A lot better than I thought it would be, to be honest. Although it is marketed as a Young Adult book it is a great read for teens and adults alike; reading it as an adult it immediately took me back to being a teen at school and I connected easily with the characters, recognizing things that happened in my own teenage years. Without giving too much away, the book is especially relevant just now with all the talk around periods and period poverty, really helping to explain some of the issues and why work is needed in the area in a way that is easy to understand and take on board, as well as being very honest about teenage mental health and the stresses and embarrassments that everyone goes through. The characters manage to give a lot of support and empathy both to each other and, in turn, to the reader in among the laughs along the way.

It's the kind of book that I wish was around back when I was fifteen, dealing with teenage life and worrying about all the things that Kat worries about. It helps to know you're not alone.

Diary of a Confused Feminist was good but probably not a book I will purchase because it felt a bit young for me.

Kat is trying to be a GOOD feminist but she isn't entirely sure what that means. In the mean time she is struggling with her exams and not entirely humiliating herself in front of her crush. Life as a teenager is hard and when it all gets a bit much she knows she needs to ask for some help.

I think part of the reason I struggled with this book was that I had seen comparisons to Angus, Thongs and Full Frontal Snogging prior to reading it and I loved that book as a teenager. When I began reading this I was expecting similar laugh out loud humour. It was funny but didn't make me cry with laughter. Although I did have a childish snigger to the 'Power to the fanny' remark.

"The plan was to support the #MeToo #TimesUP movements and look just like the glitzy celebs arriving on the red carpet at the Golden Globes last year. Though in the picture we posted on Insta this morning I looked more like a goth who'd been at the red wine. Already an old lush at 16."

Having said that, I thought the representation of someone living with anxiety and the general teenage angst was represented well and read true to life.

"I also worry that no one else worries quite as much as I do. I don't think my friends worry as much as this, and I don't know why I worry more than everyone else."

in theory this book should have ticked a lot of boxes for me but in reality it just wasn't for me. However, judging from the reviews of other readers I am obviously missing something. Maybe on another day in a different mood would feel differently. I just think that at almost 35 I am probably too far off the target audience and shouldn't have requested it.

If you want a great throw back to your teenage years or something to get your daughter then this is perfect. Its witty, full of heart and on point.

It really reminded me of Angus, thongs and full frontal snogging (there was even mention of a cat named Angus and one of her friends had an older sister called Jas..) but had the addition of google searches/results and social media posts. I laughed every few pages, even at 30 I could still relate to some of the issues raised.

Her feelings about reading her mums back catalogues of Jilly Cooper at the age of 12 and on yoga videos really matched my own views …
‘This mornings yoga Video has a handy bit of meditation at the end. Frankly though I’m finding the yoga lady’s soothing voice is:
Making me angry
Filling me with hatred
Making me fear for my sanity’

The book also tackles the very real struggle that teenage girls face with anxiety which I thought was brilliant.

I really hope that this is made into a series as I would love to follow the girls as they grow!

An excellent look at the confusing world having to be navigated by teenage girls.

Kat is coming up to her 16th birthday, and she's determined to become an exemplary feminist. The trouble is that everyone around her is coupling up, the boy she likes seems unattainable and she's beginning to feel overwhelmed with everything she needs to do just to be a "proper woman."

On the surface of it this was a lovely light read with plenty of humour and slapstick, but the detail with which Weston tackled Kat's spiralling mental health and feelings of inadequacy were fairly spot on. To the point that Kat's anxiety is all too tangible.

A good read touching on lots of issues faced by teenagers today.

This is such a funny and entertaining book, and it beautiful illustrates how utterly awkward it is to be a teenager. With some serious Louise Rennison vibes, its the kind of book I loved reading as a teen, updated for the snapchat generation. Whilst there's no doubt the primary intended audience are teenage girls, I'd not hesitate to recommend it to their parents, for a glimpse of the challenges teenagers face every day. Particularly because growing up seems to have drastically changed in the past 10 years, now that our entire lives can be carried in our pockets.

