Reviews

The It Girl by Katy Birchall

the_jesus_fandom's review

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4.0

 I enjoyed this book so much when I read it as a tween. Upon reread, it’s not as great and very formulaic, but back when I was the target audience this was a great book. Ironically, I vividly remember reading about that one girl wearing a bandana thing and going to the laser gun thing (which I didn’t know so I envisioned it as just a shooting range) but it wasn’t even an actual scene in the book, it was just mentioned, so that’s pretty funny. 


 This book was pretty clearly dated by having Marvel comics as an obscure thing, because nowadays everyone knows who Iron Man and Stan Lee are, that’s not a super niche nerdy thing anymore. The Lord of the Rings reference was a bit much tho, that really skirted close to “I’m not like other girls”, but that’s really just what you sign up for with books like these 

juliareads32's review against another edition

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funny hopeful inspiring lighthearted relaxing fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.5

Ging nicht in pick-me Richtung fand ich sehr gut. Außerdem zu relatable 😭
UND LUSTIG WAR ES AUCH NOCH, kannst du dir das vorstellen Tina?
Ich finde nur sie hatte eher 16 als 14 sein können.

mehsi's review against another edition

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4.0

I read this book in Dutch, but I will write the review in English (as I am planning on reading the second book and I will read that one in English).

I set Josie Graham on fire.

And that is how, dear readers, this book starts. And from there on our girl Anna (short for Anastasia, but don't call her that) will go from one unlucky moment to another, it seems she is quite the clumsy person. Setting people accidentally on fire, her dad's office, letting her dog go loose, making weird noises when in the neighbourhood of her crush (Brendan), stumbling against various furniture (and falling backwards when there are visitors). The list is endless, but you know what, I like Anna. Even though it seems she is pretty accident prone, she is a great girl, though she really needs to find her priorities. Popularity or friends for life? Which one will she pick? At times I wanted to shake her and show her the truth.
Anna's life is really a rollercoaster of fun (and also typical teenager stuff). Starting with a new school, the dad being romantic and falling in love with a famous star, first love and confusion, best friends, and so much more.

I also loved how interesting Anna's home situation was. Generally parents are either together, are single parents, or divorced. But no, not with Anna. Anna's parent were never married, nor were they together for long. Anna was the product of them getting together for a bit, Anna's mom getting pregnant, and voilà Anna was in the world. Anna's mom and dad are great friends, and Anna's mom sometimes visits Anna when she is in town (she is a travel journalist, so she is generally in some part of the world). Oh don't worry, Anna's mom is sure to call her daughter or mail her quite a bit of time. Even bringing very odd presents back from wherever she was the last time.
Anna's dad is a writer (and apparently a good one), and Anna lives with him. And in their house there is a crazy and weird dog, named Dog (yes, he is called Dog, maybe that is why he is so crazy).

The book made me laugh out loud so many times, I even read some parts out loud to my boyfriend who was also laughing hard after hearing them.

Anna's best friends are great, though I didn't trust them that much in the beginning. I am not sure how to explain, they seemed like they took Anna under their wings for some bad reason. Luckily, as the story progresses I could see that they all really cared about her. Jesse was a great girl and really funny. I loved how in such a short time she knew exactly what Anna would do, or how she would react to stuff.

All the stuff about being famous, becoming famous, becoming popular, they were all really great and I enjoyed reading them. It was fun how Anna went from unknown to suddenly very popular, and how she had to learn how to handle that suddenly fame, but also the popularity that came with it.

The book is mostly just story from Anna's point of view, but we also have some parts that are mails, and also parts that were notes that Anna and Jess wrote to each other during class. I really liked that this was done, it gave the book some variety and made it even more fun to read.

All in all, this is one book I would recommend. It is one book I will be adding in English to my collection. I will also be sure to check out the second book when it comes out. I just want to know how stuff continue for Anna. I hope the next book will bring the wedding, some more romance between Anna and a certain character, and some more hilarious antics. I can't wait!

