Barbie Girl by Heidi Acosta Blog Tour Stop and Review

Book Description:

The only thing that 17 year old Barbie Starr wants to do is graduate high school so she and her little brother, Everett, can get out of Alabama. She doesn’t care about the rumors that are spread around about her like wild fire. Rumors are nothing new to her. Sure, maybe she could change her reputation, but why bother. She is leaving Alabama as soon as she can. That is, if she can pass algebra and graduate.

The only thing Dylan Knight would like to do is go through high school unnoticed; he has had enough of the drama that is high school. He took the whole of last summer to bulk-up: finally he is not being called names or being shoved into lockers. He wants to remain on the outside of the circle of constant rumors that surround the so-called popular kids who get all the attention. He would not, however, mind if his long time crush Katie took notice of him.

But it is Barbie who notices Dylan and she offers him a deal he can’t pass up: if he helps her pass algebra, she’ll help him get the girl of his dreams. Dylan agrees, but, as it turns out, nothing is simple when it comes to Barbie. Somehow, she can’t help but draw attention to herself — and to him. Soon Dylan finds himself tossed into the whirlwind of rumors that seem to follow Barbie everywhere. Can he save his reputation and still get the girl of his dreams? Or will Barbie be the one to break through his carefully-built facade?

Where to purchase Barbie Girl:

Amazon / Barnes & Noble / Smashwords 

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Heidi's Website / Goodreads / Facebook / Twitter

 Heidi Acosta was born on Long Island, New York. Moving around a lot when she was younger, she has lived in New York, Arizona, New York (again), Washington, Georgia, and Florida, in that order. Each place offered her something special, but she will always consider New York her home.

Heidi started writing as soon as she could spell. When she was three, Heidi’s mother gave her a copy of Laura Ingalls Wilder’s Little House in the Big Woods; thus beginning her lifelong love affair with literature.

Writing soon also became a form of therapy for Heidi, when she realized that no matter what was happening in her life, she could find emotional escape while writing. Some of her earliest stories featured her as a princess who explored new worlds with her horse Buttercup. If it sounds romantic, it wasn’t, there was no prince charming in those fairy lands (boys where yucky).

Heidi now resides in Florida with her husband, very active daughter, one hyper Chihuahua, two sweet cats, and one very fat moody cat.

Review:

This book was an interesting and angsty read, I really enjoyed it! I found the characters realistically drawn and I loved how the book touched on a lot of themes prevalent to teens such as cliques, rumors and emerging sexuality.

Barbie is definitely a larger than life character. She’s bold and doesn’t care what anyone at her school thinks about her. She has a reputation of being promiscuous, but she uses the rumors to her advantage. Her only real concert is getting away from her tragic home life and protecting her little brother Everett.

Dylan was the perfect contrast to Barbie. He’s in love with a girl named Katie who wouldn’t give him the time of day and he has been teased in the past for being dorky. He beefed up in high school and started wearing contacts as a way to fit in. Barbie makes a deal with Dylan: tutor her and she’ll help him land the girl.

There’s some predictability to the plot, but a few twists are thrown in later in the book that I was really surprised by. I really liked Barbie and Dylan for the most part, especially since the book is told in their alternating POVs. The only thing I felt missing was a little more explanation over Dylan’s feelings for Katie. I just couldn’t understand why he was so hung up on her after seeing what kind of person she was. I think it diminished his likability somewhat. It made me mad because otherwise some of his thoughts about Barbie had me swooning. I want a boy who thinks of me in that way!

Dylan’s best friend Third is a scene stealer. First of all, what a cool name! Secondly, he provided comic relief, but had also a few of the most heartbreaking scenes. I also loved Dylan’s sister. When she forced Dylan to have a tea party with her, I couldn’t stop giggling. 

My primary issue with the book is the editing. If you read my reviews before, you know I’m not super nitpicky when it comes to the occasional typo or improper sentence structure. However, in this book, it was problematic because the number of errors drew me out of the story. Missing words and commas left me confused and I had to reread parts to try and decipher what was being said.

There are some heavy subjects in the book and the final quarter of the novel is very emotional. I didn’t realize it was a series until I got to that cliffhanger ending! I’m looking forward to the second book to see what happens to Dylan and Barbie.

Rating: 4/5 Stars

Thanks to the author for providing a copy of this book for the blog tour through Xpresso Book Tours! 

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