Book Review: Any Other Girl by Rebecca Phillips

Any Other Girl by Rebecca Phillips

Pages: 272
Publish date: January 26th 2016
Publisher: Kensington
ISBN: 1617738832
Purchase: Amazon UK – Amazon US – Amazon AU

After a disastrous, reputation-destroying party at the end of junior year, Kat Henley has a new plan. When it comes to boys—especially other people’s boys:

Don’t touch.
Don’t smile.
Don’t charm.

In the past, drawing attention to herself helped distract people from what really makes Kat different—having two gay parents. But it’s also cost her friendships. Kat can’t afford to lose any more of those, especially not her cousin, Harper. They’re spending one last summer together at the lake, where they run into an intriguing newcomer named Emmett Reese. After years of trying to prove she’s just like everybody else, Kat has found someone who wants her because she’s not. A boy who could be everything she wants too—if Harper hadn’t liked him first…

Any Other Girl:

I was received an e-arc of Any Other Girl by Rebecca Phillips by Kensington Books in exchange for an honest review. This has in no way influenced my thoughts and feeling about the book.

I didn’t realise that when I asked to review Any Other Girl that I have already read a book by Rebecca Phillips, it wasn’t until I started reading that I noticed that the writing style and characters was similar to something that I have read before – and then it clicked. Rebecca Phillips is the author to Faking Perfect which I read at the start of the year and I enjoyed. You can check out my review for that here.

Once I figured out that I had previously read a book by the author, I was even more excited to read Any Other Girl, but I didn’t like it as much as I like Faking Perfect. However I still did like it.

Our protagonist, Kat Henley has a reputation – one that she doesn’t realise she has but after a disaster of a party at the end of her junior year she has a plan. A plan that when it comes to boys, especially those that aren’t hers:

Don’t touch.

Don’t smile.

Don’t charm.

Kat doesn’t mean to flirt, it’s just in her nature. She likes to draw attention to herself so they don’t pay attention to what makes Kat different – having two gay parents. But this has come at a price and Kat has finally had enough. She cannot lose anyone else.

I truly loved Kat. She was out there, had a pretty amazing style and didn’t care what people thought about her, but then she realised that her over friendly manner of treating boys, was also losing her friends.

Kat is the type of person that loves to touch, but not in a bad way. It’s how she shows her affection, even if it’s just a friend. She holds this presence that has most boys falling on their feet and makes those with girlfriends feel uncomfortable. She doesn’t mean to do this, it just happens and she loses many people because of this.

The reader gets to see Kat grow so much throughout Any Other Girl and that is what I loved most. The character development of Kat was incredible throughout. The readers can see her smile, break down, fall and get back up.

I truly loved most of the characters in Any Other Girl. I loved Kat’s parents. Her Dads were just awesome. Harper her cousin who is also going through some stuff of her own, was sweat – I enjoyed her.

Emmett. I have a love/ hate relationship with him. He is charming and nice but there was parts where I want to hit him across the head. He tires so hard to live Harper but it just doesn’t work and I understand that but when he keeps on pushing Kat, I just wanted to yell.

Any Other Girl is a heart-felt novel that deals with, self-image and what it means it be you. How trying to someone isn’t why people love you. First love and how it doesn’t also run smoothly. And what it’s like to carry burdens for those we love, even if it means being someone else.

Any Other Girl deals also with what it’s like to be a teenage with two gay parents – how it can hurt the child just as much, maybe even more with how awful some people can be in the world.

I quite liked Rebecca Phillips writing, it’s easy to read and understand but is also beautiful and tell a strong story. Phillips is excellent at capturing the life of a teenage, and how they thing and feel.

I really enjoyed Any Other Girl. It’s a beautiful novel that takes us on a journey through thick and thin, what it’s like to be family and teaches us to be ourselves.