stay with you long after finishing it.
Content warnings: rape, underage sex, underage drinking, drug use, manipulation, mentioning of self harm
December 28, 2020
Um... I think I need time. Yeah, um *huge sob* I need time. And like, tissues. Also, words. I need to find the words.
March 13, 2021
4.5 stars.
God this was such an amazing, quick read.
God this was such an amazing, quick read.
May 17, 2021
Bonne lecture!
Thématiques et réflexions très importantes!
On embarque dans l’histoire et on comprend bien sa complexité!
Thématiques et réflexions très importantes!
On embarque dans l’histoire et on comprend bien sa complexité!
January 16, 2021
tw// rape, self harm, suicide, anxiety
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i so conflicted abt this book i liked and it is a solid read but i feel like some topics could've been more explored and the characters could've been more explored, the relationship between mia and the other girls and some conclusion for all of them. it is not a light read, actually has pretty sensitive topics. i find this book really similar to a little life and if it was longer and we had more time with the characters and each arc i could've loved even more idk
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i so conflicted abt this book i liked and it is a solid read but i feel like some topics could've been more explored and the characters could've been more explored, the relationship between mia and the other girls and some conclusion for all of them. it is not a light read, actually has pretty sensitive topics. i find this book really similar to a little life and if it was longer and we had more time with the characters and each arc i could've loved even more idk
January 14, 2021
4.5 J’ai beaucoup trop aimé ma lecture et l’histoire ! J’aurais aimé lire un livre de ce type ado le texte est poignant et à la fois dérangeant dans le bon sens du terme car il permet de réfléchir à différents sujets forts : santé mentale, abus, TOC... D’habitude j’ai du mal avec les livres qui traitent d’autant de sujets mais cette fois-ci c’est vraiment bien fait et les sujets ne sont pas survolés !
Vraiment c’est un livre à lire !
Vraiment c’est un livre à lire !
January 5, 2026
I love any book that keeps Lindsay estudiantes so captivated and hungry to read more! We struggled to put this book down every day. In addition to lots of good adventure and real life struggle, this book speaks strongly to the work we have to put in as women to recognize our self-worth and demand that the world respect it. It also has strong representation of young women caring for each other collectively, especially in a world hell-bent on dividing us against each other. I also appreciate that in a current sea of books pumping out trauma porn, this book is a smart and genuinely attempts to tackle the oppressive systems we are up against in ways that are real and sometimes flawed, but ultimately humanistic. Rarely as women, do we have the opportunities to learn how to heal from the scars of the world, and we cause ourselves even more harm trying to cope with it all, but this book is a good place to witness what healing IS NOT and the potential for learning what actually loving ourselves might look like.
October 12, 2020
Rating: 4.5 Stars
Mia used to play soccer and was considered "gifted". She was a good girl, who followed the rules. That was her past. Now, she was the oppositional daughter, who spent her time cutting school, doing drugs, drinking, and having sex. After assaulting her step-mother, Mia was sent to a therapeutic school for girls, where she finally confronted her painful past and began to imagine a future for herself.
From what I have told you, I bet you thought Mia was very unlikable, but that wasn't the case. There was something about her that made me want to get to know her better. Obviously, her mother's murder left a mark, but I just knew that Mia had suffered some other trauma. It was both painful waiting for it to be revealed and hearing about it. But even before I knew the whole truth of the situation, I found myself caring for her and wanting better for her.
The way Foley allowed the story to unfold kept me absorbed in everything that was happening. The bits and pieces of Mia's past slowly came together to help me understand this young woman. She was complicated and hated herself. She pushed away anyone who could care for her and resisted forming any real friendships - until Red Oak Academy. There, she met other "troubled girls". This group formed an unlikely friendship, and I think their friendship was an important part of Mia's healing process.
Though gritty and painful at times, this was a very hopeful story. I saw Mia begin to open up and connect with others. She reexamined past events and viewed them through a new lens. She forgave herself for things she believed were her fault, when in reality, they weren't. Though it was difficult seeing all the injustices society heaps upon young women, I found myself very moved by Mia's story and hopeful that we can do better for our young people.
*ARC provided in exchange for an honest review.
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Mia used to play soccer and was considered "gifted". She was a good girl, who followed the rules. That was her past. Now, she was the oppositional daughter, who spent her time cutting school, doing drugs, drinking, and having sex. After assaulting her step-mother, Mia was sent to a therapeutic school for girls, where she finally confronted her painful past and began to imagine a future for herself.
