Diary of a Confused Feminist

Diary of a Confused Feminist

by Kate Weston

4 out of 5

 Synopsis
Kat wants to do GOOD FEMINISM, although she's not always sure what that means. She also wants to be a writer, get together with Hot Josh (is this a feminist ambition?), win at her coursework and not make a TOTAL EMBARRASSMENT of herself at all times.

But the path to true feminism is filled with mortifying incidents and when everything at school starts to get a bit too much, Kat knows she's lost her way, and the only way forward is to ask for help . . .

Join Kat AKA the Confused Feminist as she navigates EVERYTHING from menstrual cups and mental health to Instagram likes and #TimesUp in her HILARIOUS, OUTRAGEOUS and VERY EMBARRASSING diary.



Review
Everything is changing for Kat. As she nears 16, with her trusty friends, she feels completely clueless.

 I received a free copy from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

 Well this was an interesting book.
I really struggled with it, and could not stand the first 50-60 %. I was so close to DNF-ing, and did a lot of skim reading.
Our narrator is Kat, and as you may have guessed, this is her diary. I like the content, that Kat is trying to find her way through life as a teenager, constantly thinking she's doing it wrong. She's passionate about being a feminist, but doesn't always know how it's supposed to work, and always tries some wobbly rules. Kat and her friends are always trying to weigh their feminism against their natural teenage awkwardness of their looks and crushes.

 What didn't work for me was the execution.
The narrative is her stream of consciousness, jumping from one thought to another without warning, and with a lot of drama.
The "diary entries" are repetitive, and who on earth does separate entries for every new thought a minute.
It was all chaotic and made my head hurt. I was so ready to put it aside and mark it up as not-for-me; but I saw some other reviews raving about how emotional it was. Intrigued, I ploughed on.
When I got to 50%, I was still wondering when this was going to happen and in what form.
Kat was still angry at her crush for dating the Queen Bee; and that her friends had boyfriends and she was getting left behind...

 I've got to say that it was remarkably moving portrayal of someone dealing with anxiety.
It is such a stunning reflection of the problem, and the stigma attached to mental health.
Kat is a perfectly normal girl, with normal drama in her life. She has great friends, and a loving family who support her no matter what. This does not mean she is exempt from depression.
It's something that she hides behind smiles and being the "funny-feminist-one", but it is slowly getting the better of her.

 I was so proud of Kat speaking up about her problems. I relate quite strongly with this, and wish I had talked about it sooner.
I love that her family and friends fully embrace her problems and research what they can do to help her, no matter how small the gesture seems.
I like the final result, which focusses on Kat feeling more confident in herself, instead of some stereotype of judging her worth by "winning the boy".

 This started a 1-star, and finished a 5-star. Now I'm confused.



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