I wish I'd had more books like this growing up. It's books like this with real life issues that show young adults they're not alone in their life battles and that even their darkest times are not only relatable on a greater scale, but also something they can overcome.

Loved the mystery and slight romance aspects as well. Would definitely read more by this author.

Tysm for the ARC!

There is just something special about a YA thriller! This one was so captivating and the narrator did a fantastic job bringing this story to life.

The writing was fantastic and the story moved along in a great pace. I was hooked on the mystery and also how Jo was handling everything life had thrown at her. The story is told in such a way that it was like Jo was sitting there beside you, telling you her story. She was relatable right off the bat and I couldn’t help but root for her to get through to the other side.

The ending felt a bit underwhelming to me but I think it was more of a me problem than a story problem.

Grateful to have received a complimentary ALC copy to honestly review.

Aarrgghh – I detest reviewing books that I love and hate at the same time. The themes of this YA book are so timely and so important – a boy Jo considers a friend takes her phone and sends provocative photos of her to everyone and when she was 15, a 21 yo talked her into doing things she didn’t want to do which together makes her basically hate herself. But when her used-to-be friend Maddie goes missing, she is sure she didn’t just run away which most people think.
This debut author really hit the spot on these topics BUT shame on her editor for not having the very explicit sex scenes removed and replaced perhaps with “fade to black” which is more in keeping with a YA rating. Consequently, I’m very disappointed that I won’t be recommending this book.

So this is the trouble with girls like me.”

Not Like Other Girls
By Meredith Adamo @mere_adamo
Narrated by Georgina Sadler
5⭐️

No notes. This YA thriller was completely balanced between plot development and character growth. A girl is missing and her friend , or former friend, Jo-Lynn may be the only person who can find out what happened to her.

The mystery keeps heating up and you are sucked into the plot throughout the whole thing, but the star of the show for me was Jo-Lynn’s character development. She was on a coming of age journey while working through some serious trauma. Jo-Lynn had been ousted by almost everyone at her school including the missing girl, Maddie. Her brain was in a constant struggle between who she feels she is and who she is seen as.

I recommend in any format but the audiobook narration was excellent. The emotions of the story were perfectly portrayed by the narrator. I sometimes have a hard time with YA audiobooks because I can’t suspend belief enough from the adult narrating to imagine their voice as the age of character. Georgina did a great job.

This book gave Sadie by Courtney Summers vibes so I absolutely was the audience for this. Not Like Other Girls is gritty and dark but truthful to things real teen girls experience.

This hits shelves today. Definitely recommend picking it up.

This story is important for young girls to realize how much abuse and SA are rampant, and how they are enticed to stay quiet. The narrator felt authentic.
The only thing that bugged me was the time jumps from the past to the present, it wasn’t always clear what timeline you were in.
Satisfying conclusion and definitely check your triggers, there are lots

This is a hard-hitting book about a teenage girls who will stop at nothing to solve her ex-best friend's disappearance. I'm many years past my own high school days, but I can still vividly remember the angst and challenges that went along with that time period. Meredith Adamo does a fantastic job of capturing the relationships between students, the stresses with planning for the future, the teenage/parent challenges, and the high school experience as a whole. But this story is much more than a contemporary, young adult drama; it's also a statement on how singular events can change forever the course of a life and the consequences that result from our own decisions as well as choices made by others that are beyond our control.

I enjoyed this book. The characters were well-crafted and the plot was just fast enough to hold my attention whithout overwhelming the point of the story. I did feel a bit like we only got a slice of life in this particular private school and that their were many groups of students who were under-represented, but it felt authentic given the first person narrative and the focus of the plot.

My only criticism, and it's more just something to note as this is categorized as a young adult book, is that there is quite a bit of foul language, drugs and alcohol, and several romantic scenes.

Bottom line: If you enjoy young adult contemporary, or you are interested in a first-person narrative from a girl struggling to fit in and crying out for attention; check out this book. It's definitely worth the read.

This book took me a minute to finish but to be fair I was listening to TTPD and had a hard time breaking away to read but I ended up loving this one. For a YA mystery book, I felt like Meredith Adams absolutely smashed it out of the park. I was loving every second of it. I did find some parts to be a little long winded but for the most part this was incredible.
Huge thank you to Bloomsbury Audio for the gifted ALC of “Not Like Other Girls.” I thought the audio was clear and concise. The narrator did a wonderful job. Miles voice drove me crazy when she’d do it but she portrayed him perfectly!

4.5 ⭐️ rounded up.

Jo-Lynn “Jo” was popular, a good student, and on track for a successful future. Until nude photos of her were leaked and she was made an outcast. Left basically friendless, her grades plummeted, she became hard to manage, and was often in trouble. When her former best friend Maddie suddenly disappears, everyone believes she ran away, but Jo suspects something is amiss. Jo needs to get back in with her former group of friends to learn more about what Maddie was involved in, and Hudson suggests they pretend to date in order to help Jo reintegrate with the group. The last thing Jo wants to do is hang out with the group who betrayed her, talked about her, and violated her in more ways than one. As Jo uncovers more and more about what Maddie was doing, she also learns a lot of dark secrets about her other classmates, and discovers even more about herself.

Let me tell you. I was fully unprepared for how powerful this book was going to be. We have the mystery/thriller piece which does feel very much like the YA that it is intended to be. I don’t think I could fully appreciate this part of the novel, being 38 years old I just feel like there are some things about YA novels that aren’t going to work as well for me. That being said, it WAS well done.

BUT where this novel fully won me over was Jo’s self discovery. We learn things about Jo and her experiences right alongside her as she discovers and realizes things for herself and it is POWERFUL. The way the author wrote some of her internal dialogue was so moving. Watching Jo push back, take control, and realize what she deserves in life and in relationships was a really emotional journey. A YA novel that can make me feel such strong emotion gets a round of applause from me. And then the authors note at the end in her own voice was just icing on the emotional cake. A stunning debut novel from this author.

I have a physical copy of this book and also the audio and chose to listen mostly to the audio and the narration was fantastic!

𝘛𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘬 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘕𝘦𝘵𝘎𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘦𝘺 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘉𝘭𝘰𝘰𝘮𝘴𝘣𝘶𝘳𝘺 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘈𝘓𝘊 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘱𝘩𝘺𝘴𝘪𝘤𝘢𝘭 𝘈𝘙𝘊.

Thank you Netgalley for the ARC read.. this was an audiobook and I felt like the narrator did a great job representing Jo in the story. The character development kept me engaged and wanting to know more about each of the characters. Reasoning for the star rating.. as a young adult novel, I understand that sometimes these teenagers are going through and dealing with these things. BUT it alluded to and described many things that I don't think I would suggest my teenager to read. There was a lot of subplots that did kind of distract from the main plot and by the ending it felt like it all got rushed to a conclusion after so many chapters of building the suspense. I have an eyebrow raise to the ending with Myles, so bravo for that unexpected twist. I did like the explanation of all Jo and Maddie went through as their friendship took a nose dive, because that is so relatable.

This book was a bit of a challenge for me. I normally love YA anything, and connect with the characters for sentimental reasons, but this book was really not my cup of tea. The sexual nature of a situation the female main character finds herself in while in high school really made me disinterested. The writing was well done, I just couldn’t get over the ick feeling.

Thank you to Netgalley and Bloomsbury Audio for early access to this audiobook in exchange for an honest review!

This was a 5 star listen with twists and turns every moment and a powerful message of sovereignty and self worth! I am shocked that this is Meredith Adamo's debut novel, and I really hope we get to see more from her.

"Not Like Other Girls" is a story about Jo-Lynn Kirby. I almost continued there, but, truly, this story, at heart, is about Jo - who she's always thought she was and who she's realizing she is and deserves to be. Jo-Lynn had been friends with Maddie Price, one of her only female friendships, until a falling out that neither will share the details of. Jo stays friends and "friends" with guys, and the other girls at school, along with Maddie, slut shame her and treat her like a pariah. Her parents don't see how Jo's changed, and she has lost her top grades to the point of landing on probation. And then Maddie goes missing. Jo feels like something isn't quite right with the explanation given, and she keeps digging until she discovers something big.

Throughout the story, Jo's current/past relationships with people, including the grief she feels at the loss of her friendship with Maddie, are juxtaposed with the new relationships she makes as she starts to uncover secrets and schemes at her school. Adamo brilliantly captures what it feels like to lose a best friend - the lack of closure that comes from that, and the secret hope that maybe, just maybe it will get better. I've never felt that so honestly captured in a book before, and it is a testament to Adamo.

Something I want to make sure to highlight is the pushback against the slut-shaming and the realization of the sexual assault that Jo has been put through - this is really important both narratively and as a message to society. If those are triggers for you, you may want to sit those out, but as a survivor myself, I felt very seen and proud of Jo. Adamo's note at the end of the audiobook in her own voice about her own experiences and why she felt she needed to tell Jo's story had me in tears.

"Not Like Other Girls" comes out TOMORROW, April 30th! Get your copy wherever books are sold, and then come back and chat with me! I can't wait to be able to talk more about the twists and characters with someone!

<i>Thank you NetGalley for providing me with an e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.</i>

A thoughtful, engaging mystery with themes of friendship, sexual assault, consent, and respect, perfect for fans of Jennifer Mathieu and Mindy McGinnis. Jo’s witty, candid narration style worked well with this genre, and the audiobook narrator especially did a great job with bringing this to life. Sometimes more serious conversations in YA can share important information while also undermining the intelligence and experiences of teens—not the case here. It was great seeing Jo’s complex thought processes, which from personal experience, cut deep. The ending was not what I expected, but it ended up being one of my favorite choices from the author. A strong debut, and I can’t wait to see more from Meredith Adamo!

