Customer Reviews

Good Girls

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

Audrey Porter is a good girl. The kind that works hard to keep up her grades, spends weekends working in her dad's store, manning the cash register, and basically just being a good daughter and a good friend. Things change, though, when she falls for Luke DeSalvio, a guy known around Willow Park High School as a player.

Audrey's best friends, Ash and Joelle, had warned her from the beginning not to lose her heart to Luke. But unlike her dedication to schoolwork and good grades, there's something about being with Luke that turns her brain to mush and her normal level-headedness to idiotic levels. After Audrey hears that Luke has been with another girl (as if all of his constant flirting wasn't bad enough), she decides to call off their friends-with-benefits, not-really-boyfriend-and-girlfriend relationship. Unfortunately, she decides to do this after one last hurrah with Luke, one last make-out session at a party that puts her in a very compromising situation. A situation that someone captures on their cell phone camera and proceeds to distribute among the student body.

She could have ignored the millions of instant messages on her computer calling her a [...] and a ho, she even could have ignored the leers and jeers of the guys in the halls at Willow Park. What she can't ignore, though, is the fact that someone has sent the picture to her father's work email address. Or that Mr. Swieback, the principal, found copies on the library computers. Or that even Ms. Godwin, the drama teacher, seems to think Audrey is some type of sex maniac.

Humiliation complete, Audrey must come to terms with her new social status, which has nothing to do with being a good girl. Along with Ash and Joelle, who have stood beside her, she forms a new, tenuous friendship with Pam and Cindy, two girls who had previously held the title as school [...]. But as Audrey realizes that she may have been wrong about the girls, especially Pam, she also realizes that being a good girl doesn't mean always being perfect.

I really enjoyed GOOD GIRLS. This is a book with heart and emotion, with true-to-life characters who don't preach or moralize, but who work hard at being the best type of people they can be. There are girls like Audrey, Ash, Joelle, Pam, and Cindy in every high school--just as there are boys like Luke and the insufferable Chilly. This is definitely a book for your keeper shelf.

"If I didn't study as hard as I could for a test, I could fail. And if I failed one test, I could fail two. If I failed two, I could fail them all, then I wouldn't go to college, I couldn't study architecture or design or anything else, and my life would be ruined. Because of the one test I didn't study for, the one chapter I didn't read. That's all it takes. One mistake, and everything you've worked for is gone. It happens all the time. It happened to my parents. I came along and blasted everything to pieces. Instead of a graduate degree for my mom and a law degree for my dad, they did the right thing and had a wedding. And they didn't even get the baby brother to complete the family portrait."

Audrey is what is known as a good girl. She studies way too hard, she obeys her parents, she is seeing a perfect guy, and she is not a nuisance to anyone else. One night at a party she decides that she and her "boyfriend" Luke are over, but not before she gives him a parting gift in the form of oral sex...something that good girls do not do. Things seem ok, she has told him she doesn't want to see him again, and returns to school bright and bubbly the following Monday, until she realizes the awful truth... everyone knows about what she did thanks to a certain compromising photo circulating through school clearly showing her and unknown man doing what she did.

Audrey doesn't know how to react. She immediately suspects her spiteful ex, Chilly, of taking the photo of her and Luke, a fact he does not condone or deny. Her friends Ash and Joelle are devastated for her but are unable to do anything about the slander and the gossip flying. Suddenly, even the slutty girls are making fun of "prissy, know-it-all" Audrey, and there is nothing she can do about it. Things really hit the fan when the photo comes into the hand of her parents, who both react differently. Her mother acts with care and concern, scheduling an appointment with a gynecologist to make sure that she is ok; her father reacts with disdain and anger, researching all the possibilities of a lawsuit and barely talking to Audrey because of who and what he believes she now is.

Through it all, Audrey never sheds one tear, but remains a strong, confident, young woman destined for greatness. If the event has changed her, which everyone else clearly seems to think it has, she might as well be a different person, so she dyes her blond hair dark, starts hanging out with a new crowd, and throws herself into her studying, managing to change her rank from 4th in the class to 2nd by the end of the book. Audrey has changed, but is she really a good girl, or is everyone else's perception flawed?

This is an interesting novel for young girls about the strength of one's convictions, courage, perceptions, and, above all, double standards. Why is it that Audrey's reputation is completely altered while Luke's remains unscathed? Even had his face been exposed he would not have had nearly the same reaction about the incident as Audrey did, and would be pronounced a colossal stud because of it. This is a classic double standard for young people... a guy gets lucky he is the man, a stud, or at worse a "pimp or Player" as his terms of endearment are noted by Audrey in the book as nothing bad. A woman gets lucky and she's a whore, a slut, unworthy, even though it does take two to tango. Girls always have to be good, and if they are compromised in any way no matter how subtle, they are ruined, even if it is forced upon them by anyone they are still ruined in the eyes of those who love them... a guy, not so much.

