Title: Sad Girls
Author: Lang Leav
First published May 30, 2017
362 pages, Paperback
ISBN: 9781449487768 (ISBN10: 1449487769)
Rating: 3.35
Overview
Love can be a dangerous game, especially when it’s your first time playing. As graduation looms closer, Audrey finds herself struggling with panic attacks and the weight of a devastating secret.
When tragedy strikes and Audrey’s classmate Ana dies, she fears that her lie played a part in the loss. But then she meets Rad, a mysterious boy who seems to understand her in a way no one else can.
As their romance ignites, Audrey wonders if she’s finally found her way out of the darkness. But with so much on the line and everything to lose, can Audrey trust her heart to make the right decisions?
Editoral Review
Sad Girls by Lang Leav is a young adult novel that explores themes of love, loss, mental health, and friendship. Lang Leav is a bestselling author known for her poetry collections and her previous novel Sad Girls marks her debut in the young adult fiction genre.
The book was first published on May 30th, 2017 and quickly became a popular choice among young adult readers. The novel tells the story of Audrey, a high school senior who falls in love with a boy named Rad, who is also the ex-boyfriend of her best friend Candela.
Audrey is struggling to come to terms with her feelings for Rad while trying to maintain her relationship with Candela. When Audrey and her friends inadvertently cause a tragedy, their friendships are tested, and they must come to terms with their own guilt and grief.
Leavs writing style is reflective and emotive, capturing the complexities of adolescent emotions with poignancy. The authors use of verse-like prose adds to the overall mood of melancholy that permeates the novel.
The plot of Sad Girls is engaging and dramatic, with enough twists and turns to keep readers hooked. The characters in Sad Girls are well-developed and relatable, with their struggles and insecurities feeling authentic and raw.
Audrey, in particular, is a compelling protagonist, with her flaws and strengths navigating the complexities of adolescence in a relatable and nuanced way. The supporting cast of characters are equally well-drawn, with their own unique struggles and motivations adding to the depth of the story.
One of the strengths of Sad Girls is the way it explores mental health issues among young people. Leav sensitively portrays the realities of anxiety and depression, and the stigma that can still be attached to mental health struggles.
The novel also addresses the pressures that young people face to succeed academically and socially, and the impact this can have on their mental health. However, Sad Girls is not without its flaws.
At times, the plot can feel a little contrived and melodramatic, with some of the events feeling a little too coincidental. Additionally, some readers may find the overall mood of the novel too heavy and depressive, with little lightness or humor to break up the melancholy.
That being said, Sad Girls is still a recommended read for young adult readers who are looking for a compelling and thought-provoking story. Its exploration of mental health issues and the complexities of adolescent relationships is both timely and necessary.
Sad Girls is a poignant and emotive debut from Lang Leav, and it will leave readers with much to reflect on after finishing the book.
4/5 stars.