Marie's Bookworm Blog: Sophomore Switch by Abby McDonald

Sophomore Switch by Abby McDonald
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
In Sophomore Switch, the characters are truly written well. Although often this book portrays California completely inaccurately, it might just help you realize some things about your own life. Not to mention, the whole story is fun, light, and one really gets invested in the characters.

It really took me until the last few chapters to actually get something from this book other than the pleasure of the plot-line and characters, which is completely fine, that's not a complaint. I wasn't expecting to get some real life lessons and encouragement from this book but a few passages towards the end explored some ideas that helped me view my life differently. I realized a different way I needed to approach certain challenges. I wouldn't count on everyone taking something away from this one, probably only high school and college students. However, you don't need to take something away for this book to be worth your read.

I found myself sympathizing with Tasha and Emily as they navigated their new lives. Since Tasha is the slutty, party girl you would think you'd hate her character, but she has a brain in her head and that is what sets her apart from someone you might be disgusted with or not relate to in the slightest. She's a real person with different sides to her, not just a ditz. I admire Emily's organization and intelligence, but after a while you're like, "Honestly, girl, TOO MUCH!" All the same, I love both of them and their (legitimate) love interests.

As a native Californian, the author's portrayal of Southern California really annoyed me and was the only thing about this book I didn't enjoy. I hadn't read her bio in the back of the book, but when I read a line in which a native, Carla, says "Cali" instead of California, I knew this woman was not from around here. Otherwise, she wouldn't have a native say "Cali." It's a tourist thing to say, or something someone who is not originally from here would say. So, I flip to the back and find out she is essentially an Emily, from Oxford who majored in politics just like her character. And I was like, "CALLED IT!" Additionally, her descriptions of California are a little too all one way and one sided for someone who is from here or has lived here very long at all. The way she writes the people and environment is very tourist. I think this is her view of California: Paradise, sluts, and fake people, oh my! To say the least, I wasn't very impressed.

Also, like EVERY girl in So Cal or at UCSB is depicted as a slut with a few exceptions. You start to get the feeling that most young women in Southern California are fake sluts. She makes it seem like any girl that goes to the beach is a slut. WHAT THE HELL IS WITH THAT?!

And my last, but not least, complaint about her portrayal of So Cal may be summed up by this:

"Yay me!' I mimic the California-girl squeal."

My instant thought was WTF and then of course complete and utter disgust for her lack of knowledge about girls in California but DESPITE THIS her decision to still make this statement in her book.

Anyways, my rant about Southern California inaccuracies aside, if you haven't ever lived here very long you probably won't mind her descriptions at all. And if you have, well it doesn't ruin the book. The characters and actual story definitely make up for that, in addition to the help this book may provide you.

I can tell the author was trying to write this great novel about feminism and identities for women and a balance between traditional polar opposite types of women but honestly if her book had read like that it probably wouldn't have ever achieved the decent success it has today. Thank goodness it didn't turn out being THAT kind of a book. The story it ended up being, about real people you could identify with, even for it's sometimes completely unreal faults, is what makes it true and real and GOOD despite her aim for the novel.

However, she did bring up some important points AGAINST feminists, saying they're a little too one-minded. I hate how some girls are so feminist-minded and activism-oriented that they can't let other girls be wild and crazy and dress the way they want to. I mean, I'm reviewing a book on Goodreads, obviously I am not nor have I ever been one of those "wild and crazy girls", but I still think the viewpoint that girls wouldn't act that way if they weren't "brainwashed" or more informed is completely untrue. Some people want to cut loose and have fun, hang out with boys, and would feel totally uncomfortable and hate debates about political strategies. Other girls could just never be good at the things flirtatious and freewheeling girls are good at, and would much rather fight injustices. And that's totally okay. No girl should be forced to become a certain way if she doesn't enjoy being like that! But to act like girls who love to party are just "brainwashed objects for men", almost as if they're poor animals, is just wrong. When people I know have this flawed opinion, it annoys me and is partly why I haven't been able to stay friends with certain people.

I think it was fate I plucked this book off the shelf. This was exactly what I needed in my life right now to reassure me and guide me. It helped me realize some things about my life and people in my life I was only beginning to figure out for myself. It put these things into words for me through the characters. I've found there aren't many people at all who really understand what I'm going through or who I can talk to, and this book was like therapy. It calmed my fears. showed me who I am is OKAY even if it isn't the me I've always been. It's a different side of myself. I CAN be a lot of different things at once, I don't have to be people's expectations. People can change and evolve and add things to themselves and...yeah wow this book helped me a lot. It's great for any young adult really.

And the best and last lines of the book, which sum up everything I learned and feel and hope, and are also conveniently a nice end to the plot: