I first read Divergent when the films came out and instantly fell in love with Veronica Roth’s writing and storytelling ability. So I was beyond thrilled to receive a review copy for her next book.

This was different, but in a good way. It was a super unique twist on Dystopian fiction. The world building was incredible, with so many little details to make the setting come to life.

One thing I will say is that it’s marketed as an adult book, but to me it felt more Young Adult. I can’t put my finger on why, but I think it may have been down to the writing style, and how it felt quite juvenile. Apart from that, I loved it.

Thank you to Netgalley, the author and publisher, for a chance to read and review this book.

Veronica Roth is an author whose writing journey I have followed since her Divergent series, I actually only recently watched the film adaptations, and I was really excited that she was bringing out a new adult novel. ⁣
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As always the writing sucked me in and I read Poster Girl very quickly. The main character was not without her flaws which made for a really dynamic read. I always enjoy a character that grapple with their internal conflicts and that are a walking contradiction.⁣
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Poster Girl follows Sonya whose face everybody has seen spread across propaganda for the political party called The Delegation. The Delegation setup Insight; a constant surveillance AI in the form of an implant. Set after The Delegation fell from power, their most loyal members now live in Aperture (a prison) just outside the city. Insight has been disabled. Due to her role, Sonya is stuck in Aperture and has been imprisoned there for 10 years. An old enemy comes to make a deal for her freedom; she needs to find a missing child. Sonya takes the deal and through her investigation she comes cross disturbing knowledge, dark secrets that have been altered and covered up. Has the Insight truly gone? What does this all mean? As the former poster girl for The Delegation, what is her true role in all of this? ⁣
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Unfortunately, Poster Girl fell flat for me. I wanted more from it. Though Poster Girl is marketed as an Adult novel, it felt more YA to me and I think this is because the writing lacked depth of detail. For a political dystopian novel, it was a tad too basic and the ending was too tidy. For this reason my rating is a 3 star.

I enjoyed this, but it felt like so much more could have been done with it! It had so much promise but I just felt some of the story fell flat and I've heard it before. I think I held a lot of hopes on this one because of how much I've enjoyed Roth's work in the past.

This is a dystopian novel which actually focuses on the aftermath of the fall of a dystopian society where everyone was watched by the government through an insight, much like a microchip. The further I read with this book, the better it got and I enjoyed it more. I think the author has set the bar high here.

Veronica Roth knows how to write dystopian fiction! Ten years on from the toppling of ‘The Delegation’, Sonya must try and solve the mystery of a missing girl & also come to terms with what The Delegation was and it’s meaning to her.
I really enjoyed this book!

Veronica Roth's Poster Girl is the first book I've read by the author, and what a book! Roth's adult dystopian novel is set in a post-surveillance society, featuring the literal "poster girl" of the previous regime - Sonya Kantor.

We follow Sonya as she lives in the Aperture, a specially designed prison for the remnants of the Delegation. Poster Girl is the story of one young woman as she struggles to find herself - her identity and her role in life - in a society that has moved on without her. The novel cleverly and gently discusses topics such as surveillance and digital identities, suicide, societal and economic disparities, and how it feels to live in a world which no longer makes sense.

Roth's writing lends itself very well to film adaptation, in the way the author build us a world and almost places us inside it right alongside the main character. The lead herself, Sonya, had the potential to be an incredible unlikeable character, and while she was certainly a naive teen, as a woman her character is strong yet sensitive. I loved that Sonya was able to look back on the mistakes she had made as a child (and even as an adult) and recognise and make an effort to grow from those errors. She wasn't whiny or self-absorbed as a lot of characters in this sort of setting end up coming across, and I really enjoyed the chemistry between her and Alexander.

Overall, this was a very well written and engaging novel, about a young woman struggling to find and accept who she is in a post-surveillance world that has moved on without her. I would highly recommend this to anyone who loves dystopian or speculative fiction, with sci-fi elements and in depth characters.

