This is a well researched and fun read. Not only are the characters memorable but their hopes and dreams feel genuine. You feel their heartache and their jubilation. Definitely a buy on sight.

I received a complimentary copy of this title from the publisher through NetGalley. Opinions expressed are my own.

I think I had high hopes for this book. As someone who was born and raised in the South and went to Catholic schools, I'm pretty familiar with the setting. I was hoping for an all-out rebellion/takeover. I missed the riot grrrl era, but it seems like it was a bit more hardcore. And I guess the timeframe and setting dictate the abortion scandal. But trust me, there's A LOT to change at Catholic schools.

Potential, great cover, but overall disappointing.

Thank you NetGalley and Publisher for the early copy.

I was looking forward to checking out this YA novel but sadly could not connect with the writing style.

This book is one I will definitely be recommending, specially if you love contemporaries. I loved that it focused on peer reaction and makes an honest effort to fairly portray each side without being preachy or political.

Mad props to Keenan for tackling abortion, which I think is a topic that doesn't get covered much in YA. I also appreciated that there was room for different views on abortion, and even taking on the crisis pregnancy centers.

I received a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. Thank you NetGalley.

There's some definitely 90s girl nostaglia in there... but the book fell kinda flat for me.
I couldn't get into the main character... she wasn't all that likeable or relatable for me.
the topic of the book was important, but it was hard to get interested in the book overall.

I didn't really read much rebellion for a book titled Rebel Girls. However, this is a fun trip down memory lane with 90's nostalgia and the riot grrrrl movement.

I had high hopes for this one but I really didn't enjoy the main character. I just couldn't connect to her on any level and it made it hard to get into the book because of that. The topic is an important one, but I just didn't feel it was tackled very well.

Thanks Net Galley for this preview!

I wasn't sure what to expect from this book-I found the title intriguing at first but after reading I feel like it doesn't quite fit the narrative. I however love the tag line "Stand with the girl beside you". I think that en capsules what this book is looking to achieve. I thought the girls were quite daring for the setting and restrictions of their school, it seemed like at every turn there was a different religious teacher with all knowing ability lurking to bust them. I appreciated Sister Catherine as a counterpoint to some of the more ridiculous behavior. As an educator I feel like even when beliefs differ we must take time to see both sides and support our students in the best way we can. This is obviously a very serious setting, issue and circumstance so the stakes are high. I appreciated a book about abortion that kept the story more about the people and the aftermath rather than adding in opinions or scare tactics. All of that aside I am 100% glad that Athena does not go running back to Kyle. He was wrong and said some very hurtful things in that library. She did not deserve that treatment and I'm hoping for better options on her horizon. I was glad to see Helen and Sean together in the end as I was always rooting for their subtle romance to blossom.

This was a great story. I really liked the way it went beyond pro choice pro life in the typical sense, and questioned why it mattered to anyone other than the person making the decision.

Unfortunately, this was a miss for me - the cover is stunning, but I couldn't stand the main character, which prevented me from really getting into the story. I loved the idea of the plot, and I especially enjoyed the 90s setting - that's my particular favorite decade, which is part of why I was so excited for this release. I'm disappointed that it didn't live up to expectations.

We love rebellion! And the setting, representing Baton Rouge, Louisiana!

This is about the categorization of people and the way media can impact one's perspective. I wish it went more into how some of the views the character had were harmful, how labeling things can spiral and lead to the same mindset society has.

Otherwise, great character, I loved the expansion of side characters. The style and the time is represented in a great way!

I received a copy of this book for a fair and honest review. This is a strongly written YA novel about sisterhood, values, and coming together. Athena and her sister Helen are raised by their single father. They do spend the summers with their mother.  There is a rumoring going around their Catholic school that Helen had an abortion over the summer. So a group gather together to defend Helen regardless of what she did or did not do.  The characters are all over the chrart on their beliefs on the issues addressed in this book and pretty much keep to those beliefs throughout the book even after they gathered together.  It was a very intense and made me think over some things.

I really enjoyed a great many things about this book. Characters were fleshed out and the plot was well spaced. Some of the secondary storylines could've used a bit more page space but all in all an enjoyable read!

I loved this feminist take with a fresh, witty voice and a gutsy heroine—an important and captivating read.