Review first posted at http://twirlingbookprincess.com/

michalice's review against another edition

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4.0

When I first saw The It Girl on NetGalley I wasn't too sure what to think, but after reading a sampler sent from the publisher I could not stop laughing, so I knew I had to read this.

Anna, the protagonist, lives with her Dad who interviews celebrities for his job, she is a geek through and through, and has two great friends, Danny and Jess, who are always at her side. After a freak accident involving a bunsen burner and the hair of the most popular girl in school, her social status has surprisingly gotten lower, if that was at all possible. She has her friends still, but is now the laughing stock of the school with snide commends and remarks thrown at her.

The It Girl is a laugh out loud book, I love Anna and her geekyness, and also her need to hide in the cupboard in the recovery position. Thankfully I read this book at home, otherwise I'm sure I would have gotten strange looks for laughing so much. When I began reading I instantly felt sorry for Anna, a genuine accident, which when described was hilarious but please don't try it yourselves, and she suffers for it throughout the book.
When it was revealed that her Dad was going engaged to a celebrity, who also had a famous daughter, I wanted Ana to be OK. But after we get to know Helena and Marianne I really did like them. Reading books with celebrities in them, especially when they come into the family, you expect them to be pushy, and look down at everyone. But Helena was really down to earth, and Marianne had a lot more in common with Ana than I expected.

When Ana becomes popular I felt sorry for how she was treated, but also disliked the way she dealt with it. I was beyond happy to see her come to her senses and fix things. Ana's love interest wasn't someone who stood out for me initially, but I liked seeing how it came about.

The It girl was a quick read for me, and I was surprised at how much I loved it but also how much it took me by surprise. As the story progresses I had the ending sorted in my head, but it turned out completely opposite to what I expected, and also left me wanting more. The characters were not only likeable, but also very believable.

Final Verdict
Katy Birchall has done a fantastic job with The It Girl. It is sure to entertain readers of all ages, and I can't wait to get my hands on the next installment.

mariethelibrarian's review against another edition

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3.0

It was an okay book. Anna is superannoying at times. Shes naive and feels younger than 14 a lot of the time. But the story was okay, even if it was a bit predictable.

isabellhaaa's review against another edition

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5.0

my annual christmas read, don't ask me why lol. i loved it as always :)

bumba1717's review against another edition

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3.0

"The only only other times he's had to 'sit me down to talk' about something was when I signed him up to a dating website because I didn't like his girlfriend at the time and he got all these suspicious emails that made her cry, and when I threw a pork pie at his head because he gave my Marvel comic book encyclopedia to a second hand bookshop and I happened to be holding a pork pie when he told me."

pakastajaelvi's review against another edition

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2.0

Jokseenkin stereotyyppinen kirja yläasteelaiselle. Tarina on välillä hauska, välillä siinä on liikaa yritystä ja väkisin väännettyjä vitsejä. Suomennos on valitettavan täynnä anglismeja, jotka ensimmäisen kymmenen sivun aikana ajavat lukijan lähes hulluuden partaalle. Omituista kyllä tähänkin tottuu kirjan edetessä. Taidan yrittää seuraavaakin osaa, mutta mielummin alkuperäiskielellä.

jessicad90's review against another edition

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3.0

Voor mij is It-girl een boek dat van de 14-jarige Jessica vast en zeker vijf sterren had ontvangen, maar van de nu 25-jarige Jessica ontvangt het slechts drie sterren. Voor mijn gevoel val ik eigenlijk buiten de doelgroep van dit boek, maar toch heeft het verhaal mij genoeg kunnen boeien door de humor die in het boek zit en de goede boodschap voor de onzekere jongeren. Daarnaast is het boek heel vlot geschreven en leest je het in no-time uit. En ondanks dat ik er wel meerdere minpunten in heb gevonden, heeft het boek mij genoeg gepakt om mij nieuwsgierig te maken naar It-girl 2! Ik raad het boek zeker aan in de leeftijdscategorie 11 tot 16 jaar.

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lucidish's review against another edition

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funny lighthearted

3.0