Name: The Nowhere Girls
Rating: 4.423076923076923 (65 reviews)
ISBN: 9781481481731

Amy Reed

"Three misfit girls come together to avenge the rape of a girl none of them knew and in the process start a movement that transforms the lives of everyone around them"--

The Nowhere Girls

Alexa M

Ana Paula

Please check tw before reading, there are quite a lot of details at times so be aware of that pls!🥺

You know Moxie? I´ve never read the book but did watch the movie when it came out on Netflix earlier this year...but I´m sure, not an ounce of doubt, this is what Moxie wanted to be. 
A group of girls starting something the town they lived in really needed (change and unity). There´s no singular main character, there are no silly tandrums or exaggerated egos that take away from the importance of the topics being discussed (mainly SA)

Yes, it felt slow at times; but honestly, if the book had felt like a light-comedy show from intro. to epilogue then the author would´ve done an awful job. I am so glad that my heart ached in every chapter.

Carley Whitehead

"The thing is," Rosina says, "People don't want to hear something that'll make their lives more difficult, even if it's the truth. People hate having to change the way they see things. So instead of admitting the world is ugly, they shit on the messenger for telling them about it."


4.5 stars. Not perfect, but still incredible and engaging.

“A call-to-action to everyone out there who wants to fight back.” —Bustle “Scandal, justice, romance, sex positivity, subversive anti-sexism—just try to put it down.” —Kirkus Reviews (starred review) “Cuts straight to the core of rape culture—masterfully fierce, stirring, and deeply empowering.” —Amber Smith, New York Times bestselling author of The Way I Used to Be Three misfits come together to avenge the rape of a fellow classmate and trigger a change in the misogynist culture at their high school transforming the lives of everyone around them in this searing and timely story. Who are the Nowhere Girls? They’re everygirl. But they start with just three: Grace Salter is the new girl in town, whose family was run out of their former community after her southern Baptist preacher mom turned into a radical liberal after falling off a horse and bumping her head. Rosina Suarez is the queer punk girl in a conservative Mexican immigrant family, who dreams of a life playing music instead of babysitting her gaggle of cousins and waitressing at her uncle’s restaurant. Erin Delillo is obsessed with two things: marine biology and Star Trek: The Next Generation, but they aren’t enough to distract her from her suspicion that she may in fact be an android. When Grace learns that Lucy Moynihan, the former occupant of her new home, was run out of town for having accused the popular guys at school of gang rape, she’s incensed that Lucy never had justice. For their own personal reasons, Rosina and Erin feel equally deeply about Lucy’s tragedy, so they form an anonymous group of girls at Prescott High to resist the sexist culture at their school, which includes boycotting sex of any kind with the male students. Told in alternating perspectives, this groundbreaking novel is an indictment of rape culture and explores with bold honesty the deepest questions about teen girls and sexuality.

Sahi K

** spoiler alert **
           WOW!!!!! This book just left me speechless, with goosebumps and a lot of thoughts swirling in my head. I’m not sure if I can express anything properly in this review but I’m definitely going to try.

Grace is a white Christian girl who is new to the town of Prescott after her minister mother is forced out of her old church for preaching about a more progressive version of Jesus. Now, all she wants is to live her life in high school without making any waves and probably find some normal friends. Rosina is queer latina teen who wants more from her life than just working her ass off at her uncle’s restaurant and taking care of her cousins. She also feels very invisible and insignificant for being a poor brown lesbian girl in a small town. Erin is a very smart socially awkward girl who wants to be a marine biologist learning about the numerous life forms living under the water. She has Asperger’s syndrome and she follows her own rigid set of rules to get through every day and finds solace in watching Star Trek. She is very empathetic and hopes that she could be void of her emotions like her favorite android character because she wants to escape the emotional overload that she feels sometimes.

When these three girls come together to do something to bring justice to Lucy – a rape survivor who was bullied and shamed and denied justice – the “Nowhere Girls” are born. But this book and the group are not just about this one issue. Through the group, all the girls come together, have discussions about their lives and choices, their expectations, their need to be seen and valued and loved as equals. This book is about so much more:

