Review: New Girl by Paige Harbison
“We could be as dead as anyone who’s lived to be a hundred
or as someone who was given an lethal injection. Our lives could be over at any
moment.”
By Paige Harbison
Paperback, 304 pages
Expected publication: January 31st 2012 by HarlequinTeen
From the book flap
They call me 'New Girl'...
Ever since I arrived at exclusive, prestigious Manderly Academy, that’s who I am. New girl. Unknown. But not unnoticed—because of her.
Becca Normandy—that’s the name on everyone’s lips. The girl whose picture I see everywhere. The girl I can’t compare to. I mean, her going missing is the only reason a spot opened up for me at the academy. And everyone stares at me like it’s my fault.
Except for Max Holloway—the boy whose name shouldn’t be spoken. At least, not by me. Everyone thinks of him as Becca’s boyfriend but she’s gone, and here I am, replacing her. I wish it were that easy. Sometimes, when I think of Max, I can imagine how Becca’s life was so much better than mine could ever be.
And maybe she’s still out there, waiting to take it back.
What I did not know was that this is a retelling of a classic:
Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier. I haven’t read that book or heard of it before.
So I have no comparison .
Our New Girl (such a beautiful name revealed at the end,
GRRR) gets accepted to Manderley, a boarding school she has always wanted to go
to since watching Harry Potter, because one of its previous students has gone
missing. Not wanting to tell her parents she doesn’t want to go anymore, she
slaps on a smile and goes off to the brisk cold New Hampshire. The students are as cold as the weather
outside towards New Girl, wanting nothing more than to have Rebecca “Becca”
Normandy back. Becca was THE popular
girl that everybody loved, and knew would return to claim her crown.
Becca left behind a horrible mess: A boyfriend, Max, a lover
on the side, Johnny, and MANY MANY loyal followers such as her roommate and
most loyal, Dana. All of these factors
complicate New Girls place in her new world.
The only reason New Girl is here is because Becca is not. And the entire school has no problem telling
her that.
 |
| A Florida Girl in a New Hampshire winter |
I just don’t know how to feel about this book. I'm normally very sure of how I feel about a
book when I'm done, but this one I just don’t know. I really wanted to LOVE
this book but found that is was just on the underline of spectacular. I didn’t
mind New Girl as our MC, she was interesting but I felt at times to much of a
softie! I felt that way for this whole book, I felt like it was just missing
the mark.
It is still a good read, it’s a nice contemporary novel and
as the pages go on, and it gets better. I
felt that the ending was the best. I really liked where the author was going
and the questions she was proposing.
This is a dual POV, told from both Becca and New Girls
life. I found that Becca was annoying
and never really knew what she wanted. I
found her confusing and at times annoying.
She was self destructive and destructive to those around her.
I felt like the book could have gone deeper into the
characters and that this was only superficial.
Again, I say that this was a nice read but could have been better.
I loved the start and end of this book. I was giggling very
quickly and smiling. There is mystery, a
bit of romance and something relatable about how it feels to be the new girl in
a new place and just wanting to stand out as yourself and not be compared those
who come before you.
3/5 Stars
*I received an Advanced Reading E-book Copy from the publisher, via NetGalley. No money was exchanged for this review. The expected publication of this book is January 31st, 2012.
I'm reading this one next so it's good to know what I'm heading into! Great review Tara!!
ReplyDeleteAnna @ Literary Exploration