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Candace Bushnell, the #1 New York Times bestselling author of Sex and the City, and Katie Cotugno, New York Times bestselling author of 99 Days, team up to write a smart, feminist novel about a girl who fights to expose sexism at her school after a run-in with a predatory teacher.
It starts before you can even remember: You learn the rules for being a girl. . . .
Marin has always been good at navigating these unspoken guidelines. A star student and editor of the school paper, she dreams of getting into Brown University. Marin’s future seems bright—and her young, charismatic English teacher, Mr. Beckett, is always quick to admire her writing and talk books with her.
But when “Bex” takes things too far and comes on to Marin, she’s shocked and horrified. Had she somehow led him on? Was it her fault?
When Marin works up the courage to tell the administration what happened, no one believes her. She’s forced to face Bex in class every day. Except now, he has an ax to grind.
But Marin isn’t about to back down. She uses the school newspaper to fight back and she starts a feminist book club at school. She finds allies in the most unexpected people, like “slutty” Gray Kendall, who she’d always dismissed as just another lacrosse bro. As things heat up at school and in her personal life, Marin must figure out how to take back the power and write her own rules.
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Praise for Rules for Being a Girl:
“I loved this book. It’s teen girls fighting for what they deserve! What more could you want?” – Bookish Rantings
“The authors write a convincing teen exploring the complex, frequently sexist social norms that girls and women navigate daily.” – Publisher’s Weekly
“I loved this novel right from the moment I read the first page. Rules For Being A Girl is such an important book for emerging women to read..
Bushnell & Cotugno have written a novel that is a must-read for all teenage girls on the cusp of womanhood. It is a novel that will encourage them to think of the type of woman they want to be; as well as how they could respond to patriarchal assumptions and expectations.” — Colline’s Blog
“A light read about a heavy topic.”– KIRKUS
“As much as some people would like to deny it, women are still at a disadvantage in so many areas of life inhabited by both men and women. A prime example in this book is the school uniform. Boys wear pants and shirts and that’s that. But girls, oh boy, heaven forbid your skirt is shorter than your fingertips, and how dare you wear knee-high socks instead of full stockings? You might distract the boys. Heavens, imagine the uproar if you wore a tank top.
I highly recommend this book to anyone looking for a quick and easy read that will give their sense of girl power a bit of a boost.” – Write, Read, Repeat
“Marin knows exactly how her senior year is going to go. She’ll crush it as editor of the school paper, impress her passionate young English teacher, and score an acceptance to Brown, her dream school. Everything seems to be going according to plan, too—that English teacher, Mr. Beckett, or Bex, is especially encouraging. He tells Marin her writing is mature, gives her rides, and offers to write her a recommendation to Brown. But when he completely crosses a physical line, a horrified Marin reports it, only to find herself with no support. The administration is reluctant to take action, her boyfriend is hostile, and her best friend thinks she’s looking for attention. As Bex retaliates, Marin searches for allies and takes matters into her own hands. Like Jennifer Mathieu’s Moxie (2017), this is a blistering look at a girl who, when her eyes are opened by an injustice, reacts by taking action. The ground it covers is well-trod in YA, but it’s still needed, and readers will be glad for this take from two powerhouse creators.” – BOOKLIST