A girl who believes in her faith and prays to find purpose in her life and do good.
A girl who wants to forget all the trauma that she has experienced and just get through the day in a normal way.
A girl who is conflicted about loving her family that is also suffocating her dreams.
A girl who is resigned to faking it while being with a guy because she believes she is worthless and her “no” means nothing.
A girl who enjoys sex and is confident enough to ask for what she wants.
A smart girl who wants to look and dress pretty but believes that she has to choose between beauty and brains.
A cheerleader with a love for dancing who can’t get behind the idea of her body being on display and judged for it.
An athletic girl who is stereotyped as a lesbian and goes so unnoticed that she believes even being taken advantage of might be better.
A closeted trans girl worried if she would be accepted by the group of girls in her school.
A black girl tired of white feminism which is so indifferent to her struggles.
The patriarchy that treats women as second class citizens only good for serving men.
The culture that perpetuates the notion that women like being with a strong man, women dressed a certain way are asking for it and excuses the actions of boys “for being boys”.
The hypocrisy of being called a slut for enjoying sex while being named a prude for not putting oneself out there.
The men who don’t call out the sexism and misogyny around them because they don’t want to lose their friends.
The men and women who would do anything to maintain the status quo and not ruffle any feathers.
The parents who believe their kids and fight for the truth alongside them.
The parents who are complicit in furthering the misogynistic attitudes in their kids.
This book made me think a lot, question my own beliefs and attitudes and actions till date and what I can do better in my life. It also reaffirms the need for listening to the victim, stop blaming them and female solidarity. Though it is unfortunate that this book seems so realistic in this day and age, but this is the world we live in and I recommend everyone to read this book and introspect.

Jessica Williamson

3.75

Hard trigger warning for rape and sexual assault. 

I'm almost at a loss for words on this one so, I'm going to go very formulaic here.

What worked: 

Three diverse main characters. 

Grace is a chubby, white, Christian who is a refreshing take on this character type. Her story, her character growth had nothing to do with her weight, it was just a fact. And though she came from a very backward Christian upbringing, she was an openminded intelligent young woman. 

Rosina is both Latina and likes girls (I don't recall the book stating her actual sexual orientation). She has a pretty typical family life for someone with a family business and more cousins than they can count (at least it's accurate in my experience). And while she's angry on the outside, she's soft and mushy on the inside.

Erin has Aspergers and could be described as Androgynous. Erin is not your stereotypical character on the Spectrum. I enjoyed reading about her character the most because it's so different from what I'm used to seeing in YA.

The girl power! Not only do you have these three women, but a full cast of women who each bring something different. You have jocks, stoners, uber-Christians, drama queens, and student body president all mingling together. This book is pure evidence of what could happen if we teach young women that supporting others doesn't hurt yourself. Teach them that we are stronger together. Look, Mean Girls had it right, calling each other whores and sluts just makes men think it's okay to talk to us that way. We should empower each other, not tear each other down.

The heart-to-hearts these girls had. It supported my theory that no one answer about when and with who to have sex is the right answer for everyone. It's going to be different for everyone and just because their choice is different, doesn't mean it's wrong.

What didn't work: 

The Audiobook. The narrator did not work for me here. 

The "us" viewpoint. Once I realized what was going on it got a little easier to understand but it was a little difficult in the beginning because I kept trying to assign the "us" attributes to the three MC's and then I couldn't remember what happened to whom.

The cover. Normally I don't talk about the covers in the reviews, but I do rate the cover in my overall rating so it should be noted that I have no idea what this cover has to do with the book. 

So let's get into a couple of other things, shall we?

While I grew up Christian, as a teen I started studying religion and ended up somewhere in the Pagan realm. Typically I like to be warned ahead of time that a book is going to have a heavy "churchy" feel to it. However, if I had known how much Grace's character hinged on her religion, I might not have read this book. I was pleasantly surprised by the open-mindedness of Grace and her mother and those members at their church. I also hadn't expected it to fit the story so well. It wasn't just a part of Grace's character, it was a part of the plot and it worked.

Lucy. That rape scene. I was not emotionally prepared for that scene. As I sit here thinking about how pissed off and disgusted I was after reading it, I'm actually tearing up. While reading I simultaneously wanted to punch someone and cry. It just disgusts me so much to know that there are people like this in the world. Not just men, but people in general. That there are people that could think they have the right to inflict this much violence on another person. 

Let's bring this back around shall we. 

I really enjoyed this book. I think it should be required reading in high schools. Not only did it show the vileness of some men, but it also showed that other men can be compassionate. It shows girls what they can accomplish if they work together and support one another. I am all for this book.

All the stars in this world for this book!

Giulia 

Non pensavo che questo libro mi sarebbe piaciuto così tanto! Non è una storia semplice, tratta di molti temi pesanti ma senza essere troppo semplicistica, cosa che ho apprezzato molto. Le tre protagoniste princiapli mi sono piaciute e sono riuscita a immedesimarmi con qualche caratteristica di tutte loro. Probabilmente quella più vicina alla mia esperienza è Grace. 
In generale non ho critiche da fare, sarebbe stato bello vedere la preside strappata dal suo ruolo. Non posso credere che dopo quel finale le abbiano permesso di tenere il suo lavoro senza conseguenze.

The Nowhere Girls

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