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'Confessions of a Not It Girl'—Book Review

High school is never easy for the "Not It" girl, there's frenemies, crushes, classwork, and embarrassing parents to deal with... What's a girl to do?

By Kristen BarenthalerPublished 5 years ago 3 min read
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"Confessions of a Not It Girl" Book Cover

I’ve read some other novels by Kantor, but none compared to Confessions of a Not It Girl in my opinion. Originally published in 2004, the story still holds relevance for today’s teenage generations of being true to yourself, falling in love for the first time, and so many other problems faced by high schoolers every day. Jan (the "not it" girl) and Rebecca (the "it" girl) are best friends at their school in Brooklyn. Both girls have normal lives and are ready to enjoy their senior year of high school. "Privilege aside, Jan's life is pretty normal for a teenage girl. She's studiously avoiding French class, and college applications while trying to avoid looking like an idiot in front of her newest (possibly biggest) crush, a classmate/neighbor named Josh” (Miss Print’s Amazon Review).

In any case, this story is about an average, or “not it”, girl and her “it” girl best friend trying to find the perfect summer boyfriends. Rebecca brings Jan to a bunch of parties and introduces her to all these rich, older men, but she doesn’t actually like any of them. “Kantor contrasts Jan's romantic misadventures with Rebecca's new relationship with an older man showing that, no matter what age, guys are confusing and relationships are hard” (Miss Print’s Amazon Review). Rebecca goes for the older guys thinking they'll be more mature and make things easier, while Jan is just trying to make it through one conversation with a guy. Either way, these two friends soon realize that the male population is a lot more confusing than they bargained for.

Meanwhile, there’s this guy that Jan has liked for a few years now, but she thinks he has a girlfriend. He’s one of the popular jocks and is always surrounded by girls. One of them is bound to be his girlfriend, right? That's the way it always goes in high school. The popular guy with the mean, head cheerleader girlfriend who terrorizes the main character. Well, you can guess the ending just by that. One night her parents throw a big party at their house and invite the boy and his parents since they live right down the street. And (SPOILER ALERT) when he gets there, he hints that he likes her, but she’s oblivious, so finally he just walks up to her and kisses her.

This story is amazingly well-written but very unrealistic. The chances of finding your happily ever after with your high school crush is slim to none. There’s college and life to deal with before you can settle down and high school is so far away by that time. Sure, it works for some people, but not enough for people to actually believe in that happily ever after. It’s still nice to dream though. I think that’s just because authors know that in high school, teens aren’t actually looking for their forever and always, they’re looking for their here and now. So, it’s easier to write about high school crushes lasting because that’s what high schoolers want to read about.

The language in this novel was mature, but still seemed like an actual teenager could’ve been writing it. Kantor knows how to change her style to fit the story and her audience, which is a skill that every writer needs to achieve to become a great writer. This is why her debut novel has received such glowing reviews, including “Despite some of the predictability of the ending, the issues that plagued Jan throughout the story were well-conceived, and I very much enjoyed watching Jan have issues so I had all the more reason to root for her to get the outcome she wanted in the end” (Beth Rodgers, Author of 'Freshman Fourteen,' A Young Adult Novel).

So whether you're looking for a good romance or maybe you're a high schooler planning to find your perfect boyfriend, pick up Confessions of a Not It Girl and start reading. Kantor will have you (and maybe even your future boyfriend) falling in no time.

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About the Creator

Kristen Barenthaler

Curious adventurer. Crazed reader. Archery fanatic. Amateur author. Librarian.

Instagram: @kristenbarenthaler

Facebook: @kbarenthaler

GoodReads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/15101108.Kristen_Barenthaler

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