Girls of July

June 10, 2019
Can four teenage girls with very different traits and issues survive a month together in a secluded house in the Adirondacks? Reminiscent of The Breakfast Club, this novel by Flinn (Beastly) explores this question as it digs beneath the surface of stereotypes. Spider is a 17-year-old movie buff who usually keeps to herself. While spending the summer with her grandmother, she comes up with the idea of finding teenage roommates so that her grandmother doesn’t have to sell her place. From among the few respondents to her ad, she chooses loud, gregarious Britta, an aspiring actress; Meredith, who is focused on getting into an Ivy League college; and Southern debutante Kate. As might be expected, the girls’ personalities clash when they first convene, but revealed confessions and secrets cause the teens to reevaluate each other, rethink their individual goals, and form unexpected bonds. If the book’s plot and neat conclusion are somewhat contrived, the heroines, struggling with relatable problems, are convincing. Adding spice and drama to the story is Spider’s outspoken grandmother, a former actress whose heartbreaking tale of a long-lost love sends Spider and Britta on a mission. Ages 13–up.

Four teenage girls who are near strangers, each voiced by a different narrator, find themselves vacationing together in the Adirondacks and become friends. The pressure that model student Meredith feels to succeed is reflected in narrator Brittany Pressley's tone of caution and uncertainty. Lauren Ezzo uses soft and buttery tones for Southern belle Kate, who is coping with the fallout from her politician father's recent scandal. Characters in Kate's chapters come alive by virtue of Ezzo's careful vocal distinctions. Spider, an aspiring filmmaker, is markedly cynical, and narrator Tara Sands voices her with just the right snark and irascibility. Em Eldridge portrays Britta, a Cuban-American with a flair for drama, but Eldridge's gentle tone seems off the mark. The shifting narrators will keep listeners engaged. S.P. � AudioFile 2019, Portland, Maine