"She's a speck of dust here, unobserved and unremarked upon. Everywhere, in every direction, is emptiness. Everywhere, in every direction, is freedom."

onya was the poster girl for the dictatorship that was the Delegation, a government which tracked everything everybody did by the use of an implant in the eye offering 24/7 surveillance and a rewards system based on individuals actions. However, when the Delegation are overthrown those associated with them are imprisoned in the Aperture. Sonya has accepted this life, until she is offered an opportunity to leave and return the normal world in exchange for helping to find a missing girl.

I found this a little bit too similar to the Divergent and Maze Runner series’ although the premise is pretty good. I also struggled to really connect with the characters and didn’t form any bonds with anybody in particular.
It wasn’t bad but I don’t think it will be as popular as divergent but maybe I’ll be proven wrong

roth has really matured as a writer and this new novel proves as much. her writing should definitely appeal to fans of ya who are looking for a dystopian novel with a slower pace (at first).

3.5 Stars - Insightful twist on what comes after the dystopia

I was aware of Veronica Roth as the author of the Divergent series but had never read anything by her before. So, I was rather curious to remedy this and thought that the premise for "Poster Girl" sounded great: Sonya used to be the literal poster girl for "The Delegation" your typical repressive dystopian regime. It was her face on every wall surrounded by slogans to support the system and she was chosen because her father was a promiment member of said system.

Fast forward and it is 10 years after this system has been toppled and replaced by - well, another system that (not surprisingly) does not really do a great job of providing good, happy lives for its citizens.
All of those former prominent and/or faithful members of the Delegation have been more or less locked into a ghetto consisting of 4 houses with only the very bare minimum needed for living and no perspective of ever being let out into the world.

Sonya lives her life as good as she can, but the lack of perspective clearly is weighing on her more and more, and at a very convenient time an offer reaches her: she may leave the ghetto every day to search for a missing girl and if she succeeds this will gain her freedom to start a new life.

Now, if you wonder why on earth she would be tasked basically out of the blue with something she has no experience with or competence in - I did wonder, but luckily there is a plausible explanatation for it that is presented rather late in the plot. Still, my main qualms with this otherwise very promising story were the sometimes very, very flimsy foundations for the plot.
For example, a central technological aspect that is crucial to the plot is the "Insight", an implanted device everybody in the Delegation received that served as a projector of information in your eye but also functioned as a camera to basically monitor every single step of every citizen. Well, the details of the technology as it is being described does not really make sense and it also is strangely advanced for a society that otherwise seems to be using the same technology as we are using today.

So, you really mustn't look too close there, I really don't think technology is Roth's forte. (I kind of had to laugh at the description of Sonya fixing an old radio by soldering around in it. Clearly Roth has no idea how this stuff works and therefore is not able to provide any realistic description.)

However, where this book truly shines is another aspect:
The way the Delegation worked was that people's behaviour was constantly monitored (via their Insights) and almost anything you could do would be either rewarded or punished using a virtual currency (Desirability Coin), depending on if that action was considered desirable by the regime. Helping an old lady over the street: get some DesCoin. Swear loudly: pay some DesCoin. Inform the regime about the illegal activities of your neighbours: get plenty of DesCoin! Have premarital sex: big DesCoin deduction.
Roth captures very insightfully and precisely just what kind of conditioning becomes possible with such a system and what it does to a society. Even 10 years later, Sonya is constantly thinking about whether something she is doing would be awarded or punished and how much DesCoin it would be, which rings absolutely true.

The pacing is rather languid although there is quite a lot going on and Sonya does make some unexpected discoveries on her quest to find the missing girl. Maybe it is not surprising that those discoveries are of a magnitude that could topple society once again - that kind of goes with dystopian novels, doesn't it?

All in all, this was insightful and enjoyable with some flaws. I'm sure fans of Roth will be eating this one up and it would make a good movie as well.

