THIS POST MAY CONTAIN SPOILERS!!!!
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Hello sassy people! Today’s post is about the audiobook for The New Girl by Jesse Q. Sutanto, narrated by Eunice Wong! Thank you, Jesse Q. Sutanto and NetGalley for providing this copy in exchange for an honest review!
The New Girl
by Jesse Q. Sutanto
Lia Setiawan has never really fit in. When she wins a full ride to the prestigious Draycott Academy on a track scholarship, she’s determined to make it work even though she’s never felt more out of place. But on her first day there she witnesses a girl being forcefully carried away by campus security. Her new schoolmates and teachers seem unfazed, but it leaves her unsure of what she’s gotten herself into. As she uncovers the secrets of Draycott, complete with a corrupt teacher, a golden boy who isn’t what he seems, and a blackmailer determined to get her thrown out, she’s not sure if she can trust anyone–especially when the threats against her take a deadly turn.
Genre: ARC, Thriller, YA
Publisher: Sourcebooks Fire
Year: 2022
Goodreads rate: 3,64
TRIGGER WARNINGS (Based on StoryGraphs): Bullying, Death, Drug Abuse, Drug use, Gore, Murder, Panic attacks/disorders, Racial slurs, Racism, Violence, Xenophobia
Main characters: Lia
Pacing: Medium
Mood: Deep, Delicious, Heavy, Important, Thrilling
P.O.V.: Single P.O.V.
Character development: Good
Diverse Cast: This book has an incredibly diverse cast, with different Asian cultures, Latino characters, black characters, LGBTQi+ characters…
Read in: 2022
My Rate: ⭐⭐⭐⭐ 4/5
This book was very riveting, I couldn’t stop listening and thinking “what’s going to happen next?”, but it was also full of me shouting “DON’T DO THAT” up until the very end. There was not one down moment, we had surprise after surprise and you could never guess where the story was going next. So it was awesome in terms of writing. And in terms of subjects, this story brings up very important topics, that need to be talked about but rarely are.
- Racism and classicism.
It was very eye-opening, being that I had never even imagined there was racism between Asian cultures. There is an amazing quote (that I could not find, since I listened to this and didn’t make any notes) where Lia talks about how the rest of the world doesn’t see the difference between different Asian cultures, and as a Brazilian, I’m very sad and disappointed to admit it’s true, I didn’t know anything about these cultures, much less the problems and racism between them.
- Drug use, abuse, and sale between teenagers.
- Bullying and cyberbullying
- The pressure and desperation teens go through to get into colleges, and at such a young age
- Homophobia
It was very satisfying to me, for a book to show that girls with different sexual orientations can be friends
- Teacher and adult responsibility
One of the most impactful phrases in this book, to me, was Lia talking about how her teachers and principals were supposed to be there for these teens, to protect them, teach them, help them, but they were not doing that, their biggest concern was money and that is just honestly sad and revolting, however a very real fact.
So this book gives us space for lots of reflection while being incredibly entertaining, fun, sweet but very heavy most of the time.
Adjectives and general thoughts: A bit frustrating when the character does stupid things but is incredibly written, with deep subjects and an extremely riveting plot.
Recommend this to anyone who enjoys a good thriller and a good YA book, is not afraid of some violence, and has no heart problems.
If you want to buy this book, it is now live on Amazon. You can also add it to your shelf on Goodreads and see what other people thought about it!
Well, that is all for today, I hope you like this post, hope you enjoy this book as much as I did. Feel free to leave your opinion about it in the comments and I will see you next time!
Bye sassy people!
- I know that some comments I make about decent guys on my posts are the bare minimum a guy should do, so no, they don’t deserve to be treated like gods for doing the minimum, but at the same time, I’ve read a lot of sexist books and I appreciate authors who make characters that can serve as role models and examples of how a decent guy acts and what a loving and respectful relationship looks like. I believe we should always encourage these authors and bring attention to the ones that still write sexist characters and stories.
- I make a lot of comments about sexism and healthy role models in books, but a lot of times these characteristics don’t make the book a bad book and definitely don’t make the author a bad author. Please never shame these authors and these books for these comments, I simply feel that we need to have awareness of the less than ideal situations some books bring us, and not use the romanticized problem as examples of what a relationship should be. Most of these authors are still amazing, and the content they write doesn’t reflect directly with their personal views and opinions. Always make sure to respect and be kind to everyone, even while criticizing their content.
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Meet Me
Brazilian architecture student and book lover
One of my goals in analysing my readings was to talk about important topics, like feminist and consent, because literature, art and culture influence us, and I believe we should always encorage authors who talk about this topics.
Come check out my Goodreads Reading Challenge!
Goodreads Reading Challenge 2020
I read 148 books in 2020, come see them!
