The Reader's Shire - Book Reviews

Book Review: Girl Against the Universe

Title: Girl Against the Universe
Author: Paula Stokes
Series: -
Genre: Young Adult Contemporary
Format: eBook
Publication date: May 17, 2016.
Publisher: HarperTeen
Goodreads Avg. Rating: 4.14 out of 5 stars
My Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

"No matter what the two of us accomplish together, you're still going to have good days and bad days. Make sense?".

First of all, I came into this book with low expectations partly because of the title. I thought it was too dramatic and cliché.  Maybe I had low expectations because I had never heard of it but it surprises me how books like All the Bright Places are lurking around in the NYT bestseller list and this one isn't. I know there are a lot of books with similar plot lines but this beauty by Stokes exceeded my expectations. I had nearly given up on young adult books based on illnesses and mental health (Thanks, John Green!) but it's books like these which have kept me from completely losing faith in them.

So, what is Girl Against the Universe, you may ask? Well, it's an engaging read with spoonfuls of quirky, relatable and charming characters, a dynamic plot, eloquent writing and a dash of feels. It's not about a dull girl meeting a cocky boy and suddenly becoming all sunshine and rainbows. It's a sad, realistic and not-so-manipulative tale about survivor's guilt, PTSD, paranoia, sports, overcoming your fears, survivor's guilt, anxiety, depression and giving yourself a damn break because you're a human being and have every right to be happy once in a while.

It is a love story but that's only the subplot. It's about two teenagers helping each other heal. Not just the boy "fixing" the girl or vice versa because let's face it: no one can save you but yourself. The main characters of this book didn't only have therapy lessons where they complimented each other's tennis rackets and talked about their feelings. They did what normal teenagers do; go to parties, have angsty moments, eat burritos, tease each other, go rock climbing, etc.

So, after witnessing tragic incidents following a car crash which killed her brother and dad but barely left a scratch on her, Maguire Kelly comes to the conclusion that she is "cursed" and develops a habit of blaming herself whenever someone gets hurt, from minor scratches to unexpected deaths. She starts a life where she stops socialising in fear of hurting someone with her mere presense, lives on lucky charms and good luck rituals, refuses to travel in a vehicle with people and avoids human interaction.

Maguire was relatable. Especially when she jumped from her bedroom window to make sure she wasn't invincible. That was completely absurd but it's totally something I would do. I had my sympathy but I liked how her character wasn't screaming, "I have a sad life. Cry for me, bitches!". What truly made me like her was the fact that she was trying hard to get better and trying hard to get rid of her demons. Following her psychologist's suggestion, she comes up with seven different goals; driving with people, enrolling in a sports team, etc and the final one - travelling in a plane to Ireland to attend her deceased family members' memorial service.

I suppose the only criticism I can come up is her social skills. For someone who had casted a wall between herself and the Homo sapiens, Maguire interacted quite normally with her peers. Where was the social anxiety? Where was the stuttering and the constant blushing? The "cold feeling erupting on your skin"? As someone who does suffer from that disorder, I can assure you that Maguire did not show the symptoms (much) which was quite...unrealistic. I am acknowledging how her anxiety did act up when she was in a crowd or in a car but honestly, if she had avoided humans, her social skills were bound to get messed up too!

I loved how Tennis was portrayed in this novel. I'm not a huge fan of team sports but if I had to pick one, it would be Tennis for sure! I've also read a lot of books where the girl signs up for something new and is suddenly the best at it but thankfully, Maguire doesn't fall into that category. She does have a knack for it but isn't the ultimate best. She occasionally needs help with her serve, loses quite a lot of times, has a problem with nerves, ends up (CRINGE ALERT) hitting her tennis ball on a boy's crotch (You may run around screaming "Ewww" now.) and is often, on the verge of quitting.