Alex is a rebel from the tip of her purple fauxhawk to the toes of her biker boots. She's tried everything she can think of to get expelled from her strict Catholic boarding school. Nothing has worked so far - but now, Alex has a new plan.
Tired of the sexism she sees in every corner of St Mary's, Alex decides to stage the school's first ever production of The Vagina Monologues. Which is going to be a challenge, as no one else at St Mary's can even bear to say the word 'vagina' out loud . . .
This is a fantastic, funny story set in a boarding school in Minnesota.
Alex is a frustrating character. Although she is clearly smart, kind and empathetic, she is also judgemental and slow to learn or change. This is shown most clearly when Alex, a champion of a girl's right to choose and be happy in her body, scorns and makes fun of the school's purity group, never seeming to realise that it is their choice to be pure. However, she does start to grasp this towards the end and begins to be more open minded.
The book itself is really funny, which I love. It's hard to get a properly funny book for teens, and this one will definitely fit the bill. The friendship between Alex and Mary Kate is lovely, and Hockey Player Pat seems really nice. I wish this was a series, I'd love to see how things go with them!
If you've seen it described as an LGBT book, be aware; there is a gay character, but his part is limited to telling others he's gay, he's never seen to act on it. Another character complains about single sex dorms, but it's not made clear whether they are bi, non binary or anything else. All the featured relationships are straight.
Overall, I really enjoyed this fun, feminist book, and I'll be looking forward to recommending it to people!
Thanks for letting us on the blog tour!
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