This book was everything I wanted to read and didn't know it.

Where was this book when I was in High School?! There were so many moments when I was reading Moxie that I felt that I was Vivian; her experiences in small town Texas echoed similar experiences I had in a small high school in Tennessee.

I really appreciated the overt feminism in Moxie, especially with all of the news reports circulating right now. Moxie is an empowering book: it shows different types of girls from all walks of life in different stages of realizing their own voices within the feminist movement; it questions and challenges the patriarchy head-on; it shows a grassroots movement that starts anonymously and spreads like wildfire from one girl to another. Most of all, it’s really cool in how it shows girls forging relationships with one another. Those moments alone are enough to make Moxie a winner.

Where Moxie falls short is in its efforts at intersectionality: from NPR's review, “Girls from diverse backgrounds and identities get in on the Moxie fight; some do point out to Vivian that they face struggles she hasn’t even considered. But ultimately, the view of feminism that we get from Moxie is predominately white, straight, and cisgendered. For this reason, it feels like Moxie isn’t really meant for the teenage women who are already out there marching and signing petitions. It’s for the girls like Vivian, who can get by without too much damage if they stay quiet and avoid the fight. They need something to light a fire in their hearts, and maybe Moxie can provide that spark. Here’s hoping they take to the streets.”

The lack of intersectionality was disappointing, and for this reason alone I could not give Moxie a full five star rating. However, I think Moxie is still relevant, still does more good than harm, and still offers up valuable lessons, particularly to the young women of the world.

Moxie is about a girl finding her voice and figuring out what it means to be a feminist in her own day-to-day life. The slogan “Moxie Girls Fight Back!” is a call to arms for all the girls slipping quietly through the halls of school and work, biting their lips to contain their anger, striving to stay invisible and simply get through the day. It is a shame that Moxie was not around when I was in high school; if it had been around, I probably would have ruffled more feathers in my own high school. I think it is safe to assume that most of us didn’t find our voice in high school and most of us didn’t walk out en masse to give the finger to the patriarchy. But it gives me hope that the next generation of young women will have access to this book.

“it occurs to me that this is what it means to be a feminist. Not a humanist or an equalist or whatever. But a feminist. It’s not a bad word. After today it might be my favorite word. Because really all it is is girls supporting each other and wanting to be treated like human beings in a world that’s always finding ways to tell them they’re not.”

If you know any young women who are currently in high school, buy them a copy of this book. If you were a young woman in high school at any point in time in your life, read this book. If you are a male feminist ally, read this book. Read Moxie and fight back!

Vivian Carter is done with everything that makes her mad. She creates a feminist zine to help fight the stupid-ness of people around her and accidentally creates a girl power revolution. I really enjoyed this book.

This book was inventive! I loved the premise and it flowed well.

Definitely worth a read: fantastically feminist and brilliantly relevant to all teens.
Moxie tells the story of Viv, who is fed up of the status quo and unexpectedly starts a feminist revolution! Viv is a fantastic main character and Mathieu renders all the book’s characters believable and important.
As I teacher, I know ALL my students will adore this.

A book every female teen needs to read. Step up and speak out!

Empowering novel about a reluctant hero inspired by her mom's feminist roots. A one of a kind book about high school, sexual harassment, and finding the courage to speak up and act out!

Moxie was a passionate, powerful read, filled with amazing girl-power moments.

4 out of 5 gnomes

I could not stop reading this book, it’s the fastest I’ve finished a book in quite a while. The whole situation grabs you and draws you right into the story. It reads a bit small town soap opera-ish at times but this also makes you really want to know what happens next ASAP.

Vivian discovers that maybe being dutiful and not causing waves is not the road she should be taking through life. This book shows what feminism and standing up for yourself can do. It really shows how to find power in who you are. High school drama aplenty plus a big dose of female empowerment leads to a really fun and interesting story.

YES!!! OH MY GOD I LOVED THIS BOOK!!! I wish my teenage self had read it, my 26 year old self was glad to have read it. This was fun, light, but incredibly enjoyable and empowering.

Absolutely loved this story, great for young feminists.

I absolutely loved this book about a high schooler who has seen enough of the sexism that exists between the kids at school. The book highlights the "Universal Dress Code" debate that exists in the majority of all high schools. But more than that it explores the reasoning behind these dress codes and who suffers and and who gains from these rules. I love the character Vivian and how we get to see her grow into her self awareness as a feminist. All the examples of the cliques in her high school are so well represented. This book definitely puts the reader into an ordinary day in a high school and all the shoes that are walked in.

