Who's That Girl - Blair Thornburgh

Junior Nattie McCullough is totally OK with her place in life: Latin whiz. Member of the school’s gay-straight alliance. Joni Mitchell superfan. Seventeen-year-old who has never been kissed. So when last summer’s crush and her former classmate—Young Lungs lead singer Sebastian Delacroix—comes back to town with his new hit single “Natalie,” she can’t bring herself to believe it could possibly be about her…could it?

As Nattie sorts through the evidence (the lyrics, Sebastian’s elusive text messages, and their brief romantic encounter last year), the song’s popularity skyrockets, and everyone starts speculating about “Natalie’s” identity. If that wasn’t mortifying enough, Nattie runs into another problem: her confusing, flirtation-packed feelings for her good friend Zach. With her once-average life upended, Nattie is determined to figure out once and for all if her short-lived past with Sebastian was something love songs are made of—or just a one-hit wonder.

While the protagonist in this novel is, in my opinion, exceptionally infuriating in her inability to understand the world around her, the book overall was enjoyable and funny. Thornburgh is pretty humorous as a writer, and the ways that she employs lighter moments in what could otherwise be terribly uncomfortable, situations are entertaining. 

What bugged me, however, was how Nattie treats her friends, particularly the two Zach's--well, actually mostly Zach the Anarchist (the nickname will make sense after you read the book). She treats him like an object and abuses their relationship for her own means. She also thinks a LOT of herself, seeing herself in the song and assuming everyone will know who she is even though it's obvious to anyone else that nobody else has a freakin' clue!

Now, the obliviousness and manipulative nature of Nattie aside, I really did enjoy the book. It was nice to see a book end mostly happily for once. Thornburgh's discussion and inclusion of queer/trans content was done with more nuance than I had been expecting from the first few chapters. In the end, it's an impressive book, and one that many teens will enjoy, I'm sure!

Recommended

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