The Female of the Species by Mindy McGinnis
Published by Katherine Tegen Books on September 20, 2016
Genres: Contemporary
Pages: 352
Format: Hardcover
Source: Publisher
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A contemporary YA novel that examines rape culture through alternating perspectives.

Alex Craft knows how to kill someone. And she doesn’t feel bad about it.

Three years ago, when her older sister, Anna, was murdered and the killer walked free, Alex uncaged the language she knows best—the language of violence. While her own crime goes unpunished, Alex knows she can’t be trusted among other people. Not with Jack, the star athlete who wants to really know her but still feels guilty over the role he played the night Anna’s body was discovered. And not with Peekay, the preacher’s kid with a defiant streak who befriends Alex while they volunteer at an animal shelter. Not anyone.

As their senior year unfolds, Alex’s darker nature breaks out, setting these three teens on a collision course that will change their lives forever.

my thoughts:

I honestly have no clue how to review this book.  I feel like I can’t say much about it because I don’t want to spoil anything about this book.  Really this review is just going to be super short and pretty much tell you to go read this book.

When I first started The Female of the Species, I really didn’t think I would like it or even finish it.  I’m not gonna lie, it’s a little rough.  There are a lot of tough topics mentioned in just the first 30 pages.  From there it only gets worse.  This is not a happy book.  It’s not something that’s going to put a smile on your face.  However, it’s something that is very relevant and very good.

Alex is what makes this book amazing.  All the characters are.  Every single character in The Female of the Species is completely honest, sometimes brutally so.  Alex, Peekay, and Jack are tough to like at first but their raw way of telling things like it is really grew on me.  Alex is messed up and she knows it.  There is something seriously wrong with her.  It takes her a while to see that maybe things could be different but maybe it’s just not meant to be that way for her.  Peekay is the preacher’s kid who totally does not act like one.  Her friendship with Alex isn’t exactly what either of them wanted but it’s what both of them needed.  They brought each other out of their shells.  Last but not least there was Jack.  I didn’t want to like Jack because he really was a bit of a douche bag but he grew on me.  He knew he was a douche bag and I think that’s what made his character work for me.  He tried drinking and sex to cover up how he really felt about things and his relationship with Alex made all those things come to light.  By the end of the story, I truly loved each and every one of them.

Oh and you know how I said this was not a happy book?  That really hits you at the end.  I mean, you know from the start that Alex is messed up because of her sister’s rape and murder.  Not what I’d call a happy subject.  And while things seem to get better for Alex throughout the book, Mindy McGinnis isn’t willing to gloss over the fact that Alex has killed people and done really horrible things.  I didn’t know what was going to come with the end of this book but don’t expect a perfect ending tied up in neat little bows.  I think I love The Female of the Species even more because of that.

Overall, while I think this one will probably be a tough read for a lot of people, I can’t help but recommend it.  Mindy McGinnis impressed me with this one so much that I think she has earned a spot on my list of must-read authors.

“But boys will be boys, our favorite phrase that excuses so many things, while the only thing we have for the opposite gender is women, said with disdain and punctuated with an eye roll.”

-Mindy McGinnis, The Female of the Species

what others are saying about The Female of the Species:

Jenna Bookish’s review: “McGinnis ends the story with a bang when I feel like the subject matter might have been better served by a bit more subtlety.”

Adventure’s of a Bibliophile’s review: “I think this book is extremely important, especially as an addition to the YA genre, and I’m looking forward to reading more of Mindy McGinnis’s writing.”

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How do you feel about books about sensitive subjects?  Do you read them or prefer your books to be more about escaping from reality?