I requested a copy from Netgalley in exchange for a review.

Alex Heck is a rule-breaking badass student in St Mary’s whose goal is to get expelled in order to go back to California. When her latest mishap failed, she decided to put on a St. Mary’s rendition of ‘The Vagina Monologues’ and see how events go from there.

I like the tone of this book. It’s sex positive, and the characters have their distinct personalities. However, I think that Alex falls into a badass protagonist trope. Readers are meant to root for her character, but she ends up being portrayed as selfish and self-centered, even if the book points out the ways she assists St Mary students in an unconventional manner. These events though are mostly done through telling, rather than showing her character’s innate goodness, or that her character cares about other people. Instead she becomes rather obsessed with her only mission, which is to make a daring show. The writing was engaging, although plot points seem to go by very quickly.

While I did like the storyline of the novel, it’s all rather very informational. We only know things about the characters because they tell us. Still, this reads really quickly, and has other factors that I like from it: aside from the tone and characters, I also particularly liked the atmosphere it radiated, and that it didn’t sound preachy even if it’s set in a Catholic environment. This was a fun read, and other readers might give this a try if they are fans of Derry Girls (which is a fantastic show).

Bad Habits is a contemporary YA novel about a Minnesota Catholic boarding school where one student tries to shake up the status quo. Alex stands out at her school with her purple fauxhawk and tendency to get into trouble, but this is on purpose, as she wants to be expelled and have to move back to California. When her latest exploits don't get her out of St Mary's Catholic School, she thinks up a new plan: to put on a production of The Vagina Monologues. But what starts as a way of getting into trouble turns into something larger, a way to try and tackle sexist norms and help out her fellow students (even if her best friend Mary Kate isn't so sure).

I was interested in Bad Habits thanks to the cover and the fact it was compared to Derry Girls, but didn't really know what to expect. What it turned out to be is a fun story of trying to make a boarding school a little more progressive, with a protagonist who needs to judge people a little less and an unlikely friendship at its heart. It isn't a book with a huge amount of plot, but rather has a simple narrative as Alex tries to put on her production and also grows as a person, realising people can be feminist in different ways and that people might surprise her. Taking a rebellious character and showing they really do like the place is a bit clichéd, but it is meant to be a fairly heartwarming and funny book that looks at the lighter side of fighting for equality in somewhere steeped in old traditions. Alex's roommate and unlikely best friend Mary Kate is a great supporting character, whose desire to fall in love doesn't stop her developing herself as a person, though some of the other background characters blurred a bit for me.

You could see this being turned into a TV series (and indeed the ending feels a bit like it could set up a second book), maybe on the lighter end of the scale but still tackling real issues. Having never been to a Catholic school or boarding school, it's hard to know how realistic or not it is, but the messages about not only feminism, but accepting others' choices as part of feminism, are important, even when centred around such a privileged world. Bad Habits is a fun YA book good for teenagers who want contemporary light reads that don't always have romance as the main focus.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with a free ARC in exchange for an honest review.
The premise is fun and easy t0 follow with a simple style and engaging characters, making for a quick and fast paced read.

The protagonist, Alex, comes across as self centred and egotistical at times, a 'pick-me' type girl who puts down others for how they interpret feminism yet she is written in a compelling way which allows the reader an enjoyable experience as we follow her journey to produce The vagina Monologues in a Catholic boarding school. The result is comical at times while emotional at others and provides a moving tale of friendship and feminism.

One critique is that some of the behaviours and language used does not appear entirely authentic and can either come across as too adult or simply out of touch. Nevertheless Bad habits is a fun easy read which provides examples of multi-faceted feminism.