Six Angry Girls

by Adrienne Kisner

Raina Petree is crushing her senior year, until her boyfriend dumps her, the drama club (basically) dumps her, the college of her dreams slips away, and her arch-nemesis triumphs.

Things aren’t much better for Millie Goodwin. Her father treats her like a servant, and the all-boy Mock Trial team votes her out, even after she spent the last three years helping to build its success.

But then - an advice columnist unexpectedly helps Raina find new purpose in a pair of knitting needles and a politically active local yarn store. This leads to an unlikely meeting in the girls bathroom, where Raina inspires Millie to start a rival team. The two join together and recruit four other angry girls to not only take on Mock Trial, but to smash the patriarchy in the process.

• ISBN10: 125025342X
• ISBN13: 9781250253422
• Publish Date: 18 September 2020 (first published 18 August 2020)
• Publish Status: Active
• Out of Print: 22 November 2022
• Publish Country: US
• Imprint: Feiwel and Friends
• Format: Hardcover
• Pages: 288
• Language: English

Reviews

[Sam@WLABB]

After Raina is dumped out of nowhere and Millie is ousted from the mock trial team, they decide to channel their pain into forming a rival mock trial team. Though the team may have started as a means of payback, it grew into something that helped many of these young people reclaim some of their power.

Among the things I think a multitude of readers will embrace are the many facets of inclusion Kisner wove into this story. Aside from an extremely diverse cast, she also addressed inclusivity via the case studies. It was an interesting way to attack the issue, and I appreciated the way each character's opinion and reactions were explored.

I never knew a lot about the mock trial world, and therefore, I learned a lot as I read this story. It was quite fascinating to see what it involved and how they harnessed professionals from the community. I also loved being able to cheer on this team. They had to work really hard to get up and running, and obviously I wanted them to be amazing.

Though mock trial was a big part of this story, it also focused on the personal journeys of Millie and Raina. Raina had been in a relationship for five years, and it took a break up for her to realize her boyfriend was sort of limiting her. It was wonderful seeing her branching out, making new connections, and exploring different options for her future.

Millie was trapped in her situation by a kind of guilt. Her mother divorced her dad, left the family, and remarried. Though Millie kept in touch with her mother, she felt obligated to her father because he stayed. This was a tricky situation for her to navigate, but I was very happy with her choices. It was nice seeing her expanding her social circle as well and finding someone who understood her romantically. I won't lie, this little touch of romance made my big-sap heart happy.

How could I not love a group of young women who harnessed their hurt and rejection in such a fabulous way? I loved that they sought their revenge via mock trial, but I also appreciated the focus on friendship, trust, setting boundaries, trying new things, and discovering the hidden parts of yourself.

*ARC provided in exchange for an honest review.

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