Review: The Mean Girl Apologies by Stephanie Monahan

The Mean Girl Apologies. 

Author: Stephanie Monahan 
Series: - 
Pages: 200 
Publisher: Entangled Embrace 
Amazon 
Release date: 2nd June 2014

Synopsis. (Goodreads) You know that catchy song you keep hearing on the radio? It’s about you. Natalie Jamison has spent five years trying to forget the girl she was in high school: popular, pretty…and, okay, mean. Now in her twenties and living once again in her small town, she’s right back where she was: following Queen Bee Amber and keeping secrets from her best friend, Sarah. Secrets like Jack Moreland. Everyone knows Jack Moreland—his new album, Good Enough, is everywhere. He’s famous. Impossibly handsome. Completely untouchable. But what none of Natalie’s old clique knows is that in high school, Natalie and Jack fell in love. And their secret relationship was incredible, painful—and earth-shattering enough to inspire an entire album. Facing friends and enemies isn’t easy, but Natalie will go to great lengths to prove she is good enough—to her friends, to herself, and most of all, to the small-town boy turned worldwide heartthrob she never forgot.

Review: 3 out of 5 stars

I’ve never been a big fan of books about mean girls, they never seem to fully redeem themselves or show true remorse but I was quite curious about The Mean Girl Apologies by Stephanie Monahan and despite liking it there was that little something missing.

Natalie Jamison was truly horrible in high school, a follower and out to prove she was better than everyone else. After moving from her small town to pursue her dream in Boston, she ends up back home in the same predicament as what she was in high school, but without her dream job and her secret boyfriend that her popular friends had no idea about.

Jack Moreland could more or less be classed as a sweet nerd back in school, not interested in hanging out with the cool crowd and constantly carrying a guitar with dreams of making it big which he now has; when his new album is released it is about the stolen moments he shared with Natalie when they were at school. Jack was a great character but I don’t feel we really get to know him at all, the page time he did have with Natalie was extremely brief and I didn’t feel the current connection.

As the story progressed we see Natalie trying to make amends for her past mistakes and behaviour and seeing her reconnecting with Jack. I feel the result of what had happened between these characters in the past was overlooked and underplayed, the resolution was made way too easy.

What I didn’t like:

** There was no angst, tension or build-up, there was more drama with the paparazzi than with the H/H

** The story was told from when they were at school and also now, I thought there was too much time with them in the past and not a lot of page time in the present; the interactions they had were brief.

** Why Natalie would reveal it was her Jack was writing and singing about when he was such a private person and not eager himself to reveal this piece of information – I personally would have been furious at her.

** Amber – Shallow and mean, she played the role to perfection.

What I liked:

** Natalie’s efforts to redeem and stand up for herself.

** The sweet cover

** Interesting secondary characters, Gillian and Sarah were nice as was Jack’s high school band members.

Overall, The Mean Girl Apologies was written well and despite a few small issues it was entertaining.

Thank you to Entangled Embrace for the opportunity to read and review The Mean Girl Apologies.

About the author: Stephanie Monahan received her degree in English Literature from Binghamton University. In addition to reading and writing, she is passionate about her dog and cat, British pop music, and the beach. Born and raised in upstate New York, Stephanie now lives in central Massachusetts with her husband. Her first book, 33 VALENTINES, was nominated for a 2013 Book of the Year award at Coffee Time Romance & More. You can find her online atwww.stephmonahan.com.