Review: Never Mind My Thigh Gap by Sarah Newton

NEVER MIND MY THIGH GAP

by Bronte Huskinson and Sarah Newton

YA Contemporary

181 pages

“One ordinary girl, one extraordinary moment” 

There are three things everyone notices about Alice. 

1. Her super-hot rugby boyfriend. 
2. Her sophisticated, totally gorgeous best friend. 
3. Her very noticeable 38-inch long legs. 

Alice is tall — just under six feet to be exact — but her self-esteem couldn’t be smaller. When her relationship starts wavering, Alice’s perfectly beautiful best friend somehow convinces her to join a modelling competition, “for a confidence boost.” But Alice is just a normal girl; she loves ice cream too much, has an unhealthy addiction to American TV and lusts after the elusive thigh gap. She can’t even walk in heels, let alone in a bikini, but she finds herself joining Runway Models anyway. 

The finale is only a few months away. 

Will Alice catwalk her way to self-confidence or fail, proving everyone right? 

People can surprise you.

Not all is sugar and roses, but this story manages to take a theme almost all teenage girls can relate to, place it in a very realistic situation with all the mobbing and pain, and still keep a lovely attitude which never lets the tale grow too depressing.

Alice is seventeen, not the most popular girl in school but has basically everything a girl could want at that age: friends, a boyfriend and fashion magazines. This isn't a character who carries much baggage, but she does have the normal self-doubt issues. But even here, this isn't a completely over-powering thing, simply the level most girls have--isn't happy with self, would like to improve, but not really so much that she does...nor does she dwell on it completely. This makes the character extremely realistic, not over the top and easy to sympathize without all the pity and sadness.

The plot is rather simple and doesn't hit huge extremes, but still, it pulls in and keeps up a nice pace. There's quite a bit of character depth, as the reader gets to know Alice very well. Although most of the story is told from Alice's point of view, the other characters, even the a few more side ones, get a chapter or two solely for themselves. The author does a super job weaving these different views together just at the right time and with just the right twist. 

There are several unexpected moments, things which make one cheer, and others which lure a growl. Teenagers can be cruel, and this book shows that. Still, there's always a sun waiting on the other side. Alice's aim for a model competition is more than most girls can shoot for (and this is the one thing which might make it a little off for some readers as they will realize that Alice obviously has no 'flaws'), but it's still entertaining and a great message that will hit home.

Summed up, this is a book teenage girls can relate to, and the message is one they need to hear. It's a an engaging read around high school drama, and draws in until the very last page.

And here she is. . .

SARAH NEWTON!!!

 I am an 18-year-old student at Bath Spa University currently studying Creative Writing and Publishing. My first book " Never Mind my Thigh Gap" is based on my own experience of entering a model competition to get over my body image issues. I write about ordinary, everyday heroines who are more likely to don a new lipstick than a suit of armour. I want my heroines to be real and relatable, acting like a teenager does in real life; unsure, scatty and indecisive.  With my writing I want to inspire young girls who feel they don’t fit into society’s norm to be comforted by the down-to-earth related characters in our books and realise, in their own way they are heroines too.