Jade Leigh is a nonconformist who values individuality above all else. She has a small group of like-minded Goth friends who wear black, dabble in the dark arts, and thrive outside the norm. They're considered the "freaks" of their high school. But when Jade's smart mouth lands her in trouble -- again -- her principal decides to teach her a lesson she'll never forget.
Taken to a remote location where she is strapped down and sedated, Jade wakes up in an alternate universe where she rules the school. But her best friends won't talk to her, and the people she used to hate are all Goth. Only Clarik, the mysterious new boy in town, operates outside all the cliques. And only Mercedes, the Barbie clone Jade loathes, believes that Jade's stuck in a virtual reality game -- because she's stuck there, too, now living the life of a "freak." Together, they realize they might never get back to reality...and that even if they do, things might never be the same.
(Goodreads)
So! This book had been on my TBR shelf for a hot minute and I finally decided to take the plunge and read it. I had a small idea what I was getting into... But boy was I wrong.
At its base, this book is about redemption, letting go of loss and pain. Accepting others, accepting mistakes. It's kind of profound in that way.
But the way Showalter wrote it... Really fell kind of flat. Her stereotypical use of Goth vs. Prep to show that we're all equal while maintaining out differences just didn't work out in the best way. She tried to be trendy and use hip words and slang and it was seriously so cringe-y I couldn't focus on the message of the book. Mind you the book was published in 2006... and as a goth at the time, I swear to god we did not say ANY OF THESE THINGS... To a certain extent.
But! Don't get me wrong, the book definitely had moments that were truly profound for this
“Dude. That’s because girls can’t win. If she accepts a compliment, she’s automatically considered a conceited witch. If she denies a compliment, she must have low self-esteem or she’s playing coy. If she ignores a compliment because it makes her uncomfortable, she’s got to be a total snob.” He opens his mouth, closes it. Opens, closes. “You’re...right.”Take this quote for example, this was talking about Mercedes, resident popular girl. Rival to Jude for some unknown reason other than being a cheerleader and popular. It talks about how hard it is to be a girl because literally everything we do gets nitpicked.
Though the book wasn't the absolute best... it wasn't the absolute worst either. It was absolutely stupid at times, and then very emotional at others.
The book also deals heavily with depression, at times it was highly exaggerated, but other times it was like looking at myself. It was kind of a contradicting book. It was weird.
In the end Jude realizes she's been missing out on so much in her quest to be this goth or die person. That after experience in the alternative world she realizes she has so much to do and fix. Which was actually pretty refreshing.
Overall... Not the best, could be better.
Until next time readers <3
Love Kat
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