This lost me on the first page as a reader. Seriously, some people need to think about adulting before they think about feminism, a bit like walking before you can run. This fails at that first hurdle.

This book is intended for teenage readers but I wouldn't give it to my daughter to read. It is intended to be funny but it manages to appear misogynistic and I got the impression that the writer really doesn't like teenagers at all. As I read it, I began to think that Kate Weston might be a nom de plume for some bitter, choleric old male teacher but I'm sure she's a perfectly genuine author and this book just misses the targets.

The central characters are three girls just starting in year eleven so around sixteen years of age. One of them, Kat, is the narrator and her best friends are Sam and Millie. The book opens with them making a feeble allegedly feminist protest at school then they have long discussions about menstruation and a series of supposedly jokey situations ensure, while all the while agonising about whether boys fancy them. Much of the plot revolves around their bête noire, Trudy, who is having some kind of relationship with Josh who Kat desperately fancies.

Kat is permanently embarrassed and can't seem to have a sensible meeting or conversation with anyone because she is obviously a 'confused' adolescent. She is obsessed with her body, periods, menstrual cups and these things are always getting her into amusing scrapes, if you find that kind of thing funny. At the end, Josh gets involved in the scandal sending pictures of his penis to people and so Kat gets her own back on Trudy and, allegedly, suddenly finds a little more self-confidence.

And, that's about it. The book ends with Kat providing a few semi-humorous tips presumably intended for younger female readers who have previously been denigrated for a couple of hundred pages about the impossibility of them thinking politically while encouraged to be anxious about their bodies, and made to think that periods are a guilty secret or comic!

I don't think that the book intends to be thought of like this. It is meant to be comic and fun and, in its own way, to encourage young women to be more confident. However, it misses its target when so many young people are active politically about climate change, and most of them go to schools which are co-educational and where they can have much more normal relationships with boys than perhaps their parents did and can resist drooling girly conversations in the toilets. Maybe, the world is moving on at last.

I really, really struggled to enjoy this novel. I was particularly excited for Diary of a Confused Feminist as it sounded just like something my teenage self would have appreciated and adored but somehow it seemed to miss the mark a bit.
This novel reminded me of the Georgia Nicholson books but almost more extreme which doesn't seem possible! There was a little too much unbelievable clumsiness and it started to feel quite repetitive early on.
There were definitely some interesting facts and I loved how Kat found out the answers for herself rather than just living in ignorance. It might provide an example to teenage girls that feel embarrassed about any burning questions they have.
One issue I had as well was the lack of diversity, the main three girls all chasing three hot guys was a bit disheartening to read as not all teen girls will be able to connect with this.
I wish I had managed to enjoy this novel more but mostly it just felt too cringy however I hope that's due to my age and that teenagers will like it more.

I came across Diary of a Confused Feminist by Kate Weston via other reviewers on NetGalley and I was immediately intrigued. Whilst it is more of a teenage read, I immediately could relate to different parts of the book and how my teen years had gone. As a debut book, Weston really has got it nailed. The way that the book went through mental health issues and then covered more light hearted
moments too. One moment I'd be laughing along with the author and then feeling totally 'wow' at what I was reading. It's an important read for teens, for parents of teens and for women of any age. I'm really happy I had seen the reviews on this one.

I had seen a lot of reviews calling this the Georgia Nichols book of our generation. It gave me a little trepidation as I went in to read this book, but I was for sure not disappointed.

Kat is a fantastic main character, and I loved her exploits with Hot Josh in mind. She's definitely earned the title of Georgia Nichols of our generation.

I also loved how it portrays mental health. It's done in a very compassionate and realistic way.

I can't recommend this book more. It's a shoe in for Book of the Year.

This is the diary of a 15 year old who navigates all the issues of the teenage years while trying to be a feminist and coping with her anxiety. She asks herself what it means to be a woman and a feminist and I found it very relatable. The style is fun, bright and engaging, even when touching the more serious topics, I'm 40 and I enjoyed reading it, I'd have loved it at 15. I recommend it for teenagers and as a light read for their parents.

Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC of this book.

I will start with the things I didn't like about this book, as they are minor. I did feel like the author couldn't completely encapsulate the voice of teenagers here, nobody says "babe" at that age (or at least not so much as these characters did) and it actually got incredibly annoying, and wasn't true to their age at all. Secondly, I am not sure if this was a proofing error, but the capitilisation every time the word "He" was used seemed vastly unnecessary, and there is definitely a gender mix up towards the end regarding the doctor.

However, this book was very easy to read, and something I would have lapped up as a teenager. The cultural references were up to date and relevant, and went down beautifully. I think we have all seen ourselves as a Kat at some point. It really touched on some hard issues, and did this delicately and well. Age range aside, I think we can all take something positive from this book.

I wasnt expecting much tbh, it seemed like the usual young girl fancies a boy at school & then goes on to make a show of herself. However, I was pleasantly surprised. The writing is great, it really brings to life some important issues, what it's like being a teenage girl, mental health & issues many people are dealing with day to day. My only negative was it ended kind of abruptly.

The subject matter brought to the pages of this book is certainly dealt with in a lighthearted manner, which should help put it in the hands of those readers for whom it is intended.
I liked the characters and the friendships, and I enjoyed the situations explored, (although I was not always convinced of the teen voice).
Thanks to NetGalley and Hodder Children's Books for providing this advance copy.

Not quite what I was expecting or my type of book, but well written and enticing enough to keep me going to the end

I think I’m a little old for this story and not in the age category this book is aimed at. I read a couple of chapters, which were well written, but didn’t finish it as it was really not for me. In the genre of women’s fiction but definitely younger women.

3.5 stars, so I rounded up to 4. I think I struggled with this one because I’m not the target audience; I haven’t been a teenage girl for a while now (sob) and I think they might enjoy this more than I did. It raises some valid points, but seems very forceful with its message/s. It had me rolling my eyes at points, and I find it hard to believe that in this day and age teenagers have the kinds of opinions that the protagonist struggles with. However, as I’ve said, I’m not a teenage girl right now. It did have some ‘Angus, Thongs...’ vibes, which I really enjoyed, and I appreciated that the author was realistic when dealing with the treatment of mental health issues.

I don't think I'm the intended audience for this book, as I found it quite vapid and childish. It wasn't particularly funny, and I didn't really enjoy it. However, it did improve as it changed from teenage rambling to a window into the struggles of mental illness. That part was very well done, and I think an important message for young people!

I found Kat very irritating and really didn't enjoy reading her inner monologue. All of the other characters seemed significantly more like I remember teenagers being, whereas Kat came across as a bit of a caricature. As the book becomes more serious, she improves slightly - but I don't think I recognised much of my own experiences in her, which is why I didn't enjoy the book as much as others might.

I received a free copy from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

This book was a delight to read! There was a point when I was crying with laughter - I really enjoyed it, although am definitely not the target audience! Think we have a successor to the Louise Rennison throne. Please make this into a series!!

Not really for my age group but ok for teens.
I did not particularly like the diary format and everything seemed over the top drama reactions to commonplace life experiences.
I didn’t find it very funny but maybe that’s me.
Skipped through most of it and gave up . Sorry not for me .
Thank you to Netgalley and publisher for an advance copy in exchange for an honest review.

This is a very relevant YA novel about the pressures facing teenagers and in particular teenage girls in the era of Instagram, snapchat and the pressure to just be more. Told in diary style it gives what feels like a very genuine insight into the mind and pressures that Kat faces with her friends, school and the minefield that is dating. This is easy to read, very relatable and I would hope reassuring.

