I can’t believe I survived. Should I laugh? Cry?
Definitely both.
Full disclosure: I went into this book with a suspicion that I might not enjoy it after my bookish twin panned it. But since I requested this book and was sent a paper ARC from the publisher, I thought I’d try to go in with an open mind and try it out.
That was probably not the best decision I’ve ever made in life.
It goes without saying that this review will be long, contain spoilers and quotes that might possibly make your eyes bleed. RUN WHILE YOU STILL CAN.
There are two reasons why I felt I NEEDED to have this book. (1) Just look at that cover! (2) The blurb made it sound like a fun summer read. On both of those counts I was mislead, but especially when it came to the blurb. If you think this book has romance, guess again. If you think it will keep you on the edge of your seat, guess again. If you expect this book to be coherent in any fashion, guess again!
What you will get with September Girls is an anti-climatic plot, slut shaming, gendered language, poorly represented feminism and sexism. Oh and penises. Isn’t it everything you could have hoped and dreamed for in a mermaid novel?
Terrible Characters:
Okay so the book follows this boy named Sam. His mother has just left him, his brother, Jeff, and his dad for some mysterious placed called Women’s Land (more on that in a bit.) Sam’s dad quits his job and they journey to this strange beach that is brimming with girls. Not just any girls. Highly sexualized, blond, perky breasted, toned-bottomed, tanned girls. And guess what? They all want Sam. Sam, who slut shames, starting from page 25 where he reminisces about groping a girl’s breasts “through her deliberately slutty Alice in Wonderland costume.” Sam, you can’t feel a girl up and then slut shame her once you’ve gotten what you want, silly!
Then you have Jeff, who’s only care in the world is having sex as much as possible over the summer. He doesn’t particularly care who it’s with as long as she is hot and preferably drunk. You know, the usual standards.
“Oh, who gives a fuck,” Jeff said. “The point is they’re hot and they’re here. I hope they’re already drunk when we get to the party. I hope they are ready for a piece of this.” He groped his crotch obnoxiously.
Such an outstanding gentleman. Ladies, don’t rush this stud all at once!
Sebastian was a really random character who didn’t even have physical presence in the book, but I’ve decided I hated him slightly more than the others. You see, Sebastian was just full of dating advice for Sam. And when in doubt, Sam would always wonder what his good old buddy would say.
Oh, Sebastian, I’m such a boring character with absolutely no depth or personality and this hottie is talking to me. What should I say?
“Girls like to talk about themselves. If you can’t think of anything to say, just ask some dumb question about nothing, and if you’re lucky she’ll go off and you won’t have to say anything else for another ten minutes and she’ll think you’re a great listener.”
He’s like a Dr. Phil, I swear. He clearly understands the complexity of the female mind.
But… I think I might be falling for her even though we’ve only interacted a few times. I’m thinking about her all the time, but she seems smart and appears to be ignoring me. What now?! Should I go looking for her, find out where she lives, visit her at her work place until she relents?
“Wait, this is all over some girl? Don’t be such a fucking vagina, dude! I mean, dude! You go to the beach for a month and you turn into a human tampon!”
What a guy! I just love it when someone uses the name of my genitals to insult someone! For those of you like me with small female minds, that roughly translated as:
Were any of the above quotes supposed think, “Oh hells yeah. These guys sound so authentic. This book is so–” Wait, let me see what the back of the ARC says. Oh yeah, “poetic and punchy, sarcastic and true,” says Sara Shepard. Well, damn. Who am I to argue with that logic and quotes that were clearly “sarcastic and true.” I suppose I’m just a sensitive little female with no humor bone in her body. In fact, I have no bones. I am made of tampons.
What I really don’t understand is why Madison couldn’t make any of his characters likable. Having your male characters degrade women with their words at any chance they get isn’t authentic. It’s insulting to both genders and a disservice to humanity.
