Hey friends! 

Today I am here to share with you my thoughts for TAKE THREE GIRLS written by Fiona Wood, Cath Crowley and Simmone Howell. This is a #loveozya collaboration between three fantastic authors and I was lucky enough to be invited for the blog tour of this gorgeous read, so let’s just get started with the review! 

About the book. 

{ writing }

The book was divided into three POVs from each of the main characters, and each author wrote one, I presume! I thought the authors integrated so seamlessly with each other and it was impossible to tell who wrote what, which I consider a very impressive feat! I loved how the book also included other little multi-media formats such as journal entries and the wellness tasks they were set because I love different multi-media in books and it adds context and interest instead of boring words on a page.

My criticisms for the writing would be that it was slow in the beginning and took me a while to get into. There wasn’t that much of a climax and the rising action was a little slow to develop and it was a fairly chunky book too.

{ idea + plot }

I enjoyed the idea, but I can’t say I loved it. 

The focus on female friendships and girls supporting and uplifting each other was so heartwarming and an aspect that really needs to be a bigger part of YA. I loved how romance didn’t become a big focus of this book as that would have left me feeling cheated (which it didn’t!)

It also felt very real to me, especially in the issues it dealt with AND how it dealt with them. It focused on all types of tricky relationships, familial, romantic and friendships! I could relate to the hard choices the girls often had to make and as a teenager, about the same age as the main characters, their thoughts and feelings were often similar to mine.

I loved how it was set in my hometown Melbourne, but at the same time, I found it a little hard to relate because I don’t go to boarding school OR an all-girls school. This however, is a highly subjective element. 

Also, can we talk about how it addressed cyber-bullying, fat shaming, slut shaming and so many more issues so well? Praise these three lovely ladies for their wonderful insight! 

In saying all this, it didn’t have that spark, unfortunately. The idea had been done before and the take on it wasn’t all that interesting, but yes, it was still enjoyable.

The plot plodded along fairly slowly and there was often a lack of tension and action in the book. I didn’t like how it didn’t focus on finding out the creators of PSST till the very end and by then, it felt a bit like a tack on? I feel this book did lack quite a bit in plot, BUUUTTT I guess you could say it made up for it in character development. 

{ characters }

The characters are the best and biggest part of the book! I loved them all, especially Kate, probably because I related to her the most. They were all so different, yet they were so unique and I liked how they didn’t fit clichéd stereotypes and were actually their own individual person. 

The character development of the three girls was very impressive but they didn’t change so drastically that it felt out of place and ridiculous. It felt natural and more like they were opening up to each other than really changing, which I feel is the best type of character development. 

{ finally… }

I enjoyed this! I can’t say I loved it but it was definitely a solid and heart-warming read and I know a lot of my other blogger friends have also read and really enjoyed this! Make sure to pick up a copy when the book comes out whether it be buying or borrowing it and support these three lovely ladies!

Have you read Take Three Girls? What did you think? And what do you think of author collabs? And make sure to check out the other blogs participating in this blog tour as well!