Boring Girls

Rachel seems like a normal and stable teen. She is a loner--like to keep to herself and hangout with her family. All of this changes when she discovers death metal and a new best friend named Fern.. The girls form a band and life really beings to change--and not necessarily for the better. This is more a why done it and a who done it. It is an excellent novel for both young adults as well as adult readers. It grabs you from the first page and doesn't let go until the bittersweet end. Highly recommended.

This was an enjoyable read and I pretty much rattled through it. If I have a criticism, it’s that the book doesn't really live up to its opening paragraph. It promises a dark comedic wit and intelligence but whilst it does a good job of keeping the story moving it never really fulfilled this promise for me. It also reads more like YA title than an adult one and that is where I’d see most of the potential readership for this novel. I can see fellow teens who themselves are unpopular at school finding much to like in much of what Rachel does.

This book is totally rad. I am not really a "metal" person, but I could identify with Rachel & Fern's struggles. Sadly, being dismissed and disrespected simply for being young and female seems to be the norm. This book took a super dark turn that surprised me, but ultimately I was pleased that like Rachel's painting of Judith, it takes something dark and goes even darker.

Wow. I'm still reeling. One thing's for certain: Taylor definitely knows how to play up a moment. Some pretty intense stuff happens in this book, as all blurbs have promised, and none of it has the jarring resonance of shock value or is diluted entirely by poor pacing or overly speculative filler prose. Taylor is a deft writer with a strong voice. Every page, every paragraph of Boring Girls propels you forward and forward until you reach the insane finale.

To me, Boring Girls tells the story of what would happen if a teenage girl acted on wholly on her anger on her own behalf. Rachel and Fern find themselves up against, to use their own words, "some real assholes", especially after they start their own band and realize how misogynistic the metal scene is (this, unfortunately, is the case with so many other subcultures that you don't have to be into metal to feel that painful twinge of recognition ). And that's putting it...lightly. They don't go to the police, their parents, or their male friends. They take matters into their own hands. This is the story of Boring Girls.

Worry not - this does not sparkle with the luster of fantasy. Not even the parts about touring as a rock band is glamorized (probably helped by the fact that Taylor is in a band herself). It is what it is - the violence, the consequences, - and it all certainly makes for a different kind of story.

To say that this book will not make you uncomfortable is an understatement. Rachel is a girl who grew up being humiliated and the pain that she feels from that slowly transforms into hatred and revenge. A lot of her decisions that she makes I did not particularly agree with but I could understand why she would do the things that she does.

When I first started reading the book, it seems very lighthearted; like a regular story with a teenager who is trying to find herself and whose parents are not so keen about what she chooses. But slowly, it starts becoming darker and darker. And this was something I did not expect at all.

Overall, I enjoyed the story a lot. A liked how Rachel became involved in music, metal, and how that became a huge part of her life. I feel a lot of people can relate, even if we may not be artists, and how music can be a defining part of our lives. Also, I enjoyed reading how she follows her dreams regardless of what others think of her. She struggles but she learns and improves herself in her craft.

I think this book also falls under the psychological thrillers that have been popping up recently in contemporary fiction. It deals with a lot of feminist aspects that I seriously did not expect. It addresses the misogynistic and sexist views that are heavily present in the music industry. It goes through Rachel’s innermost thoughts and actions based on these kind of views.

You seriously do not know what to expect of this book. The twists and turns that it takes are at times, unexpected. You will come to either like or dislike Rachel, but at the end of the day, you will feel sympathy for her because of what she has gone through. And in some ways, I think it is justifiable to some extent. Definitely worth reading but caution due to the triggering topics it deals with.