From The Stacks - Not That Kind of Girl

by: Siobhan Vivian





Synopsis

Natalie Sterling is a girl in control. She starts her senior year knowing what she wants. She wants to become the student council president (only the 9th in school history), she wants to spend a lot of time with her BFF Autumn, and she wants to get in her dream college. And of course she wants to be the best President ever, admired by her peers, achieve excellent grades, and maintain the respect of her teachers. Not too much right?

Well, not on Natalie’s agenda is the appearance of her old babysitting charge Spencer. Spencer is pretty much the opposite of Natalie. In spite of that, Natalie decides to take Spencer under her wing. She tries to help Spencer adjust to the private school environment and become more like the person Natalie wants her to become, a mini-Natalie.

Natalie and her friends attend Ross Academy a private school with the atmosphere of any other high school in America. Cliques, slutty girls, jerky guys, SATs, etcetera, etcetera. Natalie is especially disturbed by the improper actions of her female classmates and their stupidity when dealing with the bonehead guys. Her best friend Autumn had a particularly bad experience early on in high school that confirmed Natalie’s opinions. This is a major issue throughout the book.

Perhaps the most unplanned element of Natalie’s senior year is Conner Hughes. (aka one of my dream guys!) Conner is the quarter back of the football team, popular, HOT, and is interested in Natalie! Drama and swooning ensues! (It’s good I swear!)


Why I Like It


I was Natalie Sterling in high school. Reading this book I relived so many of my high school thoughts, for better and for worse. I was as judgmental, self righteous, and driven as Natalie. (Just call me Natalie Berry or Rachel Sterling. You know because I was a combo of the two.) Somehow I managed to leave high school all right but as I read Natalie’s narration I thought about how I had lived everything she did, mostly. I was on student council, I was a class president, and I had traitorous friends. I had all of her student council woes. I worked a dance that I didn’t have a date to. I came early, stayed late, and decorated a staircase/hallway. This is way more stressful than people think. With an impending class reunion this book particularly brought me back to my high school. Any driven, empowered (current or former) high school girl will find Natalie very relatable.

I like that Natalie battles with a lot issues: what it means to be a feminist, who she is, her sexuality, what it means to be a good friend, and how to let go. I was completely enthralled with this book. Natalie’s narrative voice was wonderful, believable, and just so realistic. Her insecurities…I’ve had them. How do you trust a boy? How do you know he is being truthful with his feelings? Can a jock really be a good guy? (My brothers are “jocks” and I assure you they can.)

I think there are such wonderful lessons in this book for women young and old. We can always analyze ourselves to see if we are comfortable with our behavior. We can check to see if we are being good friends, girlfriends, and just good people. I think to often we get self-righteous and we think we are above certain people and their behavior (or maybe it’s just me here, I hope not). I was a frequent judger in high school (and in college but more so high school). I was like Natalie, I judged, but I really wanted people to reach their full potential. I didn’t realize that I was also shutting myself off to some experiences (like dating). I think this book could be a powerful tool for many girls. It could teach them some lessons: embrace life, be cautious with your actions, stay true to yourself, and be confident in who you are.


Bonus Round


Conner Hughes. I’m serious; I like totally love this guy! He’s awesome. Sure he makes some mistakes but who doesn’t? He is totally sweet, smart, and driven. And he’s going to take over his family’s Christmas Tree farm business! How fun, Christmas year round! He really likes Natalie (maybe even loves her?). He has older sisters, loves his family, and did I mention he’s QB1?!? We’d totally be awesome together! We could bond over football and Christmas! He is the type of guy I always wanted to date in high school! Yay Natalie!

This book would make a great TV movie! Hey abcfamily, I have a new movie for ya. Or maybe CW should jump on the TV movie bandwagon. But whoever makes it, lets not be cheesy. No Mean Girls 2 please. I think some scenes could be spiced up, there could be more interactions with Conner, and this could again be a great learning/empowering tool for girls.


Bottom Line


I loved this book! I couldn’t sleep for thinking about it. I got up early to finish it. I talked out loud to Natalie begging her not to do this or that. Hoping she wouldn’t make the mistake I knew she’s about to! I highly encourage people to read it.

I do wish there was more between Conner and Natalie and that it took place sooner, but the tension was sa-weeet! This was a quick awesome read. Everything ended perfect, just the way I wanted! Yay, yay! Very happy!