The Nowhere Girls

4.5

3,5

“Even if Grace totally bombs, it's okay. Because we'll still like her and so will everyone else”

RATING: 4 stars (probably closer to 3-3.5, but it's inflated up because of my love for feminism and girl power stories)
QUICK NOTE: Be warned reading this book! It does have some parts that are hard if you've been through assault yourself. It definitely unsettled me and I had to take a break or two near the first few chapters. 

THE GOOD –> I describe myself as a very passionate feminist, so the cover itself instantly intrigued me. The story was full of some very raw and powerful stories, and I loved the story-telling style the author employed. Switching between each of the three protagonist sis not some thing new I've seen in books, but the inclusion of the “US” viewpoint chapters were a stroke of genius. I love how she employed these chapters to give us snippets of lives of everyone else in the literary world she created, which also gave us space to understand the voices of many different women. Those in favor of what the protagonists had started and those who weren't. Feminism is all about choice and voice, so I loved hearing the voices of all girls; those of different races, those who felt the ‘movement' created by the protagonists didn't include them, those who were minor characters, those hurt and those who lashed out. 
The mirror of the beginning to the end was a beautiful work, and I adore that the writer didn't try to wave a magic wand and make everything perfect.

THE NOT SO GOOD –> Especially near the end it felt like the author was trying very hard to victimize the protagonists and the girls to emphasize the unfairness of it all. I get why it was done, to push them further into the role of ‘this is unfair' and ‘we have to fight this', but at times it seemed to comical to dark and unexplained from people who's motives we never understood. There were also some loose threads I won't mention because it's a spoiler, but I feel like one of the main characters definitely did not get everything fully resolved.

SPOILERS OF THE ABOVE: I feel as if Erin's agency wasn't fully explored with the sexual assault near the end. Yes she 'woke up' to defend the girl who was raped a ton over, but it never even addressed whether Erin wanted to report her assault. She didn't have to if that was her choice, but it wasn't even addressed. It was brushed aside. Rosina's character also seemed more broken by the end result, but it also wasn't fully touched on or explored. Where does this leave Rosina?

The 3rd person rotating viewpoint coupled with the use of present tense impede any reading pleasure than might be had from the book. I'm glad to see sexual assault being written about so frankly but disappointed it was done so badly.

Oh my gooooooooood. I want every man, woman, and enby in my life to read this.

WOW!!!!! This book just left me speechless, with goosebumps and a lot of thoughts swirling in my head. I'm not sure if I can express anything properly in this review but I'm definitely going to try.

Grace is a white Christian girl who is new to the town of Prescott after her minister mother is forced out of her old church for preaching about a more progressive version of Jesus. Now, all she wants is to live her life in high school without making any waves and probably find some normal friends. Rosina is queer latina teen who wants more from her life than just working her ass off at her uncle's restaurant and taking care of her cousins. She also feels very invisible and insignificant for being a poor brown lesbian girl in a small town. Erin is a very smart socially awkward girl who wants to be a marine biologist learning about the numerous life forms living under the water. She has Asperger's syndrome and she follows her own rigid set of rules to get through every day and finds solace in watching Star Trek. She is very empathetic and hopes that she could be void of her emotions like her favorite android character because she wants to escape the emotional overload that she feels sometimes.

When these three girls come together to do something to bring justice to Lucy – a rape survivor who was bullied and shamed and denied justice – the “Nowhere Girls” are born. But this book and the group are not just about this one issue. Through the group, all the girls come together, have discussions about their lives and choices, their expectations, their need to be seen and valued and loved as equals. This book is about so much more:

A girl who believes in her faith and prays to find purpose in her life and do good.
A girl who wants to forget all the trauma that she has experienced and just get through the day in a normal way.
A girl who is conflicted about loving her family that is also suffocating her dreams.
A girl who is resigned to faking it while being with a guy because she believes she is worthless and her “no” means nothing.
A girl who enjoys sex and is confident enough to ask for what she wants.
A smart girl who wants to look and dress pretty but believes that she has to choose between beauty and brains.
A cheerleader with a love for dancing who can't get behind the idea of her body being on display and judged for it.
An athletic girl who is stereotyped as a lesbian and goes so unnoticed that she believes even being taken advantage of might be better.
A closeted trans girl worried if she would be accepted by the group of girls in her school.
A black girl tired of white feminism which is so indifferent to her struggles.
The patriarchy that treats women as second class citizens only good for serving men.
The culture that perpetuates the notion that women like being with a strong man, women dressed a certain way are asking for it and excuses the actions of boys “for being boys”.
The hypocrisy of being called a slut for enjoying sex while being named a prude for not putting oneself out there.
The men who don't call out the sexism and misogyny around them because they don't want to lose their friends.
The men and women who would do anything to maintain the status quo and not ruffle any feathers.
The parents who believe their kids and fight for the truth alongside them.
The parents who are complicit in furthering the misogynistic attitudes in their kids.
This book made me think a lot, question my own beliefs and attitudes and actions till date and what I can do better in my life. It also reaffirms the need for listening to the victim, stop blaming them and female solidarity. Though it is unfortunate that this book seems so realistic in this day and age, but this is the world we live in and I recommend everyone to read this book and introspect.

???The thing is,??? Rosina says, ???people don???t want to hear something that???ll make their lives more difficult, even if it???s the truth. People hate having to change the way they see things. So instead of admitting the world is ugly, they shit on the messenger for telling them about it.???The Nowhere Girls is similar in many ways to [b:Moxie 33163378 Moxie Jennifer Mathieu https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1494950979s/33163378.jpg 46824140], and if you like one, you'll most likely enjoy the other one. I would recommend both of these books. Moxie is a little bit lighter than The Nowhere Girls, but both deal with feminism, rape culture, and the messages we send to girls about their worth. In addition, The Nowhere Girls has even more LGBT representations and one of the main characters (Erin) is living with Asperger's syndrome. The book also shows the best and the worst of people who identify as Christian. The principal in the story is also one of the villains, but she's interesting in, while never being sympathetic, portraying how some women end up as enemies to other women because of their own treatment by, well, the patriarchy. She believes she has to side with the men, with power, in order to hold on to her own power, never seeming to realize that if you have to be a tool for the oppression of other women or else you'll lose your power that you're deluded as to how much control you have. She is worn down by the fight to get where she is and willing to wear down others. I have to say I love stories where girls and women join together to support one another and find their strength. Also, holding the good guys to a higher standard in how they behave and in what they defend. ???There wasn???t any proof,??? he says, his voice rising defensively. ???That???s what everyone said. They said that girl was lying.??? ???That girl has a name.??? Grace tries to kill him with her eyes. When nothing happens, she turns around and storms away. ???Wait, Grace,??? he says. She stops walking but keeps her back to him. ???You don???t understand. You weren???t here. Everything was crazy after Lucy said all that stuff. Everyone at school, the whole town was, like, falling apart.??? ???Yeah???? she says. ???The town was falling apart???? She turns her head and looks him in the eyes. ???How do you think she felt????

Trigger Warning: Rape

THIS WAS BRILLIANT!

I loved this book and the messages it carried. It tackles rape culture in a fantastic way and it really doesn't shy away from how this can impact the victims or be perpetuated by all of this. It really shows us we have to take a stand against events like this, and how important unity between girls is.

Not only was the topic and story of this novel fantastic, we were introduced to some amazing ladies. The women in this are diverse and passionate, they really showcase different voices and feelings - particularly in the unnamed POVs in the ‘US' Chapters. They also form great bonds and friendship, so they embody the true meaning of girl power.

Read my full review here: https://teachocolateandbooks.blogspot.co.uk/2018/03/the-nowhere-girls.html