This book is not perfect, but it has been one of my most enjoyable reads this year. This story focuses on the narratives of a group of teenage girls, most of whom are entering their senior year of high school. We meet Raina, who has just been dumped by her boyfriend publicly and without warning. We also have Millie, who has just been forced off of the high school mock trial team by a group of dude bros. These two meet in a school bathroom where both are crying their frustrations out, and one off-hand comment will lead them to form an all-girls mock trial team to compete against the boys. They find other girls to join the team from all over the school and get ready to face off against the boys and their faculty advisor, both of whom are playing dirty. You will root for these characters all the way through. Their struggles are more than superficial teenage dramas, as they deal with complex parental relationships, gender identities, local politics, and more. If I haven't convinced you yet, let me just say, there's yarn bombing and knitted genitalia in this book. It was smart and witty and while I would have loved to have seen more development of some of the other characters, it was a quick and satisfying read.

I'm a big fan of books with inclusive main characters. Most of the main characters were either part of the LGBTQ community or very supportive of it. This led to an amazing ending. I liked how it wasn't what you would think the happy ending would be, but it was happy and realistic in its own way.
The writing was good. At times I found myself wondering why more of the trials weren't written out, but I think that made the book move along at a faster place. I might have liked more of the trial details, but I could see that getting tedious. Overall, this was an enjoyable book to read.

Why I Requested This: I’ve needed a book involving Mock Trial since my youth when I dipped my toes into Mock Trial.

Pros:
The characters are diverse and unique making each of them feel like a necessary addition to the group. Also, I am a sucker for a ensemble cast.
The discussion of toxic masculinity within this in multiple facets of life.
I need yall to know this ahead of time because KNITTING! I had no idea how much this deals with knitting and it’s so effective?

Cons:
The story is very short and while, it works for the plot that is being covered, it does feel like it could be longer in some areas.

Overall: An excellent ensemble cast, but the story could have been a little longer.

I received an ARC from the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

Six Angry Girls has a fun premise, which it in some ways delivers on. I love the strong feminist theme of women banding together to take down the patriarchy. There’s both a strong focus on friendship and romance between these young women, and I enjoyed that.

And the setup of the book, following Mock Trials is a ton of fun, providing a format for them to express themselves, particularly against the all-guys team, which they formed to oppose.

However, I also find myself feeling a bit conflicted. Raina and Millie themselves are good characters, but the biggest stumbling block is that, while you get a creative signifier of whose head you’re in at the beginning of each chapter, it’s still easy to forget when both sound similar, and the chapters themselves are also broken up into subcategories based on key events, so I could easily forget whose head I’m meant to be in every time I hit one of those, and am only reminded when I see the other referred to by name.

The book also feels too short and like it was trying to do too much, and I definitely wanted some aspects to be more fleshed out in a slightly loved book.

This book is a lot of fun, but it’s not without its issues with structure and flow of the story. I think it’s still worth reading for anyone who isn’t bothered by such things, as the overall concept does make it worth it for me in the long run.

Six Angry Girls is an excellent YA novel dealing with the titular six angry girls who are tired of being looked over or wronged because they are smart, outspoken females. Being smart, outspoken females they wallow a little then fight back against the patriarchy that is high school.

Raina Petree is having a stellar senior year until her boyfriend dumps her without explanation. The Drama Club insists on using the same old plays instead of trying Raina's suggestion of something new and exciting and her arch-rival wins the lead, basically kicking Raina out of Drama

Millie Goodwin is in a similar situation. She's worked through high school helping to plan and build the Mock Trial team to the top of their game. Now, in their senior year, the all-boy team kicks Millie out. To top it off, her father barely notices her and treats her like one of the help.

In her sorrow and desperation, Raina writes to an advice columnnist who suggests she starts a new hobby or finds new interests to get her life back on track. She settles on knitting and ends up at the local knitting store where she meets a knitting group full of like minds focusing on political activism. Then a chance meeting with Millie inspires the girls to form their own all-female Mock Trial team and kick some ass.

This was a fun book to read - good for those who have their lives planned out to the minute. Adrienne Kisner writes in a frank, but humorous way that shows what happens when life laughs at your plans and you are forced to change course and consider the alternatives - and that is not a bad thing! Thank you so much for the ARC.

Thanks to Partner NetGalley for the digital ARC of Adrienne Kisner’s Six Angry Girls in exchange for an honest review. The book will be published on Tuesday, August 18, 2020.

Adrienne Kisner’s Six Angry Girls contains multitudes: mock trial and anatomical knitting (yes, that’s a thing) and high-school Drama and high-school drama and love and FEMINISM. This YA novel alternates between two high school seniors’ perspectives. Raina is a dedicated actor and president of the Drama Club until her long-time boyfriend, Brandon, breaks up with her in an incredibly callous way. The dissolution of their relationship makes her realize that she was in drama for all of the wrong, Brandon-centered reasons. Millie, the other protagonist, has been a part of the mock trial team since her freshman year and has earned some time in the spotlight. And then, a coup (led by Brandon!) means that she can’t be a part of the competition team anymore.

Cast adrift, Raina and Millie find each other and begin their own, all-girls, mock trial team. They bring along with them a diverse group of others who have been cast out of the mainstream for a variety of reasons, some superficial and some related to their very identity.

They are, of course, also dealing with other problems: Millie faces increased responsibilities because her mom divorced her dad, and now Millie has picked up entirely the role her mom played around the house. Raina had banked all of her hopes for college on drama; now that she’s not in a play, what does that mean for her super-planned future? She’s also still recovering from the loss of her relationship and, in search of somewhere else to devote her energy, joins a politically-focused knitting group.

I liked so much about this novel. Raina and Millie are strong young women who are also believably flawed. Each is trying to figure out who she wants to be: Raina is moving on from a romantic relationship, and Millie--who identifies as homosexual and asexual--is moving into one . . . maybe. There is an important message of activism here and of when (and in what situations) it’s important to stand up for what you believe, even if it means giving up something that meant a great deal. Early on, I did think the pace dragged--I was interested but not compelled to read. But as the book continued, I was captured by the journeys of these characters as individuals and as part of a team that they are determined to make work. Six Angry Girls would be a great novel for teens--it’s an inspiring story of being cast aside and fighting for what’s right and for what matters on their own terms.

There is so much girl power, and I loved the two different points of views throughout the book. Raina and Millie form an unlikely friendship and take on mock trial together, forming a team of six angry (motivated) girls who are such an inspirational team. This book really drives deep into home lives. Friendship, college decisions, right or wrong, love, activism, and school issues are all delved upon in this book in a wonderful way.

After Raina is dumped out of nowhere and Millie is ousted from the mock trial team, they decide to channel their pain by forming a rival mock trial team. Though the team may have started as a means of payback, it grew into something that helped many of these young people reclaim some of their power.

Among the things I think many readers will embrace are the many facets of inclusion Kisner wove into this story. Aside from an extremely diverse cast, she also addressed inclusivity via the case studies. It was an interesting way to attack the issue, and I appreciated the way each characters' opinion and reactions were explored.

I never knew a lot about the mock trial world, and therefore, I learned a lot as I read this story. It was quite fascinating to see what it involved and how they harnessed professionals from the community. I also loved being able to cheer on this team. They had to work really hard to get up and running, and obviously I wanted them to be amazing.

Though mock trial was a big part of this story, it also focused on the personal journeys of Millie and Raina. Raina had been in a relationship for five years, and it took a break up for her to realize her boyfriend was sort of limiting her. It was wonderful seeing her branching out, making new connections, and exploring different options for her future.

Millie was trapped in her situation by a kind of guilt. Her mother divorced her dad, left the family, and remarried. Though Millie kept in touch with her mother, she felt obligated to her father because he stayed. This was a tricky situation she had to navigate, but I was very happy with her choices. It was nice seeing her branching out as well and finding someone who understood her romantically. I won't lie, this little touch of romance made my big-sap heart happy.

How could I not love a group of young women who harnessed their hurt and rejection in such a fabulous way? I loved that they sought their revenge via mock trial, but I also loved the focus on friendship, trust, setting boundaries, trying new things, and discovering hidden parts of yourself.

