New Girl by Paige Harbison

The Skinny: Melodramatic and unrealistic

A girl transfers to a prestigious boarding school during her senior year of high school in New Girl. While she adjusts to being the new student, she hears whispers of Becca, the girl whose spot our protagonist filled. Becca has been missing and the school is obsessed with her disappearance. The new girl battles an unstable roommate, a love interest, and the shadow of Becca.

I did not enjoy this book. The initial setup of the story is so unrealistic that I almost stopped reading. The girl’s parents remembered that their daughter wanted to attend this boarding school when she was young, so they have been applying every year since her first rejection notification without her awareness or consent. Apparently her parents are incredibly uninvolved in their daughter’s life and are clueless about her current wishes. To really top off the unrealistic factor, the girl says nothing about her desire to stay at home and smiles and encourages her parents’ ridiculousness.

The characters in this story are unlikable and shallow. The storyline is repetitive and annoying. How many times do we have to read about her emotionally and psychologically unstable roommate doing something terrible? Furthermore, I feel that there should be a limit on the number of times the love interest acts like a contemptibly, inconsequential person.

New Girl is an unsuccessful book. The multiple points of view are poorly written, the main characters are forgettable, and the story is plagued with forced and unnecessary drama. When I finished the story, I did not even realize that the protagonist’s name was not mentioned until the end. I am still unable to recall her name. She is an unmemorable character.

I highly suggest that you do not read this book. You should spend your time reading a story that is creative, interesting, and worthwhile.