Like Other Girls by Britta Lundin || Empowering Contemporary About Finding One’s Self

Like Other Girls

After getting kicked off the basketball team for a fight that was absolutely totally not her fault (okay maybe a little her fault), Mara is dying to find a new sport to play to prove to her coach that she can be a team player. A lifelong football fan, Mara decides to hit the gridiron with her brother, Noah, and best friend, Quinn-and she turns out to be a natural. But joining the team sets off a chain of events in her small Oregon town-and within her family-that she never could have predicted.

Inspired by what they see as Mara's political statement, four other girls join the team. Now Mara's lumped in as one of the girls-one of the girls who can't throw, can't kick, and doesn't know a fullback from a linebacker. Complicating matters is the fact that Valentina, Mara's crush, is one of the new players, as is Carly, Mara's nemesis-the girl Mara fought with when she was kicked off the basketball team. What results is a coming-of-age story that is at once tear-jerking and funny, thought-provoking and real, as Mara's preconceived notions about gender, sports, sexuality, and friendship are turned upside down.

Britta Lundin's sophomore novel will give readers all the feels, and make them stand up and cheer.

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Perfect for readers who want:

• Books about football.
• A heartwarming coming-of-age story about finding one’s self.
• A twist to the “not like other girls” trope that’s uplifting and positive.
• LGBTQ romance and coming out.
• Female friendships and learning to work together, despite any apparent differences.
• The message that there are many different ways to “be a girl” and all are valid.

Many thanks to Disney-Hyperion and Rockstar Book Tours for a copy in exchange for an honest, unbiased review.

You might be thinking to yourself, Now, Sammie, this is neither fantasy nor sci-fi and is markedly without dragons and magic. And to that I would say, you’re right. I doubted myself a little bit when I decided to pick this up, too. However, my position as a librarian sometimes means I read books out of my comfort zone, and this book looks like something our teens would like, so I knuckled down and thought, I should see what this thing is about.

Like Other Girls takes the “not like other girls” trope and flips it on its head with a heartwarming, inspiring coming-of-age story filled with female friendship, smashing of stereotypes, and the harrowing journey to become the person you want to be.

Y’all, I am so glad that I decided to give this book a chance. The minute I put it down, I thought, yes, our library needs this book. Every library needs this book. It’s so positive and self-affirming and a wonderful message, all while being highly entertaining (and sometimes frustrating because ugh people suck). The beginning was kind of slow and it took a while to get rolling, but when it did, I was drawn to these characters and just had to know how it was going to end for them!

Mara is a fun protagonist: extremely sarcastic (as teenagers are wont to do), yet slightly frustrating due to her stubbornness, and with plenty of room to grow.

She finds herself in a situation where her very being is in direct opposition to everything her mother wants and expects. So does she be herself or bend to her mother’s whims and expectations? There are definite benefits to both. Not to mention that Mara … *looks around and leans closer* wants to play football. GASP! How dare she, right? Something that Mara thinks is so simple (I like football, therefore I should play it) leads to some major backlash in her town because, of course, she’s a female.

At the beginning of the book, it’s very clear that Mara has some growth to do. She’s quick to anger, quick to violence, and has a definite “not like other girls” complex about her that is likely to make readers smack her.

There were so many moments that I was very angry with her opinions or the way she treated others. That’s sort of the point of the story, though. Assumptions are bad. Stereotyping is bad. Hitting people is . . . okay, well, usually bad, but let me tell you, there are some characters in this book I would gladly meet in a dark alley at night where there are no witnesses.

Mara is stuck in the relatable struggle of trying to meet her mother’s expectations, but with an added layer of trying to just be the person she wants to be.

Unfortunately, the person she wants to be conflicts with her mother’s image of the perfect daughter. Mara’s struggle to just come to terms with who she is, regardless of the expectations placed on her, is so stinking relatable! I could definitely empathize with her plight, and I think a lot of young adult readers will be able to, as well.

Rather than being told to just “be herself,” Mara finds herself walled in by all these ideas of what a girl “should” be. None of which match who she actually is, of course.

I absolutely loved this message, above any other. It’s hard enough deciding who you want to be without the pressure of all those around you pushing you one way or another. Mara’s situation is, unfortunately, not that uncommon, and her perseverance and dedication is something to be admired.

Mara isn’t in this alone. She finds some unexpected allies along the way . . . though she does hit some interesting roadblocks on the journey, too.

I mean, how boring would the story be if everything fell neatly into place? Also, how unrealistic. Of course there are parts where she stumbles! I love Mara’s character so much, though, because when she hits a roadblock, she smashes into it. Her voice is just sarcastic enough where even when she’s at her lowest, it’s funny in a dark humor, tongue-in-cheek sort of way. Also, her drunk brain is hilarious.

The thing that really strikes me is how difficult it is for Mara to find allies simply because of the social pressure and the situation she’s in.

All the women in this are BAMFs, and each has their own way to “be a girl.” The beauty is that they’re all the “right” way. Unfortunately, not everyone sees it that way.

If you’re a female reading this book, the situations these brave young women find themselves in will be not at all surprising. Which is a little depressing, if I’m honest. There’s a lot of misogyny, name calling, bullying, threatening, and outright hate. I wish I could say any of this was unrealistic, but unfortunately, there are too many examples of this happening any time a woman dares to “step out of her lane.” Daring to play football is, of course, the quintessential example.

I’m going to warn you now, there will be moments that turn your stomach, where you wish you could just reach into this book and smack some characters around. You just have to sort of sit with the discomfort for a while.

You know, I’d even like to say that these things don’t happen in real life and this is obviously a fictional dramatization, and it is . . . but also, these things happen all the time. So yes, this book will make you angry. It’ll make you sad. But it doesn’t leave you there, I promise. It leaves you with an uplifting, hopeful message and a warm, fuzzy feeling. You just need to put in the work to get there first.

Not gonna lie, there’s a lot of girls bashing other girls in this (okay, it’s mostly Mara), and if that’s not your thing, I’d tell you to just wait for it. Everything has its reason.

In a very true-to-life turn of events, the girls in this book are almost pitted against each other. Like there’s only one real way to be a girl, and you’re either it or you’re “not like other girls.” Except of course that’s not true, but sometimes people have to learn the hard way. This girl bashing generally comes from Mara (hey, I said she has room to grow!), but it also comes, of course, from the boys.

The most beautiful part of this story is realizing that the girls do have common ground. Seeing them learn to support each other is worth the annoyingness of Mara’s initial judginess.

There’s a definite girl power element to this story and a lot of squad vibes, which I came to love. These girls have personality. They’re tough and have to be in order to keep doing what they’re doing in the face of all the backlash. It’s the sort of thing that I think young readers can really use: girls learning to go after what they want and support each other in the meantime. The message of strength and support is so strong in this book, while being woven into a truly interesting story, that it’s one I highly recommend for young adult collections.

About Britta Lundin

Britta Lundin is a TV writer and author.
She’s written for shows such as Riverdale, Betty, and The Big Leap and is the author of the young adult novels Like Other Girls (out August 2021) and Ship It.
Originally from the Pacific Northwest, she lives with her wife, kid, and dog in Los Angeles.

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3 winners will receive a finished copy of LIKE OTHER GIRLS, US Only.

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