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A review by ssshira
Girls of July by Alex Flinn
3.0
This print book review was prepared for and appears in School Library Journal.
Four very different teenage girls form an unlikely friendship while vacationing together in the Adirondacks. Spider and her grandmother Ruthie rent out their vacation home's extra rooms for the month of July via advertising on social media. The renters include Cuban American aspiring actress Britta, model student Meredith, and debutante politician's daughter Kate. Each of the girls seems to feel stuck in her life. Spider, a cynical cinephile, has juvenile idiopathic arthritis and feels alienated by her siblings and peers. Britta wants to get away from her mom's creepy boyfriend. Meredith feels pressured to be at the top of her class and get into an elite college, and she has been having panic attacks. Kate's family is embroiled in a political scandal in their small Georgia town. All four girls are forever changed as they encourage one another to make the necessary changes to improve their lives. Perhaps the most charming story is Ruthie's: Spider and Britta discover that she had a romantic relationship with another young woman decades ago, but they were driven apart by circumstances. Spider and Britta track down Ruthie's lost love, and they reconnect. With pop culture, film, and music references, this story will resonate with teens, who are likely to see themselves in the characters. Flinn tackles tough subjects that elevate this beach read; a solid purchase for most libraries serving teens.
This audiobook review was prepared for and appears in AudioFile Magazine.
Four teenage girls who are near strangers, each voiced by a different narrator, find themselves vacationing together in the Adirondacks and become friends. The pressure that model student Meredith feels to succeed is reflected in narrator Brittany Pressley's tone of caution and uncertainty. Lauren Ezzo uses soft and buttery tones for Southern belle Kate, who is coping with the fallout from her politician father's recent scandal. Characters in Kate's chapters come alive by virtue of Ezzo's careful vocal distinctions. Spider, an aspiring filmmaker, is markedly cynical, and narrator Tara Sands voices her with just the right snark and irascibility. Em Eldridge portrays Britta, a Cuban–American with a flair for drama, but Eldridge's gentle tone seems off the mark. The shifting narrators will keep listeners engaged.
Four very different teenage girls form an unlikely friendship while vacationing together in the Adirondacks. Spider and her grandmother Ruthie rent out their vacation home's extra rooms for the month of July via advertising on social media. The renters include Cuban American aspiring actress Britta, model student Meredith, and debutante politician's daughter Kate. Each of the girls seems to feel stuck in her life. Spider, a cynical cinephile, has juvenile idiopathic arthritis and feels alienated by her siblings and peers. Britta wants to get away from her mom's creepy boyfriend. Meredith feels pressured to be at the top of her class and get into an elite college, and she has been having panic attacks. Kate's family is embroiled in a political scandal in their small Georgia town. All four girls are forever changed as they encourage one another to make the necessary changes to improve their lives. Perhaps the most charming story is Ruthie's: Spider and Britta discover that she had a romantic relationship with another young woman decades ago, but they were driven apart by circumstances. Spider and Britta track down Ruthie's lost love, and they reconnect. With pop culture, film, and music references, this story will resonate with teens, who are likely to see themselves in the characters. Flinn tackles tough subjects that elevate this beach read; a solid purchase for most libraries serving teens.
This audiobook review was prepared for and appears in AudioFile Magazine.
Four teenage girls who are near strangers, each voiced by a different narrator, find themselves vacationing together in the Adirondacks and become friends. The pressure that model student Meredith feels to succeed is reflected in narrator Brittany Pressley's tone of caution and uncertainty. Lauren Ezzo uses soft and buttery tones for Southern belle Kate, who is coping with the fallout from her politician father's recent scandal. Characters in Kate's chapters come alive by virtue of Ezzo's careful vocal distinctions. Spider, an aspiring filmmaker, is markedly cynical, and narrator Tara Sands voices her with just the right snark and irascibility. Em Eldridge portrays Britta, a Cuban–American with a flair for drama, but Eldridge's gentle tone seems off the mark. The shifting narrators will keep listeners engaged.