A review by vividaway
Anatomy of a Misfit by Andrea Portes

adventurous emotional tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

 The start of the book was very interesting, and sets the tone of Anika thinking she’s part something (vampire potentially?), which makes her feel like an odd one out. Her dosing her bosses food/drink with valium is crazy and im shocked this was included. Anika thinking that Becky is pregnant is an interesting plot point because they are still so young. She wants to defend Becky, but she’s scared. The homophobia and racism in this book was played out well and wasn’t too offensive. It was realistic and I like how it was done. The kiss between Anika and Logan was sweet, it being her first kiss was adorable and her freaking out is realistic asf. Anika’s boss being racist is really hard to listen to, but unlike other books i’ve read, this was done in a tasteful manner that depicts real life scenarios. I love the ties this has to mean girls, and i think it’s very good in those regards. I see the similarities but i also see how this stands alone as it’s own novel. The relationship between Becky and Anika is interesting to me because they both use each other. Becky is extremely racist and prejudiced and Anika fears what could happen if she gets exposed by her. The dynamic of Anika and her dad is also interesting, because he’s very strict and wants her to have a good education, so he presses grades very hard for both Anika and her bother. The racism between Anika’s stepdad was shocking and i wasn’t expecting that. The dinner scene was also a twist, and it was weird to see Tiffany’s mom so upset. Logan and Anika hanging out more is sweet and i like their relationship. The necklace he gets her is adorable. Logans dad being abusive was another twist that i thing was important to include, because alcoholism runs deep in the family. Tiffany stealing is an interesting side plot to the story because it shows that stereotypes need to be broken by the people holding them. She didnt steal because shes black (OBVIOSLY) its because she’s poor. Logan attacking the security guard is a big WTF moment and i still don’t know how to process that, just like Anika. I can’t highlight or annotate this book because its a library book so ill just directly add the quote that hit me HARD ASFFFFFFFF:   "I did it. Not exactly the way I had planned but... I did it. I made him feel important. And walking back to the locker room with Shelli by my side, I can't help but wonder... If it's such a big deal for a middle-aged white guy to feel important... What happens when he doesn't?" like WOW. The dynamic between Jared and Anika’s parents is really cute, and i think it’ll work out better than it would with Logan, though the drama is there, seeing as Logan thinks theyre together, kind of. Anika giving Tiffany all the money she stole was really sweet and i liked that scene. The actual twist in the book is so reminiscent to “If he had been with me” and i genuinely wasn’t expecting it. Logan dying to protect his family was tear jerking, and i can’t believe this all happened. The sign were all there, but i didn’t expect it, just like real life. The ending scene was heartfelt, before it turned into a real mean girls retribution moment. It was deserved, and needed, and its a valid way to show grief if we’re being honest! The ending about the sky was so beautiful, and this book made me tear up multiple times reading it. This was such a good much of multiple things i’ve read and watched, while being nothing like them at the same time. Perfect as a stand alone book. I loved it, a lot.