This was an easy to read YA book that I definitely would have loved when I was in high school. I found Anna to be a really relatable character, even for adults.

It really took me back to my school days with this book!
Anna is such a relatable character, I found her really powerful and really enjoyed being back in the head of another teenage. I related to so much throughout this book.

A great teen fiction book with a brilliant message about looking after yourself as well as everyone else. It’s a book that will resonate with my students as it did me, reflecting on my own teenage years.

The premise of this is great - the girl who has been conditioned to never say no (which I think most of us women recognise as ourselves.)
I was immediately engrossed in this novel since Anna is such a likable character. Ienjoyed the characters and the plot, and I truly wanted things to turn out well for her. It caused me to really reflect on my own ability to say no to people.
A lovely book that addresses problems teenagers face on a daily basis.

The Nicest Girl is a very relatable read that will appeal to both older and younger readers as it discusses feelings we have all felt when growing up.

Definitely for the younger reader but I can see how this will be helpful. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for a review.

The Nicest Girl by Sophie Jo follows Sixth Former Anna Campbell on her journey to being less nice. This is not something you normally hear, someone wanting to be less nice, but how far is it before you are too nice? Anna feels taken advantage of and feels as if she is there for everyone else but does not feel the same support back for her so she ultimately takes steps to look after herself with the help of new friends along the way.

I like this book as it is a really interesting book with a great plot and I can't remember the last book I read where I could relate to the characters so much. Anna Campbell really sounds like she would be a great friend and that we would get on so well as we have so much in common. This fact that I could relate to the book so much really drawed me into the adventures. There were also the love dynamics which, like many of the books I have read, do not take centre stage but are like side dishes to add to an already very well thought out plot.

I can't really say there is anything I did not like about this book. It was a full on story of the start of Anna Campbell's journey into year 13, which I know from first hand experience is hard. Although this is just a work of fiction, we should not overlook the message. Check in with your friends as you may not know how they are truly feeling. Stress can impact us all in different ways and even the person who seems fine will have times when they are not ok. In this book, that is Anna and I'm sure we can all relate to an Anna in our lives, so be there for them.

Overall, I rate this book 3 stars as it is a good and exciting story with a great plot which I really did enjoy reading. I would recommend this book to anyone who feel that they too can be too nice at times and hopefully you will be able to connect with Anna Campbell as I was able to whilst reading this book. I would also like to thank both NetGalley and UCLan publishing for providing me with an advanced reader copy (ARC) of this book in return for an honest review.

Anna is a nice girl. Anna is agreeable, she doesn't say no, and she's there for others to the detriment of herself.

This book is such an important read for anyone who has ever felt like Anna. I sympathised so much with her. The way she would make herself smaller to not impose on anyone. How she would overanalyse everything so as not to upset anyone.

I admired the way this 17(?) year old girl strived to be more assertive with others, but also with herself. Just say no is easy enough advice to give, but difficult to implement. I was rooting for her the whole way through.

This story didn't really have any large plot points, more baby steps towards Anna being the kind of person she wanted to be.

The characters in this story are young, and that is largely reflected in their issues and responses to events. I still enjoyed this book though and would recommend it, particularly to a teenage audience.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for providing me with an e-ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

An easy read that I found relatable. As a teen, I too was afraid to say no to people just like the protagonist in this story. I feel as though this story could have helped the younger me to understand the importance of that little one-syllable word.

An easy read, that would be perfect for the younger audience. Very well structured, and I quite enjoyed it. I do feel like I was the wrong target audience for this, although I will recommend to my pupils!

Thank you to Sophie Jo and NetGalley for providing an E-arc in exchange for an honest review.

This is a story which many young girls should read however there is a distinct lack of any real movement. The story itself…. Lacks a story.

There is no real resolution and some questions are never answered, leaving it feeling much like the first few episodes of a teen series.

With that being said the novel is audience appropriate without too much focus on pop culture (besides the inclusion of a specific wrestler being mentioned - with context - there is no real forcing of ‘current’ trends or popular events).

Had the ending been stronger this would have been rated much higher.

I received this in exchange for an honest review. I will be buying this - it was a good book and well written.
Giving it four stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

I like what this had to say about standing up for yourself and not doing whatever other people want you to just to keep them happy.

