Noelle spoke to me more than I anticipated. The anger she felt, is something I am no stranger to. To watch her navigate her feelings, stressors, and while still able to create something beautiful was amazing. I hope we get to see more of these girls after highschool

This is a sweet short story of a girl trying to figure herself out while dealing with the anger that sometimes comes with that. Ashley Woodfolk always creates characters with such amazing depth who deal with their struggles in very real ways. This was a great read.

This is book 3, the newest release in the Flyy Girl series focuses on Noelle and her mean girl attitude. She takes her hurt and frustrations out on those who are closest to her. It doesn’t make it right, but it happens sometimes especially when you're stressed like Noelle.

This is book 3 in the Flyy Girls Series. I listened to the first two last year and decided to continue with this one, though I think I won't continue any further. This series is meant for lower level readers who are old enough for mature level books. This story covers a lot in a short book, but there is not much more to say other than what is in the summary! It was a very quick read..

The author, Ashley writes extremely real and compelling stories. It’s important for readers to see themselves in REAL stories, this is one of them. I recommend this series.

Thank you @penguinteen for the gifted copy of The Mean Girl!!! The newest release in the Flyy Girl series focuses on Noelle and her mean girl nature. We all know that we take our hurt and frustrations out on those who are closest to us. It doesn’t make it right, but we’ve all been there. In book three, we see Noelle’s attitude taking over her relationships due to all the different stressors in her life. Noelle’s story explores the behind the scenes of one now low-income family, the pride, false expectations and stressors associated with being the head of household and the child internalizing it all.

You can’t go wrong with either book but I highly recommend reading them all!

And guess what?! I recently saw that Tobyn’s story is coming and I can’t wait! It’s called TOBYN: The It Girl and it’s due to be released 8/31/2021!

This series is a must get and reads true to life for our YA readers. Each book carries its own voice and is a must to experiences as a reader. These novels will end up a classroom classic!!

In the latest installment of the novella series Flyy Girls, author Ashley Woodfolk takes a stab at redeeming the quintessential mean girl. The mean girl has been used as the antagonist in the teen/YA fiction sphere for decades, and many of us grew up being warned to stay away from them, but in Noelle we see a softer, more sympathetic side of them. Her words and actions aren’t always the nicest, but she has a lot going on: self-imposed pressure to get into a good music college, anxiety over her dad losing his job, questioning her sexuality.

Majoring in education, something that I was taught early in my undergrad was that behavior is communication, and Noelle is a great example of this. She exhibits mean girl behaviors as a response to external stress. Her story didn’t necessarily make me sympathetic to all mean girls–her actions are fairly mild, and she eventually realizes that she said and did things she shouldn’t have (including violating a friend’s boundaries) and shows remorse, which is not always the case–I have dealt with legitimate, malicious, toxic mean girls before, and did not feel as though Noelle the Mean Girl downplayed those experiences. It just makes you think, makes you see things in a different light.

Since Noelle does eventually realize her mistakes, a big theme in this story was accountability, which I loved. That’s what, for me, flipped the mean girl narrative. Usually, mean girls don’t take responsibility for the mean things that they do, let alone make concentrated efforts to change their behavior. Woodfolk, once again, did a lot with a little, and I have really enjoyed this series so far.

<b>Ashley Woodfolk is doing amazing things with these shorter books. I'm so happy that there is an author that is actively attempting to create accessible HiLo books for teen readers. There are so important to the bookish community at large. CW: bullying, physical altercation</b>

I've been keeping up with the <i>Flyy Girls</i> series as they come out and overall it's been an enjoyable series. This third installment specifically focuses on Noelle. From the first book where readers meet Lux, there is a clear indication that Noelle is the mean girl and not always the most fun individual to be around. At the beginning of the story, Noelle breaks up with her boyfriend as she attempts to navigate her sexual identity. It's something that she clearly struggles to understand and it unfolds in not so great ways for herself and her friends. Noelle is also bi-racial. She's Black and Chinese and the cultural aspects of her heritage are seamlessly woven into the narrative. This book is definitely about character growth and family dynamics.

Ashley Woodfolk really shines through in all of these books with her writing. In all of my reviews I find it necessary to let people know that the simplicity of the writing is intentional. These are Hi/Lo books where the interest level for reluctant or struggling readers is high, but the difficulty is low. Regardless, Woodfolk writes in such a unique and impactful manner that is engaging and really allows readers to connect with the characters. This is particularly important in the case of Noelle who struggles so much with her anger. There are parts that can be relatively difficult for readers to get through, but because Woodfolk allows for those connections to the characters, readers end up empathizing with Noelle rather than disliking her for her behavior. In terms of characterization, Noelle is allowed to make mistakes, but at the same time she has to grow. It takes a gifted writer to make that magic work on page. Overall, I thought that this was a great addition to the series and I'm looking forward to reading the final book.

I’m so happy to have read the other two books in this series and knowing Noelle was getting a book was really exciting since I was most curious about her. Noelle’s character development is really well done as she sees things about herself that need improvement. She’s caring and loving and that leads all of her actions even if they’re a little misguided. Her queer crisis was super relatable especially when she threw herself more into work to avoid thinking about it. Me too girl. The ambiguous ending of the book did make me a little upset but I know Tobyn is up next so I don’t doubt it’ll be resolved there. Either way, ambiguous endings are more true to reality than a clean ending so I enjoyed it a lot despite my upset!

Micah is still my favorite of the Flyy Girls, but I really enjoyed Noelle's book. This series is just amazing in general as it feels so relatable, and I think it's really a gift to young people and the girls who will be able to see themselves in these characters.

I definitely can snap at my friends like Noelle, so I liked seeing how the people in her life held her accountable for her actions and didn't keep letting her behavior slide. Noelle was dealing with a lot between her family, her job, and her feelings for Tobyn, so her misplaced anger and frustration made a lot of sense. I think it's really beneficial to read about mean Black girls, especially when their meanness is a cover up for their actual feelings.

The resolutions in these books always feel realistic and not like tidy fairytale endings. I'm gonna miss the Flyy Girls after Tobyn's book.

Actual rating: 4.5 stars

Noelle: The Mean Girl #3
By Ashley Woodfolk

I really enjoyed the first two books in this series and I knew I had to read another one and this one is by far my favorite of the stories of the FLYY girls series. Noelle is bi-racial half Chinese and half black, a Cellist, helps in her family business and is a wonderful big sister for her younger brother. There are lot of issues she is dealing with from her family, her friendships especially with another girl in her group Tobyn. I found this book packed a lot of punch for a short novella but a wonderful read for young adults going through these complex angst and insecurities. the writing was phenomenal and addressed the stories in a way that the readers will find it uplifting full of hope.

I love these little shorts that Ashley Woodfolk has devised into the Flyy Girls series. A quick read, but very enjoyable. Definitely would read again, and definitely would recommend to others!

Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for this free ebook in exchange for an honest review!

I have been absolutely loving this series of novellas from Ashley Woodfolk and Noelle’s story is no different. In fact, this is my favorite to date. Noelle is the daughter of a black mother and a Chinese father, though she claims to have more of her mother’s features. I loved the cultural aspects of this book.

Noelle has just broken up with the boyfriend she loves. She is dealing with some feelings that are new to her. She has a major crush on one of her best friends and this friend is going through some relationship difficulties of her own. Noelle is trying to come to terms with liking a girl and the only person she can talk to about it is her maternal grandmother whom she writes to. I thought that was a beautiful part of this story.

Noelle’s father is a proud man and does not like the fact that Noelle and (encouraged by her due to the fact that he is being bullied at school) her little brother are taking on duties at his parents’ restaurant. This tends to cause friction within her household.

This book was full of teenage insecurity and so so much love. I adored it very much. Noelle’s story and how she has been deemed the mean girl amongst her Flyy Girls friend group as a defense mechanism and how she decides to break free from that social constraint was a thing of beauty.