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chronicallybookish 's review for:
Jagged Little Pill
by Eric Smith
Quick Stats
Age Rating: 14/15+
Over All: 4 stars
Plot: 3.5/5
Characters: 4.5/5
Setting: 4/5
Writing: 4/5
Special thanks to TLC Book Tours and Amulet Books for an ARC of this book! All thoughts and opinions reflected in this review are my own.
TW: sexual assault, rape, outing, religious trauma, cheating, addiction (painkillers and alcohol) + more
Alannis Morrisette’s debut album got the Mamma Mia treatment and was made into a musical. That musical got the Dear Evan Hansen treatment, and was made into a YA novel.
I think the driving force behind this novel is Alannis and her fame, however I’m not sure how affective that will be in bringing readers to this book. Most Alannis fans are older millennials and gen x, who are unlikely to be interested in reading a YA book. I picked it up because my mom was a huge fan in college, so I’m familiar with her name and music, but I’m not sure how many of today’s teens are. And, honestly, I find that disappointing, because this book was good, and I definitely recommend it—whether or not you’ve heard of Alannis Morrisette or Jagged Little Pill.
This story hits on so many hard, important topics. At it’s center, it is a story of a survivor and those around her fighting for justice, but it touches on so much more. Bella’s assault and the aftermath are the driving factor of the plot, and while nothing is directly described, it still has the potential to be triggering. However, Frankie deals with what it’s like to be a Black girl who was adopted into a white family, as well as feeling like you come in second to your sibling, and figuring out you sexuality and being closeted/coming out. Jo deals with being out in a non-accepting home and environment, and it touches on religion as a factor of that. This book tackles the #MeToo movement, race, sexuality, interracial adoption, religious trauma, addiction, and more in 300 some pages, and it manages to do all of that well, and in a way that never feels too overwhelming or heavy handed.
A large part of Frankie’s story revolves around cheating, and I really didn’t enjoy that aspect of the book. Frankie’s character started off strong, but as the book went on, she started to bug me more and more. I feel like that whole fiasco took away from the main focus of Bella, and almost undermined all the other serious issues Frankie was dealing with. And yes, I understand she did what she did because she was overwhelmed by the other things going on in her life, but to me that felt like it was used to excuse her actions. It was never made out to be “that bad” and I felt like we were supposed to feel bad for Frankie for what she was doing, and I just couldn’t.
Outside of that one storyline, I really enjoyed the book, and I do recommend it as long as you check all the trigger warnings.
Age Rating: 14/15+
Over All: 4 stars
Plot: 3.5/5
Characters: 4.5/5
Setting: 4/5
Writing: 4/5
Special thanks to TLC Book Tours and Amulet Books for an ARC of this book! All thoughts and opinions reflected in this review are my own.
TW: sexual assault, rape, outing, religious trauma, cheating, addiction (painkillers and alcohol) + more
Alannis Morrisette’s debut album got the Mamma Mia treatment and was made into a musical. That musical got the Dear Evan Hansen treatment, and was made into a YA novel.
I think the driving force behind this novel is Alannis and her fame, however I’m not sure how affective that will be in bringing readers to this book. Most Alannis fans are older millennials and gen x, who are unlikely to be interested in reading a YA book. I picked it up because my mom was a huge fan in college, so I’m familiar with her name and music, but I’m not sure how many of today’s teens are. And, honestly, I find that disappointing, because this book was good, and I definitely recommend it—whether or not you’ve heard of Alannis Morrisette or Jagged Little Pill.
This story hits on so many hard, important topics. At it’s center, it is a story of a survivor and those around her fighting for justice, but it touches on so much more. Bella’s assault and the aftermath are the driving factor of the plot, and while nothing is directly described, it still has the potential to be triggering. However, Frankie deals with what it’s like to be a Black girl who was adopted into a white family, as well as feeling like you come in second to your sibling, and figuring out you sexuality and being closeted/coming out. Jo deals with being out in a non-accepting home and environment, and it touches on religion as a factor of that. This book tackles the #MeToo movement, race, sexuality, interracial adoption, religious trauma, addiction, and more in 300 some pages, and it manages to do all of that well, and in a way that never feels too overwhelming or heavy handed.
A large part of Frankie’s story revolves around cheating, and I really didn’t enjoy that aspect of the book. Frankie’s character started off strong, but as the book went on, she started to bug me more and more. I feel like that whole fiasco took away from the main focus of Bella, and almost undermined all the other serious issues Frankie was dealing with. And yes, I understand she did what she did because she was overwhelmed by the other things going on in her life, but to me that felt like it was used to excuse her actions. It was never made out to be “that bad” and I felt like we were supposed to feel bad for Frankie for what she was doing, and I just couldn’t.
Outside of that one storyline, I really enjoyed the book, and I do recommend it as long as you check all the trigger warnings.