Not That Kind Of Girl [Hardcover]

Siobhan Vivian (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 1, 2010

From the acclaimed author of A Little Friendly Advice and Same Difference, the story of a senior class president who takes on a pack of promiscuous freshmen.

Natalie Sterling wants to be in control. She wants her friends to be loyal. She wants her classmates to elect her student council president. She wants to find the right guy, not the usual jerk her school has to offer. She wants a good reputation, because she believes that will lead to good things.
But life is messy, and it's very hard to be in control of it. Not when there are freshman girls running around in a pack, trying to get senior guys to sleep with them. Not when your friends have secrets they're no longer comfortable sharing. Not when the boy you once dismissed ends up

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Gr 9 Up–Despite its chic-lit packaging, bubbly style, and sophomoric jokes, this is a smart feminist novel. The story sheds light on some unfinished business of the women's movement: where sex is concerned, girls are still either “good” or “bad,” while boys are allowed more nuance. Outraged by these double standards, Natalie, president of the student council, organizes a Girl Summit, an “empowerment symposium” for female students. As she flounders in leadership, she wonders: Can I ask for help? From a cute boy, Connor? The quintessential “good girl,” Natalie is more complex than she appears. Indeed, all of Vivian's characters are recognizable types and human at the same time. The dialogue and emotional honesty are pitch-perfect. Natalie and Connor's love scenes are as steamy and fraught as anything in Judy Blume's Forever (Bradbury, 1975). The overall message of the novel is that sex is joyful and should be embraced–but it is ever complicated. In Natalie's effort to be an independent woman who refuses to be used by a man, she inadvertently uses Connor. Clearly, gender relations have a long way to go–especially in high school. This protagonist is the perfect representation of a conflicted 21st-century feminist teen. Readers will cheer for her epiphany at the end: “I just needed to be okay with all the kinds of girl I was.”–Jess deCourcy Hinds, Bard High School Early College Queens, Long Island City, NYα(c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

From Booklist

Natalie is the kind of girl who is always in control, and her senior year at Ross Academy is going to be perfect. She has been elected student-council president. She has earned the respect of a teacher she admires. Her best friend, Autumn, is by her side. She doesn’t need boys. Her poise is rattled when she meets Spencer, a freshman whose overt sexuality is opposite her own tightly buttoned approach to life. Spencer encourages other freshman girls to claim their “sexual power,” dubbing themselves Rosstitutes and hitting on seniors. Natalie is determined to correct Spencer’s demeaning behavior—until she meets a “bad boy” who isn’t so bad and finds out the hard way that she isn’t always right. High school has never felt more authentic, and all of Vivian’s characters are nuanced but instantly recognizable. Natalie is ambitious, controlling, and rigid, but although readers may not like her, they will sympathize with her painful learning process. Vivian challenges the assumptions about sex being rampant in high school and sends a positive message about acceptance, forgiveness, and love. Grades 9-12. --Krista Hutley

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 304 pages
• Publisher: Push; 1 edition (September 1, 2010)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0545169151
• ISBN-13: 978-0545169158
• Product Dimensions: 7.2 x 5 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (62 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,077,118 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

my name is siobhan, which is pronounced SHOVE-ON. i like writing books. i hope you like reading them. visit me at www.siobhanvivian.com !

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

17 of 18 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Mistakes make for the best stories September 9, 2010

By Sarah W VINE™ VOICE

Format:Hardcover|Amazon Vine™ Review (What's this?)

The phrase "not that kind of girl" carries with it certain negative connotations. As if being that girl instantly means something bad, something slutty, something gossipy. In Siobhan Vivian's new book, Not That Kind of Girl, student council president Natalie Sterling learns there is much more to being a girl, any girl, least of all "that kind of girl" than she could ever imagine.

When I first started reading this book, all I could think was, "wow, Natalie you are a bit of a prig." Way to go around with your nose in the air, thinking you are better than everyone. It was initially difficult for me to get past that attitude. However, it was balanced out with other attitudes Natalie had to hide: desperation that she was losing her only friend. Anger over how the boys at school could get away with anything while the girls were condemned to a negative reputation on the basis of gossip and whispers. She is initially unable to really reconcile her sexuality in a high school environment. Natalie sees Spencer, a new freshmen at school, and a girl Natalie used to baby-sit, as well, slutty. But on the other hand, she envies Spencer her freedom in expressing her sexuality, even if it is making her one of those girls that boys talk about in carnal terms. Natalie does not want to be anyone's object of lust and gossip but she does hunger for feeling and emotion.