Kat made me cringe on so many levels, because it was like walking back into being 15 again. She has all the same worries that I did, at one point worrying that she worries more than other people, something I distinctly remember being aware of at her age. Her fears that her friends like each other more, that she will never get a boyfriend, never get a job, all of them incredibly relatable. Her complete inability to be anywhere near the boy she likes, without glowing lobster red and doing something silly, made me howl with laughter, because I really don't miss those days at all.

I adored her friendship with Sam and Millie, it felt really healthy and genuine. There were none of the toxic undercurrents that occasionally seep into YA books, they were just three friends, navigating their teens together. I love that they mostly communicated affectively, and were quickly willing to admit to each other when they were wrong, or say sorry when they had argued. Their friendship is the heart of the novel, and I definitely would have loved to be a member of their gang when I was their age.

Kat's parents were my actual favourite. Perhaps its a sign that I'm a bit older, but they just made me laugh, and I really hope I can have a similar sense of humour about things when I have my own family. I thought they handled everything that was thrown at them perfectly, and Kat's dad in particular, was an absolute knight when it came to helping her through her anxieties. I thought that the portrayal of anxiety was really accurate, in both the descriptions and the way it manifests itself. The excellent mix of humour, blended with this spot on depiction, really made the book stand out.

The really entertaining undercurrent to the book, is Kat and her friends attempt to navigate modern feminist. It's completely true that the constantly evolving feminist movement can be confusing at times, we all want equal rights for women, but how we achieve that isn't always as clear cut as you might think. Kat's mistake's and lessons throughout are hilarious, and I'd think that everyone can relate to at least some of the situations she finds herself in. For me, the ultimate feminist message comes at the end of the book, it was so great to see Kat just learn to appreciate how wonderful she is. She didn't end up with the guy, she didn't constantly need to find a different boy to lust over, she was just happy to be with her family and her friends, whilst learning to love herself again.

This is definitely the kind of book I would want in the hands of my teenager. It's written in a way that should resonate with teen's, whilst delivering some important messages in a light hearted and witty way.

As a teenager I would have devoured Diary of a Confused Feminist and as an adult I loved how it allowed me to reflect on teenage friendships, worries and the pressures of growing up - and relate them to my life as a 30-something.

The novel starts of taking a lighthearted approach to being a feminist, but soon starts to explore the deeper subjects of anxiety, mental health and dealing with life's unexpected changes. The descriptions of anxiety and obsessive behaviours are very accurate and I appreciated the realistic approach to documenting CBT therapy (including the long waiting lists!). I adored the relationship that Kat had with her father and it was wonderful to see the negative male characters balanced out with positive male characters that were feminist, open to talk about mental health and supportive of the campaigning that Kat and her friends embarked on.

Although aimed at the young adult audience the novel is a great read for not so young adults (i.e me) as the subjects and emotions that it explores are still pertinent to adult life and can easily translate to the pressures of being left by friends who have kids, loneliness and adult mental health issues.

Diary of a Feminist does an excellent job of reflecting the diversity of life in the UK for young people and is very LGB inclusive, however I would have loved for some of the language to be more trans/non-binary inclusive - especially when talking about women and periods - as people who don't identify as women can also experience periods, moon cups and period poverty.

Diary of a Feminist gets 4 mooncups out of 5 from me!

Really enjoyed this book and the way it tackled some hard hitting ideas that young girl's face today.

Lots of laughs out loud parts to this book and some essential life lessons in there too.

This is definitely a book I wish I could send back to my younger self to read. This is a truly enjoyable and easy read. I have cried with laughter and sorrow throughout this book.
It's been a hard one to put down and I have really enjoyed it. It's a book I would definitely recommend.
This is my first read by this author but it definitely won't be the last. I have been utterly engrossed in this book and will definitely be recommending it. This is a book which will be useful for teenagers.

I think I am one of the few people who didn't enjoy this book as much as I had hoped. I think it's more to do with me and what I enjoy than anything particularly wrong with the book though.
It had some great banter and discusses some really important topics and I think a lot of people will really enjoy this book. It just wasn't for me.

