njmenzel's review
5.0
Powerful, insightful, comical... my only critique is of myself, that I wish I could have read this as a high school student. So happy to see diverse feminist YA lit.
nesasaenz81's review
5.0
I loved, loved, loved this book. Is it perfect? No. But neither is Gabi, the book's narrator. And it is these imperfections that endear Gabi, and the book. to readers.
Perhaps I'm such a fan of the book because Gabi is made up of reflections of my community. And undoubtedly, this clouds my judgment. But I won’t budge on my stance.
In Gabi, her best-friend and her nemesis, her mom and her tía, I see me, the girls I grew up with, my mother and her comadres and the girls I teach. I read a review that said that the book was a little bit over the top: pregnant best friend, pregnant mom, meth head dad (and they didn’t even mention the graffiti-tagging little brother, gay best friend and the metiche tía!)
It may seem over the top, but for thousands of girls across the US, this is a reality, a norm, not a hyperbole. Take me for example. I grew up with a mom who suffered from a severe case of Lupus. I had a bi-polar, alcoholic, stoner of a dad. I grew up in a tiny, housing duplex apartment with paper-thin walls, and a neighbor who liked to bounce his wife off of them. My best friend growing up got knocked up at 15 and at 17, one of my brother’s friend’s became a big brother again when his mom became pregnant by his step-dad, who incidentally got arrested for running guns across the US-Mex border for a cartel. (Seriously, you can’t make this stuff up, and I’m only giving you the CliffsNotes version of it.)
The book however, is not just about the melodrama- which it has in spades! (The telenovela and the drama-queen addict in me loved that too!) This is a coming of age story told in the voice of a teenage girl that readers- especially reluctant readers- will relate too. Quintero spices her story with poems, letters and even a ‘zine. By doing this she is modeling different ways of writing and it demystifies the writing process for these reluctant readers. "That looks easy, I can do that," they might think to themselves, and then try their hands at creating a haiku or list poem.
I could have perhaps done with a little less of the profanity, but that’s just the teacher in me. Also, it is not as if Gaby uses it indiscriminately. I also understand that today’s vernacular is peppered with vulgarity and someone’s Gabi’s age would most definitely be using that sort of language in their journal.
Overall, I loved this book and will be recommending it to almost everyone I meet. (-:
Perhaps I'm such a fan of the book because Gabi is made up of reflections of my community. And undoubtedly, this clouds my judgment. But I won’t budge on my stance.
In Gabi, her best-friend and her nemesis, her mom and her tía, I see me, the girls I grew up with, my mother and her comadres and the girls I teach. I read a review that said that the book was a little bit over the top: pregnant best friend, pregnant mom, meth head dad (and they didn’t even mention the graffiti-tagging little brother, gay best friend and the metiche tía!)
It may seem over the top, but for thousands of girls across the US, this is a reality, a norm, not a hyperbole. Take me for example. I grew up with a mom who suffered from a severe case of Lupus. I had a bi-polar, alcoholic, stoner of a dad. I grew up in a tiny, housing duplex apartment with paper-thin walls, and a neighbor who liked to bounce his wife off of them. My best friend growing up got knocked up at 15 and at 17, one of my brother’s friend’s became a big brother again when his mom became pregnant by his step-dad, who incidentally got arrested for running guns across the US-Mex border for a cartel. (Seriously, you can’t make this stuff up, and I’m only giving you the CliffsNotes version of it.)
The book however, is not just about the melodrama- which it has in spades! (The telenovela and the drama-queen addict in me loved that too!) This is a coming of age story told in the voice of a teenage girl that readers- especially reluctant readers- will relate too. Quintero spices her story with poems, letters and even a ‘zine. By doing this she is modeling different ways of writing and it demystifies the writing process for these reluctant readers. "That looks easy, I can do that," they might think to themselves, and then try their hands at creating a haiku or list poem.
I could have perhaps done with a little less of the profanity, but that’s just the teacher in me. Also, it is not as if Gaby uses it indiscriminately. I also understand that today’s vernacular is peppered with vulgarity and someone’s Gabi’s age would most definitely be using that sort of language in their journal.
Overall, I loved this book and will be recommending it to almost everyone I meet. (-:
arsala's review against another edition
2.0
Tried to tackle way too many issues for just being a teenage girl’s diary. Worked for perks of being a wallflower, but not this book. Liked Gabi tho.
alexisnasya's review against another edition
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
futurememory's review
3.0
Probably 3.5 stars! I really liked a lot of thins about this novel, but I had a few quibble as well.
First off, let's talk about Gabi, because her voice was pretty damned great. She's hilarious; I got Angus, Thongs, and Full-Frontal Snogging vibes off of some parts of this book, especially the particularly teenage way you worry about kissing, sex, your bodily functions, etc. The journal form of this book really helped Gabi come alive - I could actually HEAR her in my head.
There're a lot of really interesting and important points here about feminism, identity, culture clash, etc. It's just that boy, sometimes, can this book lay it on thick. It teeters on melodrama, on a bit of excess of issues.