Anti-climatic plot:
There were times when September Girls attempted to actually tell a story. The only problem is that almost nothing ever happens. Oh, I lied. Sam does do things. Here is his routine:
-Wake up
-Monologue
-Walk around the beach
-Monologue
-Have women thrown at his feet
-Monologue
-Stare at a Girl’s “heart-shaped ass.” *raging boner* That slut.
-Monologue
-Come home
-Skip monologue. The Price is Right is on.
-Monologue
-Jerk off
-Ahhhh… sweet self-satisfaction!
-Sleep
Oh shit, I hope not!
Slut Shaming:
September Girls‘ biggest problem would have to be the amount of slut shaming and the overall deeming attitude toward women. (And if you are unfamiliar with what slut shaming is, here is a great article at The Book Lantern.) Jeff just looks at them as conquest, something to satisfy his pleasure. Sebastian can’t be fucked to show any human decency. And Sam follows after the other two, except he takes it a step further when his brother starts hanging out more with a certain Girl named Kristle:
“He had clearly entangled himself in that dire pussy-web he’d warned me about on our first night here.”
That’s right, guys! Beware the female “pussy-web.” It’ll gettcha! What kills me about this is that it isn’t assumed that his brother may like Kristle just because she’s a person. Instead, they reason that if a guy falls for a girl it is strictly because of what she is offering sexually, therefore, objectifying her.
“And by the way, Kristle’s a total slut, so I hope you haven’t caught anything from her yet.”
Tell us how you really feel, Sam.
“Okay, she’s not a slut,” I said testily. “Just a skank.”
So glad we got that cleared up!
Not only do the men in this novel have a blatant disrespect for women and slut shame, but the Girls do as well. The one Girl who does this the most is one special ray of sunshine named DeeDee. Now, mostly DeeDee just talks a bunch of shit and makes about as much sense as a screen door on a submarine. She was also their resident Ho-olgist. She knew all about dem hos in the bible. Those are her favorite stories. Dem hos. See if you can keep up with the poetry she’s spittin’:
“I like the parts about hos, even if they always come to a bad end. Eat a fucking apple, you’re a ho. Open a box, you’re a ho. Some guy looks at you: turn to stone, ho. See you later, ho. It’s always the same. The best one is Lilith–also a ho, but a different kind of ho. She went and got her own little thing going, and for that she gets to be an eternal demon queen, lucky her. No one likes a ho. Except when they do, which, obviously, is most of the time. Doesn’t make a difference; she always gets hers eventually.”
Wut.
“Is that really in the Bible?”
“No. Some of it. Well, the ho with the apple at least.”
“I never thought of her as a ho.”
“Think again.”
The ho… with the apple. I… HUH?
“God,” DeeDee said, reaching for an ashtray and stubbing out her cigarette. I couldn’t take my eyes off her. “Kristle can be so ridiculous. But who knows what I’d do without her. Total ho, by the way–not that I’m judging; I actually like hos myself. Maybe I am one–I barely know what counts anymore. Being blond certainly never helped anyone’s case.”
She’s probably even got hos in different area codes. I wouldn’t put it past her.
Poor Representation of Feminism:
And this is the part that really made me rage. So Sam’s mom was a housewife from what I gather from the book. Now the thing is, when you are a parent or mate that stays home, it can be very easy to fall into the rut of *exclusively* taking care of everyone else and forgetting your needs too. Moreover, everyone else in the household might forget. That’s why it’s so important to find a hobby, get outside the house, do things for yourself for your own sanity and health. There is a scene where Sam and DeeDee are talking about housewives and how she feels being a housewife would be fun because they don’t work and they are apparently “free.” Sam has a monologue moment where he says “my mother spouted about something called the Feminine Mystique” and he considered it “pure shit.”
Then he goes on to say this:
“If you were housewives you could just sit around all day with your feet in footbaths full of Epsom salts.”
