Back on the Record

I sped right through this! I thought the story was engaging, timely, and well-written.

This fast-paced novel follows 17 year old Josie, a talented writer struggling with anxiety. When she wins a contest to join a movie promotion tour and interview the hot new star, Marius, she's equally thrilled and terrified. Chaperoned by her older sister, Josie is flung into this new world. While she is charmed by Marius and determined to write the best profile ever, she soon realizes that there is another story here to report on: a story that involves a high profile movie director and a trail of young women with terrible experiences. But how can Josie handle the immensity of this story? What does this mean for her future as a writer?

There were a lot of different dynamics and relationships (between sisters, romantic interests, powerful men, mentors, and SA survivors) that I thought were executed well and realistically. The story moves quickly, and highlights how all these relationships can change through small or big decision making.

Josie is not perfect, but she still tries her best (even when her best leaves her feeling like it wasn't good enough).

I love when a flawed main character can still love herself, because it reminds us to love ourselves despite our flaws. I would recommend this to aspiring writers, teens that struggle with anxiety, sisters that have complex relationships, and young women who care about other women.

#teenreads #realistic #contemporary #MeToo #mentalhealth #bodypositivity