Not even going to lie, about 90% of the reason I wanted to read this book is because one of the characters has the same name as me and I just so rarely get to see that and got excited.
But this ended up being really cute and funny and a little cliched and cheesy but you know what, I like cheesy and I had a good time. It’s over the top, in your face feminism and I enjoyed it.

Raina is going to demolish her senior year—until her boyfriend breaks up with her, and the heartbreak causes her to forget to submit her cause for a new school play and the sophomores select Our Town. Fed up, grieving and wanting more, she quits drama and joins a knitting club. Meanwhile, Millie is struggling as well. Her father wants her as a Cinderella-servant and the Mock Trial team voted her out—despite her being the reason for their success! When Millie and Raina realize they have more to gain by joining together than standing alone, they form their own all-girl Mock Trial team.

Step 1: Beat the boys.

Step 2: Smash the patriarchy.

Step 3: Take over the world.

Because nothing that defeat the wrath of six angry girls.

~

description

It. Has. Everything.

Knitting, Mock Trial, yarn bombing, smashing the patriarchy, high school, revenge, knit genitalia, letters to the editor, and many different kinds of girls.

Some, like Raina and Millie, want to be on the team. Others slowly warm over to the idea. And one joins at the last minute to smash everything down. There are bi girls, lesbian girls, straight girls, cis girls and a trans girl, and girls of color.

"Here's what I'm recommending—a long, flat scarf. Great project to start, easy to correct mistakes, useful in the Pennsylvania winter, thoughtful gift, and can be used to choke someone. Perfect both practically and metaphorically."


While I feel that the book faltered in the girls and their interactions themselves (most of the Mock Trial team felt like tokenized stick figures), the book shined with the other secondary characters. I loved the women of the Dropped Stitch and their political activism, and I loved the librarian and lawyer-turned-yoga-teacher. I loved Raina's mom, a tired, single parent working as a nurse on the night shift and trying to do her best by her over-achieving daughter.

I loved Raina and Millie's ambition, and their desire to find themselves and do right by themselves and their teammates, particularly when in sticky situations (like when their yarn activism intersects with Mock Trial—seriously, is there only ONE judge in this area?).

And as much as I loved Raina's mom, I was so angered by Millie's dad. He was such a dick and took Millie for granted—he wanted a full-time servant to cook, clean and care for him, without recognizing that she was a person with her own hopes and dreams. It was no wonder that her mom left and remarried, and I did feel strongly for Millie's dad's new girlfriend, but only for a little bit. She was awful, too.

And the Mock Trial teacher-dude was an underhanded dick too. Actually—pretty much all of the dudes in this book were dicks in one way or another. Very few had any redeeming features.

"Do you girls need to get home by a certain time?" said Ms McClain.
"Nope," everyone said.


I also loved that this felt very much like a group of teen girls. They weren't all friends, but they became friends. They came from all different walks of high school to join the team, and each had their own motivations for being there (one was actually forced on there by the librarian, but semantics).

And again, I loved Raina's mom. She gave Raina time to figure it out, and even went, look kid, you're eighteen. You have a lifetime to figure your shit out. It's okay.

And honestly, that was a big sentiment of the book. That it's okay to try something new and realize that you love it, even if that something might not get you into your dream college. That it's right to do the right thing, even if that right thing means that you will probably not get you into your dream college. And that it's okay to not jump immediately into the next big life step, because life happens and dreams might get deferred for a moment, but the friendships and connections you make along the way last a lifetime.

I received this ARC from NetGalley for an honest review

I nominate this book for best female and nonbinary characters, positive portrayals of women (and librarians), and overall bad a** nature of what women can do!

This book did take me a little longer to finish (silly IG kept distracting me), but that in no way means I didn't love this book. The story follows our two main characters Raina and Millie; both of whom just experienced major heart break. Raina just got dumped by her boyfriend of five years, and has lost interest in nearly all things. Millie was just dumped by her entire Mock Trial team, even though she did all of the work. This all of course happening spring semester of their senior years. Very unfortunate.

One thing they realize quickly is that angry girls can get stuff DONE! Millie decides to create a rival all girls Mock Trial team, which she enlists Raina (major drama nerd) to help create. Fueled by all of the wrong doings and problems in the patriarchy- they make a winning team.

