Okay! So! This is my first ever book review!! Only on this blog, of course, I review books all the time!
So... I just very recently (like, maybe half an hour ago as I'm writing this) finished this book called Amelia Westlake by Erin Gough. The first thing I would like to say, before I go into a "summary" of the book, is that it was VERY good. I think that some of the topics that were discussed in the novel were really important but the topics are ignored a lot. The book includes feminism as well as pointing out the flaws in school systems. The book was also Australian, which made things a lot easier to understand...
So, a plot summary, which I hope is accurate and makes sense... I will try to limit spoilers...
So, it's set in an Australian private all-girls high school. After getting in trouble for standing up to a teacher, Will gets a detention. For context, Will is one of those girls who gets in trouble a lot, then she ends up being on the teachers' bad side. Anyway. Then, Harriet, who is a very successful student, offers to supervise Will's detention. The thing is, they are so different that they are basically enemies.
Anyway... after some stuff happens, then they decide to make a comic thingy about the Olympic-silver-medal-winning teacher, who does not respect the girls' privacy and stuff, if you get what I mean? The two girls decide to publish it under the name of a fake student they made up, Amelia Westlake. The other students love Amelia Westlake, and after Will and Harriet have published a few comic thingies, and people discover that Amelia is a fake student, the whole year group (year twelve) start wondering who is behind Amelia Westlake.
Now that they can't publish comics under the name of a person that has been recognised as fake, Will and Harriet anonymously continue planning and performing more pranks on the school, all of which point out or mock the flaws in their school. BUT, with students and teachers trying to hunt down who is behind Amelia, both girls continue to have personal problems. So, how will this end...?
Ok, I hope that wasn't too confusing or inaccurate. Sorry if it was.
I liked this book because it included romance, comedy and more serious themes. It also showed how manipulative schools can be. I also definitely saw people I know in some of the characters, good and bad. The book was really fun to read, and, depending on your idea of "good endings", the ending was pretty good but also not good, like, not everything went to plan and stuff. I think this book was a happy ending-type book though. The ending was good.
Anyway, I think that's it! I would suggest that you read this book, and if you do, enjoy! If you don't read it, I understand. Life is too short to be able to read enough good books.
I have this weird thing I wanna try, so:
Amelia Westlake by Erin Gough, 14+*
*This age recommendation is only my opinion. Some younger people might feel comfortable reading this book, and some older people might not. That's fine, either way. Warning for swearing and sexual harassment in this book.
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