This is a common misconception of the role of a housewife and it’s one of the most under-appreciated jobs a person can ever have. That passage is problematic and further perpetuates the stereotype of a housewife being lazy and doing nothing all day. I REALLY don’t appreciate the attempted humor here when in the 1950s, suburban living had a very high rate of suicides among women. (Richard Yates highlighted this a bit in his novel Revolutionary Road. There was also a film adaptation where the DiCaprio/Winslet duo wrecked havoc on my feels yet again!) Managing the home and kids while being separated from society literally drove some women insane. Even in today’s world, women who stay at home suffer more emotionally then their working counterparts.
Back in May of 2012, Gallup.com did a survey of over 60,000 US women between the ages of 18-64 and their results were depressing.
Stay-at-home moms also lag behind employed moms in terms of their daily positive emotions: They are less likely to say they smiled or laughed a lot, learned something interesting, and experienced enjoyment and happiness “yesterday.” Additionally, they are less likely than employed moms to rate their lives highly enough to be considered “thriving.” – Gallup.com
Mothers at home also can have feelings of worthlessness and lack of accomplishment. Many of what they do, volunteering in schools and taking care of the children, goes ignored in our society. I think it was in very poor taste for Madison to use this as joke fodder in his novel. Sam was only one step away from calling her a “bored housewife.” At this point nothing should surprise you in this book when it is nothing BUT female stereotypes.
So his mom stayed home to take care of her family until one day she discovered FaceBook. First, she would post things on his FaceBook wall, but then she moved onto Farmville (which I hear is ridiculously addictive). He complains about her always being in the basement on the computer all day playing this game. And when she’s not playing, she’s always talking about it. But according to Sam, the real problem starts when she makes friends. Because his mother having a life is definitely a major problem! I guess he expected his mother to do his laundry and cook him dinner forever and ever!
“She got all interested in this weird crap that she wouldn’t have been able to tell you about before. She’s reading all this poetry; she has a Tumblr, although I avoided looking at it. She won’t shut up about this thing called the SCUM Manifesto…”
Sounds to me like his mother developed a hobby and found a means to have other human interaction. And hey, that’s a good thing!
In the Gallup study, stay-at-home moms found other ways to cope with depression by continuing education, blogging and joining the gym to have some social time with others. – CBS Atlantica
What I also dislike is the reason why she decided to leave her family. Madison had an opportunity to show feminism in a positive light, but he instead showed an extremist. Right after she reads SCUM Manifesto this happens:
“Then one day I’m getting ready for school and she knocks on my door with a bag packed and she tells me she’s going to live at something called Women’s Land, where no one ever has to talk to men.”
Of course. Here is evil feminism breaking up a perfectly good family. I supposed this is just as good a time to reveal my master plan. Ladies, are you ready take over the world, moving all men underground only to be used for breeding, whist women rule the world? Muahahahahahaha!
The next section spoils the ending, so click only if you are burning with curiosity or rage. Either will do.
[spoiler]“Save us with your Mighty-Joe-Young Penis!”
The Girls are all bound to this little beach by a curse placed on them by their father for… reasons. I didn’t really understand why this was, but I think it had something to do with seeking revenge on their mother. BTW, their dad is the Endlessness and their mother is the Deepness. Don’t ask me what that means. Anyway, it’s really not important. What’s important is this curse because it’s the reason for why the Girls are so sexual. The book has sections where the Girls narrate and they describe this “knife” they have. This supposed “knife” is basically good looks. Perky breasts, perfect butt, blond, overall hotness. This is another stereotype I picked up on where women, who approach men instead of waiting for a guy or use their looks to gain things, are looked at as “predators.”
But, of course, when the summer ends the Girls go into some weird lethargic state where their hair skin become dull and their faces sullen. No boys, no “knife.” So basically this is how I pictured them:
The only way each one of them to break the curse is if they have sex with a virgin boy. And they can’t even initiate the encounter. They have to wait for Sam to talk to them first. So let’s recap here: Not only do the Girls not have a choice when it comes to breaking the curse (well, they kinda do: break it or die), but it must be done by a male penis swooping in to liberate them. Their sexuality is not their own. It is owned by men.
Excuse me for a moment.
