Review: Not Every Girl by Jane McGarry

Not Every Girl by Jane McGarry

Published April 27th 2015

Olivia Davenport’s plan is destined to fail.

She is going through with it anyway, of course. After all, it is the chance of a lifetime. The unreasonable rules of others should not stand in her way.

In her small kingdom of Stewartsland, Olivia trains with the squires and harbors a secret dream. She longs to become a knight under the command of the Master-of–Arms, who just happens to be her father. He has indulged her passion so far, but they both know a simple fact – girls may not attain knighthood. Dismayed by the constant discouragement of her ambitions, she makes an impetuous decision to disguise herself as a boy in order to sneak on a mission. The consequences are not at all what she anticipated.

When her deception is revealed, she is sent home in disgrace; however, an unexpected turn of events puts her at the center of a dangerous plot against the King. The ensuing adventure finds her grappling with mercenaries and outlaws, yet these pale in comparison to her newly awakened emotions. She finds not only her life at risk, but also her heart, when the aloof Prince Liam begins to affect her in ways she never thought possible. In the end, it is her courage and unique spirit which must guide her through the challenges she encounters both physical and emotional.

*Copy of book sent to me by author in exchange for an honest review.*
I had seen this book around on Instagram when my friend Logan read it and really liked it. I wanted to read it but I kinda forgot about it until the author sent me a copy. I was pretty excited to start this book and I wasn’t disappointed.

I was really surprised by how Olivia was so interesting and different. I didn’t find her annoying and she was really well written. She was pretty awesome.
I really think that she’s a good example of the kind of female characters that YA needs more of.

Olivia and the plot reminded me Mulan and it was one of my favorite things about this book. Mulan is one of my favorite movies so reading a book that was similar (in a good way) was so much fun. I loved the character development and how the story progressed.

Overall, I really enjoyed Not Every Girl. I’m definitely to be getting a paperback of this book because I really want it on my shelves. If you’re looking for a great YA with an awesome main character, I highly recommend Not Every Girl.