One of my favorite characters (I am biased) is Ms. McClain the school librarian turned Mock trial sponsor who helps out along the way. The girls realize very quickly that the librarian knows all things and is a force to be reckoned with. I have bookmarked quite a few quotes about the library/librarian from this book so that I can use them all when this book is published.

I believe that a large amount of my school would read this book- we have a large speech and debate team, and other activities that are similar to Mock Trial. The positive themes that run throughout make it a feel good book- knowing that even if we don't win the battle, we can win the war.

Six Angry Girls by Adrienne Kisner - comes out on August 18th, just in time for school to start! I will definitely consider adding this to our school library- positive, activism, camp, puns, knitting, libraries- what else could you ask for? http://kaitlynrcarpenter.weebly.com/blog/six-angry-girls-an-all-inclusive-feminist-manifesto-by-adrienne-kisner

I really wanted to give this book a better review. The girls who make up the Mock Trial team were funny, their characters were relatively well-developed (most of them), and you could sympathize with and cheer for them. I kept asking myself what it was about this book that grated on me, and I finally figured it out. For a story that focused on biased, closed-minded prejudices, this story had a bias of its own. Where were any likable males in this story? A few minor male characters were presented in a positive light, but every major male character was biased, selfish, and/or absent, including most of the fathers. While the message about being true to yourself and standing up for what you believe in was presented well, I just felt that a big opportunity was missed with this book to show a balance. A caring father or male mentor written into the story would have provided some realism and depth without taking away from the themes of the book.

When one ambitious, hard-working high school senior is ousted from her school's competitive - and now entirely male - Mock Trial team, she determines to form her own team to enter the competition. But what starts out as a bid to right a personal wrong soon morphs into a group effort to fight gender discrimination. By turns, smart, funny, infuriating and inspiring. Do not forget to read the names of each chapter.

This was such a great read. I had initially gotten interested in this novel due to the cover and the idea of "angry" as a positive descriptor. Being angry, and especially being an angry girl can so often be a stereotype of the "raging feminist" (with negative connotations) so it was wonderful to see girls being allowed the space to be angry. I frequently talk to my students about the idea that being angry can be a positive thing and a force for good, and now I have a book to hand them when they need to see positive rage in action.

This novel is set up in a dual narrative with Emilia and Raina switching off between the chapters. Each chapter starts with what looks like the opening/title of a legal brief, cluing in the reader to who is narrating the chapter and what it's going to focus on. I loved the clues hidden in each complaint and how it connected back to the Mock Trial central to the novel. Both girls have a rough start to the spring semester of their senior year; Raina is viciously dumped and then drops out of the drama club when she realizes she may not be as invested as she once thought. Emilia is living with her father, suffering his benign (or possibly not) neglect and lack of investment in who she is. Suddenly, she is ousted from the mock trial club due to the devious schemes of several male students. The patriarchy is alive and well, prompting Emilia and Raina to join forces and begin their own, separate, all-female mock trial club. Through their time preparing and competing, each girl learns more about who she is, what is important to speak up for, and how each of them can use their voices to empower themselves.

I wish that I had been able to read this book when I was in high school. I felt personally connected to Raina (since I was also a young, overly committed, theater obsessed, and slightly overly emotionally invested young woman) and I really appreciated how real she felt to me. All of the girls felt real, in fact, and I wish we had learned more about some of the secondary characters. But I also appreciated that they felt like distinct characters. Initially, it was a bit challenging to determine who was speaking, Raina or Emilia, but as time passed they became more distinct and unique. The final trial for the novel did feel a bit convenient (it centers around first amendment rights and issues of equality) but I appreciated that the ending and the choices the girls made were unexpected. I do think there were moments where it felt like we didn't get enough information about certain characters - especially when it comes to Emilia and her father - does he know certain details of her identity? And if not why? But overall, the focus of the novel is on these amazing girls coming together and realizing their own power together and apart. I cannot wait to share this book with my students and to show them that they are and can be powerful and that being angry isn't always bad.

Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for this eARC of Six Angry Girls.

This book is a wonderful mix of activism, teen angst, and girl power. The characters are great to get to know, and you’ll be rooting for them the whole time.

