patchworkbunny reviewed What's a Girl Gotta Do ? by Holly Bourne
Review of "What's a Girl Gotta Do ?" on 'Goodreads'
4 stars
Full review at www.curiositykilledthebookworm.net/2016/08/whats-girl-gotta-do.html
Lottie's experiences are not uncommon. Most I have experienced at some point and if not me personally, I know people who have. And yeah, by themselves, some of them are not big things but Lottie ponders whether all these small things we let slide, snowball into the big things that ruin lives.
If you've read Holly's other books, you know there's plenty of fun alongside the important messages and there's a lot to love about Lottie. The honking a horn at people is a bit ridiculous but fabulous and I love that sometimes she even honks it at herself.
The opening scene is actually something that happened to Holly and wanting to address that fear in fiction helped form the Spinster Club. I've had some horrible things shouted at me in the street and I've had my way blocked by men "having a laugh" …
Full review at www.curiositykilledthebookworm.net/2016/08/whats-girl-gotta-do.html
Lottie's experiences are not uncommon. Most I have experienced at some point and if not me personally, I know people who have. And yeah, by themselves, some of them are not big things but Lottie ponders whether all these small things we let slide, snowball into the big things that ruin lives.
If you've read Holly's other books, you know there's plenty of fun alongside the important messages and there's a lot to love about Lottie. The honking a horn at people is a bit ridiculous but fabulous and I love that sometimes she even honks it at herself.
The opening scene is actually something that happened to Holly and wanting to address that fear in fiction helped form the Spinster Club. I've had some horrible things shouted at me in the street and I've had my way blocked by men "having a laugh" too. Why is this acceptable? We're just meant to shrug it off but Lottie decides to do something about it and stands up to them. Even if I as a reader felt a little scared for her at times.
Lottie talks about cognitive dissonance, when we hold two views which contradict each other. She thinks her attitude to body hair is one but not her love of make-up. One of the best bits is her insistence to carry on wearing the make-up that is part of her identity. Yes you can wear lipstick at the same time as caring about women's rights. If you enjoy something that's traditionally feminine, you do not have to stop doing it in order to be a "real feminist".
But you know, we all get tired of the constant barrage of things we should be annoyed at. Media is dulling us to the endless horrors in the world and some of us just want a quiet life. The book looks at activist burnout too and when it's right to take a step back and look after yourself first.