And honestly, Gabi's a bit TOO clueless for an 18-yo. Her reaction, especially to various sexual acts, read like someone much younger than 18, especially someone that's consistently confronted at all turns by all forms of sex, beautiful and ugly.
A lot of the book definitely rang sincere, though, and the voice was pretty perfect. It was the plotting that left me a little cold.
First off, let's talk about Gabi, because her voice was pretty damned great. She's hilarious; I got Angus, Thongs, and Full-Frontal Snogging vibes off of some parts of this book, especially the particularly teenage way you worry about kissing, sex, your bodily functions, etc. The journal form of this book really helped Gabi come alive - I could actually HEAR her in my head.
There're a lot of really interesting and important points here about feminism, identity, culture clash, etc. It's just that boy, sometimes, can this book lay it on thick. It teeters on melodrama, on a bit of excess of issues.
And honestly, Gabi's a bit TOO clueless for an 18-yo. Her reaction, especially to various sexual acts, read like someone much younger than 18, especially someone that's consistently confronted at all turns by all forms of sex, beautiful and ugly.
A lot of the book definitely rang sincere, though, and the voice was pretty perfect. It was the plotting that left me a little cold.
regitzexenia's review against another edition
5.0
Do you guys have any idea how rarely I read a book that makes me shout at the book? Not because the characters are being stupid of the plot is slacking, but because it is so infuriatingly accurate?
Very, very rare.
Let's back up a moment.
I was reccommended this book for my BA on diversity (specifically ethnicity) in Young Adult fiction. As since I couldn't find this book at any library anywhere in this damned country, I clicked on 'buy' and ordered the book without knowing what to expet.
Maybe because of this lack of expectations did the book blow me away like it did.
It was funny. More than once I couldn't stop laughing because the characters - especially the main character Gabi - was so endearing and stupidly funny. It was heartbreaking, more than once, in fact many, many times. And it was very thought-provoking, about "good girls", staying true to yourself, sexuality, teen pregnancies (well pregnancies in general) and sex, family, poetry, death and love and at the same time about prejudices, identity and labels.
I am so glad I finally read this book and I am so happy that I get to do my project on two books that I loved so much, this and Aristotle and Dante. Because this book was so worth the risk of buying it on more or less a whim.
Even if YA holds no interest for you, I'd still tell you to read this book. Because like it says on the back of my edition: "Gabi is purely herself - and that's what makes her universal.
My deepest reccommendations of this book and a lot of praise to Isabel Quintero for writing a wonderful story.
I'd say go pick it up right away, but if you live in Denmark like me, it might take a few minutes to actually locate a copy. But it is so worth it!
Very, very rare.
Let's back up a moment.
I was reccommended this book for my BA on diversity (specifically ethnicity) in Young Adult fiction. As since I couldn't find this book at any library anywhere in this damned country, I clicked on 'buy' and ordered the book without knowing what to expet.
Maybe because of this lack of expectations did the book blow me away like it did.
It was funny. More than once I couldn't stop laughing because the characters - especially the main character Gabi - was so endearing and stupidly funny. It was heartbreaking, more than once, in fact many, many times. And it was very thought-provoking, about "good girls", staying true to yourself, sexuality, teen pregnancies (well pregnancies in general) and sex, family, poetry, death and love and at the same time about prejudices, identity and labels.
I am so glad I finally read this book and I am so happy that I get to do my project on two books that I loved so much, this and Aristotle and Dante. Because this book was so worth the risk of buying it on more or less a whim.
Even if YA holds no interest for you, I'd still tell you to read this book. Because like it says on the back of my edition: "Gabi is purely herself - and that's what makes her universal.
My deepest reccommendations of this book and a lot of praise to Isabel Quintero for writing a wonderful story.
I'd say go pick it up right away, but if you live in Denmark like me, it might take a few minutes to actually locate a copy. But it is so worth it!
bluenicorn's review
5.0
This book made me laugh, made me tear up, and made me wish that I'd had a book like this when I was in high school. I appreciate how real it is; Gabi is not going to fix sexist double-standards, for example, but she writes about them and lets the reader realize that she sees them and hates them, too, and gives words to things that young readers may have felt but don't yet have the language for. I love her poetry teacher, and I love all of the references to amazing and wonderful poems. Just one of those incredibly realistic books, but not in a super depressing way- just in a 'wow, this makes the reader really feel seen' way. There are some terrible things that happen in the book (cw for addiction, death by overdose, rape, domestic abuse, etc) but these terrible things aren't rare events- they happen in real life with unfortunate frequency- and I'm glad that the author is able to write about them in a very relatable, human way. And how good was Gabi's zine- I love that we get to see her development as a poet and a creative, and get to end the book believing she is going to do great things.
readerpants's review
5.0
Oh my gosh, outstanding, especially the second half.
Wasn't there some sort of question about best YA boyfriend last year? Because Martin is the best YA boyfriend of all time. All the others can give up and go home.
Wasn't there some sort of question about best YA boyfriend last year? Because Martin is the best YA boyfriend of all time. All the others can give up and go home.
alexapaige's review
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0