I have received an advance review copy via NetGalley from the publisher and voluntarily provide my honest opinion. Thank you very much!

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the early access!

I didn't expect to like this book.

The story starts with our MC, who has been imprisoned after a revolution, and after 10 years she is given the chance of freedom - if she can find a missing girl who was stolen from her parents.

The writing was beautiful, the characters were all written extremely well, the description and feeling of the world was amazing.

Sonya is the former poster girl for the Delegation, an oppressive regime that has now fallen, and she has been imprisoned in the Aperture for 10 years. An old enemy comes with a proposal for freedom. As long as she finds a girl that was taken from her parents by the old regime.

Solemn and sharp prose, with a dystopian vibe being a constant melody, brutal honesty the bass. Poignant, with a feeling of technological nostalgia. Gifting us a few gasps along the way. The descriptions present several unexpected small details, that give you an insight into the environment but still let's your imagination roam, along with the 'everyday life' snippets as to what the world looks like. The thought process of Sonya's POV flowing in the story is so realistic with its back and forth, questions and conclusion, dipping into the well of her emotions with clarity.

A commentary on ideals, morality and ethics. What are they and according to whom? Freedom of choice. A need to belong. How much of ourselves should we give to society? The fear and need for change.

There is a tension, an apprehension that leads to suspense with the gradual build-up even though it was quite slow. I needed more oomph from the narrative, more to happen, more intensity even though there is no denying that the writing is good.

This is a slow burner with an engaging premise, gazing behind the curtain of the 'Big Brotherness" of society.

Set at dystopia version of Seattle Portland, people lived under constant surveillance in the form of Insight. This is an eyes implant for tracking people behaviors and give them score for rewards and punishment based on Delegation's regulation.
Sonya was former poster girl for Delegation. After a revolution and Delegation fell she spent her life at the Aperture, a apartment prison when other people now free from Insight.

The premise is really intriguing. The topic is thoughts provoking and relates with our real technology development. I always enjoy the author storytelling style since Divergent trilogy. The characters isnt unique but I care enough to finished her stories. I struggled to dive into the worldbuilding with minimum information about it. Extra details explaination about it will enrich our reading experience.

Thank you Netgalley and Hodder &Stoughton for provided my copy. My thoughts are my own

This is what Bianca was talking about in 10 Things I Hate About You when wondering if you could be ‘whelmed’ as well as over/underwhelmed.

Marketed as Roth’s adult debut, it does not read as such. I want to know it it was the authors desire to write an adult book or if her publisher was pushing her to do so…because this book honestly just read as your typical YA heroine in a dystopian world, except she is in her mid-twenties.

The characters lack depth, the regime is nothing new, the twists and turns are unsurprising. The atmosphere of a dystopian future is non existent compared to other books. The logic behind the plot and happenings are also lacking. However despite this, I was kept intrigued for the most part and it was a page turner, just a forgettable one.

Enjoy the ride and don’t expect too much. An absolutely fine book but nothing life-changing.

This is a fast read with a scary topic that sometimes feels a little too close to home. It’s almost uncomfortably thought-provoking at times, and I suppose that’s a good thing in a way.

Roth knows how to write a fast paced page turner, and there are semblances to Hunger Games and 1984 here, which can be both a good thing and a bad thing. A bad thing in that it doesn’t quite feel unique and new. It’s more like reused ideas in a way. But she does it well and this is an entertaining read.

It lacks a bit of worldbuilding and the chemistry between the characters are a bit nonexistent, but all in all, this is a decent read with plenty of entertainment value. Not the best book of 2022, but definitely not the worst. I’d recommend it to anyone who enjoys YA dystopia.
I would have

Set in dystopian world, not before or during the revolution but after.. always an interesting starting point.

We join Sonya who is imprisoned in the Aperture, and has been for 10 years. Once the uprising happened, anyone who was part of, or worked with, the Delegation before the Revolution was placed in the Aperture to live out the rest of their lives. Only now are people who were considered children at the time of their capture being released, but Sonya is just too old for that.

