if you're going to read this book, PLEASE do yourself a favor and CHOOSE THE AUDIOBOOK. the narrator (georgina sadler) is FANTASTIC. she really makes the words come to life, and I think she's a huge part of why I mostly enjoyed this book (with a few caveats). don't listen to anyone who says the main character is "not likeable." I thought she had a great sense of humor and amazing voice. she was also really layered! I think you'd like this if you liked a good girl's guide to murder by holly jackson! but also check the content warnings before diving in, because there are some pretty heavy topics.

Thank you to Netgalley and Bloomsbury Audio for early access to this audiobook in exchange for an honest review!

This was a 5 star listen with twists and turns every moment and a powerful message of sovereignty and self worth! I am shocked that this is Meredith Adamo's debut novel, and I really hope we get to see more from her. 

"Not Like Other Girls" is a story about Jo-Lynn Kirby. I almost continued there, but, truly, this story, at heart, is about Jo - who she's always thought she was and who she's realizing she is and deserves to be. Jo-Lynn had been friends with Maddie Price, one of her only female friendships, until a falling out that neither will share the details of. Jo stays friends and "friends" with guys, and the other girls at school, along with Maddie, slut shame her and treat her like a pariah. Her parents don't see how Jo's changed, and she has lost her top grades to the point of landing on probation. And then Maddie goes missing. Jo feels like something isn't quite right with the explanation given, and she keeps digging until she discovers something big. 

Throughout the story, Jo's current/past relationships with people, including the grief she feels at the loss of her friendship with Maddie, are juxtaposed with the new relationships she makes as she starts to uncover secrets and schemes at her school. Adamo brilliantly captures what it feels like to lose a best friend - the lack of closure that comes from that, and the secret hope that maybe, just maybe it will get better. I've never felt that so honestly captured in a book before, and it is a testament to Adamo. 

Something I want to make sure to highlight is the pushback against the slut-shaming and the realization of the sexual assault that Jo has been put through - this is really important both narratively and as a message to society. If those are triggers for you, you may want to sit those out, but as a survivor myself, I felt very seen and proud of Jo. Adamo's note at the end of the audiobook in her own voice about her own experiences and why she felt she needed to tell Jo's story had me in tears. 

"Not Like Other Girls" comes out TOMORROW, April 30th! Get your copy wherever books are sold, and then come back and chat with me! I can't wait to be able to talk more about the twists and characters with someone!

This gut-wrenching YA novel spotlights how teen girls are so often used, manipulated, exploited, and disregarded by society. Jo-Lynn Kirby is learning how to navigate her world after facing cruelty and rejection by her peers along with disappointment and dismissal by the adults in her world. Her confusion is exacerbated by the sudden disappearance of her former best friend. Did she run away, or did something bad happen to her? Jo refuses to follow the community in writing her off, which leads to a suspenseful mystery. But the real story is in how Jo-Lynn learns to accept responsibility for her own actions, and to place blame on those who have hurt and abused her. 

This book left me in beautiful agony. It's not the kind of pretty you see in a curated insta post. This book is raw and emotional, leaving me bleeding. It was an absolute heart-wrenching and transformative experience to envision how stories told by others and by ourselves can be twisted and contrived, manipulated into a new narrative that fits a box. Fills the gap. Eases others around us. But it is not our true story.