The Female of the Species

Books | Young Adult Fiction / Social Themes / Violence

4.1

(1.2K)

Mindy McGinnis

Edgar Award-winning author Mindy McGinnis delivers a riveting contemporary YA novel that examines rape culture through alternating perspectives. A stunning, unforgettable page-turner.Alex Craft knows how to kill someone. And she doesn’t feel bad about it.Three years ago, when her older sister, Anna, was murdered and the killer walked free, Alex uncaged the language she knows best—the language of violence.While her own crime goes unpunished, Alex knows she can’t be trusted among other people. Not with Jack, the star athlete who wants to really know her but still feels guilty over the role he played the night Anna’s body was discovered. And not with Peekay, the preacher’s kid with a defiant streak who befriends Alex while they volunteer at an animal shelter. Not anyone.As their senior year unfolds, Alex’s darker nature breaks out, setting these three teens on a collision course that will change their lives forever.2017 Tayshas List Selection * YALSA Top 10 Best YA Fiction of 2017 * School Libray Journal Best of 2016 * Junior Library Guild Selection * The Globe and Mail Best Books of 2016 * Bustle’s Best Young Adult Books of 2016 * Mashable’s 8 Best YA Books of 2016 * Seventeen's 10 Best YA Books of 2016 * CCBC Choices 2017 * 2018-2019 Louisiana Readers' Choice Award Nominee * 2019 & 2020 Choose to Read Ohio Booklist

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More Details:

Author

Mindy McGinnis

Pages

368

Publisher

HarperCollins

Published Date

2016-09-20

ISBN

0062320912 9780062320919

Ratings

Google: 5

Community ReviewsSee all

"Powerful and heartbreaking. "

Skye Edelson-Bennett

"Will leave you wanting more yet scared. 10/10 McGinnis knows a way with words that just*chefs kiss*"

ava🪐

"I admit I was hesitant. Now that I'm no longer a young adult, YA books don't hit like they used to, but there are still those I enjoy so I keep trying. This one is definitely a win for me. I ended up reading almost the entire book in one day, probably would have if work wasn't a necessary part of life. 10/10 recommend."

S B

Stephanie Bartley

"Not too many murder mysteries (or thrillers, I guess, since it isn’t much of a mystery as to who is doing the killing) have made me cry, but this book certainly did. 10/10 would recommend."

Cassia Santori

"Even though this novel was pretty dark, it was funny too. 9 pages in and Peekay is talking about how she shouldn’t know what a dick smells like, but she does. So yeah, I knew I would love it. Right from the first dick smell. LOL Mindy McGinnis is one of my favourites authors, though I only discovered her last year. She knows to make paint a picture, weave a story, and make you feel a personal connection to her characters. This one didn’t go how I expected and it broke my heart, but still, it was nothing short of perfect. Going onto the favourites list for sure."

Rhiannon Rabby

"For the first few chapters I was unsure where the story line would take me and then I fell. Alex's story is brilliant, sad, poignant and terrifying. McGinnis makes you fall in love with her character and then dramatically takes her away from you leaving you in a dark place that takes awhile to shake yourself loose to see the light."

Tanya Grayson Andoniadis

"This book is intense and brutal and I actually enjoyed the multiple perspectives and liked all three of the main characters and am now feeling so many things at once. <spoiler> I have mixed feelings about Alex's death. On the one hand, I wanted her to live and actually have a future since she seemed to be understanding that she needed to work on her anger taking over and controlling it. On the other hand, I'm not sure how else this book could've ended. We would be left wondering if she actually was able to control it or went back to her vigilante ways, and I wouldn't have wanted the author to rush through either of those options.</spoiler> I loved the chapter where Alex is wearing a tiara to school and just feeling that joy of friendship. Of knowing she has two girls who have her back but also be silly with. I liked seeing all of the characters grow. And I will always love an animal lover. <3"

Liesl Prentice

"no words this was so good. definitely a new favorite book & highly recommend:))"

aud

"⭐️4.5⭐️ A very important topic. Interesting/nuanced but very likeable characters (as well as sufficiently hateable “villains”). SA themes were handled well, without victim-blaming. We got to see trauma and its aftermath, as well as the healing power of love and friendship. And hey, this girl committed several murders and I’m still 100% on her side, so that’s cool. Alex isn’t even a psychopath! She’s a very kind, compassionate, understanding individual, who got super f*cking sick of the violence and injustice involved in rape/rape culture and decided to actually do something about it. This book had a rough, rough ending. I wish that Alex and Jack could have ridden off into the sunset to start their new lives, far away from the history of their hometown. But Alex died a hero, and sometimes it takes something that massive to spark change. The narrators did a good job too. I felt like their voices fit the characters very well and I was never bored while listening, despite my ADHD brain lol."

C R

Cadence Rudzinski

"This is an amazing and suspenseful book. I instantly connected with the characters and could not set it down for one minute! I strongly suggest "The Female of the Species" to everyone."

Raen Belle

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