From what I have told you, I bet you thought Mia was very unlikable, but that wasn't the case. There was something about her that made me want to get to know her better. Obviously, her mother's murder left a mark, but I just knew that Mia had suffered some other trauma. It was both painful waiting for it to be revealed and hearing about it. But even before I knew the whole truth of the situation, I found myself caring for her and wanting better for her.
The way Foley allowed the story to unfold kept me absorbed in everything that was happening. The bits and pieces of Mia's past slowly came together to help me understand this young woman. She was complicated and hated herself. She pushed away anyone who could care for her and resisted forming any real friendships - until Red Oak Academy. There, she met other "troubled girls". This group formed an unlikely friendship, and I think their friendship was an important part of Mia's healing process.
Though gritty and painful at times, this was a very hopeful story. I saw Mia begin to open up and connect with others. She reexamined past events and viewed them through a new lens. She forgave herself for things she believed were her fault, when in reality, they weren't. Though it was difficult seeing all the injustices society heaps upon young women, I found myself very moved by Mia's story and hopeful that we can do better for our young people.
*ARC provided in exchange for an honest review.
BLOG | INSTAGRAM |TWITTER | BLOGLOVIN | FRIEND ME ON GOODREADS
January 31, 2024
this review was written over a span of multiple days so i apoloize if it's very confusing and watch out spoilers.
ugh i dont like this book, its about some wannabe punk rock kid who gets sent to a therapy school.
i actually wouldve liked it if the writing was better because its not a bad storyline, it's just the way it's structured and written that makes it so annoying. i really want to abandon it but i cant because i HAVE to read it for an english project :(
okii guys update: it's actually starting to pick up pace now (finally) and shes getting ready to escape. I still think the writing is pretty bad and I feel like it took so long to actually get some of this action. ALSO i just dont understand the main charcter. like why is she doing all this stupid stuff like drugs and s3x at 13 just because her mom died when she was a freaking newborn. so basically the mom died when she was a baby and then her dad got another wife and they had twins but idk what any of that has to do with the actual story. like they keep bringing it up as if it cotributes to the reasons behind why she does the stuff she does which btw a lot of it is illegal..! and she keeps talking about the stepmom like shes some big villain when literally she(the mc) is the one whos so rude to her all the time. also her family's kinda poor and she was surprised how her dad was able to fund for her fancy therapy school and when he told her that they paid for it with the money her mom had left behind she got all worked up and decided to escape? like girlypop you used that same money for you and your boyfriend to buy drvgs but then you get so butthurt when your dad spends it on healthcare for you?!? shes such a brat bro i literally hate this kid. also there's this other girl in the story and idk if theyre trying to add her to the plot or something bc they keep talking about her like shes gonna be the big bang of the book but the story is nearing the end and nothing's really happening with her or in general yet. I'm literally exhausted and im so sick of reading this stupid book. the only real issue they showed here was about the girls who did sh at the therapy school BUT IT WAS COMPLETELY BRUSHED OVER AND EATEN UP BY THE STUPIDLY EXAGGERATED PLOTLINE. ill try to update at the end of the book but i doubt ill have anything to talk about bc nothing really seems to be going anywhere. for now im giving this book a 1/5 bcause i cant go lower than that :(
OKAY FINALLY IM DONE. ive gotta admit it didnt have a bad ending and the oher girl did somehow tie into the story just not in a big way. well what she did was a pretty big deal but it didnt contribute to the story in a big way. the ending was good, it was a story with a moral but i wish they had structured it better bc this is basically how the story went:
story starts: she does illegal stuff and gets sent to therapy school which is kinda like prison
a million years later the plot!: she escapes the prison school and does more illegal stuff and then she calls her therapist because she feels guilty
ending: her dad takes her out of the therapy school and she gains body positvity(?)
anyways what im trying to say is that it was structured horribly. kind of like an aesop fable but ig the ending message wasn't that bad so 1/5 for that. i dont recommend you read this book i was kind of forced to bc of my english project but im never touching this book again.
if you have read till the end then thank you for reading my rant i truly appreciate it :))
ugh i dont like this book, its about some wannabe punk rock kid who gets sent to a therapy school.
i actually wouldve liked it if the writing was better because its not a bad storyline, it's just the way it's structured and written that makes it so annoying. i really want to abandon it but i cant because i HAVE to read it for an english project :(
okii guys update: it's actually starting to pick up pace now (finally) and shes getting ready to escape. I still think the writing is pretty bad and I feel like it took so long to actually get some of this action. ALSO i just dont understand the main charcter. like why is she doing all this stupid stuff like drugs and s3x at 13 just because her mom died when she was a freaking newborn. so basically the mom died when she was a baby and then her dad got another wife and they had twins but idk what any of that has to do with the actual story. like they keep bringing it up as if it cotributes to the reasons behind why she does the stuff she does which btw a lot of it is illegal..! and she keeps talking about the stepmom like shes some big villain when literally she(the mc) is the one whos so rude to her all the time. also her family's kinda poor and she was surprised how her dad was able to fund for her fancy therapy school and when he told her that they paid for it with the money her mom had left behind she got all worked up and decided to escape? like girlypop you used that same money for you and your boyfriend to buy drvgs but then you get so butthurt when your dad spends it on healthcare for you?!? shes such a brat bro i literally hate this kid. also there's this other girl in the story and idk if theyre trying to add her to the plot or something bc they keep talking about her like shes gonna be the big bang of the book but the story is nearing the end and nothing's really happening with her or in general yet. I'm literally exhausted and im so sick of reading this stupid book. the only real issue they showed here was about the girls who did sh at the therapy school BUT IT WAS COMPLETELY BRUSHED OVER AND EATEN UP BY THE STUPIDLY EXAGGERATED PLOTLINE. ill try to update at the end of the book but i doubt ill have anything to talk about bc nothing really seems to be going anywhere. for now im giving this book a 1/5 bcause i cant go lower than that :(
OKAY FINALLY IM DONE. ive gotta admit it didnt have a bad ending and the oher girl did somehow tie into the story just not in a big way. well what she did was a pretty big deal but it didnt contribute to the story in a big way. the ending was good, it was a story with a moral but i wish they had structured it better bc this is basically how the story went:
story starts: she does illegal stuff and gets sent to therapy school which is kinda like prison
a million years later the plot!: she escapes the prison school and does more illegal stuff and then she calls her therapist because she feels guilty
ending: her dad takes her out of the therapy school and she gains body positvity(?)
anyways what im trying to say is that it was structured horribly. kind of like an aesop fable but ig the ending message wasn't that bad so 1/5 for that. i dont recommend you read this book i was kind of forced to bc of my english project but im never touching this book again.
if you have read till the end then thank you for reading my rant i truly appreciate it :))
September 10, 2020
Mia is now at Red Oak, a school for troubled girls and she knows punching her stepmom was definitely going to be the last straw and why she was picked up by "transit" to take her there where she was strip searched and stripped of her belongings and where she meets a cast of girls who are Red Oak girls (from the handbook an extensive list of things that would bring a girl to Red Oak).
And Mia is now in counseling and using the friendship of the other girls to figure her way out of this label (and the school). There's a lot to like about the characters with a cliched plot, yet the way Foley tells the story makes it unique and filled with plenty of voice. It reminds me of books by Amy Reed with a little E.K. Arnold thrown in there related to women's empowerment after adverse conditions create their downward spiral. And the title works so well even though it goes a little off the rails in the last 1/3 of the book.
And Mia is now in counseling and using the friendship of the other girls to figure her way out of this label (and the school). There's a lot to like about the characters with a cliched plot, yet the way Foley tells the story makes it unique and filled with plenty of voice. It reminds me of books by Amy Reed with a little E.K. Arnold thrown in there related to women's empowerment after adverse conditions create their downward spiral. And the title works so well even though it goes a little off the rails in the last 1/3 of the book.
September 7, 2020
At times both uplifting and crushing, this is an interesting portrait of Mia, whose self-identity has been reduced to how others view her: a Troubled Teen (TM). When she's finally forced to confront the truth of her past, she finally begins to realize that her past decisions don't necessarily define who she is.
I'm still not exactly sure how I feel about this one - partly because I kept wondering, who is this book for? Other 'troubled' young women? Parents of teens? Regular young adults, curious about the 'dark' side? Surely this book wasn't written for me - late-20s, conventionally successful, with no teenage rebellion to speak of. Perhaps that's why it didn't totally resonate with me, even if the story was indeed worthwhile.
Some parts almost seemed to glorify the choices Mia and her classmates had made, who, apart from being dragged off to a mysterious school, didn't seem to face any real consequences. And Mia, hastily 'cured' in the end, didn't necessarily seem to make any big decisions for herself. It may have been mostly a pacing problem, but she went from angry-at-the-world to blissfully-normal in just a few pages, which came off as both unrealistic and dismissive of her past.
Overall, I'm left conflicted - I appreciated the ride, but can't help but think the journey could have been more.
I'm still not exactly sure how I feel about this one - partly because I kept wondering, who is this book for? Other 'troubled' young women? Parents of teens? Regular young adults, curious about the 'dark' side? Surely this book wasn't written for me - late-20s, conventionally successful, with no teenage rebellion to speak of. Perhaps that's why it didn't totally resonate with me, even if the story was indeed worthwhile.
