The Female of the Species by Mindy McGinnis

“But boys will be boys, our favorite phrase that excuses so many things, while the only thing we have for the opposite gender is women, said with disdain and punctuated with an eye roll.”

Rating

Review

TW for: sexual assault, animal abuse, violence, and murder

The Female of the Species is all about rape culture (and slut shaming) in a small town through three different POVs. Three years ago, Alex Craft's sister was murdered and the killer walked free. Alex is a girl who knows how to kill someone and doesn't feel bad about it, so she takes the law into her own hands- and gets away with it. Alex knows she can't be trusted around other people; not the popular Jack who wants to get close to her, or Peekay, the preacher’s kid she volunteers with at the local animal shelter. As senior year goes on, Alex gets closer to Jack and Peekay while her darker nature starts to break out.

This book is heartbreaking and intense but it's so important, and well-written. This author has a lot to say about rape culture and sexism, and I am here for it. I can't say it's darker than I thought because I was warned about it beforehand, but man does it hit you. Reading (listening) to this made me so sad but just so angry. I want to fight people now to be honest.

Alex is such a scary, badass character who is what she is and unflinchingly honest about it, but still just a girl with a soft side too. I loved Peekay as well and their friendship is everything to me. This happens to me so much but the romance between Alex and Jack holds nothing to her friendship with Peekay. It was just so pure and fun.

The romance? Ehhh. Jack had such a douchebag level narrator on the audiobook and the way he thought and acted didn't help me like him either. He's important to the narrative I suppose but I still am not a fan.

This book was a fast and important (and sometimes funny?) read. I enjoyed it but I didn't. You get it.