Publisher: Self Published
Publishing Date: March 28, 2016
Page Count: 258
Source: Sent for Review
Format: eBook
Description from Goodreads.com:
If her mother wasn’t watching, Kylie Presby would punch Queen Bee, Natalie Silvers, in the face -again. But as Kylie wipes her tears away with the layers of toilet paper encasing her car, she knows she can’t retaliate like she did last time. Her dead mother wouldn’t approve. Kylie no longer cares about popularity. Invisible would work just fine.
Then the new kid, Braydon, mysterious, good looking and too clever for his own good, shows up and sacrifices his social status, becoming Kylie’s shield from the front line assault. After enough chocolate ice cream and movies it’s as if they’re best friends. Crazy, since Kylie knows so little about him.
As Natalie continues her relentless attacks on Kylie another person deals with his own line of bullies. Jack Stine was popular until his deepest secret was revealed and his friends abandoned him. Kylie and Jack bond over their tormentors and form an unbreakable friendship.
Three lost souls each with a story that binds them together, but will it be enough when the bullying goes too far and secrets are revealed?
Review:
Dead Girl is the type of contemporary that I haven't read in quite some time. It's a darker contemporary that deals with bullying, self confidence, and self harm. I usually tend to stay away from these types of books, because I really don't like to be depressed while reading. Reading is my escape. I will say that when I do read one of these books every once in awhile it won't get a high rating from me unless it's done really well. Dead Girl lived up to that expectation. I found it to be very well written, especially in the second half and enjoyed reading it. Surprisingly, the most depressing part was my favorite of the entire book.
Kylie is being bullied ever since she punched the most popular girl in the face. You would think that would make her a rock star, but not when that same popular girl has secrets on everyone. At first I didn't understand why Kylie would be bullied for sticking up for herself, that usually makes kids cool, but once the secrets started coming out, I completely understood. People had Natalie's back, because she would ruin their lives.
Something else I really didn't understand was why Kylie kept her crush on the popular boy. He is a JERK, but eventually she figures that out on her own. I was so proud of her when she stood up to him too. He was an ass, her best friend kept telling her that, and then finally she learned and didn't let him get away with it.
What kept me reading this book was the characters. I love Kylie's best friend, I loved Jack, and I loved Braydon. The only "good" person I didn't really care for was Kylie. Her and I didn't see eye to eye. She kept letting people bring her down, and even put down herself by looking up what people were saying about her online. I also really didn't understand why she let people be so mean to her, because "her dead mom would be disappointed in her behavior". I don't have a mom like this so I totally didn't understand this aspect of Kylie's behavior. My mom would tell me to punch that chick in the face again, not kill her with kindness. I just didn't like all of Kylie's self hatred and groveling. I wanted her to just stand up for herself.
In the end Kylie finally does say what is on her mind. It's all thanks to the most depressing part of the book that had me literally crying while reading. I went through something extremely similar when I was in High School, probably about the same age as Kylie and it hit me pretty hard while reading. It was described so accurately and it felt so genuine. It was really done the right way and that is why it was my favorite part. The wristband bit was so dead on perfect.
Overall:
I enjoyed my time while reading Dead Girl. The feelings that are behind this book are very genuine and the saddest, most depressing part of the book ended up being my favorite because it was so intense and real. Although Kylie and I didn't see eye to eye, the rest of the characters made the book for me. I usually don't real these types of darker contemporaries, but I really enjoyed this one and am glad that I got the chance to read it.
Rating: ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ 4/5
**The books cover, description, and info was all found on Goodreads. A link back has been provided. All other work and ideas are of my own creation. This book was sent to me by the author in exchange for an honest review.**
