I was given an early copy of What Kind Of Girl in exchange for an honest review. My short review follows, all opinions are my own.

Premise: It’s an important one for sure and one that although it’s fairly “popular” these days - can never be out there too much. Teenage girls being mistreated, abused, self harming and with eating disorders. Not pretty but must be talked about. Sad but true.

Thoughts: I wasn’t the biggest fan of the concept so to speak of how this topic (story) was layed out for the reader. At first I was just confused but figured it out fairly quickly. The second half makes much more sense. However, the internal dialogue was just weird and overdone to me. It seemed to be trying a bit too hard to drive the point home.

Overall: I did enjoy the meaning of The this book and feel it’s something teens should read. Perhaps the dialogue and writing would be more enjoyable if I were still a teen. It was a heartbreaking read no doubt. I give it a solid 3.5 ⭐️s as I do feel it’s an important topic.

I commend the writing for “going there” from a different perspective for sure.

I would recommend this - but it was hard for me to get through at times.

Thanks to NetGalley, author and publisher as always . Grateful reader here.

Thank you Net Galley for a preview to What Kind of Girl. This book is told by two High School girls that are best friends but with their own issues. Bulimia, date abuse, major anxiety, cutting and daily stressful high school life.

*Trigger Warning: depictions of dating abuse, bulimia, self harm & drug use*

It has been a few days since I have read What Kind of Girl and I am still speechless. What ever I write here will not do this book one ounce of the justice and praise it deserves in the slightest. I loved this book with all my heart, I loved the subjects is brought up, the way the author addressed them and the message that there is light at the end of the tunnel. What Kind of Girl is one of those books that impacts you and leaves you thinking about this issue and these characters even after you read the last page.

The book is told in two POVs. Mia whose boyfriend has been abusing her for months and suffers from bulimia and June, Mia's best friend, who suffers from severe anxiety and self harms. Both girls stories are complex and heart wrenching. Having gone through some of these issues myself, it was easy to relate to both of these girls. To feel there anger, pain, the hopelessness in the situations they are in.

Mia with a bruise on her face, walks into her principals office and accuses her boyfriend, Mike Parker of hitting her. But Mike is the most popular guy in school and him and Mia are the "it" couple. Sides are taken and not everyone believes Mia. Throughout the novel we watch Mia struggle with the acceptance of Mike's actions, whether she still loves him or not and was it her actions that caused Mike's actions. Since dating Mike, Mia has become extremely unhappy with her body and began to force herself to throw up and skip meals. It isn't until later on in the novel does she acknowledge it as as an eating disorder.

June, is Mia's best friend. After everything with Mia and Mike she decides to stage a protest for Mike's expulsion, since it seems he is only going to get away with this with a slap on the wrists. June's character is the one I related to the most. She suffers from bad anxiety and self harm tendencies. The way Sheinmel explains and treads with the discussion of June's anxiety, how she feels, the physical symptoms, the mental, the obsessive thoughts, the intrusive thoughts. I've never seen anxiety represented almost exactly as I have experienced before. (I've never understood when readers explain how they feel seen within a novel, but with What Kind of Girl I feel seen and heard and that I am not a lone.)

What Kind of Girl brings up important discussions that are needed to be have in the world of young adult novels. People often relate domestic abuse to older people. But what about younger people? It isn't just visible bruises and injuries. It's the little things as well. We see how Mike pinches Mia, grabs her a little to tight, how he is manipulative. For me, I feel like this book is going to be an eye opener for many readers.

Overall I really enjoyed What Kind of Girl and I hope others who read it do as well. Sheinmel's writing style and language is both beautiful and stunning and is going to leave her readers wanting more. The ending was left a little open ended, but I didn't mind it as much. The self acceptance and the recovery that both girls are working towards was enough for me.

What Kind of Girl is not to be missed in 2020 and I hope everyone takes away the message that Sheinmel's giving her readers.

Maya, the popular girl is dating the popular boy- Mike. She walks into the principals office on a Monday morning with a black eye, stating her boyfriend hit her. This starts a chain of events and ultimately divides the students between those who believe her and those who don't. Some question why she didn't say something sooner when she claims it's been going on for a few months. Maya herself is conflicted- she loves him, yet he hit her, how can that be?

The author does a wonderful job addressing so many issues that youth often face- self-harm, physical and emotional abuse, eating disorders and mental health issues. It's all to realistic. These are topics that need to be discussed openly to let young adults know they aren't alone and that's its OK to talk about these types of topics.