Some parts almost seemed to glorify the choices Mia and her classmates had made, who, apart from being dragged off to a mysterious school, didn't seem to face any real consequences. And Mia, hastily 'cured' in the end, didn't necessarily seem to make any big decisions for herself. It may have been mostly a pacing problem, but she went from angry-at-the-world to blissfully-normal in just a few pages, which came off as both unrealistic and dismissive of her past.
Overall, I'm left conflicted - I appreciated the ride, but can't help but think the journey could have been more.
May 7, 2020
This book was SO good. I know you’ve read about troubled girls before. You’ve probably read about boarding schools before - ones troubled teens are sent to as a very last resort. This is all that, to be sure. But it’s more, too. It’s a caring therapist who asks the hard questions. It’s a friend who is brave in lots of ways but also completely terrified. It’s a girl who doesn’t trust herself enough to let herself be defined by her own terms, not by those who use and abuse her. This is a hopeful read by a big talent in YA right now.
Thank you to Edelweiss and Quill Tree Books for the eARC in exchange for an honest review.
Thank you to Edelweiss and Quill Tree Books for the eARC in exchange for an honest review.
October 4, 2020
I loved Foley's last novel Sorry For Your Loss, and I jumped at the chance to get an advance copy of her newest. Foley does not disappoint. I loved so much about this book - the character arc of Mia, the relationships among the girls, the relationship of Mia and her therapist, a sneak peek into life at a therapeutic boarding school, and the messages that the author delivers.
December 21, 2021
Update 21/12/21
There are some books that hits too close to home and feels like an extended part of yourself. At the same time being something that you needed to read for a long time. This is one of those books.
Heartbreaking and emotional, this book was a look inside the darkest corners of my being.
There are some books that hits too close to home and feels like an extended part of yourself. At the same time being something that you needed to read for a long time. This is one of those books.
Heartbreaking and emotional, this book was a look inside the darkest corners of my being.
July 24, 2020
This book made me cry and touched some really good subjects without shoving it in your face.
October 15, 2020
You Know I'm No Good is a thought-provoking Young Adult novel that questions the idea of what is deemed normal by society and how it is deeply ingrained in our minds so much so that all those who don't fall under the category are considered misfits and "trouble-makers".
𝙏𝙒: 𝙧𝙖𝙥𝙚, 𝙨𝙚𝙭𝙪𝙖𝙡 𝙖𝙨𝙨𝙖𝙪𝙡𝙩, 𝙖𝙣𝙭𝙞𝙚𝙩𝙮, 𝙙𝙚𝙥𝙧𝙚𝙨𝙨𝙞𝙤𝙣, 𝙪𝙣𝙙𝙚𝙧𝙖𝙜𝙚 𝙖𝙡𝙘𝙤𝙝𝙤𝙡 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙙𝙧𝙪𝙜 𝙪𝙨𝙚, 𝙥𝙮𝙧𝙤𝙢𝙖𝙣𝙞𝙖, 𝙩𝙧𝙞𝙘𝙝𝙤𝙩𝙞𝙡𝙡𝙤𝙢𝙖𝙣𝙞𝙖, 𝙨𝙚𝙡𝙛-𝙝𝙖𝙧𝙢, 𝙨𝙪𝙞𝙘𝙞𝙙𝙖𝙡 𝙩𝙝𝙤𝙪𝙜𝙝𝙩𝙨, 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙗𝙤𝙙𝙮 𝙙𝙮𝙨𝙢𝙤𝙧𝙥𝙝𝙞𝙖.
Mia Dempsey can be categorized as a troubled teen by all means; has a drinking problem, does not give a damn about school nor grades, and sleeps around with boys she barely knows. All at once, her chaotic lifestyle comes to a standstill the minute Mia punches Alanna, her step-mom, in the face, the aftermath of which leads her to be dumped into Red Oak, a therapeutic boarding school for the so-called "troubled-kids" to lead a life detached from the rest of the world.