From the start, I love that the book makes a point of saying that feminism means different things to different people and that worrying about being a 'good' feminist is not productive at all. Feminism is the main focus but it deals with more here. I know this book is called Diary of a Confused Feminist buuuut there are three brilliant points without even mentioning the brilliant feminist messages in this story. It is laugh out loud funny (I actually SNORTED), I loved the way friendship was presented in this story and It portrays mental health in a very realistic way and Kat's internal monologue is so relatable.

I loved the relationships in this book, especially Kat’s friendship with Matt and her relationship with her family. I loved her dad, especially his understanding and support. Kat, Millie and Sam are a brilliant and hilarious trio who felt like real teenagers and I wish I'd had an ounce of their conviction and outspokenness at that age. Also, I enjoyed their chat names and would leave the Nerdherd to be part of their group (Sorry Zoey Redbird)

This just wasn't... what I was hoping it would be. I was really looking for a book like the Georgia Nicholson diaries, or Dating Disasters of Emma Nash, but the humour here wasn't quite hitting the spot. Kat's narrative voice wasn't charismatic enough to carry a book of this kind, in my opinion, and some of her internal discussions about feminism seemed forced. Feminism IS undoubtedly confusing for young women, but the head-scratching here seemed over-the-top and silly (but not in a funny way). I gave it to around 30% to get going and then put it aside. No point continuing with a book that is clearly not my cup of tea.

Kat Evans is this generation's Georgia Nicholson. Weston brings the Angus, Thongs and Full-Frontal Snogging-type novel up to date for Gen Z in this enjoyable book, with added feminism. Kat is completely relatable, as are most of her worries, and the relationships are completely believable. Weston also manages a nuanced discussion of both feminism and mental health within the book. A very enjoyable read.

Kat struggles with school, her friendships and how to be a good feminist in this fantastic novel.

Kat's friends are finding boyfriends or becoming wrapped up in school. Kat, struggling in her best subject and let down by the boy she fancies, is sure she'll never catch up with them. What if they're just hanging out with her out of pity? She can't even feminist well. Who'd ever want to be friends with her?

A lot of reviewers are talking about how funny this book is. I didn't find it that funny...amusing, sure, there's some good banter, but not laugh a minute...but it doesn't need to be, and the subject matter it covers definitely doesn't need it. This book has one of the most accurate representations of anxiety I've seen recently. Kat could have been pulled from my own memories.

I love that the book makes a point of saying that feminism means different things to different people, and that worrying about being a 'good' feminist is not constructive at all. Kat worries because other women have sacrificed in order for her to be able to go to school, so if she can't go she's making a mockery of their efforts. I also loved that in the end, she overcame the bully by just not caring any more. And recovery being a back and forth process is so true as well. This book will be so helpful to so many people.

One star off, though, because throughout the book the word He was capitalized. I was reading an ARC, so maybe in the final version it will be changed or relevant in some way, but seeing all the men capitalized in a book about feminism struck a wrong chord with me.

I really enjoyed this read, and I look forward to recommending it to teens when it publishes.

I obtained this book for free via Netgalley in exchanged for an honest review #gifted

This diary belongs to Kat, 15, as she navigates the pressures of highschool and what it means to be a feminist, on her journey to become a strong, poised woman...everyone else seems to be maturing before her, will she be left behind?...

I love a diary format and a feminist read.
Feminism is the main focus but it deals with more here. Bullying, betrayal, mental health, sibling rivalry to name a few. Its direct approach to therapy refreshing.
I found it engaging, honest (there is profanity) and came through on its promise of laughs out loud.

Flaws?
I don't mind flawed characters cause they challenge your boundaries. I did find one political reference Kat made quite controversial. And she made no later attempt to apologise. With that said the book is well titled!
There was also this characterization of popular girls = the biggest bitches in school that I personally found predictable to the point of tiresome.

Overall I found it a good YA introductory to feminism.

