I related to our main character, Evie, immediately. I too suffer from OCDs and anxiety, and I learned somehow so much more about the two of it. I have been diagnosed with OCDs only recently so it felt good to read about it: It made me feel less alone and way more understood. And for that I’m very thankful. This book is all about feminism and 16 years old cisgender girls realizing that the society isn’t that perfect for them. Most of the time, they were talking about really important subjects and were making some very good points. I already knew most of it but it’s still is necessary to discuss about it all in literature, especially in YA. However, they made some comments that made me cringe a lot. It is important to note that all the characters are white and straight. As they kept talking about feminism, it has been said a lot that only women had their periods and that it’s what makes them women. By saying that, it excludes transgender and non-binary people. Because yes, some men have their periods and they should be recognized as well. Plus, they often make each other feel bad for talking about men, as if dating one was against feminism. I really disliked that. I’m a feminist but I’m also a romantic and I love to talk about men. I would love to date one and if all I see suddenly is him, so be it. That doesn’t mean I don’t respect myself or women in general. It was really hard to agree to everything when they kept excluding people from their feminism. Am I Normal Yet? is a very good book and I loved it. I loved seeing myself represented and it will definitely help me when it comes to my anxiety and OCDs. However, I wish the feminism talked about in this book was intersectional and didn’t exclude anyone, nor made anyone feel bad for talking about men. Yes, women are more than just lovers, mothers or wives, but it doesn’t give anyone the right to shade someone else for liking another person or even dating. Judging is never the key, and your feminism should always include everyone in it. Because unfortunately, some still don't understand why people don't appreciate their illnesses being the butt of jokes. We get labeled "over-sensitive" and "touchy" for wanting our illnesses to be left alone, for them to be used right and with respect. Holly Bourne aimed, and she scored with this message. yes the main focus is evie's OCD and her thought process and trying to hide her illness while juggling school and boys and her family

I wanted to write about how the trauma of a mental health diagnosis can follow you throughout your life. And also, how do you recover from the trauma of your brain doing that to you in the first place? it was really enlightening and i thought it portrayed how mental illness can literally take control of your mind and actions so wellAnywho, I've ranted enough. I adored the friendship between Evie, Amber, and Lottie! They're the type of friend group I wish I had grouping up (and still do, to be honest). They talked about real stuff, not just the stereotypical 'girly' gossip, etc. It was a true feminist group, and should be shown to everyone out there - old, young; male, female - to show just what feminism is. Holden, Lucy (19 June 2018). " 'Life isn't how it looks online.' Holly Bourne, the woman on a mission to end social-media envy". The Times. ISSN 0140-0460 . Retrieved 30 July 2018. In 2017 Bourne was a judge of the BBC Young Writers’ Award, along with Nikesh Shukla, editor of The Good Immigrant. [9] Young Adult fiction takes over the Edinburgh International Book Festival 2018". Edinburgh Festival. 12 July 2018 . Retrieved 3 September 2018.

That doesn't mean I can't see the wonderful message or the beautiful aspect of having friends, it just doesn't work for me anymore. i was really worried where it was headed but towards the end, i began to appreciate how the author played it out bc it made it have a much greater impact Floored, novel by Eleanor Wood, Holly Bourne, Lisa Williamson, Melinda Salisbury, Non Pratt, Sara Barnard, and Tanya Byrne (2018) After reading Am I Normal Yet, the first thing that came to my mind was: ”I have to get the second book ASAP!!!❤️❤️❤️”

Everyone's on the cliff edge of normal. Everyone finds life an utter nightmare sometimes, and there's no 'normal' way of dealing with it... There is no normal, Evelyn.” First and foremost, this is a thoroughly absorbing story about a teenage girl with all the typical preoccupations involving friends, boys and college. Evie's general situation is one to which many will relate, and the author's narrative voice is natural and authentic. I know I'm a little late to the Holly Bourne party, and I'm sorry about that. After reading spectacular book, I definitely need more of her books! I definitely need to support more UKYA authors, and Holly is perfect for this. i've been hearing so many amazing things about this book from my friends so naturally my expectations were REALLY high and still yet it managed to give me so many emotions and teach me so many things The girls are amazing! Evie, Amber and Lottie form a gang called the The Spinster Club to help figure out how to be a feminist. They aim to stay true to themselves, and not lose their personality or their friends while trying to impress guys, and at the same time not being ball breakers! It was such a fun theme but also very powerful and inspiring.

The message of inclusion and understanding was torn to shreds by the little "feminist group" that the main character Evie and two of her friends created. They created the 'Spinster Club', which consisted of them preaching about topics (where they came across as naive and bitchy), talking about boys and tearing other girls down.The Spinster Club trilogy is essentially my call to arms. And the response I've had from readers has blown me away.

To me, Am I Normal Yet? covers the issue of mental health, and what being a teenager in modern Britain is like, to a T. Now, I've never had any interaction with OCD, so please correct me if I offend anyone - I really don't mean to. I just feel like the way Holly treated Evie's OCD was done perfectly. It wasn't hushed up like it was a bad thing; rather, it was explained in a clear way, and shown that while it can be painful and heartbreaking to sufferers and their families, there are various methods to deal with it. Just because you may suffer from OCD, anxiety, etc., does not mean you are crazy. There is such a stigma around the topic of mental health, and I think if more people read books like this (or like Every Last Word, which I reviewed last week) there would be a greater understanding on these topics. Put simply, all that is a long way of saying: this book is a stigma buster and I love it for that. Plus Holly could be bothered to tell me stuff about the characters, so no “I want more detail!” rant this time! The whole "feminist plotline" (see: sarcastic quotations, please) that was attempted, failed. It was a BIG FAT MESS. It was done so poorly, I was struggling with a continuous cringe the entire time. Another thing I loved: it was funny. So funny. Dark, self-deprecating humor is my jam, it's my chosen method of dealing with difficult situations and this book did it so well. I was in love with the banter between characters and Evie's monologue. There were so many other direct quotes I could have inserted too, because I truly highlighted enough to fill an entire review, but you get the point. YA Book Prize for teen fiction winner announced". Future News - Media Planner. 3 May 2018 . Retrieved 8 May 2018.The Spinster Club is a feminist series, but it also focuses on other important aspects such as mental health awareness. Now, as I said, this book wasn’t perfect. Before starting to point out what I noticed, I would like to say that a reader who has a mom suffering from epilepsy really disliked one of the comments made in this book about it. I can’t talk more about it as I know nothing on this subject, but I still think that it’s important to point it out.