Featured Review: Female of the Species by Mindy McGinnis

I want to begin this review by saying that this is not a light read. It’s got some very dark themes and Mindy does not hold back. While it’s not overly graphic, it does talk about rape, drinking, drugs, sex, molestation, and murder. I do recommend it to YA readers, but young readers should proceed with caution. Female of the species follows three kids Alex, Peekay (Claire), and Jack as their lives tangled together during their last year of High School. To be honest I am having such a hard time reviewing this book because I can’t seem to find the words to explain how amazing it is. I mean this book, the writing, the characters it all just blew me away. It deals with a lot of really tough issues that tend to not be talked about in YA but I think it’s extremely important to discuss. Mindy does an amazing job of bringing these voices to life. I felt as if I was back in High School myself. The duel POVs really were a wonderful touch, because we got to see their thought process. These are not perfect characters. In fact they are greatly flawed but what I loved was the fact that I saw my High School self in them. We see how much potential for compassion and love these characters have.Alex as a character was probably the most interesting part about this book. I mean that first line. “Here’s how I kill someone.” -Pg. 1Who does she kill and why. What in her past made her react this way. As you continue reading you find yourself really rooting for her. You want her to be okay, and you find yourself sympathizing with her. Alex reminds me of a female Dexter. Mindy gave me a lot of feels during and after this book. Then there is Peekay (nickname for preachers daughter) real name Claire. She was another character that really just made this book so worth reading, as well as her friendship with Alex. One thing I live for in books is female friendship and Claire and Alex’s was just fantastic. And to be honest I loved that despite being the preachers daughter she acted like a teenager. Oh and her parents! I mean I loved her parents because yes they are religious but they didn’t act like their daughter would never of anything wrong. They were good parents and if you read YA thats pretty rare. They were willing to talk to Claire and they were there for her. They talked about the hard things. Things most parents don’t want to have to talk to their children about. And then there’s Jack, he was… interesting. One thing that I noticed with each character is that while I didn’t agree with some of the things they thought, I still liked them as a character. They were real and emotional. Jack was, i’m assuming a typical High School boy, and while I myself am not one, I was intrigued by the way Jack thought. He made some bad choices but he was a guy who wanted to do his best to be a good person. And despite the fact that he messed up or made choices that probably weren’t the best, he still was trying. They all were. They were trying their best to be good people and get through life.While the ending was really sad it’s probably one of my favorite endings. You see the change in people. You see the way the girls and the guys speak up now. The comments that are no longer ignored. The slaps on butts aren’t laughed at. And I think it’s so beautiful that Mindy shows just how much things can change if only we are willing to speak up. That if we speak up instead of staying silent that we can have an effect. That it’s on our shoulders as much as anyones. One of my favorite scenes and one that I think really showed the change in characters, was Peekay in the bathroom. It brought tears to my eyes. And I loved seeing the change in the bathroom from the beginning to the end. Not matter how young you can always make a difference. FEMALE OF THE SPECIES really shows that you have a voice. That what you say, how you say it, even staying silent all have an impact. You can make a difference. That it’s on us to be better people.This book really forces you to look at the comments being made. By friends or strangers. Look at the effect they have on people and they effect they have on you. This book may be a tough topic but it’s one we need to talk about. Whether you’re a boy or girl, we need to have these tough talks because without them nothing’s going to change. I loved that Mindy really makes you think with this book. It’s not an easy read, in fact it’s one that sometimes brought tears to my eyes but it so worth reading. And I think the conversations that come up because of this book are going to be worth it. Overall I loved this story and there isn’t anything I disliked about this book, which is rare. The voices were fresh and at times funny. It wakes you up, smacks you in the face and demands your attention. It’s brutal honesty and beautiful characters make Female of the Species a story that will be talked about for years to come. It’s one I already have preordered and I highly recommend it. Well done Mindy, well done.