Keenan transports her reader back in time to a world where Pearl Jam and Nirvana are soo last year and as a grunge kid, you’ll do anything to not be “a phony Holden Caulfield would hate.” She skillfully gives a healthy dosage of feminist ideals and a woman’s right to choose in a captivating story perfect for a young adult audience. The ability to work together toward a common purpose among people with differing opinions is wonderfully exemplified, along with the ability to handle a difficult and hurtful situation with grace and just the slightest bit of rebellion. Rebel Girls is perfect for anyone who loves strong, intelligent, and empowered women.

A really good book! I really loved all of the characters and the story was very well written. Highly recommend

I tried to read this book but couldn't finish it, and I was growing up during the time frame the book is set, so I thought I would enjoy all the music references. But I just couldn't get into the characters. I wanted to keep going because I thought the story was going to be a good one, and one that would interest girls today. But it just didn't hold me. I don't think kids today will get the references and therefore bore them.

**I received an ARC from NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for my honest review.**

The first thing that caught my attention about this book was the cover and the title. Now I know you should never judge a book by its cover, literally in this case, but I'm kind of glad I did however because for one it has an amazing cover and for two there is a pretty amazing book to go with that amazing cover. The description of this book really helped seal the deal with drawing me into it. Besides being a kickass feminist book dealing with the touchy subject of abortion, it also takes place in the '90s and I mean who doesn't like the '90s?

I have to say I really loved a lot of the aspects in this book but honestly, my favorite part of the book by far was the group that Athena brought together to help defend her sister. Athena and her friend are very much pro-choice, while Athena's sister and friends are pro-life. Despite this, they learn how to work together and understand each other so they can deal with the rumors. I thought it was amazing the connection they all have despite their differences. I think this book is also really relevant at this time, especially in the states, because of all the problems surrounding abortion that they are dealing with right now.

At the beginning of the book, I was a little worried that the book would end up focusing on the romance between Athena and another character, and while it focused on it more than I would have liked, I think it ended up helping some plot points along. The way that the romance was portrayed was really well done I think as it comes across more realistic than YA romance normally does. Now I'm not saying it was perfect, but I found it more believable than most YA romances. While I did find it more believable, the romance in this book was one of the two reasons I only gave this a 4-star rating.

While this book seems to focus on rebelling and activism, I found the first half of this book to be pretty lacking in those two aspects in the first half of the book. I didn't expect to be thrown into all the action right off the bat I also wasn't expecting to not see any of the action until almost halfway through. While the book was still good and entertaining enough to keep me around until we got to see some rebelling and activism, I did find myself a little disappointed which is the other reason why I only gave this book 4-stars.

Overall I did really enjoy this book besides the two things mentioned above, but I do think this book could have been truly amazing had it been tweaked a little. Despite that, I still highly recommend this book although it may not be for everyone.

This book gives me vibes of The Handmaid’s Tale in that it feels as impactful and timely in its content as Atwood’s five minutes in the future dystopia, with one difference, it’s grounded in history and based on events that have already happened and that are now, sadly and frustratingly, repeating themselves. Based on the abortion debates and protests that rocked Baton Rouge LA in 1991/1992, this is a fictionalized account of what one set of high-school girls encountered in that time. Sadly since 2016 this has become an issue again, as Keenan outlines in her historical note at the back of the book, that’s why she decided to publish this book now, and why she chose to root it in the recent past instead of five minutes into the future like Atwood’s novel, and in my opinion it’s a powerful choice.

The abortion debate and protests are the impetus for the action of the book but at its heart, it’s about standing up for each other, standing against bullies, girl friendships, feminism, and dealing with being different from your peers. From the very first page, I could see myself and my own experiences in Athena. Now, I was only 6 when the action of this book took place but Athena’s real-life equivalents and riot grrrls peppered throughout the book-shaped the pop culture I grew up with and helped create the feminism I learned about. I faced a similar experience to the one Athena has myself, but nowhere near the same degree. I was the only person in my Catholic elementary school willing to be on the pro-choice side of an abortion debate, and this was in Toronto in 97/98 so I do think what the author has presented here is authentic, and realistic and historically accurate.

Everyone should read this book, teens especially, but adults should read it too. Helen, Athena’s sister, started off the book as anti-abortion, but by the end of the book she realised that just because she wouldn’t have one herself she had no right judging anyone else for their personal choice to have one, and that’s only one of the lessons from this book that everyone could stand to learn.