Review: Those Girls by Lauren Saft

Some girls will always have your back, and some girls can't help but stab you in it.

Junior year, the suburbs of Philadelphia. Alex, Mollie and Veronica are those girls: they're the best of friends and the party girls of the school. But how well does everybody know them--and really, how well do they know one another? Alex is secretly in love with the boy next door and has joined a band--without telling anyone. Mollie suffers from a popular (and possibly sociopathic) boyfriend, as well as a serious mean streak. And Veronica just wants to be loved--literally, figuratively, physically....she's not particular. Will this be the year that bonds them forever....or tears them apart for good?

Lauren Saft masterfully conveys what goes on in the mind of a teenage girl, and her debut novel is raw, honest, hilarious, and thought-provoking, with a healthy dose of heart.

Hardcover, 336 pages

Expected publication: June 9th 2015 by Poppy

Terri's Thoughts

I received an advanced copy of this book from the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.  The expected publication date is June 9th 2015.

What a messed up book!  Thinking that this book sounded a little bit like a Gossip Girl type of read I was eager to get started.  This turned out to be far more messed up than that and I am not sure if I will have the ability to use the right words to pen my thoughts.

This story is about three sixteen year old girls who are best friends but I can best describe it as frenemies. These girls drink, smoke, do drugs and have sex and are pretty much only focused on these activities.  I mention this as it may not be a story for the younger audience as these topics are not glossed over. Oh an I forgot to mention these girls are mean to each other.

I remember being a sixteen year old girl and it was not like this.  Of course I admit that females can be catty and definitely win the award for the being the meanest, I do not remember it like this.  Yes there were parties, yes there may have been drinking etc but nobody was focused on this being the ultimate in the social climbing ladder.

At the core of the story it is really about three girls who have emotional issues of some sort that cause them to act the way they do.  Be it absenteeism parents, the need to be loved, or eating disorders.  The problem for me is that even understanding this it did not make me like these girls any more.  They were all selfish to me.

My little rant....I felt I could not identify because these girls did not act like best friends. A best friend should support the other in whatever is important to the other person even if it is not something that is important to them.  Best friends do not say horrible things to the others and mean it.  Yes they fight and may say awful things but a true friend would realize they crossed the line and apologize immediately.  Best friends do not cut the other person out of their life because of a petty argument.  Best friends certainly do not plot revenge on the others that entails illegal activities.  Best friends defend the the other even when they are angry.

Ultimately I felt this story was about a group of train-wrecks.  There really was not road to redemption for me.  I sadly will not be recommending this book to anyone.

About the Author

Lauren Saft holds an MFA from the University of San Francisco and a Bachelor's degree from Tufts University. She's worked in publishing, tv, education, child care, retail, journalism, and food service, all the while closely studying the habits and compulsions of teenage girls. She currently works as a tv producer in Philadelphia where she lives with her cat and creative inspiration, Desi. Her work has been published in Five Quarterly, Rap Up Magazine, and clubplanet.com. One time, she met the Olsen twins. Those Girls is her debut novel.

Website:  http://www.laurensaft.com
Twitter:   lsafticle