December 11, 2023
An 18-year-old entrepreneur tackles sexist stigma in this brash-voiced, emotionally charged high school drama by Penn (Twelve Steps to Normal). To help her financially struggling family, Greenlough Academy’s “flirt expert” Brynn Whitaker earns money by capitalizing on her extensive dating experience and helping classmates “foster meaningful relationships through conversation.” When a Snapchat video circulates of someone in a banana suit hooking up with the boyfriend of Brynn’s former bestie at the first rager of the year, everyone believes it’s Brynn, citing her romantic notoriety (and the fact that she also wore a banana costume to the party). With her business, scholarship, and college recommendation letter on the line, Brynn enlists loyal friends to track down the infamous banana and clear her name. But as bullying intensifies, she balks at potentially exposing another girl to judgment and instead launches a feminist club to undermine the double standard that exonerated the guy while canceling Brynn. Penn balances a thoughtful treatment of public shaming and accountability with comedy, indomitable characters, and a swoony rom-com subplot. Brynn cues as white; the supporting cast features varied ethnicities, faiths, genders, and sexualities, facilitating a multifaceted examination of sexual empowerment. Ages 14–up. Agent: Suzie Townsend, New Leaf Literary.
January 15, 2024
A white high school senior sets out to change her school's culture of misogyny after a case of mistaken identity damages her reputation. Eighteen-year-old Brynn attends prestigious Greenlough Academy on a scholarship. She's earned a reputation as a "serial dater" due to her tendency for brief, casual relationships. She's managed to parlay this experience into a side hustle as a flirting coach: She charges a fee for advising her peers on how best to communicate with their crushes and score dates. But Brynn is devastated to find her much-needed income source in jeopardy when a video circulates on social media of a girl dressed in an identical Halloween costume to the one she was wearing performing oral sex on her popular ex-best friend's boyfriend. Everyone assumes the mystery girl in the banana costume must be Brynn--and it's her reputation that suffers, not the boy's. Determined to find a way to shift her classmates' perspectives, Brynn and her friends form a club to bring about a "femolution," denouncing sexism in their school community. Brynn's diverse social group--including a trans girl; a pansexual, hijabi, Lebanese American girl; and a pregnant biracial (Persian and white) classmate who's been ostracized--get to lead club discussions on topics and stigmas that affect them. These messages are powerful, but it's Brynn's inner monologue that has center stage, and it loses some of its initial impact because of its repetitiveness. Girl power tackles sexism, stigma, and peer pressure in the age of social media. (Fiction. 14-18)
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March 1, 2024
Grades 9-12 *Starred Review* High-school senior Brynn Whittaker has a reputation as a serial dater, and she has a side business coaching her peers in initiating relationships with their crushes. So when a viral video suggests that she is the one hooking up with another girl's boyfriend at a Halloween party, she becomes ""cancelled."" It wasn't her, but no one believes her. At first, she just wants to find the girl in the video and out her, subjecting her to the same treatment that she has received. But a few friends rally around her and start a club that explores double standards between men and women. Soon, she sees the tide start to shift, including her own perspective, and that's what sets this story apart from similar novels. The plot centers no longer on the issue of Brynn--or anyone--against the world; rather, it demonstrates how labeling others based on assumptions is lazy and wrong. For example, Brynn resolves a conflict with members of the abstinence club by letting them know that she doesn't judge them, which breaks down the defensiveness of some of the members. Gradually, the rest of the student body comes around and starts to think for themselves, too. Penn depicts high-school drama with precision and flair, and the plot ripples with spark and snark. Brynn and her friends are refreshingly realistic, as is the resolution.
COPYRIGHT(2024) Booklist, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
May 3, 2024
Gr 9 Up-Brynn Whittaker has gone from dominating her senior year to being cancelled by her peers. Everyone believes it was her in the banana costume hooking up with her ex-best friend's boyfriend on Halloween in the video that gets spread around. The fact that she is a serial dater and known as a flirt coach, helping her peers get dates, doesn't help. Brynn could get angry, and she does, but she also takes action. She and her friends set out to expose the misogyny and double standards that women face, with their school not being an exception. As they get closer to figuring out who the girl in the video is, Brynn must decide if exposing her is what she should actually do. Penn finds the perfect balance of handling a serious topic with respect but also in a light manner with a dose of comedy. Although a crusader for her cause, Brynn is flawed, which makes her realistic and relatable to readers. Brynn's hesitation to expose who was in the video adds to the message of the judgment one faces and how doing what's right can still have negative consequences. Although the plot wraps up a little too neatly, it does not take away from the point of this story. Brynn is white, but there is diversity among secondary characters. VERDICT This ode to feminism belongs on shelves where similar works are popular and also makes an excellent title for discussion.-Amanda Borgia
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