This felt like a 90s high school movie mixed with Tampa by Nutting. Predators. Predators everywhere. I was pretty grossed out the entire time. I couldn’t believe everyone’s responses to all of these crazy events. The format was interesting but made it somewhat difficult to stay engaged in the story.

I honestly gave this book a lot of time to get interesting but I had a hard time following the storyline. The description was great but the story didn’t hold my interest.

This is complicated. I don’t know about this one.

Tatum Grant was a child star (c’mon, Tatum?!?! Really?), spending her formative years on location and on various film sets. Then she got pregnant, the father an older, award winning actor.

Fifteen years after the actor’s death Tatum leaves L.A., her mother and daughter and goes off on a search for her authentic self. She uses her daughter’s ID and poses as a sixteen year old high school student at Dobson High School in the hometown of the actor, living the life of a popular teen, because she is Stockard Channing. Oh, wait until the police catch on. And did I mention she is having torrid sex with teachers and MINORS? Because she is. There are predators everywhere. This is one fucked up high school, if you’ll pardon my French. I’m sorry, they don’t offer French? Or any other classes? Because they are busy with cheerleading and sex? Got it.

What, if anything, are we to take from this? Based just on the title I would say it might just be an avenue to portray illicit, predatory sex. I didn’t really see much, if any redeeming roles for any of the mothers and daughters here. There are the LOLITAS of this world, then there is….this. I did like the use of multiple POVs, including real life stars and others in the film industry…so much better than the use of made up names that have no context.

Oh, if someone is going to college on a D1 golf scholarship, maybe they should have, I don’t know, have played golf at some point in the book? Just a thought. This was a bit of a mess.

I did really enjoy this book and found the alternating POVs really interesting but my god it was SO long!

In "American Thighs", former child star 'Tatum' Grant disguises herself as a high school student in order to be able to experience the typical adolescence that she missed out on.

I think the 3 stars is generous, and only slightly warranted for one reason: I kind of needed to know where this trainwreck was heading next so I kept turning the page.

The premise is promising but I found so many other factors unsatisfactory. For starters, despite her crazy backstory, Tatum fails as a protagonist. She's bland (admittedly this is purposeful) and then extremely unlikable. I don't mind unlikable female protagonists! But in this case I don't think it works- from the dedication and the initial part of the book I thought the goal was to create sympathy for celebrities (how they are under constant scrutiny, robbed of a sense of normalcy, etc) but Tatum makes this very difficult for reasons that would 100% be a spoiler (a predictable one at that). My main issue in fact is entirely tied to that exact spoiler - I think it's a heavy topic not handled very well.

My other criticism are a bit more due to personal preference: the bouncing between POVs get tiring/repetitive and makes it hard to care about any characters initially; I found the book to drag a bit and like it could do with a cut so that could be a factor as to why. Also slightly petty but I found the references to real life celebs lazy and not very relevant in 2024- do actual 15 year old girls still care about Demi Lovato?

The book could still probably find its own niche audience but overall I found it an uncomfortable yet dull read. I think some of the themes presented are interesting and worth discussing: the cycle of abuse; trauma; the difference in the way a male abuser is treated compared to a female abuser. I just don't think this book does a good job of having that discussion to be honest.

I received this free advance copy from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review and feedback.

American Thighs is primary the story of two women, Anissa Grant/Tatum and Taylor Ragner. Anissa is a former child actress that leaves her family and life behind in California bound for a small town in Indiana. Elkhart, IN is where Taylor is the fifteen year old most popular girl in town. The quintessential cheerleader dating the quarterback. Told in a variety of voices the story traces events as Tatum poses as high school sophomore, sixteen instead of her real age of thirty.

This book just wasn’t for me. The plot was interesting but the constant staccato formed by bouncing between characters POVs in such short bursts made it hard to initially get interested in these characters. I think lengthening and developing some of these passages would have been much less jarring.

There is a lot of overt sexualization in this book and a good bit of misogyny. The teen boys and men sexualize the girls and the girls sexualize themselves. I think the author was making a point by making this such a constant part of the storytelling, but it did begin to feel excessive. It also took a good half of the book before the action picked up. As I said, this book was just not my my cup of tea.

I received this free advance copy from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review and feedback.

American Thighs - I wasn’t sure if the title were a tribute to the song.
A child star grows up, though she was never allowed to be a child in the first place.
One of the most interesting aspects of the premise is available in the blurb, though I hope you forget about it by the time you start reading this book, just for the thrill.
I have extremely mixed feelings about this book. On the one hand, I trust Ellen’s creativity, I liked the premise, the themes, the vibes and the setting.
The abrupt cuts to different and surprise POVs is exciting, though the style, and the execution did not let these characters and the concept to live up to its full potential. The nuances and layers are a bit lacking. It is possible that some of the choices were deliberate and part of the humour/criticism, and might be appealing to the TikTok gen, though I wanted something else.

Thank you for the advance copy. I appreciate it.

American Thighs by Elizabeth Ellen is an absolute standout. The writing is raw, honest, and unapologetically real, making it a book that lingers long after you finish. Elizabeth Ellen has a unique voice that captures the complexities of life, love, and identity in a way that feels intimate and universal. The characters are vividly drawn, and their stories are full of emotion and depth. Every page is filled with sharp observations and powerful moments that resonate deeply. American Thighs is a must-read if you’re looking for a book that challenges, provokes, and ultimately moves you.

Super easy to get lost in! Celebs, gossip, relationships, and more! I enjoyed it! Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC.

This book could have been great. This book should have been loved by fans of Tom Perrotta, but I certainly didn’t find it appealing In fact, I found it confusing and FULL of names and characters and sub-plots and sub-sub-plots. OMG, and gratuitous sex that seems to point to sex as disgusting and unappetizing.

The author uses the old chestnut of reliving one’s high school experience through the eyes of a mature adult while masquerading as a teenager. This is an overused plot, but injecting inappropriate sex made me cringe.

So, for a novel that I was excited about reading, I am very disappointed. Characters with multiple names and little clarity are not a good idea.

I’m so sorry, but I really can’t recommend this book. Thank you Netgalley For providing me with this ARC.

Ellen is a very, very talented writer - which I want to make clear, because I think it was the format of the book that just didn’t work for me. There were too many voices to follow too quickly, so for me there was too much going on at once to enjoy the book properly - but Ellen’s writing is skilful, sharp and witty, so I’m sure many other readers will love this! Just not for me this time.