Frat Girl

by Kiley Roache

[Sam@WLABB]

Rating: 3.5 Stars

I have really been enjoying all these YA-goes-to college books lately, and I was really curious to see what Roache had planned for us with Frat Girl. I will say, I was nervous when I first started reading this book, but then, I was pleasantly surprised by Roache's approach to many of the issues addressed in the story.

•Pro: What really won my heart were all the wonderfully drawn characters in this book. When I was first introduced to some of them, I thought they were going to be one dimensional stereotypical characters, but they weren't. In fact, many of them often surprised me, and Roache also allowed them to experience some growth over the course of the story.

•Pro: Speaking of characters that never stopped astounding me - Peter! He was definitely the best character in the book, and it was because he was so multifaceted and kept surprising me again and again.

•Pro: This story was really political, and again, I was worried, because it seemed to only be showing one side of every issue, but as I read further, that did change. I appreciated how Roache tried to show the issue from multiple points of view, and even acknowledged that there are grey areas, that good and bad can co-exist.

•Pro: This idea that grey areas exist and was acknowledged by Cassie was the real coming-of-age part of the story for me. That moving from seeing the world as purely black and white showed her growth.

•Con: As a sorority woman, I felt the depiction of sorority women was entirely movie/TV stereotypical. Maybe it's because I went to school in the northeast and not California, but my chapter had diversity, and I remember my pledge class being read the riot act, because our GPAs needed to be higher. I also got to spend 3 1/2 years with some of the most intelligent women, who were also campus leaders, and are now featured and honored as leaders in their fields. #IAmASororityWoman.

•Con: With that said, I wish there had been a look at greek organizations that did not ascribe to the Animal House mentality. Like with everything, there's a spectrum.

•Pro: Here it comes - I really enjoyed the romance in this book. It was sweet and honest and I could not have asked for a better romantic interest for Cassie.

•Pro: Roache did a great job with her treatment of the college setting in the book. Usually, we see mostly parties and classes are in the background, but she really brought us into that tricky balancing act that successful college students must master.

•Pro: This could serve as a jumping off point for some great discussions or inspire someone to learn more about some of the issues regarding different feminist movements and sexism. Though a little heavy handed at times, there are many ideas presented that made me think.

Overall: A fun look at college life, which also tackled some relevant issues.

*ARC provided in exchange for an honest review.

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