Part mystery and part survivor story, I really enjoyed this book. I never quite knew where it was going, and I like that in a book. The protagonist's voice was also very authentic and I enjoyed spending the length of the book with her.
Jo-Lynn is a bad girl. Everyone tells her so, from her mother to the boys she's best friends (and sometimes more) with. She expects trouble and is not surprised when it comes her way.
When her former best friend reaches out to her, it's so out of character that Jo-Lynn actually goes to meet her in the designated place. But Maddie never shows up. And by the next day, it becomes clear that Maddie is missing.
While evidence points to her having run away, Jo-Lynn doesn't believe it. Even though they haven't been close since their friendship blew apart in middle school, Jo-Lynn still knows Maddie as well as anyone.
So she decides to dig a bit deeper and the only person who can help is Hudson, an old fling who has his own reasons for wanting to know what happened to Maddie. They agree to fake a new relationship to get Jo-Lynn back into the clique she was dumped from after a photo scandal.
But being back in the clique means being close to the toxic people Jo-Lynn has tried to escape, and facing up to memories she's long tried to suppress. As she and Hudson grow closer to the truth about Maddie, Jo-Lynn has to face some difficult truths of her own.
I enjoyed this one. The lead characters are distinct and layered and act in wholly realistic ways. Despite her bolshie exterior, Jo-Lynn is a likable protagonist with a snarky voice that only highlights the intelligence and emotional depth beneath it. And most importantly, mystery of what happened to Maddie is not easily solved and keeps you guessing right up until the end.
So I'd recommend this one.
But don't just listen to me. Here's the blurb:
A girl risks everything to find her former best friend in this powerful debut mystery about trauma, girlhood, and what we deserve.
When Jo-Lynn Kirby's former best friend—pretty, nice Maddie Price—comes to her claiming to be in trouble, Jo assumes it's some kind of joke. After all, Jo has been an outcast ever since her nude photos were leaked—and since everyone decided she deserved it. There’s no way Maddie would actually come to her for help.
But then Maddie is gone.
Everyone is quick to write off Maddie as a runaway, but Jo can’t shake the feeling there's more to the story. To find out the truth, Jo needs to get back in with the people who left her behind—and the only way back in is through Hudson Harper-Moore. An old fling of Jo’s with his own reasons for wanting to find Maddie, Hudson hatches a fake dating scheme to get Jo back into their clique. But being back on the inside means Jo must confront everything she’d rather forget: the boys who betrayed her, the whispers that she had it coming, and the secrets that tore her and Maddie apart. As Jo digs deeper into Maddie’s disappearance, she’s left to wonder who she’s really searching for: Maddie, or the girl she used to be.
Not Like Other Girls is a stunning debut that takes a hard look at how we treat young women and their trauma, through the lens of a missing girl and a girl trying to find herself again.
This does sounds like a good one. Good thing I didn't go by the title. That usually has bad connotations.
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