Bad Habits – Flynn Meaney

Thank you so much to the publisher and The Write Reads for sending me a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review and allowing me to be a part of the blog tour!

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_{Alex is a rebel from the tip of her purple fauxhawk to the toes of her biker boots. She’s tried everything she can think of to get expelled from her strict Catholic boarding school. Nothing has worked so far – but now, Alex has a new plan.}

_{Tired of the sexism she sees in every corner of St Mary’s, Alex decides to stage the school’s first ever production of The Vagina Monologues. Which is going to be a challenge, as no one else at St Mary’s can even bear to say the word ‘vagina’ out loud . . .}

Bad Habits is a fun, fast-paced, feminist YA book that had me laughing out loud a lot. It is absolutely perfect for anyone who is rebellious and especially those who want to feel empowered by all the messages that this book has to offer.

I loved the characters in this book, especially Alex and Mary Kate. They have such an adorable friendship even though they are incredibly different. They both make excellent main characters.  Alex, is of course the rebellious teen who is just so wonderful and funny to read about. She goes on a journey throughout the books to try and bring radical change to her very Catholic boarding school all whilst she learns valuable life lessons along the way.

I was also a big fan of the rest of the character in Bad Habits. This book has a varied cast of fellow students to the nuns and priests that run the school. I loved how all of the characters felt real and helped to give the reader a real sense of what St Mary’s is like as a school. Tie this in with the excellent descriptions of the school itself and you have an excellent idea of where the book takes place.

The plot of Bad Habits is well written and captivates the reader right away. This book has a classic trope that I will let you figure out, but it is so incredibly crafted and in turn brings such a unique story to its readers. 

Bad Habits is full of funny lines and feminism. It is such a delight to read and I’m sure this book will be big within the YA community and beyond. It has such a strong message of female empowerment through the messages of friendship, action and determination. It made me feel proud to be who I am.

As a reader, you can really tell that Flynn Meaney has done all that she can to show her want to improve sexual education in females as well as the awareness of women’s sexual health. This is shown through the main character Alex’s personality and the female empowerment throughout the book. I am looking forward to seeing what the author does next.

Overall, this book is funny, important, poignant, empowering and an all-round amazing book that I enjoyed from beginning to end. It had me laughing out loud a number of times. I loved watching Alex smash her way through the patriarchy and take down all the prejudices and restrictions that females face. This is a book I am going to be highly recommending for a long time!