Thank you to Netgalley and SOURCEBOOKS Fire for an ARC copy in exchange for an honest review.

Maya is very popular at high school. Her boyfriend Mike is popular and admired by everyone, including the teachers and staff. When Maya walks into the principal's office one day with a black eye and accuses Mike of hitting her. This starts a tumultuous series of events.

Sheinmel has created some interesting characters with some very serious problems. It brings date abuse, bulimia, cutting and anxiety into focus. These are important issues facing our youth today and the author does a good job of making it ok to tell. Maya is a brave young woman who is conflicted with the choice she has made but knows it's the right decision.

Thanks to Netgalley for an advance copy to read and review.

This is about a teenage girl named Maya. She's the popular girl, dating the golden boy but on Monday she shows up with a black eye. Maya tells the principal and the school starts dividing themselves into sides. Some don't believe Mike did it and the other side wants him expelled. Her best friend Junie wants to support her but she's dealing with her own issues.
I think this book was actually really well done. The plot wasn't great, but I enjoyed the characters working their way through their issues. The plot wasn't a focus of the story, it's really about the different abuse and issues woman face and how they deal with it individually. This can be with drugs, cutting, bulimia, etc. I think they were portrayed in a good way that was rather unflinching with showing the issues. I felt like reaction to Maya dealing with abuse was pretty good, I haven't been in her shoes but I thought it felt reasonable. Maya dealt with it for a couple months before coming forward and she didn't really know where to go made sense. Plus she's so young, as is Junie. I liked Junie dealing with her issues as well, that rang true to me of someone dealing with an anxiety disorder. I see some people didn't like the different titles because they didn't know who was talking at what time. I disagree with this, because I think The anxious girl, the girlfriend, etc. went with the title of what kind of girl. The voices were far enough apart for me to tell within a sentence or two who was speaking.
3.5/5
I'd recommend this to fans of hard hitting contemporary like Paperweight, Moxie, etc. It fits right in with those.
**Thanks Netgalley and Sourcebooks for the e-ARC**

This is an important book that every age group needs to read. The multiple viewpoints really capture each struggle that the characters are going through.

The first part of this book is pretty confusing, as well as a bit irritating when you find out that it turns out to be Maya saying things and responding in different ways to what she herself did. Then we get to the second part and it starts to make more sense. Overall I enjoyed this as a quick and easy read.

This book was shockingly realistic. It made my stomach churn with dread anticipating what was going to happen to the main character.

I thought this book was very interesting and surprising.

Told from several points of view of female characters, the book tells the story of Maya who finally decides to report the abuse she has been suffering at the hands of golden boy Mike. The book then explores the story from several perspectives as students begin to take sides.

The book deals realistically and interestingly with several issues teenagers face including drug use, self-harm, feeling pressure to fit in and eating disorders.

Maya's voice in the story will resonate with young girls who worry about finding their place and doing the right thing.

I will look forward to future books by this author.

Thanks to NetGalley.com, the publisher, and the author for my advance copy.

I received an advanced reader’s copy in exchange for an honest review

This book got me in the feels. It is so hard to walk this earth in a female body. It is so hard to be a teenager. It is so hard to stand up for yourself. It is so hard to love yourself.

I’m taking one star off because the characters were a bit flat and just felt like a conduit to the book’s message. But it was definitely a message worth reading.

Never judge a book by its cover...

In this book we get to peek inside the minds of two best friends, Maya and Juniper as they each navigate through high school life in the various roles they play, student, girlfriend, daughter and friend.

At first reading, the different views was a bit confusing, but I realized what was going on soon enough. The book emphasizes that are so many sides to every person and it’s not as simple as being good or bad. There are so many labels that people assign, the golden boy or the assumed school junkie, but are they really who everyone thinks they are? Is anyone?

This is a YA book centered around physical abuse but also covers so much more. Other topics include cutting, bulimia, self-medicating, therapy, and all sorts of relationships.

Thank you to NetGalley and Sourcebooks Fire for providing an advanced copy of this book.

What Kind of Girl was exactly the question asked not only by students, but by the victim herself. High school junior Maya was abused by her popular track star boyfriend Mike on several occasions. After a vicious slap that left her with a very visual black eye, Maya decided to report the abuse to the principal. Students then began to take sides- questioning the behavior of both parties involved. Maya’s best friend, Junie, tried to be there for her, but she had her own set of problems that needed to be dealt with on a daily basis.