4 star

I was very pleasantly surprised by this book! I thought it was going to be quite a predictable rom-com but was actually a very empowering story about mental health, feminism and friendship (it was also absolutely HILARIOUS).
Kat is a wonderful narrator, the tone is youthful and exuberant! At times it feels a touch immature but then you remember 16 year olds ARE immature. I think the book it's trying to remind us of that. There is so much pressure (internal And external) on young people today, this book will do a wonderful job of reminding them it is OK to not be perfect.
In terms of negatives, I feel like the ending was somewhat rushed and I really wish there had been a more realistic time frame to Kats recovery, just so readers could see its not a simple fix, but I can overlook that in light of the positives.
I think it's a great read for teenage girls, I would highly recommend it to be stocked in schools across the country :)

Kat, the heroine of "Diary of a Confused Feminist', struggles with feminism. She and her friends want to be good feminists but at the age of 15/16 they are still looking for the answer to "What a good feminist should be like?".
At the beginning all Kat's ideas of promoting feminism fail miserably, apart from that all her friends seem to find perfect boyfriends while Kat is struggling with anxiety. She doesn't feel woman enough to be liked by a nice boy and at some point she doesn't even feel feminine enough to be a good feminist. With help from her friends, family and her therapist Kat finally overcomes her depression and anxiety to be strong enough to write a feminist blog and start a successful school campaign that fights with period poverty.

I cried with laughter, I cried with sorrow. If I had a time machine, I'd definitely send a copy of this back to my teenage self. Here are three reasons I loved Diary of a Confused Feminist (and think everyone should pre-order it now!)

1) It's laugh out loud funny. I made the mistake of reading it while sitting by my toddler, waiting for him to fall asleep, and had to stop because I was in danger of waking him up even more; I just couldn't stop giggling!

2) It portrays mental health in a very realistic way. I wish I could have read this book as a teenager, because I know how much I would have related to Kat's internal monologue (and I still did in so many ways). This is a brilliant book for teenagers who have ever experienced anxiety, or even ones who haven't and want an insight into what it is like. The coping strategies in the book are ones readers can take on board and I liked the realistic approach to treatment - NHS therapy has a huge waiting list and I know plenty of teenagers who have never managed to start CBT because of waiting times.

3) I loved the way friendship was presented in this story. Kat, Millie and Sam are a brilliant, hilarious trio who felt like real teenagers. I really enjoyed their chat names and would love to be part of their group.

I've got to three points without even mentioning the brilliant feminist messages in this story, or the tips for being a good feminist at the end. At a time when teenage girls are still often wary to refer to themselves as feminists (2 years ago, I listened to a five minute GCSE speaking exam about women's equality where the word wasn't used once!) I think this novel is important and necessary.

Thank you so much BKMRK for letting me review a copy of Diary of a Confused Feminist through Netgalley.

Thank you Netgalley for an ARC of this novel!

LOVE the title. Aren't we all confused feminists?

I think this book will be valuable for teen girls all and boys across the country! It's funny and written with heart. I especially like the diary format which kind of gives me a 2000s teen-book kind of vibe.

I think Kat is a relatable character who I would have LOVED to have known when I was a teen. I think the themes raised are universal and so relevant for teens (and adults) everywhere.

My only issue with this book was the voice. The voice sounded young even though it seems it's mean to be YA? I guess it could classify in the lower end of YA but sometimes I did have to remind myself that the character wasn't a tween.

Overall: laugh out loud book that has waaaay too many quotable lines!

Kate Weston has burst onto the Young Adult Fiction scene like a fully-formed Louise Rennison (still very much missed) for the #MeToo generation. Her sparkling debut brings belly laughs from the opening chapter. If 42 year old me was somehow transported back to high school in a 15 year old body, I would soooooo want to be pals with Kat, Millie and Sam. How I wish I'd had an ounce of their conviction and forthrightness (is that a word?) at that age. I certainly wish this book had been around when I was in my teens. It would have made life a lot more bearable. I shall be purchasing copies for all my nieces and highly recommending to my own friends too. It's fun, light-hearted and hilarious whilst touching on some more serious issues and the age-old teenage angst. I found it uplifting. Aside from that, it's strewn with loads of cracking references and facts, both historical and current. This book needs to be a TV series! Loved it!