Her initial remoteness can be off-putting but I do not hesitate to say, keep reading. I empathized with Natalie in so many ways because her high school experience, while not that similar to my own, carried enough attitude similarities that I could easily feel how awkward she felt being the odd girl out, being the girl who ignored popularity and her high school classmates in order to focus on a greater goal.... I will be honest and say I still don't quite understand where her drive for perfection came from. Yes, her parents were very scholarly and educated, but they played such a minimal role in the book that I couldn't see the pressure for perfect achievement coming from them. It felt kind of unbelievable to me. I had to accept that Natalie herself was the catalyst for perfection.

Then, as with any good YA book, there is a boy. Connor Hughes, a football player and one of the most popular guys in school. They share a truly unexpected attraction that leads to fevered nights in his shed at home. Kisses, caresses, skin and eventually sex. Yes, sex does happen in high school and it happens in this book. I felt as if the author did a good job of building up to that point in Natalie and Connor's relationship. Unfortunately, the next day can look grim for any woman and Natalie starts to see herself, even more, as "that kind of girl."

She learns however that there are shades of gray, many shades in fact. Teachers aren't always right (I'm looking at you, Ms. Bee, who yes, I thought was a terrible person for judging Natalie), mistakes happen but it's definitely better to learn from them, and despite saying she is above believing in gossip and popularity, Natalie learns that there is a lot more to high school relationships than meets the eye. Connor is a guy and he makes mistakes along the way too but their rocky road to romance is sweet, enticing, and I thought, very healthy and realistic.

By book's end, I came away with the feeling that being "not that kind of girl" is not always a bad thing. As Natalie learns, there is a lot more to life than achieving perfection and the mistakes and differences encountered along the way make for healthy changes. I wish I could quote from one of the last chapters in the book but I don't want to ruin it for anyone. However, there is a line that sums up beautifully the changes Natalie has made for herself, and no one else. Yeah, she's not the "nice girl" anymore but she certainly fits no stereotypes of the "bad girl." She's a girl, learning as she goes along, like everyone else. I re-read many of the passages in this book to come to this conclusion because like I said, I had a hard time truly liking Natalie at first. But I came away with new feelings and revelations regarding judgments, perfection, and mistakes. I enjoyed this book immensely and while I definitely wanted to slap Natalie silly sometimes for the things she said or did, like me, she isn't perfect and I had to cut her some slack. I think this book has a lot of potential for discussions about healthy sexuality, relationships, and to a degree, feminism. Well-written and enjoyable! Read more ›

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful

3.0 out of 5 stars 3 1/2 stars for this coming of age YA novel January 7, 2011

By Denise Crawford TOP 1000 REVIEWERVINE™ VOICE

Format:Hardcover|Amazon Vine™ Review (What's this?)

This novel is about choices -- the choices that a teen girl makes during her senior year of high school when she begins to make decisions that are going to affect the rest of her life. What kind of girl does Natalie want to be vs. what kind of girl do OTHERS think Natalie is? That conundrum is at the heart of this new YA novel by an author who obviously understands the pressure and tension that teenagers deal with every day at high school as well as with extracurricular activities.

Natalie wants to be known as a girl who has her act together, who knows what she wants, and who gets it. She has a plan and finally during her senior year, it's all coming together. She's elected, barely, to the role of Student Council President -- only the 9th girl to have that honor in the history of the school. Though others might think so, I didn't feel the novel was about feminism or about the role of women in society. I felt it was about Natalie finding out that all those plans she had and all those high expectations -- of herself and of others -- might need to be reassessed and reevaluated as circumstances changed.

Natalie isn't very popular and she's quite controlling and bossy -- but she can't control herself where Connor is concerned and decides to begin a secret relationship with him. Why secret? Well she doesn't want to be sidetracked by having a boyfriend AND she doesn't want to be gossiped about at school. Not sure why she is too immature to understand that having a boyfriend doesn't automatically make you a slut, but that's her fear. Themes of sexuality and double standards are reiterated over and over in this novel, but the person who causes the most trouble for Natalie is Natalie. She has difficulty with insight -- into herself and into others.... She doesn't seem to have the ability to do an honest self appraisal so concerned is she with outward appearances. She doesn't know what she feels about what she's doing or make much attempt to understand her best friend Autumn or the boy she's sneaking around to see only late at night. For a girl who supposedly was going places, she seemed to be running in circles around the dilemmas she created by trying to dictate to others the nature of their relationship with her. She's the kind of girl who wanted everyone to think well of her, and they did because they didn't really even know HER, just knew that she was a responsible girl who got things done. As long as she was doing that, and staying out of trouble, she received praise. Later on in the novel when things sort of fell apart for her, those same people didn't seem to be able to give her those same positive attributes. Her mistake? Being a teenage girl and having feelings and not knowing how to handle them because she'd spent so many years repressing them.

