Thanks to ABRAMS Kids/Amulet Books for providing me with an e-ARC of this via NetGalley!

This was...not what I was expecting. Okay, let me qualify that statement. To be fair, I hadn't really expected much of this book. Given the title and the reviews I'd been looking at, I gathered that it was a contemporary about slut-shaming in a high-school setting. And it was about that, but it was also way larger in scope than I thought. First and foremost, I wanna say that the messages The Accidental Bad Girl puts forth are unabashed and unapologetic. Kendall's character arc is well-done and, I have to admit, pretty badass. The ending in particular is a nice moment that's a succinct rebuttal of rape culture and slut-shaming and gender double standards. That being said, I think this book was way too plot-heavy for my taste. Frankly, the plot was exhausting. Past a certain point in the story the plot revelations were just never-ending: one revelation would lead to the next would lead to the next would lead to the next so that by the end I just felt spent. And it wasn't just the amount of plot that I had a problem with, it was also the content of the plot itself. The climactic scene in the end in particular felt like it was straining for a grandiosity that it just didn't have. Above all, though, I think my biggest qualm with The Accidental Bad Girl is that I couldn't tell what kind of book it was trying to be. At times it felt like your regular contemporary, others like a mystery/thriller, sometimes veering into detective or action-y territory. To put it simply, I understood where it wanted to go, but I didn't understand how it got there.

Despite its flaws, The Accidental Bad Girl was a compelling read. It moves along quickly and has a pretty fierce protagonist. If you want to read a feminist takedown of the notion of the "bad girl" in society, The Accidental Bad Girl is the book for you.

Trigger Warnings: Drugs, Rape, Slut Shaming.

The cover of this is really intriguing by the way. I also want to mention that the Author Note put a smile on my face.
“Dear Reader, If you’re like me you like Veronica Mars, Gone Girl...snappy dialogue girls who refuse to be put into little boxes, and books that tell twisty stories that also an emotional punch.”
This made me automatically fall in love with the Author.

The protagonist, Kendall starts her senior year being ostracized by her school because she was caught with her ex-bestfriend’s boyfriend. It also addresses Rape and Slut shaming in the most educated and well written way. It’s quite refreshing to (finally) see this topic depicted properly and delivered perfectly in a novel.

This novel is dark, twisty, Empowering Feminist tones, and addicting. The protagonist is incredibly BADASS and she doesn’t once slut shame herself for not being a virgin. She also has many great friends that are girls who are also lovable characters. The book discusses major topics of what it’s like to be a girl and being criticized for everything you do.


This novel is such a fun, fast paced thriller filled with mysteries and plot twists that I’m sure you’ll enjoy. GIRL EMPOWERMENT ALL THE WAY!

*Thanks to the Publisher and Netgalley for the ebook*

8 stars- This book was simply brilliant. Teen drama, angst, mixed with romance, suspense and a lot of action. this is a book that I am so glad I did not pass up on. Maxine Kaplan is one of my new favorite authors.

The Accidental Bad Girl is a book that almost slipped under my radar. With a blurb that promises entertaining drama and not much else, I think I was expecting to find this one good but not great. A three-star read in the making. And those stories have merit, don’t get me wrong. But honestly? It was so much better than that.

I think one of my favorite things about this book, in general, is how it subverts and plays with genre expectations. I liked that this book subtly subverts the usual character dynamics of good girl and slut. I love that despite a premise that leaves a perfect opening for girl hate, this book never gets dragged under, and our lead has several great girl friends. I love that the lead of this book is not a virgin and never shamed herself for not being one. And I love the feminism; there is a tirade against rape culture here hidden under the facade of simple good girl to bad girl drama. Perhaps that’s the best tagline for this book: a lot of depth under a facade of innocent drama.

On the topic of the lead of this book, she is such a badass. I love her. I’m pretty sure I was screaming “iconic” at almost everything she did in this book. like, if any of you remember my literal prereview from right as I finished this book:

"the main character of this book is possibly one of the most iconic of all time I love her I would die for her and I would protect her with my own body but she'd definitely be better at protecting herself than I would be at protecting her so I'll let her handle it herself"
yeah. she's great.

The side characters are just as compelling; there are around seven major side characters, and every single one has some kind of narrative sympathy or agency within the narrative. [Simone is, obviously, my favorite.]

I honestly don’t know what to say about this one, because it is not what you are going to expect. The Accidental Bad Girl is a strange mix of mystery and contemporary with several clever plot reveals that kind of flipped what I thought I was reading on its head. The Accidental Bad Girl is subversive, dimensional, and totally addicting. Definitely worth a try.

Accidental Bad Girl by Maxine Kaplan (May 15)
Overview: Kendall never intends to wind up getting blackmailed by a drug dealer or wrapped up in a massive police sting. She also never imagines that she'll fully regain her reputation or self confidence after the scandal that marked the end of junior year. But all of these things and more happen in this action packed, New York City thriller. Overall: 4

Characters: 4 I was actually surprised by the nuance of the characters in the book. I waffled on Kendall at first, as I wondered if she would gain more depth, but with every quarter, it turned out, I found a new layer of Kendall hidden in the pages. The other characters present their own share of interesting details and surprising twists. Kendall's new friend, Simone, who has plenty of controversy of her own, grounds the story when it tries to take off into a spinning whirlwind, and she grew to be my favorite. She contributes an extra depth to an otherwise beach-ready thriller.

Plot: 4 There's something to be said for the serious action in this book! Even though it's quite lengthy at 384 pages, I finished it in two days, kickstarting my reading again after a bit of a slump. Sometimes, you just need a good thriller with a new twist at the start of every chapter to keep you on your toes.

Writing: 4 I enjoyed the book for it's adrenaline rush and constant questions. There were moments throughout that were infused with a more serious depth, and, while I appreciate the effort from Kaplan, I do not believe that it was consistent enough throughout the book to really give the story the emotional gravity to catapult it to the next level. This isn't to take away from how much fun I had reading it, though!

I liked the spin on the book but it wasn't my cup of tea. The main character was super self absorbed and didn't have the best flow. I liked the spin at the end though.

The Accidental Bad Girl is a fun misnomer even in just the name.

Kendall is a bad girl, but by no accident really.

She decides to have sex with her friend's boyfriend while they are "on break" but in the most interesting places - until they get caught by the entire senior class with their pants down in the gym. Literally.

Then someone hacks her social media account and she spends all summer trying to move on.

School resumes with her getting beat up, roped into drug dealing and using and a whole other host of problems.

While at first it seemed it might be an interesting foray into the NYC prep school life, it turned out to just be sex and drugs and a completely unbelievable story line.

This book started out with a bang which quickly turned into a silly storyline.

I am not sure how to describe this book except to say that it is a weird mixture of social theme issues and silliness. At times, this book felt very serious, tackling serious YA issues and then POOF! would just go off on a silly plot line that was not needed nor appreciated.

It ruined the whole story for me.

Kendall is used to scandal. She starts her senior year being ostracized at her private school because she was caught sleeping with her ex-best friend's boyfriend. Kendall is attacked in the school bathroom one afternoon by another girl, and upon further investigation, discovers that her online identity has been hacked and she is being framed for stealing from a local drug dealer. He offers her an ultimatum--find out who really stole from him or he will ruin her life. Kendall has to make a choice about who she is and what she is willing to do to fulfill her goals.

The Accidental Bad Girl is unapologetically brutal in it's treatment of drugs, rape, and treatment of women. While I loved the mystery and action, and I appreciate the way rape and slut shaming are addressed, I don't fully believe that Kendall's character sends the right message.