ISBN-13: 9780545169158
Publisher: Scholastic, Inc.
Published: September 2010
336 pgs
Source: Personal Library
I have to admit that this book didn't really catch my attention at the beginning; I think it has got something to do with the cover or probably the title but nevertheless I picked it up after reading a few reviews from other bookbloggers and you know what, I am glad that I did that! I really, really enjoyed reading this book!
Natalie Sterling takes her studies seriously. She is the kind of girl whom I think every teacher would like in a student. In short, she is sensible, responsible and she knows what she wants for herself. She has dreams, and at this point she badly wants to be Student Council President and she would perform her best to get this position. After all, she is sitting for her SAT and she wants to get into the best college. However, the competition isn't easy when you have a handsome football player who knows how to play dirty and one who has many supporters behind him.
But Natalie is not going to give up. With the help of her best friend, Autumn, they try every means to get all the votes they want. The friendship between Natalie and Autumn has come a long way, ever since Natalie has backed Autumn up after an embarrassing moment with a boy she hooked up with awhile back. That incident has changed Autumn's life forever, and due to this Natalie has further make it a point not to get involved with boys and love.
However, Natalie's life gets complicated after that a freshman girl whom she used to babysit goes to the same school as her, and Natalie is most mortified by Spencer's outspoken and outrageous behaviour that sometimes get herself into trouble. Well you see, Spencer believes that sexiness empowers girls and she feels that they should make full good use of it to get what they want. Natalie, on the other hand, feels that they could be liberated feminists through other methods that are not involving sex and sexiness. But then some things happened when you least expected it and soon Natalie finds herself caring for Connor Hughes, another football player and a friend of her rival more than she knows. Has she beginning to lose respect for herself, or is she just simply following her heart?
Not That Kind Of Girl is a compelling read about friendship, love, choices and well, girl power. I just loved the themes of this story; it is so honest and the characters felt so real to me. Natalie may come across as a girl who knows it all from the beginning, but that's what make her stand out in this story. I liked her postitive attitude, and she has that girl power attribute in her which will make any girl agree with her resolutions.
As you can guess from the plot, Natalie definitely has some tough decisions to make towards the end. And what makes this book such a worthwhile read is reading about Natalie's experience and what or how she deals with it in the end. In my opinion this is not just a YA romance but is also a book that makes you think about your choices in life and be ready to face the world no matter what choices you have made.
I'd be sure to check out the other books by this author.