Book Review: The Female of the Species by Mindy McGinnis

July 28, 2017
Title: The Female of the Species
Author: Mindy McGinnis
Publisher: Katherine Tegen Books
Release Date: September 20, 2016
Length: 352 pages
Genre: YA Contemporary
Source: Purchased
Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Find it Here: Amazon // Goodreads

Alex Craft knows how to kill someone. And she doesn’t feel bad about it. When her older sister, Anna, was murdered three years ago and the killer walked free, Alex uncaged the language she knows best. The language of violence.

While her crime goes unpunished, Alex knows she can’t be trusted among other people, even in her small hometown. She relegates herself to the shadows, a girl who goes unseen in plain sight, unremarkable in the high school hallways.

But Jack Fisher sees her. He’s the guy all other guys want to be: the star athlete gunning for valedictorian with the prom queen on his arm. Guilt over the role he played the night Anna’s body was discovered hasn’t let him forget Alex over the years, and now her green eyes amid a constellation of freckles have his attention. He doesn’t want to only see Alex Craft; he wants to know her.

So does Peekay, the preacher’s kid, a girl whose identity is entangled with her dad’s job, though that does not stop her from knowing the taste of beer or missing the touch of her ex-boyfriend. When Peekay and Alex start working together at the animal shelter, a friendship forms and Alex’s protective nature extends to more than just the dogs and cats they care for.

Circumstances bring Alex, Jack, and Peekay together as their senior year unfolds. While partying one night, Alex’s darker nature breaks out, setting the teens on a collision course that will change their lives forever.
My Review:

Even though Mindy McGinnis has many book out by now, The Female of the Species is the first of her books that I've read and I only read it recently. But let me tell you I absolutely inhaled it!

“You can love someone down to their core and they can love you right back just as hard, and if you traded diaries you’d learn things you never suspected. There’s a part of everyone deep down inside of them not meant for you. And the sooner you learn that, the easier your life is gonna be.”

Alex is the main character, who's older sister was murdered a few years before. Alex believes she has this darkness inside of her that drives her to be somewhat of a vigilante. She feels like she is this dark, other person disguised as a teenage, high school senior girl. There is so much darkness in this book and McGinnis writes it beautifully!

I loved all the four main characters and how much their lives changed in their senior year. Alex tries her best to keep her darkness in check, but when she hears of bad things that have happened around town, her inner vigilante comes out. She tries to hide it from her new friends but the inevitable happens and the ending is absolutely bonkers; something I definitely did not see coming.

I highly recommend The Female of the Species by Mindy McGinnis to those who are looking for a contemporary that's a little bit darker. But just a note, it does come with a trigger warning for rape and animal cruelty. 

3 comments

  1. I’ve read two of McGinnis’s other books and enjoyed them. I’ve been slightly afraid of this one because I heard that it’s intense. Great review!

    Aj @ Read All The Things!

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    Replies
    1. It is intense! But if you're already familiar with McGinnis's writing then I would highly recommend it! Thanks for stopping by!

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  2. After just reading about her new one, this is just even more intense. She's such a talented author -- great review!

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