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A review by sierra_color
Ghost Girl by Ally Malinenko
3.0
This book could've been SO much better, and it has a really compelling beginning before.. it started to go down hill for me?
There's a lot of interesting concepts in this book, a manipulative villain who takes advantage of people's desires, and a girl who can see ghosts. That was great! But the character relationships.. no.
I am so tired of middle grade books redeeming bullies and giving them the most HALF ASS redemption arcs. This book did so. I loved it when the main character beat her tormentors ass! That was great! But then, they BECOME FRIENDS. AFTER THIS BULLY LITERALLY ISOLATED HER AND PREVENTED HER FROM HAVING FRIENDS?? GIRL, I---
I???
yeah, no. And I hated the forced romance in this book. Which is another trope I hate in middle grade, and tbh escaping romance is WHY I read middle grade. There were a lot of cool things in this book, but the "redemption" of a girl who isolated and ostracizes the main character, spreads rumors about her, and openly contributes to the main characters misery is a no go. I hated that part of the book so much. And the fact that the bully had a bad family life is no excuse. It doesn't teach kids empathy. It's a dumb message with no thought. And the villain did turn cliche near the end. This book was sweet at first but left a sour taste in my mouth, so three stars.
There's a lot of interesting concepts in this book, a manipulative villain who takes advantage of people's desires, and a girl who can see ghosts. That was great! But the character relationships.. no.
I am so tired of middle grade books redeeming bullies and giving them the most HALF ASS redemption arcs. This book did so. I loved it when the main character beat her tormentors ass! That was great! But then, they BECOME FRIENDS. AFTER THIS BULLY LITERALLY ISOLATED HER AND PREVENTED HER FROM HAVING FRIENDS?? GIRL, I---
I???
yeah, no. And I hated the forced romance in this book. Which is another trope I hate in middle grade, and tbh escaping romance is WHY I read middle grade. There were a lot of cool things in this book, but the "redemption" of a girl who isolated and ostracizes the main character, spreads rumors about her, and openly contributes to the main characters misery is a no go. I hated that part of the book so much. And the fact that the bully had a bad family life is no excuse. It doesn't teach kids empathy. It's a dumb message with no thought. And the villain did turn cliche near the end. This book was sweet at first but left a sour taste in my mouth, so three stars.