I started recommending this book before it even arrived in our store--to young women, their mothers, our local high school librarian.... I love the exploration of girls just trying to find their place in the world and the vision of coming together and unity across social, racial and cultural divides. I also appreciated that while there were obvious male 'villains', the author was careful to show these not as the universal norm, but extreme and unfortunate examples of the challenges still standing in the way of complete gender equality.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Roaring Brook Press for providing me with an eARC of this title for review.

Recently I was discussing books with a colleague and she lamented that she really needed a book with a female character with some spunk. Some sass. I am glad to be able to report that I have found the book for her. The premise is simple really: Mathieu describes the reality of high school and shows what could happen when girls fight back. Because that's what Moxie girls do. Most readers will want to say that the events in this book are exaggerated or unrealistic, but as someone who has worked in public schools for over 10 years, I can assure you they are not.

Viv is a good, quiet girl at East Rockport High. She goes to the pep rallies, the football games, does her homework, and tries to just fly under the radar. Having been raised by a single mom, she knows that she will go to college and she hopes to use that escape as a chance to start over. But recently she has begun to realize that the money spent on the football team could have gone to new science equipment or uniforms for the state championship girl's soccer team. And that the boys' games of "bump-n-grab" and their perverted version of March Madness (which girl is most f****ble) aren't things she can just ignore any longer. Inspired by her mom's collection of items from her Riot GRRRL days in the 90s, Viv starts an undercover zine, Moxie. And each edition asks the Moxie girls to fight back.

When the revolution begins, Viv has to decide if it is what she has always wanted. Because being the good girl isn't the same as being the girl who is doing the right thing.

This was a great read. I kept it a 4 Star review because some parts felt flat, but the story was still compelling and important. I liked the depth of Viv and her friends, and her relationship and tension with her boyfriend. Highly recommend. There is some language and references to sexual assault, so I'd say it's for grades 9 and up.

PLOT

I’m not sure what I was expecting when I picked up Moxie by Jennifer Mathieu but what I got was all around awesomeness cover to cover! If you are a feminist such as myself, picking up this book is almost a no brainer but even if you’re not, this may be the book to change that. Much like our MC Vivianne, I was witness to many of the sexist games played by the opposite sex that are seen as harmless. Viv lives in a small town & attends the local High School where the schools Football team is the center of town life. Everyone down to the teachers & principal give the football team much favoritism. This led to the blind acceptance of their treatment towards the females in the school & Viv has had enough. Grabbing inspiration from her mother’s box of Zines where she’s stored memories of her Feminist activist days, Viv sets out to bring change to her school. She decides that anonymity is probably best in a school where the captain of the football teams father is also the Principal. What starts off as a Zine left inside the girls bathroom stalls, snowballs into a feminist movement no one in their small town Texas school would’ve imagined. We follow Viv as she slowly builds up her confidence & finds her voice through a movement she names Moxie. We see girls from all cliques start to answer the call to take a stand against age old “traditions” that are degrading to the females in the school.

Although most of the action takes place in Viv’s High School, we do also get to see her home life. Having lost her father at a very young age, it’s just her & her mom. I loved seeing Viv admire her mom without her knowing & how organic their relationship translated on to the page. There are also some really strong female friendships giving Viv the validation she needs to know she is doing the right thing. Moxie is all about fighting back the tired ideologies of women needing to behave “lady-like” or proper. It strengthens & uplifts women coming together & how powerful that can be.

CHARACTERS

Our MC Vivianne is not at all the person you see portrayed on the cover of this book, not at first anyway. She loves listening to her moms stories of growing up and fighting back the patriarchy. Quietly wishing she had the courage to do something about the jocks and administration in her school who think it’s ok to objectify girls/women. Viv’s character development felt authentic for a teenager living in a small town in Texas. She didn’t voice her opinions right away, she found her voice within the other girls in her school. Viv is hands down a fave character for me because every time she felt like throwing in the towel she didn’t & instead came back harder! Viv’s mom is legit one of the coolest & hardest working moms I’ve come across in YA. She’s a nurse working long hours but who also has an amazing relationship with her daughter. She may not know it but she is also the source of inspiration for Viv creating Moxie. Viv’s grand-parents live next door & we often seem them around dinner time. LOVED the inclusion of grand-parents since that is very rare in YA books. Better yet, the fact that Viv loves them so much and can equally accept her own frustration at their old school mentality made her all the more relatable. A place of comfort for Viv, the scenes with her grand-parents gave the book a homely feel.

