nela_the_kevinsands_reader's review against another edition
emotional
funny
informative
inspiring
reflective
5.0
iluvkyc333's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
chantellebagan's review against another edition
5.0
First off I want to say that Holly Bourne is a new favourite author of mine and I'm really freaking excited to read the trilogy.
What an amazing story though. It's full of feminism, mental illness and friendship and is one of those books that proves everyone wrong who says you don't learn from fiction because I have learned a whole lot about OCD and feminism reading this.
I also really love the characters. Evie is so afraid of relapsing that she hides her OCD from her friends and family and convinces herself that she is just being a 'normal' teenager. Along this journey of Evie making friends, making mistakes etc I grew to lover her character more and more.
Overall though I'm just really happy that there's a book like this. It shows people, especially people who suffer with mental health issues, that you will make mistakes and you will have bad days but that's not a bad thing because you will have good days and you can go on.
What an amazing story though. It's full of feminism, mental illness and friendship and is one of those books that proves everyone wrong who says you don't learn from fiction because I have learned a whole lot about OCD and feminism reading this.
I also really love the characters. Evie is so afraid of relapsing that she hides her OCD from her friends and family and convinces herself that she is just being a 'normal' teenager. Along this journey of Evie making friends, making mistakes etc I grew to lover her character more and more.
Overall though I'm just really happy that there's a book like this. It shows people, especially people who suffer with mental health issues, that you will make mistakes and you will have bad days but that's not a bad thing because you will have good days and you can go on.
emeliestegbornblixt's review against another edition
4.0
"Being a spinster means you value your female relationships as much as your male ones."
What I expected from this book: reasonably good OCD rep and lots of feminism. And I got that. Granted, I don't have OCD and am in no way an expert, but based on what I know about it, this seemed like good representation of what having OCD can be like.
And the feminism? There was a lot of it. And it was flawed and real and glorious. It was also very cisnormative, in how the girls defined womanhood - which honestly is the only real problem I have with this book. But that's also to be expected of three cis teenagers building the foundations of their feminist awakening (have I mentioned I mix metaphors more often than not?). You've got to start somewhere, and the version of feminism these girls start from is very much the feminism of white cis middle class british women. It's always possible to make the analysis more complex and inclusive as you really get going, and I appreciated this depiction of three girls who are just getting started - and often getting it wrong.
I also appreciated how funny this was. And how the moral of the story basically was "romance will not cure your mental illness, but douchebags will make it worse".
girlreading's review against another edition
4.0
I finished this a few days ago and am yet to find a way in which to explain how I felt about this book! :') A full review will come very soon but overall I enjoyed the experience of reading this hugely.
juliette_d_03's review against another edition
funny
informative
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
isaonderwater's review against another edition
emotional
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
The book has a great description of mental health and the struggles that come with it. I have felt so many emotions while reading and that really does it for me. I want to feel what the characters feel when i read and this book did that for me.
zozoisgolden's review against another edition
4.0
Honestly, this was a damn good book. I didn't really find it until this year because I just became a Holly Bourne fan but this blew my top right off.
Firstly, I love how the author really took time to educate us all in mental illness and how it is viewed today. FREAKING ACCURATE. Even I'll admit that I loosely used those terms OCD and bipolar wrongly. You could tell that she actually took the time to research these things properly.
The feminism killed me too. Really accurate. The part that I loved the most was that while the girls were extreme with their beliefs, they knew when they'd failed or were being hypocritical and acknowledged it.
They wanted to be radical spinsters but understood that relationships and boys will always have a way of turning your head around but it's ok as long as you stay true to your beliefs.
Firstly, I love how the author really took time to educate us all in mental illness and how it is viewed today. FREAKING ACCURATE. Even I'll admit that I loosely used those terms OCD and bipolar wrongly. You could tell that she actually took the time to research these things properly.
The feminism killed me too. Really accurate. The part that I loved the most was that while the girls were extreme with their beliefs, they knew when they'd failed or were being hypocritical and acknowledged it.
They wanted to be radical spinsters but understood that relationships and boys will always have a way of turning your head around but it's ok as long as you stay true to your beliefs.
jang's review against another edition
5.0
"Being a spinster means looking after your girlfriends and supporting them through whatever they need"So where do I sign so I can join the Spinster Club because OMFG so much fucking YAAAASSS!!!
First things first, this book is a modern, revolutionary feminist YA that hits everything in the exact sweet spot. It's so fucking spot on about everything -- about patriarchal stigma, misinformation about sexes, women being the weaker sex for showing emotions, stereotypes and full-on everything that feminism fights against. THIS IS SO FUCKING IMPORTANT IS MY POINT. This YA book is a hardcore feminist read that doesn't just stomp on menimist outlooks but also slay them hard that even Donald Trump might even think "yeah girls rule!" (Well yeah far cry but let's hope).
This is what the YA community needs rn. To teach girls not to shrink themselves (yep, in full Chimimanda voice) only because society dictates them and tells them that they're the minority. This book teaches girls about the importance of self-love, self-worth, and equality. It gives emphasis on the most mundane, sexist shit that we have to deal with everyday and it nails everything pretty hard on the head.
Most importantly, it teaches girls about sisterhood. About being one for the team and supporting your girls. About lifting one another to fight off gender inequality. About RESPECT. I feel like if this book has an accompanying ost, it would total be Yonce's songs about girls running the world and RESPECTUH, BOW DOWN BITCHES.
"At the moment, spinster, technically means, what? An older unmarried woman? But it also means more than that. It’s the scary fairytale word girls are told about so we fear being unattractive to men from a young age. It means left on the shelf. It means a life wasted. It means cat lady. It means lonely and sad and bitter just because a man doesn’t want you… What if we reversed it?"It's so so so so good. The characters are all so very good and well-written and interesting and well thought-out. Massively feminist and brilliant young ladies who decide to march to their own beats rather than play strum with everyone. And what's best is that they're still humans. They still get confused, they still cry over boys and they still deal with insecurities, but they never let any of those stuff become bigger than their self-worth.
"Because now mental health disorders have gone “mainstream”.Another thing that this book got perfectly was the stigma attached to mental illnesses. How it's wrong to take labels lightly because somewhere, a person who's actually suffering from anxiety and OCD is ruminating into madness just because people think mental diseases are something that you can easily get over with. It's not. It's legit. It's a medically recognized illness that needs serious treatment and attention.
Because now people use the phrase OCD to describe minor personality quirks. “Oooh, I like my pens in a line, I’m so OCD.”
NO YOU’RE FUCKING NOT.
“Oh my God, I was so nervous about that presentation, I literally had a panic attack.”
NO YOU FUCKING DIDN’T.
“I’m so hormonal today. I just feel totally bipolar.”
SHUT UP, YOU IGNORANT BUMFACE."
"Solidarity. That's what girls need more of."I love how all the girls in this book unite just to give a one big "FUCK YOU" to society. This is the kind of sorority that we, all "weird bra-burning" girls, want to join in. This is the sisterhood that will uplift us and enlighten us about social injustice and conventional patriarchy. Damn I just bloody fucking love Holly Bourne. Massive fan right here.
There's still so much that I can say about this book. This is just so amazing and inspiring. Feminist book clubs: I hope you're on this already.