This attitude of double standards extends to so much in this book. Even Luke and Audrey's relationship is a double standard, only reversed. While Audrey plays it off as if nothing big is going on, just making out at parties Luke is actually developing feelings for her which are ultimately crushed when she just waltzes off the night of the infamous photo, as if it meant nothing. Because of how she perceives Luke to be a huge flirt she thinks it will not harm him and takes the attitude of "he's a guy after all, he'll just move on to one of his other ladies", but Luke's feelings are actually quite hurt over this attitude of hers that she "act like a man about hook ups". Even at one point, before the famous incident, when Luke was going to perform oral sex on her she resisted, largely because of her own self conscience feelings about it... what if she smells... what if she tastes funny...what if she overreacts or under reacts... and the other between the lines reason is because women can't enjoy oral sex as much as a man does because we are taught, in our culture, that a man's pleasure is first and foremost... a man doesn't have these kind of thoughts when a woman is about to go down on him, he's just happy to be getting some of it.

So, ultimately, this book dissects a multitude of society's views on what girls should be or not be, good or not, empowered or not, enlightened or not. As a teen novel, this is a great book for young girls to read. My only real gripe about it is that it is very obvious in making these points, what with the girls discussing it non stop. This brings down the intensity of the message, that the girls sit around and discuss these very things at different intervals. I mean, really, give the audience a bit of credit that they will figure out what the message is without hitting them upside the head with it. Other than that, this is a good book for girls, and boys, to read about pressures of being a good girl.

Audrey comes alive as a smart, funny, courageous person. After "the photograph," it is easy to imagine her reacting in all sorts of self-destructive ways. But almost without support, she mostly keeps it together and moves on with her life.

The book is very explicit. It is explicit about first intercourse being painful for Audrey. It is explicit about Audrey having to show Luke how to wash her blood out of the sheets instead of cuddling after they have intercourse. It is explicit about Audrey loosing the support and respect of nearly everyone, including her parents, after the photo incident. It is explicit about Audrey's first pelvic exam being painful and terribly embarrassing. Yes, it is a very explicit book.

Teens who have reached the point of being interested in the opposite sex should read this book. Especially "good" teens, even teens who are sure they will wait until they are married to have sex. Audrey didn't intend to do that, but she was a very good girl until her hormones overwhelmed her and she gave casual oral sex a a party.

In today's world, most teens will have at least oral sex by the time they finish high school. Many will give or receive oral sex in middle school. It is foolish to think they won't. This book could give teens a realistic understanding of the dangers of casual sex without lecturing them or passing judgment on them.

I enjoy books that don't talk down to young readers, and this one never does. If you're looking for a frank portrayal of teen life today, look no further!

How can one mistake earn honors student Audrey a reputation as a slut? In GOOD GIRLS, characters explore why some girls are so-called "good" and some are "bad" in the eyes of their peers, teachers and even their families.

Audrey has been hooking up with super hot Luke at parties throughout the fall. While he jokes with and teases her, she sees him talking to other girls as well. Nevertheless, they do have a great time making out in closets, rooms and outdoors. At school, though, Audrey ignores him because he's such a big flirt. She isn't ready to be another brokenhearted girl pining after him.

The hookup relationship is soon not enough for her. She resolves to break it off with him, but before doing so, she decides to have one more makeout session and to do something she's never done with him before. They get so carried away that they don't hear the door open or see the flash of the cell phone camera.

By Monday the picture is sent all over school --- and even to Audrey's parents! While faces cannot be seen, Audrey's beautiful blonde hair is spread out over Luke's legs, and there's no doubt who she is. Luke gets teased but is seen as a stud, while people whisper and point at Audrey. Audrey's father will not talk to her, while her mother wants to take her to a doctor.

School faculty members express their shock to Audrey and refer to the picture. Audrey becomes so upset that she hits a boy who will not stop talking to her about it. She finds that even local teens who work in shops make inappropriate comments to her about the infamous picture.

Her best friends, Ash and Joelle, are supportive at first. They ask what really happened with Luke during the fall, and learn all about the makeout sessions and how far Audrey actually went with him. Joelle still defends Audrey and vows to hurt the person who distributed the picture. Ash, on the other hand, changes her mind about Audrey, implying that Audrey is a slut just like school bad girls Pam and Cindy.

After a big argument Audrey befriends Pam and Cindy, and discovers that the reputations they've acquired are unfair and somewhat untrue. Soon, Ash and Joelle rejoin them; the girls make up and get ready to change the impressions of the school. They wage a campaign that ends with a fun Prom night surprise.

Not everything can be fixed, though, and Luke still seems to be mad at Audrey. What really happened between her and Luke? Audrey is forced to think about impressions and unfair judgments as she realizes that he's hurting too. Could she have been wrong about him?

How can one picture change the way people think about someone? A picture may be worth a thousand words, but in this case it tells nothing about the point of view of the two people involved. Because of a hasty hormone-fueled party decision, Audrey goes from honors student to bad girl, whereas Luke is somewhat of a hero. The person with the cell phone is only the first of those to blame for a series of damaging acts inflicted upon Audrey. There are those who forwarded the picture, those who treated her differently and those who made inappropriate remarks --- the entire situation snowballs.

