A review by yellowbinge
Girls by Annet Schaap

adventurous dark mysterious fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

Publishing date: 04.03.2025
Thank you to NetGalley and Pushkin Press for the ARC. My opinions are my own. 

This is a wonderful collection of girls finding out that life isn't a fairy tale. Every story is femme-centered and most have semi-feminist themes. I am a little reluctant to call them feminist as the story is usually: Here is a fairy tale setting, oh guess life isn't that fantastical, at least I am alive. A lot of the stories have open endings. Like it doesn't feel like an ending, or resolved per say, more like the start of something different.

Every story has a few illustrations to go along with them. These are so nice and add a lot of flavor. Sometimes the illustration appeared in the middle of a sentence and I had to read a little back and forth to remember what I was actually reading. This is a miniscule nitpick. 

All in all, sweet, short, and exactly what I was looking for. My personal favorites were: Rumplestilskin, the Frog one, and the Cookies story. 

Final ranking and star rating? 
5 stars, S tier. Once again I prove to myself that retellings are my jam. I adored these stories and munched up at least one a day. Perfect to cleanse my palate and recharge for more books for 2025.