Lucy is the not quite the new girl but still pretty new to the school. She is taken aback but the things allowed from the male students having come from a more progressive school/city. At times she also gave Viv the motivation she needed to keep Moxie going all the while not knowing Viv was its creator. Seth plays the new guy in school & fits the mold of quiet-loner-mysterious-guy but there’s more than meets the eye with him. I was pleasantly surprised with Seth but I’ll be vague because I consider that spoilery. The Moxie Girls are not just from different cliques, they are also diverse in skin color and ethnicity. The inclusivity promoted by Viv spreads like wildfire throughout the school encouraging many to join. LOVED seeing the diversity bringing girls together to bring change!

WRITING & FINAL THOUGHTS

Can you tell I LOVED Moxie to pieces?!?! I couldn’t flip through the pages fast enough, easily a 2017 top fave for the empowering message it sends across. United, girls/women are a force to be reckoned with! We don’t have very many books like these encouraging girls to stand together & fight for their rights. As I am writing this review, Twitter is ablaze with the mess that is Harvey Weinstein & the brave soul that is Rose Mcgowan standing up to an industry known for covering up sexual harassment. My first thought was, how appropriate that I am writing this review now. We need more Vivianne’s & Rose McGowans rallying the troops of women, together we are stronger & won’t be silenced. I cannot recommend Moxie enough to Feminists & those who have yet to find their voice…we all have Moxie in us :)

*HUGE Thanks to Macmillan, Netgalley, and Jennifer Mathieu for the galley of Moxie in exchange for an honest review. The physical arc pictured below I won from a Twitter giveaway.

Some Sites Jennifer Mathieu included in her Author Note:

Feministing.com

rookiemag.com

bitchmedia.org

bust.com

thefbomb.org

scarleteen.com

therepresentationproject.org

Can you see yourself as a member of Moxie? I sure can! are there any lovely bookworms who’ve read Moxie or plan to? sound off in the comments below <3’s!

I believe this is a great introduction to feminist reads for young adult readers and even adult readers. I find it highlights the mysogyny and sexism women face on a daily basis. I loved the fact that the women in her school band together and become a solid front against the patriarchy which is so refreshing and there was also a cute romance. Now this wasn’t all fantastic and empowering I didn’t like the fact that Vivian did this in part because of her mum and have her mum not really be in the book her grandparents kind of look after her and I thought if she kind of started this whole movement because of her mum I thought she should have been more involved. As well as there was hardly any LGBTQ representation the only reference is when it’s when an insult was hurled at someone. Besides from that I think this was a solid read and I highly recommend.

Moxie was an inspirational and powerful story that every young teen should read. It sends a positive message to today's youth and will empower them to be themselves.

If you want fresh feminist literature that needed to be written- this is it. Such a powerful read and even more so when you realize how common this story has become.

I will admit that going into Moxie by Jennifer Mathieu, I didn't really know what it was going to be about and I didn't think I would like it, but after finishing it I want to go up to every other girl in my high school and force them to read it so they can feel as empowered as I did directly after finishing it. Moxie is the story of a girl named Vivian who is done with the sexist way of thinking that her town runs on, so she creates a zine after being inspired by her mom's old things and basically starts a revolution. I absolutely love Vivian, and how realistic she is compared to other main characters of YA contemporaries. She's passionate and zealous and perfect to lead the feminist uprising at her high school. I liked her love interest, Seth, and I thought that the addition of romance was fun to read, but I don't believe it was necessary. It neither added nor took away from the plot as a whole. Moxie also rape/sexual assault which I feel like is seen as a taboo subject in YA literature, so I'm glad Mathieu included it. Overall I give Moxie 4.5 out of 5 stars for being full of such great and important messages such as fighting against injustice, girls helping girls, feminism, and so many more. I believe that this is such an important novel that women of all ages, but especially younger girls, should read to feel empowered and like a boss.

"Moxie" is a must-read for all feminists and feminists-in-training! This book is for any girl who is sick of double standards, who wants her voice to be heard. An important, timeless message that is especially relevant right now. Young men could learn much from this book as well. We need more books like this. #MoxieGirlsFightBack 5/5 stars.