Critics' Opinion:
Readers' rating:
Publishes
Apr 30, 2024
448 pages
Genre: Literary Fiction
Publication Information
Not Like Other Girls is a stunning debut that takes a hard look at how we treat young women and their trauma, through the lens of a missing girl and a girl trying to find herself again.
When Jo-Lynn Kirby 's former best friend-pretty, nice Maddie Price-comes to her claiming to be in trouble, Jo assumes it's some kind of joke. After all, Jo has been an outcast ever since her nude photos were leaked-and since everyone decided she deserved it. There's no way Maddie would actually come to her for help.
But then Maddie is gone.
Everyone is quick to write off Maddie as a runaway, but Jo can't shake the feeling there's more to the story. To find out the truth, Jo needs to get back in with the people who left her behind-and the only way back in is through Hudson Harper-Moore. An old fling of Jo's with his own reasons for wanting to find Maddie, Hudson hatches a fake dating scheme to get Jo back into their clique. But being back on the inside means Jo must confront everything she'd rather forget: the boys who betrayed her, the whispers that she had it coming, and the secrets that tore her and Maddie apart. As Jo digs deeper into Maddie's disappearance, she's left to wonder who she's really searching for: Maddie, or the girl she used to be.
"Edgy and authentic, this stunning gut-punch of a novel unravels the complexities of teen girlhood, toxic friendships, and trauma... A timely, suspense-building thriller and a powerful story of healing." ―Publishers Weekly (starred review)
"Adamo breaks through the teen-sleuth genre with outstanding takes on themes of consent, power, and the devastating end to friendships. It hits all the right notes to make a gripping and impactful book, from its compelling voice to its hurtling enigma of a plot, all while juggling several themes with nuance and profundity.... Effective and compulsively readable, this is a must-read." —Booklist (starred review)
"A thoughtful and thought-provoking feminist tale woven into an expansive mystery." ―Kirkus Reviews
"A superbly crafted, timely, and enthralling mystery that unflinchingly examines the painful realities of being a teenage girl. Meredith Adamo's debut is a stunner." ―Kathleen Glasgow, New York Times bestselling author of Girl in Pieces and The Agathas
"Brave, witty, and razor-sharp, Not Like Other Girls is a gut-punch of a debut." ―Jessica Goodman, New York Times bestselling author of The Legacies and The Counselors
"Powerful, brilliantly plotted, voicey, gripping, beautiful, heart-wrenching, hilarious...Not Like Other Girls is a blistering indictment of the numerous ways our society fails young women, wrapped in a twisting, gripping mystery about a missing girl. Read this book." ―Liz Lawson, New York Times bestselling author of The Agathas, The Night in Question, and The Lucky Ones
This information about Not Like Other Girls was first featured
in "The BookBrowse Review" - BookBrowse's membership magazine, and in our weekly "Publishing This Week" newsletter. Publication information is for the USA, and (unless stated otherwise) represents the first print edition. The reviews are necessarily limited to those that were available to us ahead of publication. If you are the publisher or author and feel that they do not properly reflect the range of media opinion now available, send us a message with the mainstream reviews that you would like to see added.
Any "Author Information" displayed below reflects the author's biography at the time this particular book was published.
Meredith Adamo is a YA author based in hot, humid North Carolina, but she's originally from Rochester, New York, which is her favorite place on the planet. She likes to write about girls who can make you laugh and break your heart--ideally on the same page. Her non-writing interests include collecting vintage bakeware, crocheting the ugliest blankets you've ever seen, and grocery shopping. Not Like Other Girls is her debut novel. Connect with Meredith @mere_adamo on Instagram and meredithadamo.com.
The House on Biscayne Bay
by Chanel Cleeton
As death stalks a gothic mansion in Miami, the lives of two women intertwine as the past and present collide.
The Flower Sisters
by Michelle Collins Anderson
From the new Fannie Flagg of the Ozarks, a richly-woven story of family, forgiveness, and reinvention.
The Funeral Cryer by Wenyan Lu
Debut novelist Wenyan Lu brings us this witty yet profound story about one woman's midlife reawakening in contemporary rural China.
Your guide toexceptional books
BookBrowse seeks out and recommends the best in contemporary fiction and nonfiction—books that not only engage and entertain but also deepen our understanding of ourselves and the world around us.
