ARC Review: GIRL (In Real Life) by Tamsin Winter
10:00
Series: None
Author: Tamsin Winter
Published July 8th 2021 by Usborne Publishing
Goodreads Synopsis
What's it like to grow up online and have every tantrum, every spot - even your first period - broadcast to hundreds of thousands of followers?
Most parents try to limit their kids' online exposure. But not Eva's. Her parents run a hugely successful YouTube channel, and Eva is the star of the show. But Eva is getting sick of being made to pose in stupid mum-and-daughter matching outfits for sponsored posts. The freebies aren't worth the teasing at school. And when an intensely humiliating "period party" post goes viral, Eva is outraged. She's going to find a way to stop the channel, even if she has to sabotage it herself.
Goodreads
Review
I received an Advance Reader Copy from the publisher via NetGalley. This in no way impacted on my view.
While some people may relish the fame that comes from being a Youtube star, for Eva, she's been famous since before she was even born. Her entire childhood has been out there for the world to see, and it's never been harder than when her mam vlogs her first period, and Year 8 has become beyond embarrassing. Eva wants nothing more than for the channel to stop, or at the very least not completely invade her privacy. Her newest friend, Carys, knows her way around a computer, and together they try to interrupt the channel - but with Eva's parents listen?
Now, as soon as I started reading this book, I was hooked, and understood Eva so much! As a teacher, I've seen the struggles some students have when private topics come to public light, and the way that some people - mainly boys - react to topics such as puberty, periods, and general teenage life. Eva, for me, totally embodied a modern teenager, one who's whole life had known the online world, and social media, and who was starting to realise the pitfalls that being connected can bring with it. Her parents, to me, were annoying, and though they clearly did love Eva - having tried so long to have children, they adored her - they also treated her like a commodity at times, or as a child with no autonomy over what people know about her. I mean, she clearly told her mam she didn't want anything about her period being spoken about - she didn't even want her dad to know about it - but then her mam turns around and makes the entire thing all about herself, and how 'her baby has all grown up'. Honestly, that part made me sick, and I wanted to console Eva! Yes, some parts of the book were a little over the top, but it was also very heartfelt, and real, and I'll be recommending it to my students once it's released!
Dates Read:
June 16-17, 2021
Rating
4 Stars
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