This just didn't work for me, I can't put my finger on why.
I do have a copy of the book so I'll try reading it and I'll see if that changes anything.

Smart, feminist-centric but also takes shots at itself.

This captured me from the get-go. Smart-mouthed and sassy teenager at a Catholic school tries everything she can to get kicked out. There are prim 'saving themselves for marriage' clubs, a roommate who can't even bring herself to say the name of her private parts and only seems to want a boyfriend out of life. Alex has to escape.

And the best way she can think of to do it? Stage a production of Eve Ensler's 'The Vagina Monologues' and force the priests to expel her. Alex is self-righteous, witty, ready for a fight. She's a little TOO clever for her years at times, I did feel it was the voice of an older person coming through, but enjoyed her character nonetheless.

This made a lot of good points about schools such as Alex's - the failure of 'abstinence only' sex education and the sort of experience teenage girls might have without a full and frank curriculum.

I loved the introduction of Alex's contemporaries, and how they changed before our eyes into fully-fleshed-out young women who weren't the cardboard cutouts Alex herself sees at the start of the story.

This made a wonderful audio read. I didn't lost track or attention. The narrator did a fantastic job with Alex, the voice was sassy and youthful, and hit the right note for this listener.

There were some touching scenes here, especially towards the ending, and some young actors I hope someday soon are tasked with bringing these students to life. It would make a wonderful film.

For ages 14 and above, some quite graphic and frank descriptions of sex, and mature themes.

With thanks to Netgalley for providing a sample audio copy.

I listened to this book on my daily walks and must have looked like a complete idiot because I just couldn't stop laughing. Alex's dry humour was hilarious and I honestly loved Mary-Kate and hockey player Pat! The narrator of the audiobook was great too!

I am really hoping for a second book around the same characters because I would really like to see how the feminist club does on their agenda and want to see more of Alex and Pat together!!

This story follows a young rebellious student who campaigns to host a performance at her Catholic conservative school relating to feminism to challenge ideas and revolutionise female talks. Not all have accepted her until her story progresses. This is a good young adult story and the writing is very witty and funny.

'Bad Habits' was an okay book that just wasn't for me I guess. I found the main character, Alex, to be incredibly unlikeable as she spent the whole book claiming she was a feminist but would then judge the girls around her because they wanted to have a boyfriend or wanted to wait to have sex until they were married. I guess the point was that at the end she would realise that her views were wrong and come to accept these other girls views but even when her best friend Mary-Kate told her that the way she judged other girls was wrong, she still continued to do so.

Mary-Kate was probably the best character in this book and she deserved a better friend than Alex, who would always ignore that Mary-Kate was having problems or needed her help and would instead focus on herself.

Maybe other people will like this book more than I did. I read the first half of this book by eBook but read the second half by audiobook and enjoyed the audiobook a lot more than the eBook and even found myself laughing sometimes, probably because of the audiobook. I don't think the story within this book was bad, I actually really enjoyed the overall story, I just really did not like the main character.

Thank you to Penguin Random House UK for providing me with an advance copy of this book via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Bad Habits tells the story of a teen determined to put on a performance of The Vagina Monologues in her Catholic boarding school. Ideal for fans of Moxie, this is everything I want from a YA contemporary: feminist, funny, rebellious and full of nuns! I listened to this on audiobook which was very entertaining, but I wasn’t fully on board with the narrator – several of the characters seemed to merge into one (especially when they were outraged or shocked by something!)

I loved this, it was perfect for a quick fast paced book to get you out of a slump. Personally, I have always loved books set in boarding schools but after a few they all merge. But this really stood out. I loved the feminist icon Alex who begins the story with a narrow view of what feminism is and by the end has come to understand.
Although this is a character driven story there was still a goal to reach for that allowed the pacing to continue at it's fast pace.
The book intrigued me at first due to the comparison to the TV show Derry Girls and I must agree that this book is perfect for fans.

PERFECT FOR FANS OF MOXIE, A FUN READ AND A GREAT AUDIOBOOK!
I definitely think this is the kind of book I would've really loved and adored as a youngling feminist. I thought the main character was a very dynamics protagonist with a lot of spunk, which truly drove the story forward with such ease. I loved the fact that while there was a romance subplot within the broader story (which felt very authentic to the main character to be fair), it never derailed the story from its real heart - female empowerment, sisterhood, social awareness and self discovery. It was really heartwarming that the real core dynamic of the story was a friendship bond, especially between two such different characters. Creative expression and activism being tied in this way in order to create change (and bringing together very different young feminists through it!) was also something I really appreciated.
That being said, while I thought the book was great and fun, managing to balance being an easy read with discussing important topics (love a good dismantling the patriarchy novel!), I did think it took the main character quite a long time to figure out feminism doesn't only uplift women who shared her own worldview and I would have liked a proper acknowledgement of intersectionality in order to steer away from white feminist territory. I also would have liked to see some closure regarding the main character's relation with her parents.
All in all, I look forward to seeing what the author does in the future.

