Tag Archives: Kelly Vincent

Book Review: Ugliest by Kelly Vincent

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Ugliest by Kelly Vincent

A YA Novel published by KV BOOKS LLC  (08/13/24)

Summary:

Nic is back in Oklahoma City’s boarding school. This school is so much better than the small-town high school they had been going to but Oklahoma is still a very conservative landscape. It isn’t just Nic experiencing discrimination but also their gender non-conforming friends. It’s a battle that’s becoming bigger than them but this time there might be even uglier consequences to speaking up.

Keywords:

YA, Contemporary, Bullying, Gender Nonconforming, Identity, Art, Introvert, Questioning, Labels, LGBTQ+ themes

My Review:

“Things were looking up, but looks could be deceiving.” (Page 17).

Nic is back, anxiety and all! The quote above encapsulates how Nic goes through the world. Even when things are going well, there’s always an edge of possible negativity and a sliver of anxiety. Nic’s anxiety is obvious, loud, and all over their life. And that is sometimes how anxiety is. For those without anxiety, maybe seeing it portrayed continuously in Nic’s inner voice will help them understand what living with anxiety is like and how that manifests in everyday interactions, actions, and thoughts.

Nic is more than just their anxiety. Nic is blossoming into a complex and very interesting person with their own personality, desires, and needs. Gender nonconforming and non-binary are two terms that are so general that it can be difficult to understand what they mean. As a reader, I get to live the everyday reality of what it means to be non-binary with Nic and their friends. I think all of Nic’s friends are gender nonconforming but they embody their own gender (or non-gendered) identities in unique and very personal ways. I appreciated getting multiple aspects and perspectives on gender and non-binary in this novel.

This novel takes Nic and their identity from discovery to action. Trans rights are human rights. LGBTQ rights are human rights. If they start taking away human rights for a group that identifies in one way, what’s to say they won’t come for others? It is up to Nic and their friends to stand up for their rights as individuals, as humans, and as people representing a vulnerable population. But with that action comes consequences and it’s so powerful to see such active characters. It was very rewarding to read this book and to see Nic and their friends stand up for themselves. The ending was also very rewarding, especially through all the aggressions Nic faces during this series.

Disclaimer: I was given a free copy of this story in exchange for my honest review.

This novel was published by KV BOOKS LLC  on 08/13/2024 and is available on Amazon here.

TL;DR Star Rating: 4.00

Links for more information:

Goodreads

Kelly Vincent’s Website

Book Review: Uglier by Kelly Vincent

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Uglier by Kelly Vincent

A YA Novel published by KV BOOKS LLC  (08/01/23)

Summary:

Nic is back – this time at a boarding school in Oklahoma City. Still mistaken for a boy, even in the bigger city, Nic is still discovering her own identity and who she wants to be. This is the fresh start she’s been wanting, but there are new growing pains in this new environment.

Keywords:

YA, Contemporary, Bullying, Gender Nonconforming, Identity, Art, Introvert, Questioning, Labels, LGBTQ+ themes

My Review:

“My mere existence seemed to be a problem for some people.” (Kindle Edition).

Nic’s perspective continues to be true, full of anxiety, and full of heartbreak. Her thoughts still skew negative and anxious but with tones of hope and self-bolstering. Within the new school, she knows that she has the opportunity to rewrite her story a bit, to be more confident, to be perceived differently even if people try to push her into a box. Continuously, Nic is mistaken for a boy (especially given her height), multiple times in the very first chapter and throughout the novel as well as in different places and contexts. It’s sad to think that there are places where people are still shocked at those who dress more androgenously or don’t conform to societal ‘norms’ for female or male presenting selves. I do disagree with Nic that ‘normal’ girls always wear makeup but perhaps that was my upbringing.

There were multiple aspects of gender and identity presented in this book and all of Nic’s new friends were part of the LGBTQ+ spectrum. I liked how this book dived deeper into different experiences and how the characters’ lives were affected by their gender identities. “This was the whole problem with the binary, and the way other people felt like they had the right to determine your gender.” (Kindle Edition). I loved that there are multiple fiction books mentioned that also touch on themes of identity.

It was neat to see Nic grow in this second novel and I can’t wait to read more of their journey in book three of the series.

Disclaimer: I was given a free copy of this story in exchange for my honest review.

This novel was published by KV BOOKS LLC  on 08/01/2023 and is available on Amazon here.

