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A review by soph183
Girlcrush by Florence Given
adventurous
dark
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
I had really high hopes for this after seeing all the hype florence has put out over the past few months, but I thought this book was quite average- and definitely not a comedy.
I liked that it was a queer novel- I enjoyed the first half that followed Eartha coming out and explore her sexuality, and the inclusion of Rose’s character made me realise that this is the first book I have ever read that has a character that uses they/them pronouns- which is crazy?!
I also liked how the dystopia of ‘Wonderland’ held a mirror to a lot of relevant issues that are reflected in real life: social media and losing yourself in your online presence, abuse of power, never really knowing what’s going on in other peoples lives, mental health deterioration, biphobia etc. Although some of this did come across quite preachy, and could be argued that too much was covered (almost like trying to complete a ticklist for modern feminist lit).
It started very light hearted and easy to read, and then it gets quite dark and feels like a different novel entirely: annoyingly I also felt the climax of the story (feels awful to call it that) was not very well done. Whilst I understand SA is a hard topic to write about (and could risk potentially triggering readers) I felt Given skimmed over the most important part of Eartha’s story- instead leaving it up to the reader to try to guess what happened at the party, not revealing the truth until the last few pages. This would have been a powerful writing tool had the book been told from a third person perspective, but the whole story is told through Eartha’s eyes and her internal monologue so skipping this main event made the plot feel confusing and the sudden dark turn of the story not make as much sense.
I liked that it was a queer novel- I enjoyed the first half that followed Eartha coming out and explore her sexuality, and the inclusion of Rose’s character made me realise that this is the first book I have ever read that has a character that uses they/them pronouns- which is crazy?!
I also liked how the dystopia of ‘Wonderland’ held a mirror to a lot of relevant issues that are reflected in real life: social media and losing yourself in your online presence, abuse of power, never really knowing what’s going on in other peoples lives, mental health deterioration, biphobia etc. Although some of this did come across quite preachy, and could be argued that too much was covered (almost like trying to complete a ticklist for modern feminist lit).
It started very light hearted and easy to read, and then it gets quite dark and feels like a different novel entirely: annoyingly I also felt the climax of the story (feels awful to call it that) was not very well done.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Mental illness, Rape, Sexual assault, and Sexual content