Bad Habits is a funny YA story following Alex, a self professed rebellious feminist who is stuck at a private Catholic boarding school and is desperately trying her best to get kicked out for good. Alex is the leader of the school's Feminist Club, which is actually quite a difficult job because the school is really strict and doesn't like anyone to talk about periods, sex, relationships etc. Alex comes up with the idea of putting on a performance of The Vagina Monologues without permission in the hopes of spreading awareness of feminist issues but also to hopefully get the final boot from school. Cue the 'working with my enemies to beat the system' and 'enemies to friends' tropes as is often found in YA. Whilst the characters were very cliche and sat in very neat little boxes e.g jock, sweet catholic girl, rebel etc I still found myself liking them and thought they were written into their roles well. Alex is one of those characters that take your feelings on a rollercoaster, you can sometimes dislike her but sometimes really support her. She is one of those girls who get cast as the outsider because she doesn't fit to the norms of her peers but that Mothers would hope their daughter grows up with those traits of being independant, confident, and not afraid to be herself.
The narrator did a great job with the book and managed to pull of angsty teen believably.
I did really enjoy the book and managed to stay fairly light hearted despite it highlighting some issues that I had never even thought about before such as not being able to even learn about contraception or sexual health due to religion.

This was cute. While I didn’t find this as laugh out loud funny as other readers, I did enjoy the humorous style to the writing. It really flows easily and tells a fun and cute story, with a good dollop of friendship and a splash of romance. It was a fun afternoon of reading.

However, for me this felt to much like teen movies I have seen before. There were a lot of stereotypes and clichés and while entertaining didn’t stand out as special for me. I have met the purple haired rocker chick with a heart of gold, the boy obsessed smart girl and the sensitive and caring jock too many times. They don’t really do anything break out of these boxes. I also need to gripe a little about the portrayal of Feminism in this book particularly when it comes to separating the Main characters views from Feminism as a whole. This book is very anti-slut shaming which is awesome, it is sex positive and talks a lot about female sexuality and these are very very important! However, it does this at the expense of those who choose to abstain, for what ever reason. The main character actively ‘virgin-shames’ other characters who maybe do not have her sexual confidence or have just decided that it is not the right time, occasion for them. While the MC is called on her shit, which for me was the best part of the book, there wasn’t really enough personal growth in the MC for her to change her thinking. In fact she backs up her beliefs during the calling out and I think it messes up the messaging of the book about accepting female sexuality in all its forms.

Other than that gripe, this really was a quick, fast paced and entertaining read. I think most will find it an enjoyable read and will relate to the ladies of saint Mary’s in some way. It covers some great topics (even if I am not completely happy with its stance) that need more discussion in a light an humorous way.

The audio is a great way to consume this book. The narration is clear and really captures the tone.

Bad Habits by Flynn Meaney

Thank you to netgalley for an arc of this book!

Thank you to @TheWriteReads for another amazing blog tour, this time for Bad Habits by Flynn Meaney. I was immediately drawn to this book due to the amazing cover! The synopsis also drew me in, i love feminist stories especially in YA!

Bad Habits follows the story of rebel Alex from San Francisco, when she finds herself in elite catholic boarding school St.Marys in Minnesota. Side Note: (I also went to a catholic school called St.Marys! so i immediatley related haha). Alex is spunky, outspoken and a raging feminist in the best way, Alex makes it her mission to get expelled from St.Marys by putting on a show of The Vagina Monologues through her feminist society.

This book is such a quick read, Alex reminded me a lot of myself finding herself in a super catholic school when she really didnt want to be. The writing is funny and moments had me laughing out loud. I enjoyed a few of the side characters mainly Mary-Kate who is Alex's hopeless romantic roommate. Mary-Kate is the absolute polar opposite of Alex, she is a good girl, innocent, a great student and a rule follower but she is so sweet in every way, i couldnt help but root for her even more so that for Alex.

The book is so fun, its basically one girls exploration of how far she can go to get kicked out of her boarding school. I must admit i did get confused between all the nun and priest characters and couldnt keep up with who was who. I would have liked to have seen more of the ice hockey as that was a really fun element too. I loved the coming together at the end and the new members wanting to join the feminist club, it really felt like Alex had found her tribe and that she had a clear focus going forward. I also would have really liked more from her family as they werent mentioned too much.

All in all i would say i really enjoyed this book, it was fun, quick and everything i would have wanted to read as a teen!