TL;DR Star Rating: 4.00

Links for more information:

Goodreads

Kelly Vincent’s Website

Book Review: Ugly by Kelly Vincent

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Ugly by Kelly Vincent

A YA Novel published by KV BOOKS LLC  (06/07/22)

Summary:

Nic has never been self-confident and only has one friend, Sam. People often mistake Nic for a boy. It’s not just the kids at school who call Nic names because Nic also refers to herself negatively. Sam keeps trying to coax Nic out of her introverted shell and has cooked up a plan. The plan is Operation Social Interaction for Nic and they’re running out of time before Sam leaves the country. Meanwhile, Nic is prepping for the school’s art contest and has begun questioning more than just her sexuality. Is there even a label for how she feels and would people accept her as a gender nonconforming individual?

Keywords:

YA, Contemporary, Bullying, Gender Nonconforming, Identity, Art, Introvert, Questioning, Labels

My Review:

Nic’s perspective is so true and raw and heartbreaking at times. She has repetitive and increasingly negative thoughts about how she’s a loser and ugly. There are multiple and repetitive scenes where she’s mistaken for a boy. Her mind tends to gravitate to the negative and the worst-case scenarios because she’s been burned so many times before and has a healthy distrust of others. Nic is also relatively shy and a bit socially awkward. As an introvert-extrovert, I’ve totally been there!

In some ways, I identify so much with Nic’s experiences and her introverted head talk. “Eye contact was dangerous. It triggered interactions.” (10%, Kindle Edition). Yes, Nic, this is so true! In other ways, I think she’s too black and white about her thoughts. On the one hand, she’s so harsh about gender and its binary-ness, “… but it would be so awesome to be a person without all the stupid trappings of girl-ness.” (60%, Kindle Edition). On the other hand, she’s just voicing her own experience and frustration, “… even if I tried to wear feminity, it would come off all wrong on me.” (74%, Kindle edition).

At times the book was hard to read because of all the self-doubting and self-hate thoughts. There is a lot of repetition of Nic’s thoughts. At times, it seems like she’s being whiny while other times it is wholly justified. At all times she is a teenager questioning her own identity. Towards the end, we learn that there is a reason for her repetitive thoughts and it makes her much more endearing as a character. Her most redeeming characteristic was her unwavering love of art.

This book was slow-paced, very much a contemporary coming-of-age book.

Disclaimer: I was given a free copy of this story in exchange for my honest review.

This novel was published by KV BOOKS LLC  on 06/07/2022 and is available on Amazon here.

TL;DR Star Rating: 3.75

Links for more information:

Goodreads

Kelly Vincent’s Website

Book Review: Always the New Girl by Kelly Vincent

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Always the New Girl by Kelly Vincent

A YA Novel published by KV BOOKS LLC  (05/10/22)

Summary:

“Never expect a guy to change, like mom said. Fortunately I didn’t need anybody to change for me. I was in charge of my own life.” (Kindle edition 46%).

Sarah is at a new school yet again. Her single-parent mother keeps dragging her around the country, from one guy’s house to another. This time, as the new girl, she gets punked by the popular kids. And this time, she decides to fight back. The only way she knows how to fight back is through her knitting. Also through knitting, Sarah makes some real friends, and not just her thousands of followers from her knitting channel online. Things are looking up for Sarah until her mom gets bored and starts looking for a new life and a new guy on her dating apps.

Keywords:

YA, Contemporary, Bullying, Friendship, Romance, Sex, College Application, High School, Drama, Knitting, 3D Printing, Relationships, Mother-Daughter, Single Parent

My Review:

I love realistic contemporary YA novels, especially ones that focus on relationships and not just teen romances. Always the New Girl has a mother-daughter relationship, a daughter-absent father relationship, a new girl-new school relationship, a new girl-new friends relationship, and of course a young girl-young love relationship. I loved how true and honest all these relationships felt. They were deep, meaty, and developed. Throughout the relationships, Sarah voices her feelings and opinions in such a way that I was drawn to her voice and her stories.

The book is divided into parts, not chapters, and each part is like a small episode as if the book was written and released as parts of a whole or a limited series. Each part has a beginning, middle, and end with Sarah’s growing coming-of-age narrative woven throughout. If you read books in chunks, this writing style will help reorient you. At the beginning of each subsequent part, the author uses Sarah’s voice to summarize the previous part’s main drama.

The author does not hold back with the use of profanity, bullying, domestic violence, and a well-written sex scene.

I more than enjoyed Sarah’s perspective, I was rooting for her to find her voice, figure out her identity, and make her choices. And Sarah did not disappoint me. The book is satisfying. The way it is written is satisfying, easy to read, and insightful.

Given that this is a contemporary YA novel and that it is written in episodic parts, it does not have a strong finite and conclusive ending. The author left open a considerable plot point that I really hope I get to read more about in the next book in the series.

Disclaimer: I was given a free copy of this story in exchange for my honest review.

This novel was published by KV BOOKS LLC  on 05/10/2022 and is available on Amazon here.

TL;DR Star Rating: 4.50

Links for more information:

Goodreads

Kelly Vincent’s Website