Story of a Girl

Story of a Girl
By: Sara Zarr

I was thirteen when my dad caught me with Tommy Webber in the back of Tommy's Buick, parked next to the old Chart House down in Montara at eleven o'clock on a Tuesday night. Tommy was seventeen and the supposed friend of my brother, Darren.

I didn't love him.

I'm not sure I even liked him.

In a moment, Deanna Lambert's teenage life is changed forever. Struggling to overcome the lasting repercussions and the stifling tole of "school slut," Deanna longs to escape a life defined by her past.

summary from back of book

My Rating: 4.5/5

It's official, I love Sara Zarr. Her books are just so real. This book focuses largely on character as opposed to plot. There's nothing extremely exciting that goes on in this book, no major plot twists etc which is why I think I've seen a few reviews on other websites where people have deemed this book boring or a little slow paced and so on. Personally, I love novels that are big on character and their development, the obstacles they face on a day-to-day bases etc.

I think Sara Zarr is a great writer. She has this ability to make it seem as if her characters and their scenarios are more than just fabrication, more than just words on a page. I felt as if I lived in Deanna's town, as if I'd met her and the other characters a handful of times. The only real problem I had with this book was the ending. I felt it was a tad abrupt. Things were wrapped up fairly well in general but one particular issue involving Deanna and her two friends Lee and Jason I felt could have used a bit more elaboration.

Other than that, I highly enjoyed Story of A Girl.