Anna is nice and she soon realises that it's become a problem with her friends and life in general. This is a great YA novel which I couldn't put down. The characterisations are brill and felt I could relate to Anna. This book covers a small world and is focused on interpersonal relationships - I thought it covered the idea of being 'nice', the consequences of not asserting yourself and how it makes others feel really well. There's a lot to consider for the reader and I would have benefited from a story like this when I was younger. Navigating friendships/relationships isn't always easy and this book does a great job at highlighting that and how to overcome any bumps along the way. Highly recommended.

Ok, I'd like Sophie Jo to get out of my mind now, please. Seriously, this could have been written from my point of view.

Anna is a girl who many people will recognise. Girls are taught early to be nice and polite and helpful, and some girls find it very hard to shake that off when needed. Passive aggressiveness is a very common trait in both genders too, even though Anna obviously didn't recognise that that was what she was doing. Those parts were quite uncomfortable for me to read!

This is a great read for people who learn to say 'no' a bit more often, or for people who need to learn to hear other people's no (there's a few of those out there as well!) This would be a fantastic novel to read in school or in a book club, or just for fun as well. Brilliant.

This was much more than a story of teenage angst and fitting in. This book is one that should be read by anyone who needs to stop been the nice one. It was a really good character study.

Triggers: DEATH, DOMESTIC ABUSE

The Nicest Girl
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

I was so lucky to be sent this book before it was released! This book really appealed to me as I struggle to say no too, I couldn’t wait to read this!

Synopsis: Sixth-former Anna Campbell is the go-to girl when anyone needs anything. Teachers, friends, random strangers... It never occurred to her that she could say no. After all, Anna Campbell's always been too 'nice' to say no. But Anna is sick of being that girl, the nice girl, and she's going to do something about it. Only, is she prepared to risk losing everything she cares about - even herself - along the way...? (WHSmith)

My thoughts: Anna is such a relatable character and this book had me hooked from the start. I wanted things to work out really well for her and was invested in both the characters and the storyline. I got about halfway through the book and then couldn’t put it down! It made me think about saying no to people sometimes. The romance between Anna and Ben is so sweet. A very well-written book that tackles issues teenagers go through every day! You have to read this!

This absolutely hit a nerve with me, especially how the ending played out. Even though I not a teenager, still learning about myself! I'm wondering why there were no books like these when I was a teen, I feel like it would have helped me a lot to deal with a few things!

I have to say Anna was a bit of an annoying character, she felt a bit "whiny" to herself but she couldn't have been any different. Marla, her best friend, also learned a lesson. Very cleverly written and thought out. And I've always wondered how some people's houses feel more accepting and as a teenager mine always felt more closed in. I wonder if there is a science to explain that - I have a theory!

A great read, even for the oldies.

What do you do when everyone sees you as a bit of a doormat? This is the question that protagonist Anna Campbell is asking herself. She is there for everybody because she has a pathological inability to say no or to let people down. Not only is she carrying the burden of being a teenager doing her A-Levels but she has to buddy up with the new kid, is pressurised into taking a job that she really doesn't have time for and deal with a needy best friend and quite frankly it has all got a bit much for her.

We all know an Anna - some of us might even be an Anna - which is why The Nicest Girl is so relatable. We desperately want Anna to grow a backbone and stand up for herself but know that it could come at a cost.

I really enjoyed this short YA story. It was sensitive and handled difficult issues such as toxic friendship in a really approachable way. Sophie Jo got to the crux of the issues whilst still maintaining the dignity of her characters. I did hope for more resolution from other secondary characters like Ryan and her tertiary characters (Sophie's friends) were interesting enough to have their own plot lines explored - maybe in a multiverse or short story?

The Nicest Girl is a good, solid YA that deserves a place in all libraries.

The Nicest Girl by Sophie Jo is available now.

For more information regarding Sophie Jo (@sophiejowrites) please visit her Twitter account.

For more information regarding UCLan Publishing (@publishinguclan) please visit their Twitter account.

You know a good novel when you are sad it ended. And then go and look at what the author has to say because the acknowledgements even hit a nerve. Aside from the fact that, because I am a grown woman, I am aware me and the author aren’t really going to be best friends, the novel resonated with me. What is interesting is when you perceive yourself as “nice” sometimes you end up actually not being nice because of all the trying. All of the characters, including Anna, offer learning to the intended audience and it would be a good one to look at in smaller groups and discuss. I really really liked the ending but obviously it would spoil it to say why. When “nice” isn’t a bad thing, this is a nice book!