Barbie Girl (Baby Doll, #1)

by Heidi Acosta

• ISBN10: 1482340771
• ISBN13: 9781482340778
• Publish Date: 9 July 2013
• Publish Status: Active
• Imprint: Createspace Independent Publishing Platform
• Format: Paperback (US Trade)
• Pages: 266
• Language: English

Reviews

[limabean74]

I will start off and say yes if you read any of the other review she does have a few typos and grammatical errors, I'm sure I will too, but this does not take away from how great this story is.

Dylan and Barbie are amazing characters the book is written in both POVs. It usually doesn't work for me but in this case it did.

Barbie is a very strong character that will break your heart. Reading about everything she goes through you almost want to jump in the book and give her a hug.

Dylan is a dork (hahaha) he is one of those kids that you don't really notice unless others take interest. I will be honest and say I wanted to smack him sometimes. As described in the book he sees the world in Black & White and since I am a gray person this made me want to shake him and make him snap out of it :) He also was very wrong to judge Barbie and listen to what everyone else told her instead of forming his own opinion because when he does it's really to late.

The story starts off with Barbie who is trying so hard to get through school so she can take her little brother (Everett) away from a Mother who drinks and does drugs. She could careless about her kids (her I wanted to punch in the face) So Barbie asks Dylan if he can tutor her in Algebra and she will in return help him get the girl of his dreams Katie. Dylan isn't very happy with this arrangement since Barbie is the town slut and has a very bad reputation what is surrounded by rumors (only rumors?) Soon Dylan agrees as they work together they realize they are starting to feel something for each other.

I loved the idea that Dylan was the good guy and the forbidden love was Barbie. Most of the books I have read has always been the complete opposite so this was a refreshing change.

The secondary characters were great. I really loved Third and Roxie. I could live without Katie ;)

This story breaks your heart. Watching everything unfold it really makes you feel so bad for both Barbie and her brother. I will warn you that the end and the event that unfold are very upsetting at least for me. Barbies brother has special needs and he reminds me to a point of my son (who also has special needs) when he was young. It's so hard to watch a mom not care about her son when after everything I went through to get my son the help he needed this story really made my heart hurt that I was in tears. Watching what her boyfriend does to her kids I was shocked, How can a mom allow that? It is mind boggling!!!

I completely recommend this book. If you can get past the errors that are throughout and just enjoy the book as I did you will realize how amazing and well developed these characters are also you can feel the emotions and physical attraction between Barbie and Dylan. It really makes you want to know more. Now on to book #2 :)

[inlibrisveritas]

Barbie Girl is a nice little twist on the typical contemporary high school romance. Instead of giving us a cast of characters who are exactly what they seem and having it center around the girl, Barbie Girl gives us two main point of views and a surprising amount of depth.

Dylan is a quiet guy who takes pride in his school work and spends a good deal of his time with his friend Third. He's managed to stay out of the way and instead of being picked on he's invisible, until Barbie saunters into his life and demands to be tutored. A deal is struck and Barbie becomes his fake girlfriend to help catch the eye of the girl of his dreams. It sounds a bit cliche but there is a lot to this story that I didn't expect. At the beginning of the book you kind of take these three at face value, you can't help it. Dylan is the good kid, Third is the guy who tries way too hard, and Barbie is pure trouble. However a big part of this book is not seeing things in black and white, and you begin seeing the flaws and the problems that each of these characters really have. You get a glimpse of what they keep hidden and how they bring out the best in each other.

I loved the relationship that Dylan and Barbie have. It starts out in a rather unconventional way and given how different the two are I expected very little in the way of a true connection, but they really come together. Barbie, despite all of her flaws, has a good head on her shoulders and just wants the best for her little brother and she manages to give both Dylan and Third a much needed make over when it comes to confidence. I felt so torn for her because of her broken home, but at the same time I just wanted her to realize she was worth more than she thought. Dylan helps Barbie just as much she helps him.

There were a few places of editing mishaps but I enjoyed the story too much to truly care about it. It's a quick read and I look forward to the next book in the series.

I received this book in exchange for an honest review.

[Angie]

Barbie Girl is a different kind of YA Contemporary Romance, and it's one that I absolutely adored! This story puts a twist on the typical nerd gets the popular girl plot. We have Dylan who tries to remain under the radar after years of being stuff into lockers, Barbie who has a reputation of being the school slut, and Katie, the typical good girl who's loved by the whole school. Dylan wants Katie, but she has no idea he exists, until Barbie steps in to help him in exchange for some math tutoring.

This is told in my favorite multiple POV! First we meet Dylan, who unfortunately believes the rumors about Barbie and is reluctant to help her at first. He's worked hard to change his image into something less noticeable, so he doesn't want the attention that Barbie naturally attracts.

Barbie is such a great character. She's not at all what she seems. Sure she puts on this tough girl front and makes out with boys under the bleachers, but she's far from the girl her classmates think she is. She's not sleeping around or doing drugs. She's actually responsible for taking care of her younger brother and their drunken mother. It's a struggle for Barbie to keep her small family fed and safe, but she doesn't let anyone see this vulnerable side of her. At least, not until Dylan enters her life.

Oddly, my favorite relationship was Barbie and Third, Dylan's best friend. At the beginning I found him annoying and rude, but then he started to grow on me. He becomes a really good friend to Barbie and doesn't judge her, and he's there for her when she hits rock bottom. He's looking for acceptance just as much as she is, and I'm glad they were able to find each other. This might be one of my favorite friendships I've read in YA so far.

The one bad thing that stood out to me about Barbie Girl was the stiff dialogue that I've begun to notice is common in self-published books. There's also a few typos, but neither of these problems hindered my enjoyment of the overall story. They're just minor annoyances.

Barbie Girl is a wonderful story. It starts as a sweet romance, but then morphs into something much more. There are some heavy issues that I think are handled quite well. I was rooting for Barbie the whole time. She deserves so much more than life has given her, and I admired the strength that she showed. The ending isn't perfect, and I was super frustrated with Dylan. But I was happy to see Barbie in a better place.

Read more of my reviews at Pinkindle Reads & Reviews.