Three friends, Kat, Millie and Sam, feel they should join the feminists movement, while also balancing school work, boys, and the bitchy girls in class. But then Kat starts worrying about what people are thinking, and whether she’ll ever find a boyfriend (and should she even be worrying about this if she’s a feminist?) and life gets too much. Will her friends rally round and help her recovery?

When I started reading the book, this wasn’t the story I was expecting, and I’m sure I’m not the ideal reader demographic, school days being well behind me, but I thoroughly enjoyed it from start to finish, I felt that Kat’s anxiety and depression was covered in a sensitive but positive way, and the story kept a good pace and a believable storyline throughout.

The characters are well created, with good dialogue between them and the bonds of friendship are clear to see.

A very enjoyable book.

I don't read a lot of YA fiction, unless its to visit books I loved in my younger years. However, when I read the blurb for this, I could not resist and was thrilled to be approved for a free copy.

Kat is a teenage girl entering year 11 and aspiring to be a feminist journalist. She is brilliantly funny while struggling with anxieties over growing up, feminism, friendships and relationships and those anxieties steadily threaten to overwhelm her as she experiences more and more panic attacks, while trying to put on a brave face at all times even when she is drowning, The 'voice' of Kat, both in speech and internal monologue is brilliantly done, making her a character that is both an individual and someone the books target audience will be able to identify with.

Kate Weston expertly describes how it feels to be trapped in your own head when self-doubt takes over and your brain convinces you that everyone you love secretly hates you or is bitterly disappointed in you. Juggling both humour and overwhelming sadness with intelligence and sensitivity; this is a fantastic YA read with relevance to adults too as we all manage to find ways to hate and doubt ourselves on a daily basis, with focus on how our brains can deceive us and how to manage our own mental health and take charge of our lives. I found myself laughing out loud at certain points in the story and crying a little as I identified with other parts of Kat's journey.

It is fantastic when a YA story can also relate to an adult audience as this one does and I would recommend it to readers 14 and up. When I first started reading, I noticed a lot of similarities between Kat and Georgia Nicholson (see Angus, Thongs and Full Frontal Snogging), however as the story continued this comparison ended as there are a lot more serious issues dealt with in Diary of a Confused Feminist. If I could travel back in time and gift my teenage self a copy of this book I would.

Thank you to #NetGalley for providing me with a free copy of #DiaryofaConfusedFeminist by Kate Weston, in exchange for an honest review.

Diary of A Confused feminist is a hilarious debut novel from Kate Weston. The novel follows 16 year old Kat Evans as she starts year 11, in the form of diary entries.

Weston manages to balance hearty humour with hard hitting issues, which will leave you both laughing and crying. Weston tells the story with the pressures of being a teenage girl in modern society, living up to her peers, her parents and more importantly, her own internal pressures. The novel takes a frank look at mental health, which I think is particularly poignant in this day and age. I would implore any budding feminist to read this novel.

After reading this, I would definitely read more from Kate Weston in the future.

Thank you to Hodder Children's Books and Hachette Children's Group for the copy of the book to review.

Genuinely hilarious.

Diary of a Confused Feminist made me laugh out loud - a lot! There are so many hilarious one liners, it's extremely quotable and for that reason alone it fully deserves 4 stars. I'm a sucker for books written in diary style and this doesn't disappoint, Kat is like a sweary Georgia Nicholson and the influence of Louise Rennison's books is clear from the start. As funny as Diary of a Confused Feminist is, it does deal with some serious topics such as mental health/anxiety, bullying, period poverty, etc. It's really refreshing to read a YA book with such genuine, solid friendships and that really shines through in this story. The amount of period positivity is such a plus, it's so amazing to hear a teenage girl talk so openly about periods in front of her dad, brother and male friend. I also love that Kat's dad is comfortable enough with himself to be able to call Leonardo DiCaprio swoon worthy (he's not wrong), it's always nice when a male character isn't riddled with toxic masculinity. I found my new favourite insult in this book, but I'm not going to spoil it for you, you'll have to find out and steal it yourself. Go on, it'll cheer you up.