ℍ𝕒𝕥𝕖 𝕚𝕤 𝕒𝕟 𝕦𝕟𝕔𝕠𝕞𝕡𝕝𝕚𝕔𝕒𝕥𝕖𝕕 𝕖𝕞𝕠𝕥𝕚𝕠𝕟. 𝕀𝕥 𝕨𝕚𝕝𝕝 𝕘𝕚𝕧𝕖 𝕪𝕠𝕦 𝕤𝕠𝕞𝕖𝕥𝕙𝕚𝕟𝕘 𝕥𝕠 𝕝𝕒𝕥𝕔𝕙 𝕠𝕟 𝕥𝕠, 𝕔𝕝𝕖𝕒𝕟 𝕠𝕦𝕥 𝕪𝕠𝕦𝕣 𝕞𝕚𝕟𝕕 𝕒𝕟𝕕 𝕤𝕥𝕣𝕚𝕡 𝕪𝕠𝕦 𝕕𝕠𝕨𝕟 𝕥𝕠 𝕥𝕙𝕖 𝕒𝕟𝕚𝕞𝕒𝕝 𝕥𝕙𝕒𝕥 𝕪𝕠𝕦 𝕒𝕣𝕖, 𝕣𝕖𝕞𝕚𝕟𝕕𝕚𝕟𝕘 𝕪𝕠𝕦 𝕥𝕙𝕒𝕥, 𝕒𝕤 𝕒𝕟 𝕒𝕟𝕚𝕞𝕒𝕝, 𝕪𝕠𝕦 𝕙𝕒𝕧𝕖 𝕠𝕟𝕝𝕪 𝕠𝕟𝕖 𝕣𝕖𝕒𝕝 𝕛𝕠𝕓 𝕥𝕠 𝕒𝕔𝕔𝕠𝕞𝕡𝕝𝕚𝕤𝕙, 𝕨𝕙𝕚𝕔𝕙 𝕚𝕤 𝕥𝕠 𝕤𝕦𝕣𝕧𝕚𝕧𝕖.
This book will inevitably suck you into Mia's shoes right from the very beginning, feel a surge of emotions, and possibly make you a hot mess. Mia has always been influenced by what people think of her rather than what she thinks of herself and being slut-shamed all through her junior year and the years that followed, Mia has restrained herself from all the good that she actually deserves, suffering from her own self-worth issues. Apparently, I have a thing for self-discovery books, and this one called out to me all the same. I loved to see Mia transform as a person and come to terms with what she wants her future to be made of and eventually love her true self.
𝙏𝙒: 𝙧𝙖𝙥𝙚, 𝙨𝙚𝙭𝙪𝙖𝙡 𝙖𝙨𝙨𝙖𝙪𝙡𝙩, 𝙖𝙣𝙭𝙞𝙚𝙩𝙮, 𝙙𝙚𝙥𝙧𝙚𝙨𝙨𝙞𝙤𝙣, 𝙪𝙣𝙙𝙚𝙧𝙖𝙜𝙚 𝙖𝙡𝙘𝙤𝙝𝙤𝙡 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙙𝙧𝙪𝙜 𝙪𝙨𝙚, 𝙥𝙮𝙧𝙤𝙢𝙖𝙣𝙞𝙖, 𝙩𝙧𝙞𝙘𝙝𝙤𝙩𝙞𝙡𝙡𝙤𝙢𝙖𝙣𝙞𝙖, 𝙨𝙚𝙡𝙛-𝙝𝙖𝙧𝙢, 𝙨𝙪𝙞𝙘𝙞𝙙𝙖𝙡 𝙩𝙝𝙤𝙪𝙜𝙝𝙩𝙨, 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙗𝙤𝙙𝙮 𝙙𝙮𝙨𝙢𝙤𝙧𝙥𝙝𝙞𝙖.
Mia Dempsey can be categorized as a troubled teen by all means; has a drinking problem, does not give a damn about school nor grades, and sleeps around with boys she barely knows. All at once, her chaotic lifestyle comes to a standstill the minute Mia punches Alanna, her step-mom, in the face, the aftermath of which leads her to be dumped into Red Oak, a therapeutic boarding school for the so-called "troubled-kids" to lead a life detached from the rest of the world.
ℍ𝕒𝕥𝕖 𝕚𝕤 𝕒𝕟 𝕦𝕟𝕔𝕠𝕞𝕡𝕝𝕚𝕔𝕒𝕥𝕖𝕕 𝕖𝕞𝕠𝕥𝕚𝕠𝕟. 𝕀𝕥 𝕨𝕚𝕝𝕝 𝕘𝕚𝕧𝕖 𝕪𝕠𝕦 𝕤𝕠𝕞𝕖𝕥𝕙𝕚𝕟𝕘 𝕥𝕠 𝕝𝕒𝕥𝕔𝕙 𝕠𝕟 𝕥𝕠, 𝕔𝕝𝕖𝕒𝕟 𝕠𝕦𝕥 𝕪𝕠𝕦𝕣 𝕞𝕚𝕟𝕕 𝕒𝕟𝕕 𝕤𝕥𝕣𝕚𝕡 𝕪𝕠𝕦 𝕕𝕠𝕨𝕟 𝕥𝕠 𝕥𝕙𝕖 𝕒𝕟𝕚𝕞𝕒𝕝 𝕥𝕙𝕒𝕥 𝕪𝕠𝕦 𝕒𝕣𝕖, 𝕣𝕖𝕞𝕚𝕟𝕕𝕚𝕟𝕘 𝕪𝕠𝕦 𝕥𝕙𝕒𝕥, 𝕒𝕤 𝕒𝕟 𝕒𝕟𝕚𝕞𝕒𝕝, 𝕪𝕠𝕦 𝕙𝕒𝕧𝕖 𝕠𝕟𝕝𝕪 𝕠𝕟𝕖 𝕣𝕖𝕒𝕝 𝕛𝕠𝕓 𝕥𝕠 𝕒𝕔𝕔𝕠𝕞𝕡𝕝𝕚𝕤𝕙, 𝕨𝕙𝕚𝕔𝕙 𝕚𝕤 𝕥𝕠 𝕤𝕦𝕣𝕧𝕚𝕧𝕖.
This book will inevitably suck you into Mia's shoes right from the very beginning, feel a surge of emotions, and possibly make you a hot mess. Mia has always been influenced by what people think of her rather than what she thinks of herself and being slut-shamed all through her junior year and the years that followed, Mia has restrained herself from all the good that she actually deserves, suffering from her own self-worth issues. Apparently, I have a thing for self-discovery books, and this one called out to me all the same. I loved to see Mia transform as a person and come to terms with what she wants her future to be made of and eventually love her true self.
January 27, 2021
Wow! I’d preordered this based on a list of found last year, some internet roundup of YA books to keep an eye out for. I haven’t seen it anywhere else since and didn’t know much about it when I picked up— and I was very promptly blown away. It has serious Juliet the Maniac vibes which is very much a book writers should read and I feel the same about Foley’s book here.
CW: rape, sexual assault, suicidal ideation, mental illness, self-harm, drug abuse
“Lying here now, under my thin, itchy blanket, with the mute trees swaying outside, shiver, remembering. Why didn’t I die that night? For so many other nights, my luck could have —should have— swung in the other direction? This is another reason, as if I needed one, not to believe in God. Because if God were real why would they cut down so many kind and decent people in the prime of their lives, so many brilliant artists, and then decide to spare a piece of shit like me?”
Mia is a classic Troubled Teen and as is the case with so many of them, she’s forcibly sent off to a reform school of sorts for her own good. She is off the charts smart and highly self-aware but she doesn’t care about much of anything anymore, readily handing over her body to any boy who shows interest and experimenting with drugs. The other girls and the staff at her new school have to break through her toughened skin and let her know that she has a life worth living well. Confronting the truth about the situations that pushed her into Troubled Teen status, learning how to communicate her own needs, and opening up to real friendships again might just save her if she’s willing to try.
“Many have touched my body, many more have looked at my body, have judged it and compartmentalized it and ranked it on their various skills of attractiveness and acceptability. But has anyone ever beheld my body? Have I ever beheld my own body? I think of Vivian, her talk of semantic satiation. I say body in my head so many times that it doesn’t mean anything anymore, just two syllables, two puffs of air coming from my mouth. I say girl. I say woman. I run my fingers across the feeding heart tattoo that Marnie etched, long ago, onto the pedal soft skin at the top of my breast. Closed up holes running up my ears. Am I pretty? I still don’t know if I could say.”
CW: rape, sexual assault, suicidal ideation, mental illness, self-harm, drug abuse
“Lying here now, under my thin, itchy blanket, with the mute trees swaying outside, shiver, remembering. Why didn’t I die that night? For so many other nights, my luck could have —should have— swung in the other direction? This is another reason, as if I needed one, not to believe in God. Because if God were real why would they cut down so many kind and decent people in the prime of their lives, so many brilliant artists, and then decide to spare a piece of shit like me?”
Mia is a classic Troubled Teen and as is the case with so many of them, she’s forcibly sent off to a reform school of sorts for her own good. She is off the charts smart and highly self-aware but she doesn’t care about much of anything anymore, readily handing over her body to any boy who shows interest and experimenting with drugs. The other girls and the staff at her new school have to break through her toughened skin and let her know that she has a life worth living well. Confronting the truth about the situations that pushed her into Troubled Teen status, learning how to communicate her own needs, and opening up to real friendships again might just save her if she’s willing to try.
“Many have touched my body, many more have looked at my body, have judged it and compartmentalized it and ranked it on their various skills of attractiveness and acceptability. But has anyone ever beheld my body? Have I ever beheld my own body? I think of Vivian, her talk of semantic satiation. I say body in my head so many times that it doesn’t mean anything anymore, just two syllables, two puffs of air coming from my mouth. I say girl. I say woman. I run my fingers across the feeding heart tattoo that Marnie etched, long ago, onto the pedal soft skin at the top of my breast. Closed up holes running up my ears. Am I pretty? I still don’t know if I could say.”
March 7, 2022
First of all: I’m afraid to write this bad review because I checked and I’m currently one of only six people who rated this book 1/5 and none of my fellow one-star-raters wrote a review. I don’t want to start drama or end up in an emotional discussion. If you don’t share my opinion on this book: that’s fine. But please don’t attack me.
Let’s get into this.
The TW list is honestly longer than my to do list, I already forgot like half of it but I found an amazingly detailed list in Kory’s review (you can find it under the two star ratings, I highly encourage you to read their review!!!)
I’d like to separate this review in the main aspects that didn’t sit right with me:
DIVERSITY
Yes diversity is probably one of my most important points in a book that has a major impact on my rating. We have queer review, it’s not really labeled but there is some. We have one black side character and another character that is half Arab I think (please correct me if I’m wrong). Sounds good right? Not really. Diversity isn’t always good diversity. The representation is lacking depth and is based on bad punchlines. Let me explain: Madison, the queer girl, stalked her ex girlfriend and then attacked the new partner of her ex. But not only attacked her but threw a bomb-ish thing under her car???? Please tell me I understood that wrong but I’m afraid I got it all right. So yes, the only queer characters is portrayed as obsessive psycho who ALSO throws herself in the next obsession as soon as a new girl enters the school. Not good.
As for the black girl: we don’t see much of her. For me, Trinity came through as a no brainer character with a lack of personality. You can’t just throw in poc characters and think that’s enough done for a diverse set of characters.
The Arab rep was not really discussed, her ethnical background was not really a topic and it really didn’t do anything for the plot. With the set up of this school and the characters installed, this could’ve been an amazing book about feminism, queer rights and racial issues. But nope, we only focused on the “poor white girl” Mia. Don’t get me wrong her past is tragic and all. But more about that on my next point:
TRAUMA / MENTAL ILLNESS
Here’s another thing that really rubbed me the wrong way. The whole idea behind the plot was this boarding school for “troubled” girls. But this word, troubled, translates to: mentally ill, queer, abused by family and/or adults, making bad decisions based on their immense trauma. Calling these girls “troubled” is highly problematic in my opinion. I get what the author was trying to say and based on their own review here on Goodreads I understand that their intention actually were the opposite of what I’m criticizing here but listen: she didn’t make this clear at all. She just kept throwing random mental illnesses, “negative” behavioral patterns and traumatic pasts at her characters without really diving into those issues. All of this gave me the typical “doing drugs and suppressing my trauma is cool and edgy” vibes and honestly I don’t like it. I’m a queer girl, I’m having an eating disorder and OCD. I’m sick of books like this. If you decide to write about the super complicated topics of trauma and illnesses and all those things Foley put into their book, please make sure to research correctly and maybe ask real people who deal with all those things in real life for their opinions and experiences. I’m sure the author is putting their own experiences in the book, but it’s impossible they actually experienced every single illness and trauma they wrote about themselves. At least I’m really praying that they didn’t.
Long story short: those topics are so, so sensitive and hard to handle “in the correct way” but I feel like some poor choices were made here but with good intentions. Nonetheless, I hope readers know much of this is unrealistic, especially the depiction of drugs.
CHARACTER DEPTH
Even though we were dealing with heavy stuff here, the characters all were flat to me. I know nothing about them other than their trauma and that feels weird to me. The relationships between the characters were too fast too intimate, Mia basically went from “I don’t wanna talk to anyone” to “I’ll literally cut some random girls hair because she laughed at my absolute bestie in the whole wide world”, everything was so forced and the reader had no chance to actually bond and understand the characters.
PLOT
There was no real plot for me. It was a random chain of events and then it was over. I won’t elaborate on this because there’s much to say. Maybe I was too stupid to see the plot or whatever but for me: there was nothing.
ALL IN ALL
You pretty much can see why I couldn’t stand this book. I feel like the representation was off and bad researched and not really professional. A good example is the use of literal Lana Del Rey song lyrics within the book. We all know by now how problematic this artist is and that her lyrics and music videos are very controversial as they depict drug abuse, toxic relationships and also misogyny. It’s one of the worst artists to quote in this context, at least in my humble opinion. The main issue here is: I’m an adult, I’m analyzing this book and it’s intentions and I see what went wrong here. But this is YA, made for teenagers. And I’m afraid that not all teenagers can analyze the book the way adults can. And I’m afraid that they don’t take the message from it that the author intended to send. I’m afraid they’ll take the exact opposite message from it.
Let’s get into this.
The TW list is honestly longer than my to do list, I already forgot like half of it but I found an amazingly detailed list in Kory’s review (you can find it under the two star ratings, I highly encourage you to read their review!!!)
I’d like to separate this review in the main aspects that didn’t sit right with me:
DIVERSITY
Yes diversity is probably one of my most important points in a book that has a major impact on my rating. We have queer review, it’s not really labeled but there is some. We have one black side character and another character that is half Arab I think (please correct me if I’m wrong). Sounds good right? Not really. Diversity isn’t always good diversity. The representation is lacking depth and is based on bad punchlines. Let me explain: Madison, the queer girl, stalked her ex girlfriend and then attacked the new partner of her ex. But not only attacked her but threw a bomb-ish thing under her car???? Please tell me I understood that wrong but I’m afraid I got it all right. So yes, the only queer characters is portrayed as obsessive psycho who ALSO throws herself in the next obsession as soon as a new girl enters the school. Not good.
As for the black girl: we don’t see much of her. For me, Trinity came through as a no brainer character with a lack of personality. You can’t just throw in poc characters and think that’s enough done for a diverse set of characters.
The Arab rep was not really discussed, her ethnical background was not really a topic and it really didn’t do anything for the plot. With the set up of this school and the characters installed, this could’ve been an amazing book about feminism, queer rights and racial issues. But nope, we only focused on the “poor white girl” Mia. Don’t get me wrong her past is tragic and all. But more about that on my next point:
TRAUMA / MENTAL ILLNESS
Here’s another thing that really rubbed me the wrong way. The whole idea behind the plot was this boarding school for “troubled” girls. But this word, troubled, translates to: mentally ill, queer, abused by family and/or adults, making bad decisions based on their immense trauma. Calling these girls “troubled” is highly problematic in my opinion. I get what the author was trying to say and based on their own review here on Goodreads I understand that their intention actually were the opposite of what I’m criticizing here but listen: she didn’t make this clear at all. She just kept throwing random mental illnesses, “negative” behavioral patterns and traumatic pasts at her characters without really diving into those issues. All of this gave me the typical “doing drugs and suppressing my trauma is cool and edgy” vibes and honestly I don’t like it. I’m a queer girl, I’m having an eating disorder and OCD. I’m sick of books like this. If you decide to write about the super complicated topics of trauma and illnesses and all those things Foley put into their book, please make sure to research correctly and maybe ask real people who deal with all those things in real life for their opinions and experiences. I’m sure the author is putting their own experiences in the book, but it’s impossible they actually experienced every single illness and trauma they wrote about themselves. At least I’m really praying that they didn’t.
Long story short: those topics are so, so sensitive and hard to handle “in the correct way” but I feel like some poor choices were made here but with good intentions. Nonetheless, I hope readers know much of this is unrealistic, especially the depiction of drugs.
CHARACTER DEPTH
Even though we were dealing with heavy stuff here, the characters all were flat to me. I know nothing about them other than their trauma and that feels weird to me. The relationships between the characters were too fast too intimate, Mia basically went from “I don’t wanna talk to anyone” to “I’ll literally cut some random girls hair because she laughed at my absolute bestie in the whole wide world”, everything was so forced and the reader had no chance to actually bond and understand the characters.
PLOT
There was no real plot for me. It was a random chain of events and then it was over. I won’t elaborate on this because there’s much to say. Maybe I was too stupid to see the plot or whatever but for me: there was nothing.
ALL IN ALL
You pretty much can see why I couldn’t stand this book. I feel like the representation was off and bad researched and not really professional. A good example is the use of literal Lana Del Rey song lyrics within the book. We all know by now how problematic this artist is and that her lyrics and music videos are very controversial as they depict drug abuse, toxic relationships and also misogyny. It’s one of the worst artists to quote in this context, at least in my humble opinion. The main issue here is: I’m an adult, I’m analyzing this book and it’s intentions and I see what went wrong here. But this is YA, made for teenagers. And I’m afraid that not all teenagers can analyze the book the way adults can. And I’m afraid that they don’t take the message from it that the author intended to send. I’m afraid they’ll take the exact opposite message from it.
January 20, 2021
3,5 - Un livre vraiment intéressant qui traite de pas mal de sujets importants. Je pense qu’une personne plus jeune, de l’âge de Mia, se retrouvera plus dans ce livre que moi. Sur une bonne partie de livre, je me sentais détachée de l’histoire parce que j’avais du mal à me mettre à sa place. Mais c’est pas pour autant que ça a été une mauvaise lecture !
January 17, 2021
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