My best friend is a goddess by Tara Eglington
Harper Collins, 2016. ISBN 9780732299903
(Age: 13+) Highly recommended. Surprising as it is for fiction aimed
at teenage girls; this novel is highly engaging and thought
provoking. For once, a book that celebrates intelligence rather than
harping on about how being beautiful is everything!
When Adriana returns from eighteen months in Borneo her best friend,
Emily, thinks that everything will go right back to normal - Friday
night movie nights, and sharing secrets. Her plans go array however
when Adriana returns a goddess, even more beautiful than the 'Tens'
they always hated, while Emily is still the same old Emily waiting
for the 'boob-fairy' to bless her. It isn't only Adriana's newfound
beauty that comes between them but, as expected, a boy. Theo is
dreamy in every way. He is the embodiment of Emily's artistic
fantasies. And Adriana's crush. Like with any best friendship, Emily
knows she can't act on her feelings and instead chooses to keep them
to herself, forcing a bigger wedge in their friendship than ever
before. It isn't long before it becomes clear that Adriana must
leave her loser friend behind, but despite this knowledge she clings
to Emily's friendship until she has no other option but to destroy
it.
The thing about friendships is that things change and people have to
adapt to their new situation. It could be that one friend moves, or
gets another friend, or maybe there's a boy (or girl) that gets in
the way. This is a novel which shows how things sometimes have to
change. And how sometimes they don't have to change all that much. I
would highly recommend to girls aged thirteen and up; not only is
this a guidebook for coping with change, but also a great way to say
beauty is not everything.
Kayla Gaskell, university student