4.5⭐️

Holy sh!t..
I loved this book.

I got the (really well narrated) audio ARC from Netgalley 🫶 and was hesitant at first because of the title, I couldn't figure out if this was an ironic "not like other girls" or a serious one and I was still pretty confused on that point until about 40% through the book.

What I didn't expect was the insane emotional impact that this book would have on me. This feels like the kind of book that's important.

This feels like the book you get assigned in class or find on your own when you're like 15 that changes the trajectory of your life. This feels like something I wish I had read when I was in high school. I'm honestly kind of mad that she didn't go back in time and give me that chance.

When trying to explain this feeling to people, I compared it to reading The Perks of Being a Wallflower or 13 Reasons Why or The Outsiders. Not to say that this book is on par or above or below those, but just in the way of how impactful, I think it could be on the YA scene.

Even when Jo was annoying the crap out of me with her "not like other girls" vibe, I never disliked her. There was always something about her that made me care for her or feel sympathy for her. Watching her change and come into herself throughout the novel was everything to me.

The mystery and the fake dating plot were really fun, too! They gave the story so many more layers.

The only reason I can't give it a 5⭐️ is because I got a little confused and a little "over it" by the end. The mystery plot kinda went wild, and I doudn myself forgeting who was who and who did what to whom and why this person was mad at that person and just gernally got a little lost. It felt a bit rushed, and by that point in the book, I barely cared about the mystery anymore as I was so invested in Jo herself.

I was so proud of myself (a notoriously easy crier)for not crying at all throughout the read, but then she had to go and hit me with that authors note😭.

I hope this book gets the love it deserves!

I happen to be a big fan of characters that are messy, troubled, loners or basically any one that feels real.

Jo was that character for me in this book and I loved her. It’s hard to describe the plot of this book because there are pieces of many different stories, but it’s part coming of age, self discovery, a little bit of love, and a lot of awful teenager behavior, but it’s so realistic.

The narrator had a great teenage voice and perfectly captured Jo’s spirit. Very well done. Loved the audio and the book.

This felt exactly like Veronica Mars and I LOVED IT.

Jo is incredible. She has had a really rough go of her teenage years so far and things become even harder when a girl from her school, her ex-best friend Maddie, goes missing. Or runs away? That's our mystery. Jo thinks she can possibly unravel the truth and seeks help from one of the "in-crowd". He agrees to be her pretend boyfriend to get her access to the social scene that Maddie was a part of. Turns out Jo is way more involved in the situation than she could have ever thought, and there is something truly sinister happening. Through some amateur sleuthing to figure out what happened to Maddie and what's happening at her school, she also begins to understand what happened to her in her past was really damaging, and a none of it was her fault and she has been let down by really all the friends and adults she had in her life. Characters in this book will absolutely surprise you!

There is an incredibly sad and intense story being told and it is one too many teens face and they face it alone. Not Like Other Girls is one of those books that I wish had been around and available to me as a teen. I think a story like this can also be super beneficial to adults and parents that there's often a lot more going on in a teens life than you can possibly imagine. Jo is brilliant and beautiful and people took advantage and did terrible things to her and made her feel like it was her fault. This happens all the time in real life and I wish it didn't.

Thank you to Netgalley and Bloomsbury Audio for a digital review copy. I'm preordering a copy of this book right now because I will absolutely reread it.

Trigger Warnings: sexual assault of a minor - in the character's past but is an on page memory, revenge porn - leaked nudes of a minor, kidnapping/hostage situation

Not Like Other Girls was such a good read. The story covered so many complex topics and blended them within the narrative in a way that felt so true to Jo's journey. The main character Jo-Lynn is a relatable teenage girl who has been outcast by her friends and peers after her nudes were leaked. Jo has gone through so much that she hasn't fully grasped the depth of her trauma and she has come to blame herself for everything. When her ex best friend, Maddy, goes missing she has this unexplainable desire to figure out how and why Maddy has disappeared which takes her on her own journey of finding the truth, while coming to terms with her own traumas and the realization that those around her have failed her and she is not to blame. This story is compelling with relatable characters, a little bit of mystery and a lot of heart.

I began this audio-book but struggled to engage with it. Regrettably, it didn't resonate with me.I appreciate NetGalley and Bloomsbury Audio for the opportunity, but I won't be completing this book.

I think if I was a high school girl I would really like this book, Jo-Lynn (also goes by Jo) is everything I wanted to be back then: confident with boys, loves they way she looks, goes to all the parties, drives without a license, and basically has no parental guidance or curfews (her parents say they will enforce rules but never do). It was very interesting getting to see adolescence through the eyes of this popular girl and I appreciated the main goal of Adamo's writing being to teach young girls about coping through traumatic events (like revenge porn and rape).

Though I also have criticism about the plot, the first thing I wanted to address is Jo's character and if it really fits in the YA genre. Jo-Lynn is in high school, but she walks around in life as an adult would, with no age restricting rules. It set the tone for an unrealistic story which is confirmed when we get down to the knitting gritty of the plot. Jo's ex BFF Maddie goes missing and it really doesn't make sense why 1.) Jo and fake BF Hudson are so keen to solve her disappearance and 2.) the police stop their investigation immediately. Yes Maddie leaves a note behind saying she ran away but she is a minor so I don't believe the investigation would stop there with her whereabouts being unknown to her parents. As mentioned, Hudson and Jo establish a fake relationship in order to investigate Maddie's disappearance without anyone finding it suspicious. I know this excuse is more of a ruse to get Hudson his dream girl, but both teens' motives in wanting to find out what happened to Maddie and keeping their investigation a secret aren't solid. Jo's reasoning is a little understandable is you frame it to a teenage girl, but it's more pathetic than valid in the end. Another questionable aspect to the plot is the school giving 10K to the valedictorian and regularly publishing a list of the top students so everyone knows where they stand on getting the cash. I don't see how this wouldn't create a cheating scandal at your school. The players in the scandal and in the disappearance case were far to many to keep track of, as well as all the other side characters like The Birds and the journalist staff at Jo's mentorship. It made for a convoluted but confusing mystery, with clues coming easily to Jo simply because she had so many people to ask for help.

My final comments are about the audio book. The narrator was a fantastic choice for Jo and I loved the range of voices she put on for all the other characters. There is the issue of everyone calling Jo-Lynn "Jo Hyphen Lynn" or "Jo Dash Lynn" which I think is a mistake that never got edited out (probably because it is read like that 90% of the time).

I just reviewed Not Like Other Girls by Meredith Adamo. #NetGalley

This was really really good! I've read a few YA thrillers lately but this one is definitely sticking out to me. I loved Jo and seeing her open up and grow through the novel. She was definitely over looked by her peers but is such a strong person. I loved seeing how she could connect with others as she works to find out what happened to Maddie and try to figure out who why lying or not. I saw part of the twist coming but not all of it and it was such a good twist! This book deals with some heavy topics but does a great job at it and such a strong debut! Overall, so so good!

Jo-Lynn Kirby has often been told "you're not like other girls." She was the cool girl who preferred to hang with the guys. But one of those guy friends betrayed her by releasing nudes of her, and she's become an outcast. Her neighbor Maddie is now a former friend. Maddie mysteriously asks Jo for help and then goes missing. Most people think she ran away (after having received disappointing news), but Jo is sure there is more to the story.

Unraveling the mystery will require re-entering the friend group that has discarded her. To help her do that, a popular boy named Hudson hatches a plan to fake dating her. As she unravels the mystery, she also reexamines her own situation, confronting trauma she has not allowed herself to recognize.

A strong debut by Meredith Adamo. I look forward to reading more from her.

Thank you Netgalley and Bloomsbury Audio for the ARC. This is my honest opinion.

Reminded me of all the things I love the most about Karen McManus books. Jo has an incredibly strong and realized voice that had me on the edge of my seat the entire story. This cast of characters was incredibly memorable and I genuinely enjoyed all of their various contributions to the story (especially my beloved Hudson.) There was a moment probably 75% of the way through where I was worried things were getting a little too twisty, but I thjnk the revealed scale of the plot made the payoffs very worth it.

I’m ashamed to say that I fell into the trap set by the beginning of this book. I didn’t like Jo; I wanted her to be quieter, nicer, more “likable”. It says terrible things about me, of course, but I think it also speaks to our predisposition (as a society) against girls like Jo: loud, flirtatious, brash, the girls who take up space, who aren’t ashamed, etc. And then as we got more and more of Jo’s story (the big neon “notice me” sign above her head and all that implies), I couldn’t turn away.

I feel like I’ve read so many books recently with some variation of Keystone. But that wasn’t the important part. The important part was Jo - and, by extension, Hudson and Kathleen.

The way Maddie’s story unfurled was also really clever and felt genuine rather than anything slapped together for shock value.

This was a really great YA book that I think a lot of femmes will relate too regardless of age. The messaging and validation of a common shared experience is fantastic. I did feel it dragged on a bit longer than necessary but overall a great book

Trigger warning for SA. The growth, strength and honesty that the main character develops is realistic and hopeful. Huge kudos for healthy (mildly spicy) consensual sex—not to mention sex positive talk among several of the teens. The only slightly negative spot is that the adults tended to be a bit cartoonish and hard to believe. This is a brave, pull-no-punches, YA thriller.

I really wanted to like this book. But I was bored and underwhelmed. Felt like I should’ve just given up on it.

PHEW. I de-VOURED this book in a day! It was brilliant and haunting. The absolute QUEEN of twists on every single page towards the end! The message in this book is SO important. Always believe victims! Thank you for writing this book, Meredith!

Thank you NetGalley for an ARC of this book for an honest review. I received this ARC in audio form.

This book had some heavy topics. *sexual assault *mass academic cheating *kidnapping

I do feel like those aspect were done tastefully. The author really went in deep with how being that type of victim can cause horrific trauma and sometimes you may not even recognize it at first.

However, the mystery part of the story was a drag. I figured out the twist early on, way before the reveal. There were also a lot of side characters. Something it was hard for me to keep up with who was who.

I would rate the story a 2.75 out of 5 stars.

I would rate the audio a 4 out of 5 stars. The narrator kept me interested in the story.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for proving me with an e-audiobook ARC in exchange of an honest review!!

I liked this story. I liked the message it sends. It was emotional and enraging at times, and without spoiling the story, the female friendships, the objectification of girls, the pain and questions when it comes to discussing sexual harassment, let alone experiencing it, are all so important and I appreciate how the author touched on them. The author’s note itself was also very heartbreaking.

With that said, I can’t really rate this book. I felt like the story dragged on too long at times, so I personally didn’t love it. I would say it’s a solid 3.5, a standard YA mysteryish book, but if we take away the author’s note that changes how you feel about rating, imo.

Overall, definitely check it out if you want stories about girlhood, any and all parts of the spectrum, and mysteries!

I was a bit hesitant about this one as I came to it via the good reviews which I usually don’t even look at until I’ve read a book that I’m going to review. All hesitancy is out the window because the 4-5 star reviews are spot on.

I want to thank NetGalley and Bloomsbury Audio for the Audio ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.

There is so much to unpack in this book so you need to go in with an open mind and armed that things are going to get uncomfortable but it’s well worth it.

For the most part I enjoyed the audio reader but for me, I wish I rather read a physical copy. But that’s personal preference of not wanting to listen to certain material from someone who sounds like the teenaged characters they are reading , in this case sexual acts, as it just doesn’t sound right to me and I rather read it and create my own imagery or gloss over it.

However, the young sounding choice of the narrator really made you stay present that this was about teens.

This is a great book for any teen to read as I’m sure they can identify with at least one situation or emotional experience in the book as well as learn something about others.

I enjoyed the diverse cast of characters and that the author didn’t shy away from nor made overblown various serious topics that teens may face as they find themselves and approach adulthood.

On top of all that, the book is also a mystery as she searches for her missing ex best friend. The brilliant thing is not only is she searching for the missing girl but she also goes on a self discovery journey.

The only negative is it’s a bit angsty but teens can be like that! I will give the trigger warning that the book deals with sexual assault, revenge porn, rape (including statutory) and grooming are the big ones. But there is so much more that makes one raise an eyebrow.

The book is very well written and shines a light on how self isolation can wreak havoc on your life.

My rating system since GoodReads doesn’t have partial stars and I rarely round up.

⭐️ Hated it
⭐️⭐️ Had a lot of trouble, prose issues, really not my cup of tea
⭐️⭐️⭐️ Meh, it was an ok read but nothing special
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Really enjoyed it! Would recommend to others and well worth the read.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Outstanding! Will circle back and read again. It’s reserved for the exceptional.

"I'd rather and be wrong than never try at all "

This book resonated with me more than possibly any other book has. Jo experienced more than her fair share of "boy issues" starting from a young age. As a victim of sexual assault, I could feel what Jo was feeling. After listening to the authors note at the end how she too has battled through sexual assault it made so much sence why every single emotion was something I too had gone though at the exact same age as Jo.
This book takes you through loss, relationships, and the yearning for that feeling of belonging and friendships. How sometimes you see others before they see you.

Thank you Meredith for this book. Thank you for the mystery, the suspense and the healing it gave me. I never knew that my feelings were parallel to other young girls. It took me until my adulthood to cone to terms of what happened when I was young and vulnerable. You were able to make a hard subject shareable.

Thank you NetGalley and Bloomsbury Audio for an advanced copy of this audiobook. Thank you Meredith for sharing, listening, and hearing.

Jo-Lynn's former best friend Maddie goes missing. Jo works to find her old friend.
Jo goes from a very good student to failing. People make assumptions that she is a failure, but did not take in consideration that she was really acting out after trauma. This book comes with content warnings.
I enjoyed reading this!
Many thanks to Net Galley and Bloomsbury Audio for an audio ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

3.5 rounded up because what I didn’t like about it (the obnoxiously edgy protagonist) is someone teens (the YA target audience) are likely to enjoy/empathize with. As an adult reader who normally avoids the genre because of this trope, it wouldn’t be fair to penalize the book for a genre convention I dislike.

Premise - Jo’s ex-best friend, Maddie, disappears after a humiliating college admissions snafu. While it starts out as a crime investigation, everyone soon believes she ran away. Everyone but Jo. Now Jo and her former (maybe not so former) crush, Hudson, set out to get to the bottom of things.

This is a heavy story - it deals with sexual assault, rape, revenge porn featuring minors, statutory rape, grooming, the dangers of seeking male approval, and the dangers of believing being ‘not like the other girls’ is a real thing and a good thing. It really drove home how unhealthy it is to isolate yourself from a group (in this case the protagonist leaning into her label as ‘not like other girls’ because of internalized misogyny).

The story executes what it sets out to do well, but it’s very high on the angst and is too much of a downer to read on a rainy day. I’d definitely recommend saving this for when you’re in the mood/space for a book that’s a bummer for a significant portion (a well-written bummer, to be fair, and it ends with hope).

Thanks, NetGalley and Bloomsbury YA, for the gifted ARC in exchange for an honest review.