The ending seemed a little rushed and too pat with everything going nicely back into place after the shift that occurred when Natalie sort of "fell off the wagon" but I think teens will enjoy reading about Natalie's senior year and how she fixed her lapses in judgment. One thing to keep in mind is that most of the time mistakes in adolescence aren't permanently life altering, but some CAN be. The tricky part, and the one that teens find most difficult to master, is knowing which are and which aren't!

Teen girls looking for a fast-paced, thought-provoking read about social situations and high school will definitely like this one. Read more ›

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Loved the ending! September 30, 2010

By J. Kaye Oldner VINE™ VOICE

Format:Hardcover|Amazon Vine™ Review (What's this?)

Natalie and Autumn were unlikely best friends, meaning their priorities and personalities were different. Natalie strives academically. She also views dating and parties a waste of time. Her best friend Autumn is a social butterfly. Well, she was until a boy who couldn't score with her began to spread lies. The school turned against her, all except Natalie.

Time changes things. They are now in their senior year. As Autumn's view on what happened changes, so does her dependency on Natalie. Although Natalie views this as a betrayal, she's changing too, especially after overhearing Connor Hughes talking about her. He seems different from the rest of the jocks, but Natalie doesn't like to lose control and falling in love is just that.

Shortly after the prologue, the story hit a lull for the next twenty (ish) pages. I think this reflected the main character, Natalie. She was so in control, knew what she wanted, and where she was going. After that, the story kicked in gear and it was hard to put the book down. On a whole, the story was brimming with emotional turmoil of high school. The characters--all of them--were so real.

I thought I knew where the ending was going, but the author surprised me. At first, I wanted a mushy happily-ever-after, but the author went with a more realistic route and it fit so well with the characters.

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful

3.0 out of 5 stars NOT THAT KIND OF GIRL is just not that good a story. September 30, 2010

By H. S. Wedekind VINE™ VOICE

Format:Hardcover|Amazon Vine™ Review (What's this?)

First off, why do so many YA novels about teenagers set the story in, not an average American high school, but some snooty prep school? The characters in NOT THAT KIND OF GIRL seem to be pretty ordinary to me, so why do they go to The Ross Academy? Why not Anywhere High School, USA? Most don't come off as being rich, e.g., football QB Connor's parents own a Christmas Tree Farm, bad-girl-wanna-be Spencer's mom is divorced and renting an apartment, and with the exception of Marci, the rest of the students don't seem to be well-to-do. Even the protagonist, Natalie Sterling's home seems like it's in middle America. I don't get it.

The story centers on high school senior Natalie, a very bright over-achiever who wants more than anything to be Student Council President, score high on her SATs, and get into the college of her choice, who doesn't have any kind of interest in any of the boys at her school. She gives you an idea of who she is in the beginning of chapter three:

"Autumn (Natalie's BFF) explained I could be a know-it-all sometimes, only she said it in a much more polite and gentle way. I didn't deny it. My parents were both intellectual types, and that sort of thing permeated everything we did as a family. We had our kitchen radio always tuned in to NPR. We did brainteasers over dinner. We shared the Sunday paper. And family vacations were to science centers or fossil expeditions or historical monuments. Maybe it made me weird, but it definitely made me smarter than most people I knew." (Natalie Sterling describing herself, I think, as cold and not too much fun to be around. Sort of above the common herd....)

One minor character who pops in and out of the story, like Jimminy Cricket, is her history teacher and mentor, Ms Bee, a whitehaired, 60-year-old woman who is still, if only mentally, stuck in the "bra burning feminism" of the 1970s. She sees her younger self in Natalie tries to turn the girl into a carbon copy of herself. Ms. Bee is cold and remote and doesn't come across as very likeable or someone to confide in. You can almost hear her whispering in Natalie's ear, "Let your conscience be your guide."

There's the usual cast of dumb jocks here, though most of the vulgar terms for a specific male anatomical part are said by the girls and not in the boys' locker room. Hey, I'm a guy and used to such, but I don't want to read about it every ten pages.

The reason I gave three stars and not two is because I think Siobhan Vivian is a pretty good writer. I enjoyed the parts of the story that delt with Natalie's thoughts and feelings and doubts about herself, and her interaction with her friends Autumn and Spencer. The chapter about Natalie's "loss of innocence" was tastefully done, I think. The rest was just not very enjoyable. Read more ›