There is more to everyone than mere labels of "hottie," "honors student," "slut" or even "good girl." Audrey's major hots for Luke and the way she acts on her feelings hurt no one but the two of them, yet everybody who sees the picture has an opinion of some sort. Author Laura Ruby is encouraging her audience to become informed first before judging others. GOOD GIRLS will get readers thinking and talking.

--- Reviewed by Amy Alessio

Any girl or woman who's ever been called a slut will appreciate Laura Ruby's excellent Good Girls, which explores issues of sexuality, identity, gossip and friendship in the lives of teenage girls. She goes from the present, where Audrey winds up having her photo snapped at a party in a compromising moment (she's recognizable because of her unusual hair), and uses flashbacks to reveal how Audrey came to be in such a situation. Ruby has a wonderful way of describing these teenagers' approach to sexćcautious, curious, confused, and hopeful. She writes of Audrey's first encounter with a penis: "It felt like a warm and fleshy version of a video game control."

The best thing about Good Girls is that it's not a morality tale. Ruby shows how the concepts of "good" and "bad," "virgin" and "slut," are often in the eye of the beholder, such as when one of Audrey's new friends, who she was sure was a slut, turns out to actually be a virgin. How Audrey deals with her family, her sortof ex-boyfriend Luke, and those around her as her reputation unravels is a fascinating read, and her resourcefulness and slowly-learned pride in who she is, is a triumph. It would've been too pat to come to a single, simple conclusion, and Ruby's plot twists and turns add a bit of suspense. Audrey is an extremely likeable character precisely because she questions herself and her motives, without the book devolving into the conclusion that she should be punished for her slutty ways. Also, there's plenty of humor here. Audrey goes to church and listens to "Pastor Narcolepsy" and gets treated by "Nurse Potato."

Ruby shows that a single moment can brand a teenager, but she gives Audrey the power to reclaim herself and figure out what she wants from sex and relationships and friendships. Audrey's parents each deal with her dilemma in different ways, and her father's tension and upset over her sexuality is also very realistic. This is a must-read along the lines of forever and while it's YA, adults will also appreciate its message. I could see this book getting passed around amongst teenage girls the way Judy Blume's Forever was, because Ruby doesn't ever talk down to or lecture her readers. She's created a smart, gutsy heroine in Audrey, one who owns up to her own desires (her descriptions of desiring Luke's body never fall into the "I did it because he wanted me to" trap) while trying to figure out where things went all wrong. Ruby deals with the sex scenes without downplaying them but without overly hyping hem, and with Audrey's group of friends at varying levels of sexual activity, gives a glimpse into the range of reasons why girls become sexually active and the various outcomes their activities can lead to.

This really was a good book but I just don't think it's a teen book. It had a lot of detail about certain intimate situations. But overall the book was very good and educational in some ways, like social knowledge. Laura Ruby is a very talented writer and don't write her off because of this and its content it really was very good. The main character is very strong and doesn't take crap from people long, and the story is wonderful how both thought something but both were wrong ( the main female character role and male role).

Audrey Porter is a "good girl": a good student, a great daughter, an amazing friend. She's also the last person anyone expects to be hanging out with Luke DeSalvio, the hottest guy at Audrey's school. But Luke is a liar, a player, a dream, and Audrey knows it. She dumps him at her friend's Halloween party with no intention of looking back, but not before giving him one last goodbye gift...

The next Monday, messages begin popping up on people's phones and email inboxes. Somebody has taken a picture of her and Luke together and soon everyone knows, including her teachers, her mum and her dad... Now she must discover strength she never knew he had, find friends where she didn't think she would, and learn that life goes on - no matter how different it is to how you think it's going to be

From pictures to friends to friends who started pictures. Love, sex, virginity, broken hearts. It all happens its high school, it cruel, it weird, its amazing, its sad, its heart broken. Disappointment, wedding dresses, and more. Its high school wrapped up in one book. Read it you will be surprised. In the book where people find love.

I had already read and thoroughly enjoyed two of Laura Ruby's children's fantasy novels as well as another children's mystery, and was intrigued to see how she'd make the transition.

She does it masterfully. Ruby has a strong command of teen-aged angst, and this book represents a highly relevant cautionary tale, on so many levels, for all adolescents as they grapple with the fast-paced, tech-crazed world in which we're living.

All she wanted to do was have a little bit of fun before she dumped her "friend with benefits." She wanted to take control and make him squirm. Unfortunately, Audrey ends up in the hot seat when someone snaps a pic of her in a compromising position and the pic gets spread to the worst possible sources (Um, hello, parents? I mean, ew!) and her reputation is shot to pieces.

I LOVED the voice in this novel. Audrey is snarky, smart, funny, honest, fresh, and she draws you right into her world from the first line in the book. Good Girls touches on many things: loyalty, friendship, jerks, sex, even a little bit of Christianity. There is talk of the double standard of sluts vs. players, and how it affects the way girls interact with the guys they're around, and the way adults see them. Audrey is a complex girl in a complex situation, but Laura does a good job of meshing it all together to create Audrey's world. If this book has taught me anything, it's to expect the unexpected.