A Review of Around the Way Girl by Monica Leonelle, is a YA Paranormal Romance that is a stand-out read! It is quickly becoming one of my favorites and I am so happy to have discovered this series by Monica Leonelle.
After reading this book, I immediately went out and bought the first two books in the series, Arguably and Possibly.
The series follows the adventures of college freshman, Lizzie who has a hard time fitting in. She has a hard time relating to people and as a result, she keeps to herself and avoids socialization. She has a habit of going around the way girl, a term she coined to refer to herself. She is a bit of a loner and she is the only one that sees the otherworldly creatures that call the town of Small Town, North Carolina home. Lizzie is also the only person in her family who can see and interact with the long gone gypsies who once populated the area. The book follows as Lizzie, who is also known as the way girl, meets a new group of friends and slowly starts to fit in with her group of friends. She finally starts to see herself in a different light and her self-confidence is boosted. Lizzie discovers that with hard work, she can achieve anything and become the fighter that she always dreamed of becoming.
What’s it about?
The book follows Lizzie who has a hard time fitting in at college. She is shy and doesn’t have many friends. One day, she sees a group of students from her English class walking around the way girl and she quickly comes up with the term that describes herself. Lizzie is an avid reader and as such, she spends a lot of time in the library. On one day, she meets a group of people that change her life for better and for worse. They help to boost her self-confidence so much that she becomes the fighter that she always dreamed of becoming.
Although this book is only about 125 pages long, it packs quite a punch! It has an easy-to-read style while also having enough depth to keep you entertained and wanting more! The story follows Lizzie who is struggling as it relates to fitting into college life. She has trouble connecting with people because they don’t understand her or what’s going on with her family history. As a result, Lizzie is an introvert who mostly keeps to herself during college hours but then starts making friends when studying them helps her see herself in a different light.
The characters
Lizzie is a great protagonist and I loved her for who she was. She was witty, intelligent and humble. The supporting characters were so well developed that they all seemed like people from the real world. They felt so alive and their personalities were just as important to Lizzie as Lizzie herself.
I love how the author put in depth details about the creatures of the town and how it impacted Lizzie’s life, making this book seem so real!
ASL- A Review of Around the Way Girl by Monica Leonelle
A Review of Around the Way Girl by Monica Leonelle, is a YA Paranormal Romance that is a stand-out read! It is quickly becoming one of my favorites and I am so happy to have discovered this series by Monica Leonelle. After reading this book, I immediately went out and bought the first two books in the series, Arguably and Possibly. The series follows the adventures of college freshman, Lizzie who has a hard time fitting in. She has a hard time relating to people and as a result, she keeps to herself and avoids socialization. She has a habit of going around the way girl, a term she coined to refer to herself. She is a bit of a loner and she is the only one that sees the otherworldly creatures that call the town of Small Town, North Carolina home. Lizzie is also the only person in her family who can see and interact with
The Setting
The book’s setting is Lizzie’s small town, North Carolina. This is the only place that Lizzie has ever known and so many of her memories are of Small Town. It is also where she feels most comfortable and safe. She loves the people that she knows in her small town and it is where she feels like she belongs. If you ever walked around a small town and found yourself not knowing anyone, it would be like walking around a foreign country for Lizzie. Her entire world in this novel takes place in her small town and since the gypsies are gone on her end, the only otherworldly beings that live there with her are the creatures who once inhabited the area long ago. At least they aren’t as scary as they used to be when they were more bold with their appearances.
Lizzie’s family is also very important to this story because they have always been there for her, no matter what. Even though they don’t know what she can see or do, they support her wholeheartedly and love her unconditionally even if sometimes it is hard to understand why Lizzie doesn’t just come out with everything right away.
In addition to the gypsies being gone, Lizzie’s parents have passed away leaving a huge void in Lizzie’s life which leads to even more self-doubt and anxiety from time to time but luckily new friends help fill up some of those lonely times for Lizzie.
The Proposal
Lizzie has a proposal for the group of friends she is making. Her proposal is that they ignore all of their differences and become one team. This is something that Lizzie feels like she needs in her life to make things better. She wants them to stop thinking about anything that could cause friction, and just focus on what would make them stronger together. Lizzie believes that if they work together as one, no one can break them up because their powers are too strong.
In the end, the girls decide to go with Lizzie’s proposal and allow themselves to flow with each other in order to form a tight bond that will never be broken apart. The novel concludes on a positive note with them united as a team and fighting together against the dark beings that threaten Small Town, North Carolina.
Plot Twist
This book has a few twists. In the beginning of the book, Lizzie is deemed as not a human and is taken to meet her maker by a group of people who are called The Elders. She is then given a choice of who she wants to be with in these last moments of her life. She chooses to be with Aiden, but was able to convince him that there must be more than this world and they are meant for something else. The rest, you will have to read the book to find out!
The importance of digital marketing: 6 reasons why it is important
Final Thoughts
This book is a great read for young people looking for a contemporary romance that has just enough paranormal elements to make it interesting. This is the perfect read for anyone who likes YA fantasy or contemporary romance novels.
I definitely recommend this book and I can’t wait to see what Monica Leonelle has in store for us in the next installment!