**Listened to the audio book**

What was this?! I don't think the author even knows!
Firstly, the narrator of this audio book was incredibly annoying, and therefore made me dislike the central character from the get-go. I appreciate the character isn't really supposed to be likeable, but you should feel some empathy towards her.
I felt the plot was just all over the place. What was the message? What was the point? Was it about friendship? Performance? Religion? Rules? I just didn't get it! It followed too many different plot lines, and none of them were well executed.

The pacing was slow - which is usual for a YA.
I really really disliked this book! Dull, poorly written and all over the place!

This was such a great book and nothing like I expected.

I’m not a feminist 100% but do believe in equality.

This is unexpectedly set in a Catholic school of all places and you know what, it was the perfect setting. This is funny and serous all at the same time with a lifetime of learning.

The girls are great and the main character, well, what’s the difference between a rebel and someone who has strong opinions? Work that one out and you’ll fully understand these messages.

The narrator was fabulous in making each character take on a format, a body and a personality. She gave power to her voice when needed and pitched it good. Great pace on some important sentences and paragraphs.

Thoroughly enjoyed it.

Synopsis:

Bad Habits follows Alex Heck, a rebellious feminist who is desperate to get kicked out of the Catholic boarding school she attends. After being caught sneaking out of a boys room, which is strictly forbidden, Alex is angry that she is the only one punished. However, when she realises her dad has been called in her mood quickly turns around as she thinks she is finally being expelled.

This is not the case. With the help of the feminist club, of which she is the leader, she decides she is going to put on a performance of The Vagina Monologues. Hoping this will actually get her expelled Alex stops at nothing to see this plan through.

Review:

I listened to the audiobook version of Bad Habits and I actually really enjoyed it. Tanya Reynolds did a fantastic job with the narration and the pacing was spot on. I flew through this book in just two days.

Bad Habits was funny for the majority, but at times it felt a little too forced and cringey. However, this is a teen book that constantly says vagina, so what more could you expect. Don’t get me wrong this isn’t necessarily a bad thing. If anything it actually fit he story well as most of the characters were awkward teens who couldn’t even say the word and acted like it was cursing.

I enjoyed the fast pace and how quickly Iw as able to get through this. I have been in a huge reading slump lately and I’ve found that audiobooks actually help, this one especially.

Even though I enjoyed the book I did not enjoy all aspects of it. This would have been a 4/5 for me if it wasn’t for the main character.

My biggest issue with this book was that Alex thought her idea of feminism was the only valid one. She would kick up a huge fuss when any of the other girls would talk about ‘saving themselves for marriage’. She had no right to make a comment on this or tell the girls they are wrong. It has no impact on her life whatsoever. So what if they want to save themselves for marriage, it’s their choice. Isn’t feminism about the right of having a choice?

If I’m being completely honest, Alex overall was my main issue with this book. She at times was a privileged, entitled brat and it did not fit the narrative very well. She uses the other girls in the feminist club for her bidding and never asks what they want. The worse part of this being making them put on a play that they clearly were not comfortable with.

She was often a bad friend to Mary Kate, embarrassing her with tampons at the beginning and continuing to do so when Mary Kate said she was uncomfortable. Making fun of her for being boy-crazy even though that’s what most teenaged girls are like. Honestly, she was self-absorbed, selfish and overly entitled. I really did not like her character.

I was so glad when her friends finally called her out at the end of the book, but honestly, they should have done this sooner.

The secondary characters were definitely more interesting for me, Mary Kate and Katie Casey in particular. Both had more development than the main character, Mary Kate especially. I would love to see a version of this book from her perspective.

I really wanted to enjoy this book, but sadly the main character ruined it for me. I know that she realises her mistakes at the end, but come on. It happened in the very last chapter when it should have happened somewhere around the middle.

The storyline was fun and witty and I often found myself wanting to laugh at parts of this book. It reminded me a lot of Moxie by Jennifer Mathieu, but it definitely has not taken over as my top YA feminist book.

This hilarious story follows Alex, a student at St Mary's Catholic boarding school. A place she does not want to be and is only there due to her parents splitting up and her father went there. Alex is a rebel and does her best to be the total opposite of what the school believes in. After sneaking out of the boys dorm and only her being punished her father comes to the school. She's disappointed when she's not expelled and decides that she wants to be expelled and show her feminism side and put on the play The Virginia Monologues.

I absolutely loved this audiobook version. I enjoyed the narrator. Alex is sassy and daring and quite a rule breaker. Lots of funny incidents happens as she tries to get people to sign her list to get the play off the ground. From tampons, bras, vaginas this book is aimed at the young adult but I loved it and it's been a long, long time since I was that age! This book isn't going to be everyone's 'cup of tea' but if you have a dry, fun sense of humour you will love it. Brilliant characters. Lots of laugh out loud moments.