High school years can be a very trying time for most teenagers, but even more so when self image and self worth are questioned. This YA novel highlighted some problems teenagers faced such as abuse, bulimia, cutting, and drugs. The author portrayed her characters in a realistic manner and the internal conflicts were well written. It was a very emotional and heartfelt read.

I think teenagers will find this novel relatable and thought provoking. Highly recommended.

FULL REVIEW: https://wordsunfilteredbys.wordpress.com/2019/07/12/what-kind-of-girl/

The story starts with Maya going to her school principal to tell her that golden boy, Mike Parker, has been hitting her. It has different perspectives, Maya and Junie, the best friend. Maya’s sections have different voices, The Popular Girl and The Girlfriend, which were confusing. The section titled The Burnout was also perplexing to read.

Although the characters’ voices are vastly different, it was still a struggle to figure out whose point of view I was reading. This story explores the aftermath of domestic abuse, anxiety and eating disorders. The readers become aware of all the self-doubt, the confusion, the self-blame and minimising the seriousness of the abuse.

This book was received as an ARC from SOURCEBOOKS Fire in exchange for an honest review. Opinions and thoughts expressed in this review are completely my own.

This book was very eye opening just as The Hate You Give and Girl in Pieces talking about domestic violence and how some couples can not resolve their issues. This book in particular had a lot of eye opening scenes and questions such as why did she talk to her high school principal and not go to the police? Why are all her friends taking sides and not being there to support her? What does Mike have over her that strikes fear in her? This was a page turner with some realization and important life lessons that our readers will sure learn from. Fans of The Hate U Give will also enjoy this book as well.

We will consider adding this title to our YFiction collection at our library. That is why we give this book 5 stars.

***Thanks to NetGalley for providing me a complimentary copy of WHAT KIND OF GIRL by Alyssa Sheinmel in exchange for my honest review.***

4.5 STARS

After months of abuse, Maya finally tells her principal that her boyfriend Mike, school Golden Boy, hits her. Soon everyone at school has an opinion including Junie, the best friend Maya never told. Junie has her own problems with anxiety disorders and her girlfriend and the two friends aren’t as close as before Mike. Junie plans a rally to get Mike expelled, but Maya isn’t certain what she wants.

Alyssa Sheinmel blew me away with WHAT KIND OF GIRL. Told in Maya’s and Junie’s voices readers are privy to Maya’s self doubts, conflicted feelings about Mike and love. She minimizes, blames herself and questions the seriousness of the abuse. Junie’s anxiety manifests itself, in part, in racing thoughts of self doubt. Her stream of consciousness anxiety is palpable in her narration. Sheinmel gave both young women pitch perfect, distinct voices.

My only issue is that the narration was confusing and I needed half the book to figure out whose words I was reading even though the voices were different. Sections titled The Girlfriend, The Popular Girl etc first seemed like different characters, like in Jennifer Mathieu’s THE TRUTH ABOUT ALICE before realizing they were different roles Maya played in her own life. I didn’t even know Maya’s name until the end of the first section. I assume this was by design, but I would have preferred more direction.

WHAT KIND OF GIRL does a fantastic job showing domestic and dating violence, from the victim’s self doubt to the loved ones who wonder why Maya didn’t speak up sooner to bystanders victim blaming and slut shaming to authorities hoping the “problem” will go away before they have to act. Maya grows a great deal throughout the story, but still has a long way to go which she realizes. Junie develops insight and assertiveness throughout the book and finally embraces participating in treatment with her therapist.

WHAT KIND OF GIRL would be a great classroom read and should be read by everyone.

This is actually a very difficult read. It touched on some very very serious subjects in life. Not just for kids but for adults too. It deserves your full attention when you are reading it.

Great young adult book! What Kind of Girl is about teens in high school and the struggles they go through daily. Popular guy Mike’s girlfriend goes to the principals office to report he’s hit her causing a black eye. This is where the students take sides. Why didn’t she tell anyone this has been going on for months? Why didn’t she leave him? People are wondering if this is true or just for attention. This book deals with a lot of important stuff. Bulimia, abuse,self harm. I think it is a very good informative book.

This was an excellent YA book. I hadn’t read any YA that deals with relationship violence in this way. I am definitely going to purchase a copy and have my 14 year old daughter read it when it comes out. Thank you so much for the ARC!