Will definitely purchase for my library and recommend.

Raina and Millie haven't really crossed paths, even though they go to the same school, until now. So what brings them together? Pretty much the worst either can imagine:
Raina's long-time boyfriend breaks up with her and in her depression misses that the drama department has made the huge mistake of choosing Our Town as the next play- ugh. Millie, ready to tackle her senior year on Mock Trial, is pushed out by conniving boys with no explanation. Each is looking to find their way through their troubles and end up finding each other- along with four other friends who will work together to take on boys, drama, misogyny, and so much more. Oh, and don't forget the knitting... lots of knitting!

I really enjoyed reading this book. It was fun and the tone was light overall, but still addressed some serious topics that should be addressed in YA lit. I do think it will be a matter of taste for a lot of readers- the language used to discuss misogyny was certainly straightforward and to some may seem crass. Something I like to be aware of as a librarian when recommending books. The LYS and knitting circle in this group warmed by heart, as did the librarian who backs up the girls and stands up for them when called upon to do so.

I would recommend this book to high school and older readers!

I loved this book. We get the narrative perspectives from 2 of the 6 titled girls. I really enjoyed their stories, and I still felt like I understood who each of the 6 girls was. The main plot revolved around starting their own Mock Trial group, and I really enjoyed the side plots around it. A major part of the story for me is how inclusive the author was with all of her characters, and it was refreshing to read that.

I recieved a free copy from netgalley in exchange for an honest review. I truly enjoyed this book. The book is told through the perspective of two of our six angry girls. Raina's boyfriend of 4 years abruptly breaks up with her and tells her he is dating someone else. This leads her to question what she is passionate about which leads her to Mock Trial (her ex is on the team and he didnt want her to join).
Meanwhile, Emilee has been booted from the Mock Trial team even though she has been critical to its success for the last 3 years. This leads Emilee and Raina to start an all girls teams to compete. The story was engaging and the idea of the book was great. The Mock Trial and relationship between the girls and even the club sponsor was well done. The subplot of Raina and the group of women who yarn as a form of activism didn't really have any kind of conclusion. Nothing actually happened. There were a couple of other subplots that were introduced that never went anywhere. It felt like in part the author wanted to say more but didn't know to incorporate the ideas into the plot. 4 stars because of the elements of the book that felt incomplete. Definitely would check out another book by this author.

This is an empowering book for girls! Six high school girls, tired of the patriarchy for a variety of reasons, bond together to form a Mock Trial team. Thy become an unstoppable force for good but in the end realize that being true to themselves is more important than just going along with a plan so everyone gets along. Millie, a Mock Trial superstar, is forced out of the school's Mock Trial team by a bunch of guys, even though she generally does most of the work. In revenge, she forms her own all girl Mock Trial team from an actress, a lit magazine editor, 2 new girls, and a girl who was forced into it because she owed the librarian. Somehow, they make a great team and support each other through the school year. A lot of fun to read and great characters.

Thank you NetGalley and MacMillan Publishing for an ARC!

This is just the angry (motivated!) feminist grrl power book I needed in high school. It's the last semester of senior year and everything falls apart for Raina and Millie. Raina gets dumped by her boyfriend of five years and spirals into an existential crisis about her identity; while Millie, the only girl on the Mock Trial team, is kicked out in favor of a boy freshman with a lawyer father. After a chance meeting in a bathroom, Millie decides to riot and form her own all-girl Mock Trial team. She just needs to find a team first. The POV goes back and worth between Raina and Millie and besides Millie always telling herself positive affirmations, the voice of the two girls was pretty similar.

I read the majority of this in one sitting I enjoyed it so much. It actually seemed a little short. I think some of the secondary characters could have received some more love. The end of the book moved pretty fast and three of our "angry girls" didn't really get a proper epilogue.

Pros:
-Funny
-The Yarn Activism B-plot
-Lots of LGBTQ+ representation
-I love it when a book builds up to a performance or event and then we get to experience it. There was a play and then Mock Trial states and nationals.

Cons:
-Predictable
-Millie's dad was the worst.
-Three of the "angry girls" don't really get a proper epilogue
-If you care, a lot of F-bombs,