This book was such a great easy read. I picked it up because I myself didn’t read as a teen and I was curious how I would feel about it now. I am so grateful I did because it totally healed a part of my inner child. It was face paced, easy to digest and addressed some very important things around sexual assault. I hope every girl in high school reads this book or those who had a tough time in high school have the time to read it.

Not Like Other Girls by Meredith Adamo is an important book that should be required reading for girls in junior and senior high school. It deals with heavy topics including sexual assault. At its’ heart though, the main story is a breakdown of a friendship. What happens when your ex-best friend asks for your help and then disappears. For the majority of the book, Jo tries to solve the disappearance of her friend Maddie. The end felt rushed to me but that’s my opinion. The audiobook narrator was best with the female characters and weaker with the male characters. ALC was provided by Bloomsbury Audio via NetGalley. I received an advance listening copy and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

The story captured me from the title, I thought I knew what to expect but it continued to surprise me. We follow Jo who is dealing with ending of her friendship with her best friend while also dealing with the violation of having her private photos leaked to her whole school by someone she thought was her friend, someone she trusted, while she is also coming to terms with past trauma. Oh and her ex best friend goes missing. AND The book also managed to have a cute fake dating romance. There was so much going on in this story, but it somehow worked and meshed together perfectly. I loved this book, and the ending author's note had me sobbing. As an SA survivor, this book broke me and made me feel seen. I listened to the audiobook and loved the heart and emotion the narrator infused into the performance.

"Not Like Other Girls" by Meredith Adamo is a gripping and thought-provoking debut novel that explores the complexities of friendship, trauma, and the search for identity.. Adamo skillfully weaves together multiple narrative threads, drawing readers into a compelling mystery while also exploring deeper themes. The novel's nuanced portrayal of teenage relationships and the impact of trauma on young women is both heartbreaking and illuminating. Additionally, Adamo's writing is sharp and evocative, capturing the raw emotions and tangled dynamics of teenage life with honesty and authenticity. Overall, "Not Like Other Girls" is a powerful and timely novel that tackles important issues with sensitivity and grace. Adamo's insightful storytelling and compelling characters make this a must-read for fans of contemporary YA fiction.

If I had to describe this book in one word, it would be: WILD… but in a good way, defiantly in a good way.

Before even starting this book, my first impressions were that it was gonna be cringy. I’m mean I’m NoT LiKe OtHeR gIrLs? What more could I expect?

But right off the bat, I feel in love.
The fmc Jo is so relatable and is one of the best characters I’ve read about in a long time. I love the feeling how she’s not telling the story, but is really talking to you.

I was not expecting there to be a fake dating trope in the book, but I loved it. Jo and Hudson are so cute even as friends.

I loved all the characters so much. Even the ones you’re supposed to hate, I loved hating them.

The message in this book was amazing and I hope it brings awareness to the problems discussed in the book.

I love how this was a mystery, but it wasn’t the MAIN focus and there were other things that drove the book, it made it a lot more enjoyable.

The ending was crazy and underwhelming at the same time… but in a good way?? I don’t know how to explain it but everything in this book was just done right. The small hints you get, the romance (there was a bit too much for my liking tho) the mystery. I really REALLY enjoyed it and I’m so sad to leave these characters behind.

This YA mystery had me from the beginning! Jo is a funny smart teen who had me laughing and also invested in her life and what would happen and what she would discover. I listened to the audio and being able to hear Jo's inner dialogue added to the experience, as a mom to a teenage daughter I imagine she may be similarly humorous and thoughtful. Be sure to listen to / read the authors note at the end.

This book feels to me like a very important read for women. The story follows Jo, a now senior in high school, as she sets out to figure out what has happened to her ex-best friend Maddie who has gone missing. The book shows that Jo has been very isolated from other students her age, as well as went from a high achiever to a student with failing grades, after a guy at her school sent out explicit pictures of her without her permission to the whole school. Jo really has to wrestle with no any this, but a few instances of SA and sexual harassment that have happened to her. Initially, she believes she is to blame or at least responsible for these, but comes to recognize the reality and gravity of those things, even as she tries to cope with it. This book does a great job of showing the ways that women, even young women, are often mislabeled horrific things, and blamed at worst, and the very least not believed for the violent acts of men. This story was really and honest in its exposition of these truths, while also doing a great job of demonstrating Jo's inner thoughts and feelings, as well as showing her growth. This story is part mystery, part romance, and fully a story of reclamation - of her body, her own choices and consent, and her story. I loved the emphasis on being able to tell your own story. I also loved all of the twists and turns, and the connections and little details throughout the book!

**Thank you to Bloomsbury YA for sending me an ARC**

I loved the first half of this audiobook but the second part felt a bit jumbled. The narrator was excellent. The characters were believable and the story did intrigue me. Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC.