Girl Against the Universe

Out of the four of Paula Stokes books that I have read so far, this one was my least favorite sadly. There were two main things that made me enjoy this book less, the first being that I didn't really love Jordy. Don't get me wrong, there is nothing wrong with him, in fact, I think me not liking him just reflects on the fact that I don't like the super nice love interests in books. I don't know what that says about me... but yeah. The other thing that just didn't resonate with me like I hoped it would was Maguire's anxiety. I think the representation of the anxiety was good, in fact, I 100% recommend this book to anyone who likes to read about main characters with anxiety. For me personally though, I couldn't connect with it much (and like how I had the issue with Jordy, I will say it definitely reflects on the fact that I have anxiety, and I am very picky about it in books). Overall, this one wasn't quite for me, but I still thought it was a decent read and would recommend it.

Maguire is a compelling character. I believe that many of us can relate to her fears of hurting loved ones and her desire to take responsibility for unlucky situations because it’s so much easier to blame herself than to accept that sometimes bad things happen to good people. And to be honest, if I were as lucky (or unlucky) as her, I might be tempted to think something out there is out to get me.

I appreciate how it takes time for Maguire to overcome her fears. She starts slowly at first. Some of the later progress may seem to come almost immediately, but there are time skips in between. The novel as a whole spans about a year and a half. In the end, Maguire isn’t entirely cured of her fears, though she reaches a point where she’s willing to take risks. This leaves us with the understanding that life isn’t perfect but there is hope.

My favorite part about this novel has to be the dialogue. It reads so naturally that I could hear the conversations taking place. Some of the best banter takes place between Maguire and her step-dad (the feels!) and between Maguire and Jade (their text messages are hilarious, as is Jade’s commentary on Maguire and Jordy’s relationship. These relationships are especially meaningful to me because they demonstrate that romance is not the center of Maguire’s world; she has healthy, visible relationships with family and friends. (Note: Maguire also has cute exchanges with her half sister, and her mother plays an important role in her life, especially in a couple scenes towards the end of the novel.)

The romance itself is slow to build. Maguire has good reason to be afraid of getting involved with someone she cares about, and Jordy is super sweet and supportive of her. They develop a strong friendship as they help each other overcome their respective fears. At times, they go through conflicts in their relationship, but they communicate with each other and acknowledge their own faults in the conflict. This helps them to move forward stronger than ever.

I recommend Girl Against the Universe to reads who enjoy a light contemporary read that addresses real-world issues like mental illness and survivor’s guilt, integrates sports (Maguire and Jordy both play tennis) and romance, and has a strong family presence.

honestly im not a reader and holy, this was such a good book. Wish there was a part 2.

This book was supa cute! Kind of cringe but not too bad. Would recommend to teenagers!!!!!

Ahoy there me mateys! Now I am not a big YA contemporary fan. When I read YA, I tend to read sci-fi or fantasy books. Occasionally I will read some historical fiction. But I have to admit that the cover for this one is what drew me in. Something about how she is sprawled on the court just made me laugh. Plus the title is silly. The premise of the book is that a teen named Maguire knows she is cursed. Bad things keep happening and the only common denominator happens to be her. So she tries to stay away from other people at all costs and fears to get close to anyone. Her mom sends her to a new therapist for help. I read this book hoping to have a fun, light-hearted read and ended up with a deeper read than I expected.

It begins with Maguire’s therapy sessions and then slowly branches out to the rest of her life. Maguire is obviously suffering from PTSD and has repetitive coping behaviors. She is utterly convinced of her curse. But with her therapist’s help she comes up with a series of personal challenges to work through her fears and help her accomplish the goal of going on a trip with her mother that involves flying. I absolutely loved that therapy is shown in a positive light. Maguire’s therapist uses cognitive behavioral therapy in a non-cookie cutter approach.

One of the challenges is to join a tennis team. It is here that the book shines. Part of that is because the author sets up characters that seem stereotypical – like the hot evil jock girl and then upsets yer expectations. I loved that these teens did have some depth to them. At the same time the characters were also light and fun. Maguire’s friendships ended up being one of the highlights of the book. A lot of the humor in the book shines in these moments.

I thought Maguire was a great protagonist and I really did care about her journey to towards improvement. Her relationship with Jordy was sweet and he ended up being kinda adorable. I thought the trope used would annoy me but it ended up being fine. I did appreciate that friendship became the focus of their relationship.

I also liked that Maguire’s relationship towards her mom and step-dad highlighted some lovely bonding moments. Maguire learns that her perceptions of them weren’t accurate. Grown-ups have fears and worries too. Also Maguire’s mom learns that her daughter has been keeping things from her and how this is handled was deftly done. It was realistic and wonderful.

I am not saying that this book is perfect. Maguire does manage to overcome her fears in a very short time-frame with many challenges being met on the first try. The boy she likes does happen to be a bit too perfect for her and she needs his help to “fix” her problems. In general, all the parents overall are too absent. And the friendships and adjustments to Maguire’s new life sometimes seemingly fall right into place.

And yet the humor, characters, and writing kept me engaged. I thought that this was a very fun read and yet also a thoughtful one as well. I got more than I expected from this one and so that was cool. I am glad I took a chance on this contemporary. Arrr!

This is my second book by this author and it won't be my last. This book is one of my favorite YA contemporaries ever. I loved Maguire from the start and cheered for her as she bravely faced her therapy challenges. Jordy and Maguire are perfect for each other, as if made to be together. I have a new book boyfriend in Jordy as I love when couples are true friends and support and put the other first when needed. Both characters have challenges and faults which made them real to me. Their growth arc and strengthening friendship was well written and paced throughout this novel.

The secondary characters also were well drawn and I do hope this author will consider bringing them back for a companion novel. I would love to get to know their story too.

The plot, without spoiling anything, kept me engaged and I looked forward to my reading time and couldn't wait to continue (only my commitment to healthy sleep stopped me each night). I thank Paula Stokes for writing this amazing book that I will treasure forever. I highly recommend this novel.

As a therapist and a jock, I have to say: Girl Against the Universe does it ALL sublimely. This is a wonderful book about therapy, love, fighting fears, winning some, losing some. Maguire is a wonderful and complicated girl. She's annoying at times, but I never ever wanted anything but roses and sunshine for this poor, traumatized heroine. Jordy, dark and mysterious at the start, becomes a boy I think every girl would swoon over. I usually cringe at how therapists are depicted in books. It's usually almost as bad as how they're depicted on TV or in movies. Dr Leed, or rather, Daniel in GATU is a marvelously, realistically drawn shrink, he's a colleague I'd love to have. All the feels here people. Great plot, great characters, great read. Paula Stokes is a master. I bow at her temple.

I really enjoyed this Paula Stokes book. I immediately identified with Maguire because of my own anxiety and depression. I thought the representation of anxiety and therapy were well done. I was specifically in love with how self-aware Maguire was but still had a hard time changing her thought patterns. I struggle with that too so I definitely identified with her on that. It felt nice to be seen and understood in that way. The romance with Jordy was sweet and I liked the way they were both working on their own issues but also helping each other.

Great