[/spoiler]
I mean, goddamn! I really think this book hit on almost every way to demean a women. That is quite a feat considering I never thought I’d read a book that offended me more than Fifty Shades of Grey. Congrats, September Girls! You get the new title of Worst Book I’ve Ever Read right up there next to Revealing Eden.
If it isn’t obvious, this book is terrible and I could never recommend it with a good conscious. But what do I know? Both Kirkus and Publisher’s Weekly thought it was brilliant and gave it glowing reviews. Clearly, this is the sign of the end of the world because here’s the truth: Reading September Girls was like being swept away by the ocean and drowni–
CLEAR!
ARC was received via publisher for an honest review. No monies or favors were exchanged, though, I guess that’s pretty obvious.
Also, check out Debby’s review from The Snuggly Orange for an even bigger aneurysm.
Kenya Wright
OMG!!!!
So this is what Harper Teen has to offer? Who the hell was supposed to read that? I know a lot of guys that would have been disgusted with it. I wish I could hug you, sweetie. God that book sucks.
MJ
Oh, dear lord. I read some of your status updates and your initial review on GR but I had no idea that it was this bad. It’s not even his freshman debut either. This is like his third or fourth book. Disturbing. And it’s a mermaid book? Why does every mermaid book have to suck?
Steph Sinclair
@MJ Kat really enjoyed Teeth by Hannah Moskowitz and I’ve good things about Monstrous Beauty. I’m trying to hold out faith for mermaid books.
Steph Sinclair
@MJ Kat really enjoyed Teeth by Hannah Moskowitz and I’ve good things about Monstrous Beauty. I’m trying to hold out faith for mermaid books.
sayitcharlie
Well this is absolutely enlightening. Wow. Based on all the reviews and comments I’ve read, this is the most insulting book in my opinion. I don’t get the mermaid part of this though.
With all the sexual references, I thought this was a New Adult book not YA.
Steph Sinclair
sayitcharlie I’d consider it YA since it doesn’t deal with the same themes as NA (which is supposed to be about coming of age to adulthood and the challenges that go along with that). This mainly focused on Sam graduating into what he thought was manhood by losing his virginity. And that doesn’t really equal adulthood. But I would say it is for mature YA.
Renae M
AH! Perfect review, Steph. PERFECT. *applauds* I just…how the hell did this get published, first off, and then why did Madison think this was an acceptable book to write? I mean, HOW? Gah. Well, if Blythe’s selection of quotes hadn’t already convinced me, this would. Jesus H. Christ.
MeliRobles
Something tells me you didn’t like it… lol. Gosh, I will never be able to forget this book now due to your extensive review! It sounds HORRIBLE. I hate this kind of books, I can’t believe people would like this kind of reads. Just by using so many inappropriate words is enough for me to throw it out my window or at least push it to my personal banned books corner. Would never recommend it.
Steph Sinclair
MeliRobles LOL. Whatever gave me away? Yeah, if anyone were to try to enjoy this novel, they would have to be able to not let the quotes get to them. Good luck with that.
Steph Sinclair
MeliRobles LOL. Whatever gave me away? Yeah, if anyone were to try to enjoy this novel, they would have to be able to not let the quotes get to them. Good luck with that.
Arely Z
Holy cannoli, this sounds bad. Guess we should be happy it’s (hopefully) not part of a series!
Megan K
THIS.
Made me laugh. And weep for mankind.
How the hell did this even get a book deal? I can’t imagine anyone being <i>entertained</i> by shit like this. Ugh, I’m shuddering just thinking about it. Slut shaming is NEVER okay, and add that with disrespect to women? I wouldn’t be surprised if the entire female population of this world went after Madison and beat him up. Yeah, both yours and Blythe’s review have DEFINITELY convinced me never to pick this book up or look it in the eye. That cover is pretty, though.
hellloitslate
ugh. i just checked out the authors tumblr and he made a gif, because he couldn’t find one saying: I’m not responsible for your experience of my work. well honestly if you don’t want to piss people off don’t be such a horrible slut shaming sexist pig. i wasn’t interested in this before, no clue why but i steer clear of mermaids pretty much all the time, and now i wouldn’t touch it with a ten foot pole. and honestly i understand a little slut-shamming from non-mcs as it does happen especially with teens, but it should be used as a teaching moment, or this is not how to treat others imho. i wish i could say only a man could write this but we know better. double ugh.
Steph Sinclair
hellloitslate Yeah, I saw that gif. *sigh* But I feel the same way about the slut shaming from non-MC. The problem was there was no teaching moment and the tone did not convey that anything was wrong.
hellloitslate
Steph Sinclair Understandable, it sounds like something I wouldn’t want to touch with a ten foot pole.
hellloitslate
Steph Sinclair Understandable, it sounds like something I wouldn’t want to touch with a ten foot pole.
Ashleigh Paige
I’m surprised he never mentioned vagina dentata.
Also? I’m really sad my guess of “magical fairy penis” wasn’t that far off. This book in general makes me sad. I am going to go watch some awful, awful anime to cheer myself up because this review has made me depressed. How can something this blatantly sexist still be given so much praise and make it through the publishing process without comment in 2013? 20-motherfucking-13?
Steph Sinclair
Ashleigh Paige I am eagerly waiting for when Kirkus’ review goes public in a few weeks. Because there is one thing to love this book (even if I don’t understand how that’s possible), but not to mention any of the gender issues? Especially when that was what the author was trying to do (flip the Virgin Magic around)? No, I don’t get it.
Steph Sinclair
Ashleigh Paige I am eagerly waiting for when Kirkus’ review goes public in a few weeks. Because there is one thing to love this book (even if I don’t understand how that’s possible), but not to mention any of the gender issues? Especially when that was what the author was trying to do (flip the Virgin Magic around)? No, I don’t get it.
Fly to the Sky
I really appreciate this review. If I hadn’t read this then I might have unknowingly bought the book when it comes out and been subjected to the terror within. This……words cannot describe how appreciative I am. I loved this review.
Steph Sinclair
Fly to the Sky I’m glad you found it helpful.
Steph Sinclair
Fly to the Sky I’m glad you found it helpful.
stormydawnc
Ugh, the more reviews I read about this book the more I want to hate it. I am a firm believer in not hating books one has not attempted to read(see people who get mad at Harry Potter), but I CAN hate the evidence of said book, and boy is that bad. Like, just how? How did someone– agent, editor, proofreader, SOMEONE– in the entire process of making a book not say, “Hey, maybe we shouldn’t publish a book that degrades women, blames illogical things on feminism, and on a whole pushes the evolution of society back a hundred years?”.
I am staying far away from this one.
Steph Sinclair
stormydawnc I guess it largely depends on interpretation. That is the only conclusion I have come to.
TheBookRat
I both want to read this and want to never ever ever read this.
Excellent review.
Carrie McRae
I’m reading a book right now that gives me these EXACT feels. LITERATURE!! What has become of thee!?!?! *great wailing and gnashing of teeth*
aadnama
I got halfway through this review, opened up GR in a new tab, then immediately took this book of my TBR shelf.
Honestly, what the hell? I was reading some of those quotes and seriously contemplating throwing my computer out the window. (I just looked at the author’s Twitter, and he even looks like an asshole.) Who thinks it is ok to write stuff like that? Better yet, who thinks writing stuff like that will be entertaining? When a majority of YA readers are female, you’d think you’d have some common sense.
Thanks for such an enlightening review, Steph!
Steph Sinclair
aadnama The MC is supposed to have some sort of growth and that was supposedly the reason for all the slut shaming, but I didn’t see any changes with regards to how he viewed women in the end.
Kelly At PaperFantasies
I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again; the best thing about this book is the hilariously indignant reviews it has spawned. My love for this review is endless.
SnugglyOranges
I’m glad I’m not the only one who sat through this and survived. Together we can prevent fellow readers from sitting through this torture. Ugh. This book. This book. I wish I had a physical copy so I could burn it.
IolaGoulton
I hope this guy doesn’t have daughters.
This reminds me of the following three points in How Not to Write a Novel (by Newman & Mittlemark, and which I enjoyed so much I took notes):
The High Colonic by Mail: in which the author’s worldview does not intersect with the
reader’s;
Obsession, by Calvin Klein (you know
he’s Jewish, right?): when the author is
unaware that his idee fixe is showing. Uncommon opinions should be
presented sparingly, and cut altogether if the reader will be able to
think of nothing else;
The Voice in the Wilderness: wherein the view expressed is universally detested. An editor might sit up
and take notice, but only because he knows… he will be dining out on the
story of how repellent you are for years to come.
Steph Sinclair
IolaGoulton Such great points in your comment! It definitely didn’t feel like the MC’s view was detested or even challenged for that matter. The tone was so strongly sexist, that it NEEDED for him to make a BIG change and he DIDN’T. Every time I tried to enjoy it, another sexist comment would fly by and ruin it for me.
athousand_lives
What really makes sad is how the friends and family and daughters and wife of the author felt when they read his book. I just feel terrible for them. It must so ducking nice to know that their dad or husband or child think so lowly of them.
Thank you for subjecting yourselves in this kind of torture just so we don’t have to. You’ve done a real service to humanity, Steph. You and all those with ARCs like you. I salute thee.
Steph Sinclair
athousand_lives I’m pretty sure they probably would have context to the story. But for average readers, they wouldn’t.
Steph Sinclair
athousand_lives I’m pretty sure they probably would have context to the story. But for average readers, they wouldn’t.
Adam A
How disgusting. I’m a guy but I was raised by a single mom, who worked her ASS off to get us through – and people who come and just bash everything women-related gets me on my damn nerves. Are we really going to give women a hard time because they have different body parts? I mean, come on, they already have the menstruation and pregnancy pain, must we really add?
Steph Sinclair
Adam A I wonder how this book will be received by teens? Will they think this is how boys really feel about girls? Will boys who read it think it is acceptable? No doubt with that gorgeous cover, girls WILL pick this up. That depresses me.
gypsyreviews
Oh boy, this book is an absolute MESS. Who on earth decided this book was a good idea at all, it just goes to show how much women worth are in the eyes of the author and it just disappoints and disgusts me that people like this think it is okay to portray women in this manner. I’m so sorry you had to suffer through this Steph!
Steph Sinclair
gypsyreviews I don’t want to speculate on how the author feels. It’s possible he was trying to show gender inequality through his writing. I just found it to be poorly executed and in the end came off very sexist.
BookNook
Lol awesome review. Honestly, a couple of the things in this book had me cracking up because of how absurd they were. This book seriously tanked though, which sucks because that cover is GORGEOUS and the synopsis kind of sounded interesting… Too bad absolutely nothing happens in the entire book.
Steph Sinclair
NoseGraze I saw your review! The moon rock thing was nuts. LOL. Some of the writing was just a big WTF.
Nose Graze
Steph Sinclair NoseGraze I laughed SO HARD the moon rock. That goes down in history as one of the biggest “WTF” moments in literature.
booklovingme
Awesome review!! I am so glad that I waited to see what some other people thought before downloading this. I would have DNF’d this one for sure.
kimmmyberley
This review was so funny it almost makes me want to hate read it.
Steph Sinclair
kimmmyberley You might be gouging your eyes out before the first 30 pages.
Steph Sinclair
kimmmyberley You might be gouging your eyes out before the first 30 pages.
Staraptorkiin
I have to read more reviews on this now! I can’t believe how bad this book sounds. Thank you for writing this review, it was a brilliant way to start the day with my coffee!
Steph Sinclair
Staraptorkiin It looks like people either really loved it or totally hated it. Quite the gap!
