Kat is a typical teenage girl, with typical teenage problems: she wants to be a good feminist, get together with ‘Hot Josh’ ace her coursework and not embarrass herself all the time. But being a true feminist is not as easy as she thought and when everything starts to become a bit too much to handle, she knows she needs to ask for help.

Diary of a Confused Feminist is an entertaining and positive look at the trials and tribulations of being a teenage girl in today’s world. Told through 15 year old Kat’s diary entries, this book covers everything from social media to mental health, penis admin to the menstrual cup, in a sensitive but light hearted way.

The story is fantastically written and combines laugh out loud funny moments with emotional and serious topics such as bullying and anxiety. I love the positive message it is giving to young girls - be yourself, no one is perfect and there is no right way to be a good feminist!

Kat’s character was well written, and accurately portrays how many young girls feel in this social media centric world; where the pressure to look, act and be a certain way is worse than ever before. Although there were moments where Kat was insightful and confident, there were also moments where she was awkward and immature. What I liked about this book was that it said it’s okay to be all these things, because she’s young and still learning who she is. Because of these pressures Kat begins to struggle with her mental health. Personally I think Kat’s anxiety was an accurate representation. It expressed the all-encompassing nature of mental illness. The way it makes you question everything and leaves you feeling useless or worthless will likely feel relatable to anyone who has suffered from something similar.

I think it also demonstrated that the pressure to be a “good” feminist is real but that sometimes it can be confusing knowing what that looks like as it changes all the time. It’s okay to want equal opportunities but to think a boy is hot. It’s okay to not end up with the boy and accept yourself for who you are. The key message in this book is that feminism means different things to different people and that’s alright.

I don’t have a teenage girl but if I did I’d be telling her to read this book. Funny, insightful and honest.

4 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Diary of a Confused Feminist is available from 6th February.

Thank you to the NetGalley and the publisher (Hachette Children’s Group) for providing a copy. All opinions are my own and provided willingly

Diary of a Confused Feminist is this generation's 'Angus, thongs and full frontal snogging'. Its so similar that I wouldn't be surprised if the author publically confirmed it to be set in the same universe starring the next generation down from Louise Rennison's beloved characters. There's even an older sister called Jas (Georgina's best friend in Angus) and a Comedy Phil (aka Dave the Laugh). What Weston does well which updates the novel for this generation is skillfully weaves in contemporary issues (feminism, #metoo and mental health) around the comedy. I really think this is well done and deft, and ideal for 2020 teenagers.

A YA novel in the vein of Angus, Thongs and Full-Frontal Snogging updated to include the #wetoo movement, dealing with anxiety issues, being targeted by the popular gang at school and of course feminism.

I was impressed at the heart and humour of our heroine Kat as she navigates growing pains with wit and insight and insecurity. It made me chuckle a few times and wince at others. (Who wants to remember how painful secondary school could be?!)

The story does follow a few well trodden plot paths, but I was pleasantly surprised at the outcomes of many of Kat's situations. The nuggets of feminism history and activism are nicely dropped into the story in a much less heavy handed way than other books from this genre and I learned some stuff I didn't know too. I also really appreciate YA novels set in the UK. When I was growing up, I was reliant on the brilliant Judy Blume and Paula Danziger books when I was an adolescent and had to transpose my growing pains through a US filter. I recommend this for any young budding feminists in your life (that includes boys as well as girls!)

Thanks to NetGalley and Hachette Children's Group for providing an ebook copy of Diary of a Confused Feminist.

I'm not usually a reader of YA texts but this one looked irresistible - I love a funny book and this one is written by a former stand up comedian. I was intrigued about the messages about feminism being given to teens too - I am way off being the target readership for this book but the topic and the humour appealed. Given the diary format, I was hoping for a female Adrian Mole for the new generation.

This is the diary of Kat, a 15 year old girl who is struggling with Year 11 at school. She wants to spread the feminist message, but worries that she isn't great at feminism as she thinks in distinctly unsisterly ways about the school bully and boyfriend-stealer, Trudy. Her two best friends both pair off with boyfriends, leaving Kat alone and depressed. As she struggles with her mental health, she learns a lot about herself, her place in the world and how she can really make a difference.

There's loads of great things about this book. The funny bits were really funny - I did laugh out loud a couple of times. The book also has lots of really positive messages for young women, especially about female solidarity, the value of support networks and the power of friendship. An interesting reading list of feminist texts emerges through Kat's own reading choices and there is also the promotion of a period poverty charity that Kat takes to heart. All good messages in my view. I also loved Kat's family - reading this as an older woman, I really hope that I'm walking the same fine line between supportive and loving and totally embarrassing to my own kids!

The book also deals unflinchingly with teenage mental health, something approached sensitively and in detail. For me, this was another positive message, although it did make the tone of the book slightly uneven - from the slapstick elements of the opening chapters to the depths of Kat's anxiety seemed a big swerve. I'm really pleased that it was included - anxiety affects lots of young women - but I was really there for the laughs. I hope the rest of Kate Weston's readers aren't as shallow as me!

Overall, this is a witty and engaging book that is packed full of positive messages for teen girls. I'll certainly be recommending it and will look for more books by this writer.

*4.5 Stars*
This was a hilarious, refreshing, and relatable book that follows our main character Kat, who just wants to be a good feminist. Entering her GCSE year in school (important exams you take at 16 in the UK) Kat is feeling confident, she has her two best friends, supportive parents, plans for activism, and a love for writing. But as the year goes on, and her friends start getting boyfriends, and she's feeling left behind by family friends, and like she's just not clever or feminist enough, her life starts spiralling.
What I Liked:
-The writing. I don't think I've ever laughed out loud at a book, like ever. But I laughed out loud continuously throughout this book, without it feeling forced or unnatural. This was a genuinely relatable book, that never felt like it was an adult trying to write as a teenager, but just a teenagers thoughts and feelings.
-The subject matter. This book is aimed at girls from 15 to 16 and I think it hits the target market perfectly. But even at 20 I found this book to mirror my experiences and I could still connect with it. The trials and tribulations of being a teenage girl I think are pretty universal, and the ups and downs she has with her friends, family, school, and her self image were all extremely relatable. This also discusses anxiety, panic attacks, and depression which felt pretty accurate as someone who suffers with all of those. And I was thrilled that this book actually contained Kat going to therapy. The reason I gave this 4.5 Stars was because I did feel like some of the drama was petty and wasn't nearly as dramatic as it was made out to be, but I have had a very different life experience to Kat and most teenagers thanks to chronic illness, so I think that was more of a me thing than a fault of this book.
-The characters. Each character had such heart and soul in this book and they felt like completely real people. I loved Kats friends and her family as well as pretty much the whole supporting cast. I loved how supportive her family was and that her parents took her mental illness seriously. I also love how much her friends loved her and how much she loved her friends. It was so lovely to see the support Kat received and each character really jumped out from the page.
-The feminism. I think this book did a fantastic job at exploring the thoughts and feelings most people have when they start learning about feminism and become feminists. It's a total learning experience, and this book really conveyed that it's a process and no one does it perfectly. I think it will be really comforting to teenagers just entering the feminist space, and I loved everything Kate Weston had to say on feminism.
What I Didn't Like:
-Like I said, really the only thing I didn't like is at times it felt a bit too dramatic. But I had a very different high school and life experience, so I do think that it was almost certainly just a me thing. But it did take away a bit of the enjoyment for me because I did get a bit frustrated with it. I just have a very different perspective.
Overall, this is a must read book for literally anyone. I would highly recommend it to fans of Angus, Thongs, and Perfect Snogging, either the movie or book series, because it definitely had that vibe and sense of humour. I would also recommend it to anyone looking for good mental health rep, or books that discuss feminism in a very accessible way. This was such a pleasant surprise and I hope everyone picks it up.

I didn’t realise when I requested this title that the author previously was a stand up comic. That shines through in this book which is hilarious, naughty and close to the edge at times!
She writes as a teenage girl who has all the usual anxieties and pressures - however, she thinks she knows what she wants to be when she leaves school. She is also enamoured by Josh who is very attractive...

I was intrigued by the premise of this book, which looked like a YA that wants to walk the line between empathizing with and understanding feminism and the teen comedy of confusion that comes from trying to nagivate a space fraught with various social labels and associated stigmata/expectations. The opening page looked like a bingo -- that's it, that's the feminist Adrian Mole girl book! Or so I hoped. I was disappointed as soon as actual character interaction kicked in: whenever the book stepped away from the format of funny textposts, and had to move actual characters along, it became a comedy that was falling flat on its face (sometimes literally). It gave me honest-to-god second hand embarrassment. I tried to stick along for longer in hopes that there will be some genuineness to this "how do I feminism" ironic self-questioning, but alas. More stick figure slapstick, more cringe.

This was a very funny book. From the very start I found myself chuckling at the escapades of Kat and her two best friends Sam and Millie. I also loved the 'voice' of Kat - she is so astute and unique that she comes across loud and clear. I definitely would have wanted a friend like her in school!

What I loved about the book was that it brought up mental health and the issues young people face now - particularly anxieties which are aggravated or created through social media.
It felt a little too 'perfect' in that she had a supportive and open family and any issues she had with her friends seemed to resolve themselves much quicker than I felt was realistic (working in an all girls school myself means I see some serious grudges but Kat and her friends seem much more mature than maybe their ages suggest). I also think that more often than not teenagers would be far less open about their mental health struggles.
However, by portraying an open dynamic I think it models excellent behaviour and would encourage young readers to do the same.

Kat was definitely a confused feminist as she seemed to misunderstand that it is about equality but aligned it with notions such as not being able to think about a boy she liked as it made her a bad feminist. It was lovely to see her journey into a greater understanding not only of feminism but of herself.

I have already pre-ordered a copy for my school library.

Thanks to Hodder Children's and Netgalley for the chance to read this ARC.

Whilst I’m a couple of decades above the target teenage audience for this book, I did enjoy it. It shows the importance of friendship and the difficulties we all encounter in growing up and working out who we are, and what our place in the world is. Social media now has a huge part to play in this, and this book shows how that can have positive and negative consequences. I did laugh out loud at a few places, and would recommend it to teenage readers.

Kat and her friends are working their way through a school year, who will get a boyfriend? Will Kat manage to ask about her Friday feminist report for the school paper? Who is Josh? Why is Trudy so mean?

If you want to know the answers to these questions and have a giggle or two on the way then give this book a go.

I adored Diary of a Confused Feminist! It has the perfect tone for young women struggling to come to terms with who they are - a good balance of serious stuff and some fab laughs throughout.
My only (sort of) negative is that Kat’s clumsiness is a bit full on at the beginning and then just disappears altogether? It would’ve been good to have seen that element still in play throughout the book and seeing her handle it better because of the steps she had taken.

To be honest, I was surprised how much I enjoyed this book. From the blurb, I was a little concerned that Diary of a Confused Feminist was going to be one of those YAs, using 'feminism' as little more than a buzzword because being woke is so in right now.

The first few chapters are a little awkward and far from subtle, but thankfully Weston soon finds her stride and Kat's story develops into a hilarious and heart-breaking tale of embarrassment, friendship and self-confidence. Don't get me wrong, this is not a book without flaws - some of the prose (especially the dialogue) is a little clunky and expositional, and a few of the slapstick moments were all too predictable - but there's a lot to be said for a book that can make you feel quite as much as this one. It's hilarious and highly relatable, featuring one of the most engaging representations of anxiety I've seen in YA lately.

I laughed, I cried - Diary of a Confused Feminist is a hell of a ride, a book I'd highly recommend.

I liked the idea of this book, but felt a bit underwhelmed by it to begin with. Klutzy girl repeatedly embarrasses herself heinously in front of boy she fancies - yeah, whatever. Fifteen year old Kat lurches from embarrassment to embarrassment with a bit of feminist anxiety overlaid on top: lots of falling over and period/boob related awkward incidents. I feel this sort of thing has been done a LOT. Also, gay male best friend: check. Main character making lists of things she doesn’t like about her appearance: check. Friends getting boyfriends while she’s left out in the cold: check.

As the book goes on Kat struggles with her mental health and self image in a way which I’m sure will be relatable for many, and tries to understand what being a feminist really means for her. The mental health stuff is quite well done - Kat is fortunate to be well supported by (most of) those around her and as compulsive behaviours go, hers is pretty mild, but that’s not meant to devalue the difficulties she experiences.

We have a likeable gay character in neighbour Matt, but any queer female representation or even acknowledgement is absent, which is a shame. (There’s one glancing reference very near the end, as if the author suddenly realised this.)

I think as a teenager I would have longed for and loved this book; I’m far too old for the target market, but I did enjoy it.

I'm not the target audience for this book as I was a teenager a long time ago but wanted to read it to see how feminism and growing up in a digital world is dealt with in YA literature.
I sincerely hope most books are like this one; Ms Weston manages to be warm and wise with her writing, and adds a lot of humour which made me laugh out loud! I will be recommending it to all the teenagers I know.
Thank you to netgalley and Hachette children's group for an advance copy of this book.

It’s not often you read a book that includes the phrase, ‘You never know what’s going on in someone’s pants.’ However, Kate Weston has done it, so brava Kate Weston.

Now I’ve made you all want to read it, there’s a lot of other stuff to love about Diary of a Confused Feminist. The heroine, Kat, lives with her successful scientist mum (nice to see a bit of a change to the usual tropes there) her Dad, a comedy writer who appears to specialise in Dad jokes, her bathroom-hogging little brother Freddie and an adorable labrador called Bea. She also has anxiety and depression and is struggling to stay on top of her GCSE English coursework as well as her feminist activism while dreaming of becoming a top journalist. She’s worried about being single and maintaining her friendships with Sam and Millie who seem to be maturing faster than her.

This is a lovely and important book that’s a bit like Jacqueline Wilson’s Girls in Trouble series and a bit more like Ros Asquith’s bestselling Teenage Worrier series from the 80s and 90s, with a much-needed 2020s reboot. Buy it for your teenage feminists immediately.

A lot better than I thought it would be, to be honest. Although it is marketed as a Young Adult book it is a great read for teens and adults alike; reading it as an adult it immediately took me back to being a teen at school and I connected easily with the characters, recognizing things that happened in my own teenage years. Without giving too much away, the book is especially relevant just now with all the talk around periods and period poverty, really helping to explain some of the issues and why work is needed in the area in a way that is easy to understand and take on board, as well as being very honest about teenage mental health and the stresses and embarrassments that everyone goes through. The characters manage to give a lot of support and empathy both to each other and, in turn, to the reader in among the laughs along the way.

It's the kind of book that I wish was around back when I was fifteen, dealing with teenage life and worrying about all the things that Kat worries about. It helps to know you're not alone.

Diary of a Confused Feminist was good but probably not a book I will purchase because it felt a bit young for me.

Kat is trying to be a GOOD feminist but she isn't entirely sure what that means. In the mean time she is struggling with her exams and not entirely humiliating herself in front of her crush. Life as a teenager is hard and when it all gets a bit much she knows she needs to ask for some help.

I think part of the reason I struggled with this book was that I had seen comparisons to Angus, Thongs and Full Frontal Snogging prior to reading it and I loved that book as a teenager. When I began reading this I was expecting similar laugh out loud humour. It was funny but didn't make me cry with laughter. Although I did have a childish snigger to the 'Power to the fanny' remark.

"The plan was to support the #MeToo #TimesUP movements and look just like the glitzy celebs arriving on the red carpet at the Golden Globes last year. Though in the picture we posted on Insta this morning I looked more like a goth who'd been at the red wine. Already an old lush at 16."

Having said that, I thought the representation of someone living with anxiety and the general teenage angst was represented well and read true to life.

"I also worry that no one else worries quite as much as I do. I don't think my friends worry as much as this, and I don't know why I worry more than everyone else."

in theory this book should have ticked a lot of boxes for me but in reality it just wasn't for me. However, judging from the reviews of other readers I am obviously missing something. Maybe on another day in a different mood would feel differently. I just think that at almost 35 I am probably too far off the target audience and shouldn't have requested it.

