Girl Wonder
Author: Alexa Martin
Goodreads| Amazon| Author Website
When Charlotte Locke’s family moves to Seattle, Washington her senior year of high school, Charlotte is naturally disappointed. But when she begins school and learns that she’s been bumped into lower level classes because of her low math scores, Charlotte knows the school year is off to a bad start.
But then she meets Amanda, otherwise known as Girl Wonder. Amanda is confident, gorgeous and popular. Her pink hair sets her apart, and she knows it and loves it. Charlotte is intimidated and fascinated by Amanda, all at the same time. When Amanda takes Charlotte under her wing, Charlotte is sure the school year is about to get much better. But when Charlotte gets swept into Amanda’s world, there’s no way out.
Wow. GIRL WONDER was not what I was expecting, and definitely not in a bad way. When I accepted this book for review, I was intrigued by the storyline- I’m a sucker for anything about a girl who moves to a new neighborhood and has to adjust to a new school. I had NO idea that this book was going to be as mature as it turned out to be. I was one hundred percent caught off-guard, but in the best possible way. Am I the only one who didn’t know what this story was really about? Needless to say, I was very pleasantly surprised. This story definitely exceeded my expectations.
I’ll admit, when I first started reading, I wasn’t too impressed. Charlotte wasn’t a very exciting main character, and the story moved a bit slowly. But when Charlotte met Amanda and then Neal, and the story really picked up the pace and from then on, I finished the book in a matter of hours.
My first shock came when Charlotte and Neal finally hooked up. I was definitely not expecting that storyline to get as *ahem* graphic as it did. But, hey…this book set out to tackle real teen issues, and it certainly did that. I was intrigued by Charlotte and Neal’s relationship, although I never fully trusted Neal. I wanted to trust him because he seemed so genuine, dorky and nice but clearly that wasn’t true. Something in the back of my mind told me to not fully fall for him along with Charlotte.
And then there was Milton. I knew he was there in the background throughout the book, and something in my mind kept me wanting to urge Charlotte to give him a chance, but I knew that we’d have to wait. I really enjoyed Milton’s scenes though and found him nerdy but so sweet. I especially loved him toward the end of the book when Charlotte was acting completely oblivious and he was so obviously into her. Adorable.
Sigh, Amanda. What is there to say about Amanda? I think every girl knows an Amanda in one way or another. The girl who everyone worshiped in high school. The girl who got away with everything, and always got the guy. I understood Charlotte’s desire to want to be friends with her, but I also cringed at their toxic friendship, which reminded me of one too many toxic relationships I’ve been in myself. But then again, that’s what made this book so good. It was so easy to relate to Charlotte because haven’t we all been there?
My second shock came when Charlotte, Amanda and Neal went to a rave and proceeded to do pretty hard drugs…wow. Haven’t seen that in a YA book lately! This scene was provocative and dizzying; those are really the only two words I can think to describe it. And once again, Alexa Martin succeeded in catching me completely and utterly off-guard.
I absolutely loved the storylines involving Charlotte’s family members. Her brother Henry James had a larger than life personality that definitely added to the story. I loved how young, but smart he was and how he really cared for Charlotte and looked out for her. Charlotte’s dad, of course, angered me throughout the book, but I liked the fact that he was a published author, struggling with life in the spotlight after his book received acclaim. The tension between Charlotte’s parents and the entire family added a new dynamic to the plot that kept me grounded throughout the story.
GIRL WONDER felt realistic to me. Along with struggling with college applications and school, Charlotte is dealing with best friend drama, boy troubles and family issues. What girl hasn’t struggled with one or all of the above? It’s a pretty likely situation and I think Martin did an excellent job juggling all of the storylines while keeping the interest of the reader.
Alexa Martin is absolutely an author to watch. I know I’ll be looking forward to her sophomore novel. What a fantastic debut!
4/5
Review copy provided by publicist.
This book sounds like it is well-written with some interesting and very realistic twists and turns. I’m definitely intrigued as I found myself automatically relating to some of the situations you mentioned in your review. I definitely want to pick up a copy of this book and I will keep an eye out for Elexa Martin. She sounds like a fantastic writer.