Review : Confessions of An Angry Girl by Louise Rozett

Summary (from Goodreads)

Title : Confessions of An Angry Girl (Confessions #1)
Author : Louise Rozett
Publisher : Harlequin Teen
Publication Date : August 28th 2012
Goodreads - The Book Depository

Rose Zarelli, self-proclaimed word geek and angry girl, has some confessions to make

…1. I'm livid all the time. Why? My dad died. My mom barely talks. My brother abandoned us. I think I'm allowed to be irate, don't you?

2. I make people furious regularly. Want an example? I kissed Jamie Forta, a badass guy who might be dating a cheerleader. She is now enraged and out for blood. Mine.

3. High school might as well be Mars. My best friend has been replaced by an alien, and I see red all the time. (Mars is red and "seeing red" means being angry—get it?)

Here are some other vocab words that describe my life: Inadequate. Insufferable. Intolerable.

(Don't know what they mean? Look them up yourself.)

(Sorry. That was rude.)


Personal Thoughts

I mentally prepared myself before going into this book, expecting an angry teenager who whines and complains at every single problem she faces. I was actually taken aback, in a good way, by the surprising amount of depth this book possessed. Basically, this was the story of a girl trying to find where she fits in. 

Rose has a lot going on in her life. Her dad recently passed away unexpectedly, her mom is going through depression and her brother left her mother and her alone to fend for themselves. As a result, Rose is in a constant state of fury. 

I can't say for sure that I connected with Rose's character, but I did like being inside her head. I could understand the ire she had for everyone. Things weren't easy for her and she was young, so she had no idea on how to control her anger. I was surprised by how much I enjoyed Rose. She might have had anger issues, but deep down she was a genuinely sweet girl. What I loved the most about her was her devotion to her friend, Tracy. Even when she and Tracy were going through a rocky phase, she supported her friend no matter what. Rose was an honest girl who was never scared to voice out her opinions. If she didn't approve of Tracy's decisions, she never hesitated to express her displeasure. In that way, Tracy was bold, in my opinion. It's very easy to like a character who knows how to stand up for herself and for what's right. I can't really say much about the secondary characters, because they didn't possess as much depth and maturity as Rose, making them unmemorable.

The book actually tackled a few different themes ranging from friendship to bullying. I was amazed by the numerous lessons the book spread. Throughout the book, the reader gets to see Rose grows from a naive teenager to a mature young girl. I enjoyed seeing her grow and become a lot more stronger than she already was. The romance was one of my favorite parts of the book. Rose and Jaimie forged a new friendship before jumping into a relationship. It was fun to see them learn about each other and see their friendship bloom into a romance. The writing in the book was wonderful. Although the book involved serious issues, the author did a great job at keeping the reader entertained in the form of Rose's snark and humor. I thought Louise Rozett really managed to capture the voice of a 14 year old in a realistic way.

Confessions of An Angry Girl is a book I believe that will mostly appeal to a younger audience, although I'm sure that even adults can learn something from this knowledgeable book. It might seem like a light story on the surface, but don't let the fun sounding blurb mislead you. It's got a lot more depth than that.

Rating

Cover : 4/5
Plot : 3/5
Characters : 3/5
Writing : 4/5

Actual Rating : 3.5/5