If you want a great throw back to your teenage years or something to get your daughter then this is perfect. Its witty, full of heart and on point.

It really reminded me of Angus, thongs and full frontal snogging (there was even mention of a cat named Angus and one of her friends had an older sister called Jas..) but had the addition of google searches/results and social media posts. I laughed every few pages, even at 30 I could still relate to some of the issues raised.

Her feelings about reading her mums back catalogues of Jilly Cooper at the age of 12 and on yoga videos really matched my own views …
‘This mornings yoga Video has a handy bit of meditation at the end. Frankly though I’m finding the yoga lady’s soothing voice is:
Making me angry
Filling me with hatred
Making me fear for my sanity’

The book also tackles the very real struggle that teenage girls face with anxiety which I thought was brilliant.

I really hope that this is made into a series as I would love to follow the girls as they grow!

An excellent look at the confusing world having to be navigated by teenage girls.

Kat is coming up to her 16th birthday, and she's determined to become an exemplary feminist. The trouble is that everyone around her is coupling up, the boy she likes seems unattainable and she's beginning to feel overwhelmed with everything she needs to do just to be a "proper woman."

On the surface of it this was a lovely light read with plenty of humour and slapstick, but the detail with which Weston tackled Kat's spiralling mental health and feelings of inadequacy were fairly spot on. To the point that Kat's anxiety is all too tangible.

A good read touching on lots of issues faced by teenagers today.

This is such a funny and entertaining book, and it beautiful illustrates how utterly awkward it is to be a teenager. With some serious Louise Rennison vibes, its the kind of book I loved reading as a teen, updated for the snapchat generation. Whilst there's no doubt the primary intended audience are teenage girls, I'd not hesitate to recommend it to their parents, for a glimpse of the challenges teenagers face every day. Particularly because growing up seems to have drastically changed in the past 10 years, now that our entire lives can be carried in our pockets.

Kat made me cringe on so many levels, because it was like walking back into being 15 again. She has all the same worries that I did, at one point worrying that she worries more than other people, something I distinctly remember being aware of at her age. Her fears that her friends like each other more, that she will never get a boyfriend, never get a job, all of them incredibly relatable. Her complete inability to be anywhere near the boy she likes, without glowing lobster red and doing something silly, made me howl with laughter, because I really don't miss those days at all.

I adored her friendship with Sam and Millie, it felt really healthy and genuine. There were none of the toxic undercurrents that occasionally seep into YA books, they were just three friends, navigating their teens together. I love that they mostly communicated affectively, and were quickly willing to admit to each other when they were wrong, or say sorry when they had argued. Their friendship is the heart of the novel, and I definitely would have loved to be a member of their gang when I was their age.

Kat's parents were my actual favourite. Perhaps its a sign that I'm a bit older, but they just made me laugh, and I really hope I can have a similar sense of humour about things when I have my own family. I thought they handled everything that was thrown at them perfectly, and Kat's dad in particular, was an absolute knight when it came to helping her through her anxieties. I thought that the portrayal of anxiety was really accurate, in both the descriptions and the way it manifests itself. The excellent mix of humour, blended with this spot on depiction, really made the book stand out.

The really entertaining undercurrent to the book, is Kat and her friends attempt to navigate modern feminist. It's completely true that the constantly evolving feminist movement can be confusing at times, we all want equal rights for women, but how we achieve that isn't always as clear cut as you might think. Kat's mistake's and lessons throughout are hilarious, and I'd think that everyone can relate to at least some of the situations she finds herself in. For me, the ultimate feminist message comes at the end of the book, it was so great to see Kat just learn to appreciate how wonderful she is. She didn't end up with the guy, she didn't constantly need to find a different boy to lust over, she was just happy to be with her family and her friends, whilst learning to love herself again.

This is definitely the kind of book I would want in the hands of my teenager. It's written in a way that should resonate with teen's, whilst delivering some important messages in a light hearted and witty way.