Staraptorkiin
I have to read more reviews on this now! I can’t believe how bad this book sounds. Thank you for writing this review, it was a brilliant way to start the day with my coffee!
teahouse4
wow. I’m at a loss for words. Doesn’t sound like something I need on my tbr
aprilmom00
I am so glad that I DNF this hot mess. Claps hand and thanks for taking one for the team. I didn’t enjoy the slut shaming either 🙁
Steph Sinclair
aprilmom00 So many DNFs for this book. It speak volumes.
Kate C.
Once again I’m so thankful for the book bloggers of the world. From the description and the cover, I never would have guessed what was going on in this book. And now I can safely pass it by, saying to myself, “Not for me.”
So thanks! Great review.
Steph Sinclair
Kate C. I’m the same. I have a few trusted reviewers with the same tastes in books whose opinions I really value. I don’t read professional reviews because I’m more often than not suckered into buying a book I hate.
Guest
This book is generating so much controversy! It has two starred reviews (Kirkus and PW), and amazing blurbs from luminaries like E. Lockhart, Sara Zarr, Jenny Han, and Nova Ren Suma. Meanwhile the goodreads ratings form a two-tailed distribution (lots of 5’s, and an almost equal number of 1’s). I haven’t read it, but could the misogyny be deliberate, in service to the deeper coming-of-age themes?
Steph Sinclair
@Guest That is what I thought, but the MC never has a self-reflection on how he originally felt about women. And really, the story was never about that. It was about him becoming a man after losing his virginity. The narration never challenged him on his views either. Also, it doesn’t explain DeeDee’s slut shaming, the novels message in regards to feminism and the whole Magical Super Penis. So the MC’s attitude was just one problematic aspect.
alexalovesbooks
I don’t think this was what I was expecting when it came to this book. I wasn’t particularly excited to read it, but I was mildly curious. Your review, however, has made it clear to me that this is totally not a book I’d want to read – at least not without coming prepared. (Your review was also SUPER entertaining, by the way. Enjoyed it!)
alexalovesbooks
I don’t think this was what I was expecting when it came to this book. I wasn’t particularly excited to read it, but I was mildly curious. Your review, however, has made it clear to me that this is totally not a book I’d want to read – at least not without coming prepared. (Your review was also SUPER entertaining, by the way. Enjoyed it!)
Steph Sinclair
alexalovesbooks It’s defiantly a hit or miss book and a reader’s enjoyment will be heavily dependent of their interpretation of the messages and character resolutions.
irish_banana
Are you kidding me?! After hearing you disliked it, I was going to give it a pass and hand the arc onto someone else. Now I want to burn it so I don’t inflict this pain on anyone.
WOW. Just wow. Also, this may be the best review I’ve ever read.
Jennifer @ The Bawdy Book Blog
irish_banana You probably can’t give it away now!
irish_banana
Jennifer @ The Bawdy Book Blog irish_banana Want my copy? LOL
Steph Sinclair
Jennifer @ The Bawdy Book Blog irish_banana Not gonna lie, I am torn on what to do with my ARC. Maybe someone will want to read it for morbid curiosity? I think I may give mine away to LBBA.
Steph Sinclair
Jennifer @ The Bawdy Book Blog irish_banana Not gonna lie, I am torn on what to do with my ARC. Maybe someone will want to read it for morbid curiosity? I think I may give mine away to LBBA.
BookaddictBieke
Wow, this book sounds like a great read! *sarcasm* Know I know I don’t have to pick it up. 😛 Thank you for this review and saving me money and time. ^^
forestofthedead
I can’t believe that the quotes you posted are actually in the book. Who the hell thought that was good writing? Great review, though. Very entertaining and informative.
Steph Sinclair
forestofthedead Some say the MC learns something by the end, but I could not find evidence to support that. Things are left way to ambiguous and the sexism was not addressed in the ending.
Writing Authentically and Writing Truthfully are Not The Same | Bibliogato
[…] many reviewers are having a major problem with almost all of the book’s content, calling it slut-shaming, sexist, disgusting, etc. I haven’t read the book, but it got starred reviews from Kirkus and […]
Jennifer @ The Bawdy Book Blog
Written by a man. Figures.
