Not That Kind of Girl
Slut or saint? Good friend or bad friend? In control or completely out of it?
Life is about making choices, and Natalie Sterling prides herself on always making the right ones. She’s avoided the jerky guys populating her prep school, always topped honor roll, and is poised to become the first female student council president in years.
If only other girls were as sensible and strong. Like the pack of freshmen yearning to be football players’ playthings. Or her best friend, whose crappy judgment nearly ruined her life.
But being sensible and strong isn’t easy. Not when Natalie nearly gets expelled anyway. Not when her advice hurts more than it helps. Not when a boy she once dismissed becomes the boy she can’t stop thinking about.
The line between good and bad has gone fuzzy, and crossing it could end in disaster . . . or become the best choice she’ll ever make.
Natalie Sterling had always made all the right decisions; she has stayed clear of boys, drama and gossip, all whilst remaining top in her class and playing a key role in the student council. However, as she embarks on her senior year it becomes obvious things aren’t going to plan and a series of events force Natalie to reconsider what it means to be good and what type of girl she really is. We follow Natalie on journey of self-discovery as she encounter issues of sexuality, feminism and what it means to be a “slut”.
When I picked up this book I was expecting a light and fluffy romance but what I got was so much more. The book explored difficult and hugely relevant social issues in a way which retained a light, and at times comical, value. I found the male protagonist to be extremely sweet and most definitely swoon worthy, whilst his relationship with Natalie served to establish how being in a relationship doesn’t make a girl weaker.
The plot was hugely driven by the characters, specifically the supporting roles of which had been skilfully constructed by Siobhan. She has created highly relatable and loveable characters that I found easy to empathise with. However, I found Natalie to be the weakest character, at best slightly irritating and at worst both manipulative and quite one-dimensional. Even so, the plot serves to be hugely compelling and vastly enjoyable.
Siobhan successfully created an evolving and fun plot line, which had me sitting at the edge of my seat from the first to the very last page. However what I found mist enjoying about the story was Siobhan clear voice and narrative that ebbed from every line.
Verdict: Overall, ‘Not that Kind of Girl’ served to be a highly enjoyable and refreshing twist on the typical high school romance. I would recommend it for fans of The DUFF by Kody Keplinger and Burn for Burn by Siobhan Vivian and Jenny Han.
Reviewed by Evie (15)
