Book Review: What I Like About Me by Jenna Guillaume #LoveOzYA
What I Like About Me by Jenna Guillaume
Pages: 265
Publish date: February 26th 2019
Publisher: Pan Australia
ISBN: 9781760559120
Purchase: Book Depository – Amazon US – Amazon AU – QBD
You know all those movies where teenagers have, like, THE SUMMER OF THEIR LIVES?
This summer is probably not going to be that.
Source: Everything that’s happened since yesterday …
The last thing sixteen-year-old Maisie Martin thought she’d be doing this summer is entering a beauty pageant.
Not when she’s spent most of her life hiding her body from everyone.
Not when her Dad is AWOL for Christmas and her gorgeous older sister has returned to rock Maisie’s shaky confidence. And her best friend starts going out with the boy she’s always loved.
But Maisie’s got something to prove.
As she writes down all the ways this summer is going from bad to worse in her school-assignment journal, what starts as a homework torture-device might just end up being an account of how Maisie didn’t let anything, or anyone, hold her back…
What I Like About Me:
I received an arc of What I Like About Me by Jenna Guillaume from Pan Australia in exchange for an honest review. This has in no way influenced my thoughts and feelings.
When it was announced, I was drawn to the book. But I also never read the synopsis properly. I thought it was just going to be summer romance and finding yourself kind of novel. I didn’t expect there to be a beauty pageant. So that did take me back a little, nevertheless, I still really enjoyed the book.
What I Like About Me follows Maisie Martin who’s last thought this summer was to enter a beauty pageant. But there is a lot of this going around this summer. When Maisie left for the summer with her best friend to her usual family getaway she just wanted to have a fun summer. But now her best friend is going out with the guy she has always had a crush on, her dad is behaving strange and her older sister is back.
Maisie was a very interesting protagonist and for the most part, I really enjoyed her. Maisie felt very real throughout What I Like About Me. She has insecurities, family dilemma and just wants to be a teen. And while Maisie did keep a lot of things closed off, I adored how she was able to tell everything in her school project. I also adored how she hated it. She was very clear about that, but still poured her heart and soul into it.
And while I did find Maisie very read, there were some things that happened throughout the novel that didn’t sit with me well. Most of it had to do with her best friend Anna and everything that came along with that. I didn’t have great friendships growing up. They were pretty bad actually. So I am always striving and wanting great female friendships in YA novels. And while for the most part Maisie and Anna had a great relationship, this summer it is tested and I didn’t really like how it all panned out.
Maisie has had a crush on Seb for years now. Before she was able to talk with him, hang out and have so much fun. But now it’s all too awkward. Maisie thought that maybe this summer might be her chance. But that didn’t go to plan. With Anna spending so much time with Seb, Maisie and Beamer are left alone. And that is when the magic happens. While I don’t really agree with anything that happened between Seb and Anna. Maisie and Beamer just lit up the book.
I adored the interaction between Maisie and Beamer so much in What I Like About Me. I couldn’t help but smile like an idiot for most of the book. It was really nice seeing their relationship grow from being ‘enemies’ to something so much more. I loved how Beamer tried everything to make Maisie not only happy but distracted her from what else was happening in her life.
Family is a big theme throughout What I Like About Me and I liked that it looked at different family dynamics and how they can also play a part in insecurities. I wasn’t a massive fan of Maisie’s mum, even the little things that she said or did really didn’t sit well with me. Maisie needed someone to support her and I don’t think her mum did. I really enjoyed a particular scene between Maisie and her sister – and while it didn’t make up for everything that happened between, it helped build a bridge.
So let’s talk about the beauty pageant aspect of the novel. While I didn’t expect it in What I Like About Me, I didn’t hate it. In saying that, beauty pageant novels have never really been my thing. I don’t know what it is, but they always rub me the wrong way. Both in books and in real life. But I did like how it made Maisie strong, more herself and let her recognise and understand her own insecurities.
Another aspect that I adored about What I Like About Me was that it was set, here in Australia. We don’t get many novels, especially YA set in Australia. So I was just loving it. I spent most of my summers growing up by the beach, so I can imagine everything that comes along with it so easy! I loved that Jenna didn’t stay away from the sense of Australia either. It made me feel at home.
Overall, I liked What I Like About Me by Jenna Guillaume. I thought it was a fantastic debut novel that explores coming of age in a time where looking ‘perfect’ is in everything that we do. It explores that being yourself is so much more important, that looking a certain way that appeases everyone in life. Maisie goes through many ups and downs throughout the novel, but they all make her who she at the end. It’s a fluffball of a book that is both adorable and so timely. If you are looking for a new book about body positivity and coming of age, then this one is for you.
Have you read What I Like About Me by Jenna Guillaume? What did you think of it? Are you planning on reading it? Let’s Chat!