LOL I do like the end of your review.
Jennifer @ The Bawdy Book Blog
Oh, PS: I ALMOST grabbed this off Edelweiss last month. So glad I dodged this bullet.
Steph Sinclair
Jennifer @ The Bawdy Book Blog Yeah, be thankful! I was really anticipating this one. Too bad it didn’t live up to my expectations.
coranne1
This is the best review I have read. EVER. Thank you. *clapping*
– A housewife who wishes she could have a footbath.
Steph Sinclair
coranne1 Thank you. Seriously, I could use a footbath at least twice a day. Too bad that’s not real life.
KKTrotter
This book … I’ve been hearing a lot about how awful it is. I’m really amazed Harper thought this was a good idea. Don’t they know YA is DOMINATED by female readers? There’s nothing I like more than having a male MC call every girl a slut, skank or ho — I mean, come on, those are some of my favorite words. Ughhhh … I really don’t understand how this gets good reviews. I haven’t trusted Kirkus for reliable reviews for a while, but now Pub Weekly isn’t reliable now? Sadness.
Awesome review. It was a lot of fun to read.
Lilysbookblog
I remember seeing the cover and the nice title and thinking I’d buy it once it came out…after this review (god bless book bloggers) I don’t think it’s for me!
Lisa FicTalk
Wow. I don’t even know what to say here. O_o
The Monday Mix #4 | Bibliophilia: A Love Story
[…] for September Girls. Everyone hates it. (Well, except for Kirkus and Novel Sounds, apparently). But Cuddlebuggery and Finding Bliss in Books tore this book up, I mean, tossed it into the shredder and burned the […]
The Book Smugglers | September Girls by Bennett Madison: Not a Sexist Book.
[…] to the book are so divisive. I first heard the negative: from fellow bloggers at Cuddlebuggery who thought the book was terribly sexist and anti-feminist and then lots of others Goodreaders followed suit with the same reaction. Then I […]
Bennett Madison – September Girls | Science Fiction & Fantasy Book Reviews
[…] kind of buzz and seems to divide its readers into two rather extreme camps. On the one side, people call it incredibly sexist, and on the other, it is hailed as a wonderfully feminist book that examines gender roles and puts […]
The Book Smugglers | Smugglivus 2013 Guest Bloggers: Kat Kennedy and Steph Sinclair of Cuddlebuggery Book Blog
[…] Kat Kennedy: Alright, your favourite books for this year? Stephanie Sinclair: Yup. Kat Kennedy: Clearly that would be September Girls. Stephanie Sinclair: Oh, so you got jokes, homey? Kat Kennedy: I got them. Can you take them? What […]
Smugglivus 2013 Guest Bloggers: Kat Kennedy and Steph Sinclair of Cuddlebuggery Book Blog | Happy.com.pk
[…] Kennedy: Alright, your favourite books for this year?Stephanie Sinclair: Yup.Kat Kennedy: Clearly that would be September Girls.Stephanie Sinclair: Oh, so you got jokes, homey?Kat Kennedy: I got them. Can you take them? What […]
2014: Year of the Buggery | Cuddlebuggery Book Blog
[…] September Girls by Bennett Madison I don’t think anyone is surprised September Girls shows up on my worst reads list. I understand what Madison was trying to accomplish with the novel, and for that I applaud his efforts, but it just didn’t work out for me. I raged a bit. Well, okay, I raged a lot. […]
Megan I
I applaud your review on “September Girls” and give it a gold star! Let me tell you if I would have read your review before picking up this book, I would have never read it. Sadly, I am just now reading the review after I finished the book. It was awful and left a horrible taste in my mouth. When I picked up this book I seriously thought it was going to be some steamy, mermaid, summer love type thing. NO. That is not even close. Its disappointing to pick up this kind of book in the teen romance section where females are demoralized and only seen as a “piece of ass”, because what does that teach girls in my generation (I am 17) and younger? I hope that before people pick up this book they see this review! It will save them a lot of anger and time.