Title: The Nicest Girl
Author: Sophie Jo
Pages: 196 Pages
Publisher: UCLan Publishing
The Blurb
Sixth-former Anna Campbell is the go-to girl when anyone needs anything. Teachers, friends, random strangers… It never occurred to her that she could say no. After all, Anna Campbell’s always been too ‘nice’ to say no. But Anna is sick of being that girl, the nice girl, and she’s going to do something about it. Only, is she prepared to risk losing everything she cares about – even herself – along the way…? A novel for anyone who’s ever struggled to put themselves first.
The Review
What do you do when everyone sees you as a bit of a doormat? This is the question that protagonist Anna Campbell is asking herself. She is there for everybody because she has a pathological inability to say no or to let people down. Not only is she carrying the burden of being a teenager doing her A-Levels but she has to buddy up with the new kid, is pressurised into taking a job that she really doesn’t have time for and deal with a needy best friend and quite frankly it has all got a bit much for her.
We all know an Anna – some of us might even be an Anna – which is why The Nicest Girl is so relatable. We desperately want Anna to grow a backbone and stand up for herself but know that it could come at a cost.
I really enjoyed this short YA story. It was sensitive and handled difficult issues such as toxic friendship in a really approachable way. Sophie Jo got to the crux of the issues whilst still maintaining the dignity of her characters. I did hope for more resolution from other secondary characters like Ryan and her tertiary characters (Sophie’s friends) were interesting enough to have their own plot lines explored – maybe in a multiverse or short story?
The Nicest Girl is a good, solid YA that deserves a place in all libraries.
The Nicest Girl by Sophie Jo is available now.
For more information regarding Sophie Jo (@sophiejowrites) please visit her Twitter account.
For more information regarding UCLan Publishing (@publishinguclan) please visit their Twitter account.