Sonya was literally the face of the Delegation, agreeing to be on their propaganda posters. The world at that time was based on a reward system of DesCoin where points were gained, or lost, based on behaviours. All behaviours, thoughts and actions were tracked using an Insight implanted in everyone at a young age, a strict way of controlling the population at large.

Sonya is given a task, find a child who was taken from their family years before under the Delegations rules that no family was allowed a second child, unless express permission was obtained. If Sonya succeeds, this could be her way out of the Aperture.

Even though its been so long since the fall, Sonya has never been in the world without the behaviour measurement system of DesCoin and does struggle with adapting. She is assisted in this investigation by a childhood family friend who also works for the current leaders, the Triumvirate.

Along the way, we learn facts and uncover secrets about the past and Sonya is forced to reevaluate what she knows.

Another great dystopian book from Roth!

Summary: Poster Girl is a book in which we follow out main character Sonya. A woman who when she was young, was the face on the propaganda poster for her old government which has since been overthrown. Sonya and many other leaders are placed in a prison called the Aperture and we follow Sonya as she receives an opportunity to leave, but in order to do so, must challenge all her preconceived ideas about her life before the uprising.

Review: I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book and i’m not even that big of a fan usually when it comes to dystopian! I thought the story and design of the government system, especially the Delegation. I thought it was a very interesting take on how technology can become so pervasive and widespread. I thought it was VERY interesting to have s main character so morally-grey and it’s the first time i’ve seen a main character actually root for the bad guy at first which made for some amazing character development.

The characters were brilliantly written, (I definitely had a crush on Knox), but I did find myself lacking in the excitement for the romance but that’s usually the reaction I have.

Overall, I really enjoyed reading this book on the way to and from my university campus! A real solid 4/5 from me, and i’m really holding out for a sequel :)

I was completely addicted to this from start to finish. You didn’t only get the interesting aspects of a post rebellion and the pov of someone who was brought up on the wrong side. You also got to see how the main character realised how her previous world was wrong and all the hurt that came with it, read this in less that 24 hours, possibly my favourite Veronica Roth book

I’ve been really enjoying Roth’s adult novels and Poster Girl was no exception. I haven’t read a dystopian novel that’s hit me quite as hard since I read Orwell’s 1984 and in many ways this is 1984 for a new generation. It’s disturbing and enthralling at the same time, with the added benefit of being a thriller and a mystery. As always, Roth doesn’t just write to entertain, she’s looking at some gritty and hard hitting themes. Just how much rot is baked into the system? What price is personal freedom and what price is government sanctioned safety? And in the end, who is really responsible for change? This was a great book.

3.5 stars
I was slightly wary when I started reading Poster Girl. I had absolutely disliked the ending of the Divergent series years ago and the writing/world-building wasn't that good. But in many ways, this book was a pleasant surprise. Veronica Roth's writing has improved quite a lot, and the world-building was good too; however, certain things left me a little bit confused.

To me, the most interesting part about this book was how it showcased the aftermath of a rebellion and how it affects everyone. For that reason, I really enjoyed reading through Sonya's perspective and to see her viewpoints slowly change. Her character development is also done pretty well and I like how Roth wrote her. In terms of the other characters, they felt a little flat to me. I felt like more could have been done with them and that would have added depth to the story.

All in all, I think this was a really written dystopia (if you're comparing it to Divergent), and I'd recommend you'd give it a try.

I knew I would enjoy Poster Girl by Veronica Roth since I’ve enjoyed Roth’s work before, but I honestly liked it way more than anticipated!

The whole story and world were so much more complex than I initially imagined. I loved all of the character development and just found Sonya to be a character I really wanted to get behind. She’s really naive at times, but it was so interesting to see a flawed but likeable character in a dystopian world where they’re so evidently a product of the regimes and propaganda.

Would highly recommend this one!