Thanks to Netgalley for a copy of 'Diary of a confused feminist' to review.

Having been compared to the books of Louise Rennison, which I used to love when I was younger, I jumped at the chance to give this book a try.

Whilst I am perhaps not the intended audience, no longer a teenager, I still found the book entertaining and educational.

I found the book really funny and enjoyed the diary format. I also really appreciated the take on important mental health issues that are so prevalent in teenagers today.

I would definitely be recommending this girls (and boys) of around 12 and up. Almost a Judy Blume of our time!

I often read YA books however this felt a bit too young to me. I think I would have enjoyed this as a teen but it missed the mark as a 28 year old. Definately a case of its me not the book. Great for the intended audience.

It was a fun throwback to high school.

2.75, which feels kind of harsh since I did enjoy the book but I really couldn’t see past a couple of issues.
So this was a fun and engaging read that was very reminiscent of 15 year old me when I first started reading about feminism. And, unfortunately, it had the same issues that 15 year old me had when it comes to feminism.
Whilst I loved the writing style, the plot and the friendships, this was very very very cis white feminism. It was all too much ‘vagina power!!’ energy for me and I would’ve been all for it at 15 but I know better now, and 15 year olds also deserve to know better. It wouldn’t have been hard to not include a lot of the quips and references that reinforced this throughout the book and make it far more inclusive and relevant.

Loved this book and wish it had of been around when I was a teenager. It was so funny and light hearted. Loved the style of writing and how the main character went about things. Very upbeat and uplifting

I wish I had had this book as an anxious teenager. It does a great job of explaining depression and anxiety as well as the shame that often comes with it. It also shows that you can get through it and it is more than okay to ask for help.

It makes a lot of serious topics relatable and entertaining. It covers periods, friendships, crushes, bullying, anxiety around schoolwork, applying for uni and failure as well as touching on the Times Up movement and period poverty.

It made me laugh as well as cry. Definitely recommend for young readers who are struggling with the pressure of being good feminists/fighting all the injustice in the world on top of school and being teenagers.

I received a copy of the ebook via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review

This was such a funny book. Wish I had been able to read this when I was a teenager. I will be buying this for my teenage niece. Immensely enjoyable.

One of those books that I wish had been around when I was a teen - this is definitely one for our school library. I thoroughly enjoyed, and was definitely thought provoking.

Perhaps not as accessible as it could have been - maybe a little dry in places. Recommended for schools everywhere though.

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.

Firstly I would like to thank Hodder Children's Books and NetGalley for the opportunity to give a true and honest review on this YA title.

This book was not aimed at my age group however, I had hopes that the feminist message implied by it's title and blurb would offer an interesting insight for teenage girls who want to know more about feminist views and enable them to embrace those items that fitted to the direction they wanted their life to go.

Despite it briefly touching on menstrual cups and mental health (which is clearly not just a feminist issue), this read more like a teenage Bridget Jones's Diary of teenage angst. Although Kat was a likeable character I did feel she was no different to any teenage girl being brought up with a middle class family with a strong support group of friends.

The main thread of the mental health story line was well detailed but more from the standpoint of the affects of bullying than anything else. Despite the impact on her mental health however and the anxiety being caused by Kat's nemesis and her cringeworthy interaction with Tim (the masogonist) and Hot Josh. I do feel the story would have been more rounded if more of a punishment had been experienced rather than just an equal reaction of humiliation. The message of bullying not being acceptable clearly got lost in the melodrama.

I did enjoy the solidarity showed by her two friends and to be honest would have been happy to have focused on them as a unit or at least seen more of the perspective of situations from all three characters rather than just Kat. The gay best friend was a bit cliche however, it was nice to see an attempt at normalising LGBTQ+ characters in all ages of life.

Although I am not the target audience it was however a light and easy read so I have given it 3*.

I enjoyed reading 'Diary of a Confused Feminist'. I loved Kat's voice and her thoughts about 'how to be a feminist', what it means and how someone can achieve all the sometimes conflicting ideas around it. I especially loved the part about her visiting a psychologist. It explained how things work and that sometimes people need help from outside the even most understanding family. Mostly the book is utterly funny and hilarious but also thought-provoking and a really good read!

First impressions: I went into this expecting a light-hearted, funny read…and that’s what I got, at least at first. The protagonist has an informal, unique voice and I loved her descriptions of her friendship and the embarrassing situations she gets herself into (reminiscent of Geek Girl in some ways!). Yet, this book also had surprising depth to it, especially once we start discussing mental health, anxiety and the pressures that social media and maintaining an image can put on people to always be showing their ‘best’ selves.

When I was younger I thought that when I started my period I’d instantly feel like a woman. I’d feel sexy and powerful and together. But it didn’t happen. I feel like I’m still waiting for it. I’m still waiting to feel like all the other girls at school. We haven’t talked about it but I know Sam and Millie feel like women. I just feel like I’m stuck as a little girl. Like maybe I’m some kind of real-life Benjamin Button hybrid child-monster. On the outside I’m still ageing but in my head I’m going progressively backwards until I’m just eating, pooping and crying at everyone. OK. I need to grow up. I need to start doing the things that everyone else is doing. But I can’t seem to move on from being Kitty Kat. The girl whose hair people ruffle, who has a cute nickname and can’t talk to boys. Not that boys are the most important thing because I’m a feminist. Or trying to be. Why can’t someone just teach me how to do it all? A bullet pointed list of rules? So I don’t have to feel like I’m just muddling about trying to piece it all together and absolutely ALWAYS GETTING IT WRONG.



Kat wound her way into my heart very early in reading this book – it brought me back to the uncertainty of being a teenager and trying to do your best, but managing to somehow get ‘it’ wrong, whatever ‘it’ is.

I liked how the discussion of Kat’s mental health was taken seriously, and how her father immediately related to it as he had had a similar experience. Kat’s friends really are her rock, even though they are also human and don’t always make the best decisions in every situation.

This book starts off hilariously, with embarrassing incidents coming fast and thick, but it becomes much more thoughtful as the book goes on, a depth that I had not been expecting but welcomed.

This is a great book for anyone who is curious about feminism or who is looking to see a realistic portrayal of anxiety. Recommended!

I’m sitting in front of the light-up mirror at the dresser I demanded for my 5th birthday, saying that all princesses need somewhere to get pretty. Now all it’s lighting up is every massive pore, every spot and every acne scar. My greasy hair and shiny skin and the way that my forehead is too small. I look at women on Instagram who are so effortlessly beautiful and it makes me hate myself even more. I KNOW that there’s filters on those pictures, but even filters don’t make me look normal , let alone actually pretty. I need to be more like them. I know that none of this is feminist. We’re supposed to love our bodies, our faces, we’re supposed to be confident in them. That’s what feminists do. That’s what real women do. That’s what I can’t do, and that makes me even more flawed. I feel like I’m a half woman. Not quite fully good enough for the world.

What I liked: Kat’s character development throughout the book, her friendship with Sam and Millie, how supportive her parents are, the fact that she is actually taken seriously when she does finally ask for help, rather than being dismissed, the themes of fitting in and standing out and trying to be the best that you can be in a world where your actions can so easily be judged. I also liked how she engaged with the idea of feminism and what that actually means to her and the people around her.
Even better if: I can’t think of anything really, although I can imagine that many readers will want to find out more about feminism after reading this!
How you could use it in your classroom: This should be an essential part of any library catering for secondary or teenage pupils, and would be a great recommendation for anyone who has enjoyed Moxie or Pulp. Extracts from this could be used in class to start discussions about feminism and anxiety.

DNF- 20%

I could not get into this book unfortunately. I thought it was an interesting premise, and considering I am a feminist I was really excited to read this.

I found the main character really annoying, and despite her being a 'feminist' I interpreted a lot of what she was saying as girl-hate. Maybe I will pick this back up in the future, but as of right now I can't force myself to push through.

I enjoyed reading 'Diary of a Confused Feminist'. I loved Kat's voice and her thoughts about 'how to be a feminist', what it means and how someone can achieve all the sometimes conflicting ideas around it. I especially loved the part about her visiting a psychologist. It explained how things work and that sometimes people need help from outside the even most understanding family. Mostly the book is utterly funny and hilarious but also thought-provoking and a really good read!

I received a free ebook version of this book from Netgalley. Thankyou to both Netgalley and the publisher for allowing me to read this! My review is still honest.

One question: why isn't this book being talked about more? This is the kind of book that every teenage girl should read. It's incredibly relatable and even now at the age of 20, I read this and it made me feel better about myself.
Diary of a Confused Feminist follows Kat, a 15 year old girl just discovering feminism as she navigates the cruel world of being a teenager at high school. It's funny and heartbreaking in equal measure, but most of all it's very real. Kat felt like a real person with real insecurities and real issues, and I just appreciate so much that this book shows the kind of self destructive thoughts 15 year old girls are all too susceptible to have. It shows how teenage girls deal with crushes and boys and bullies and feeling left behind and image issues and unrealistic expectations online.
This book is the perfect representation of mental health issues. They're so realistic and show how overthinking can spiral and take over your life. And the best part is, this book shows how they should be dealt with! Kat's parents, family and friends have the best supportive reactions when Kat reaches out for help, and this has one of the best representations of therapy in literature that I've read about. It shows an amazing set of friendships both between females and with males and it was so healthy and wonderful. And of course, it talks about the many dilemmas of feminism. How do you be a good feminist? This book describes in depth those debates that I think so many of us have and has a really positive message.
The only thing that brings it down a little is it's a very slow start and hard to get into at first, but I soon found myself eager to read more and speeding through it. I really can't say enough good about this!

I hate this book, OK i wanted to hate this book.- well not exactly want but yes i did feel like this book wasn't for me. Why had i requested it on Netgalley now i would have to read it. Teen angst and feminism was not a mix i was looking forward to. BUT i didn't hate this book, there were some extremely hard hitting moments in this book. It made me want to laugh and it did make me cry (Ok i am a soft touch- well actually I am not}. This book is much more than you think it will be when you start, there were times when wanted to sigh but I am glad I continued with it and i got more than just a little out of it. I think it has a lot to teach teenagers trying to battle with life today..

Rating - 4.5/5

Kat is 15, entering year 11 of school and along with her friends Sam and Millie she is determined to be the perfect feminist and play her part in making a difference to the world. However, being a feminist is a struggle, especially when your friends start dating guys and you cannot get hot Josh to notice you – but a feminist shouldn’t need a man right? Or your having awful thoughts about awful Trudy – feminists shouldn’t have awful thoughts about other women, right? During her first term of year 11 we follow Kat as her life starts to spiral in ways, she didn’t expect and her perceptions about what it means to be a feminist are challenged.

I saw this book on Netgalley and requested it on a bit of a whim. The synopsis gave me vibes similar to those of the Emma Nash series by Chloe Seager and the Truly Awkward series by Beth Garrod. I assumed this book would be a combination of those with a little bit of Moxie by Jennifer Mathieu thrown in. However, the story took such an unexpected twist into the relms of Sara Bernard books with its exploration of mental health and I simply adored it.

The book begins in a very lighthearted way with Kat and her friends making a slightly failed attempt at supporting the #metoo #timesup movement. Things do not go to plan and the act of activism ends up looking like a rally support for fello student creepy Tim. This funny incident gave such an insight into how funny this book would be. I found it hilarious, I was laughing out loud and taking pictures of funny paragraphs and sending them to a friend encouraging her to read it. It really was one of the funniest books I have read this year. It also set the tone for the rest of the story where big issues were being addressed but the humor masked it and that seems to reflect Kat experiences.

We quickly see that despite starting the school year feeling positive, with the support of her friends and big plans things start to unravel for Kat. She has a couple of embarrassing experiences, then her friends Millie and Sam get boyfriends leaving her feeling pushed out. She also goes through some changes in her life that came with being 15 and has some horrible encounters with terrible Trudy, the school bully. All these small things quickly begin to mount up for Kat and before she knows it her mental health is spiraling out of control. I thought the way this book depicted this spiral was fantastic. It felt to real in how it portrayed these small things slowing mounting to become bigger issues. We also get to read Kats internal thoughts and I connected with these parts so much. We see her worry about small everyday things and read her thought process as they get darker and descend into irrational places. We then see the outward impact these thoughts have on her. I just thought the whole topic was handled sensitively, accurately and mirrored feeling and experiences I have had myself.

I think the way the book displayed the potential outcomes of these thoughts was great. It showed, although it may be hard to do, how sharing and asking for help can make a big difference. The reactions from Kat’s family and friends were lovely. It showed there is no quick fix to these problems but by simply sharing with someone it can make such a difference to the situation, again something I have experiences myself and it’s a really nice message to take away.

I also really enjoyed how Kat discovered that being a feminist may be quite difference to what she initially though. She learns that you can be a feminist but still envy your friends, still desire a boyfriend/girlfriend and still have some uncharitable thoughts about people if they are really mean! You can also care what you look like and want to feel your attractive for other people but more importantly for yourself. It just showed that its ok to do those things and they do not make you any less of a feminist for doing so.

I just adored this book and really felt it was something quite special. I think its something teens could really benefit from reading but equally anyone could read and enjoy it. If you are looking for something funny but hard hitting and impactful this book delivers that.

If you like this book, I also think you would like Beauty Broken Things by Sara Bernard and Moxie by Jennifer Mathieu and vice versa.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for proving a copy of this book for review.

My teenage daughter and I devoured this tale following the ups and downs of Kat and her besties navigating the minefield of being a "woke" teenager. There were tears of laughter as well as sadness as Weston showed the dark places your mind can take you to. Mental health, period poverty, the Times Up movements are just some of the very relevant topics that made me recommend it to my daughter but I couldn't make her read it had it not been presented in such a relatable and hilarious read.

A beautifully raw, hilariously funny 5-star read.
A relatable, immensely likeable teenage protagonist, obvious extensive research into feminism and prose surrounding mental health struggles that had me on the verge of tears because it mirrored my own past struggles.
I would recommend this book far and wide just for how it manages to turn such sensitive, multifaceted subject matter into something so brilliantly accessible and honest.

This was a good new age version of the diary novel, It reminded me of Bridget Jones' Diary and 'My Desperate Love Diary by Kelly Ann'.
The book is current and relevant for young and older audiences alike.
The beginning was a little shaky to me, purely because of all of the embarrassing incidents that the main character experiences in such a short space of time - although this could have been a deliberate way of letting us into the head of a teenage girl.
The overall premise of the book tackles some really important issues that teenagers are facing today - how to be a good feminist and person whilst navigating the drama and pains of adolescence.
For me, as an older reader the most important gain and something that I shall try to use in future is the way that the main characters' parents communicate with her and address her anxiety and depression once her struggles are revealed.
Their sensitivity as adults and the language that they use to support her are exemplary and worth taking note of.
I see the best kinds of books as not only a form of escape but also a way through which we inhabit, experience and learn new worlds and things.
Combined with some laugh out loud moments such as the main character and her best friends learning about the horrors of cystitis from their school and boyfriends, this book is a worthy read that is entertaining and life affirming.

Diary of a confused feminist by Kate Weston

The life of Kat Evans and trials faced by teenagers on a day to day basis and how overwhelming it all can be.

An ideal book for adolescents letting them know life does have its ups and downs.

Very well written and presented for modern society and social media. Though as an older reader I still enjoyed this book and in some respects adolescence doesn’t change. All the insecurities are there just technology and social media has been put into the mix. It shows it’s ok to be different and have good friends beside you.

From the opening chapter I just fell in love with this book.

I was a big fan of Angus, Thongs and Full-Frontal Snogging and Weston has brought this type of novel bang up to date for Gen Z in this enjoyable book, with added feminism. Woke. Kat Evans is definitely this generation's Georgia Nicholson.

This book is genuinely laugh out loud funny – the looks my husband gave me as I sat chuckling away in the corner! But it isn’t all laugh a minute, there’s some serious issues tackled really well – mental health, self-esteem issues, the pressures on our teens, feminism and women’s rights as well as friendship and family.

Kat is a budding feminist and wannabe journalist (hello teenage self!). She has two best friends – Sam and Millie, a fun mum and dad and annoying younger brother, a crush on the school’s pin up, a gay best friend and an arch nemesis Trudy!

I want to be friends with Kat, Sam and Millie – they very much remind me of my two best friends!

And Kat very much reminds me of myself as a 15-year-old. I had self-esteem issues, anxiety and worried that I wasn’t as grown up as my friends. I didn’t have the added pressure of social media and filters to contend with as teens do now. I enjoyed watching tv with my parents too - often thought I was a bit of a spinster haha!

Thankfully I didn’t have quite as many embarrassing mishaps in my youth – thank god I went to an all-girls school!

I can remember GCSE time being one of the most stressful times of my life – you’re juggling so much and I think we've all had many fall outs with our besties.

This is a lovely and important book that’s also a bit like Jacqueline Wilson’s Girls in Trouble series – it’s heart-warming, funny and oh my gosh so relevant!

Although there’s lots of feminist themes the book is much more than that. And although this is aimed at the YA audience I’m 31 and absolutely loved it so don’t think you have to be Gen Z to enjoy this book.