Review: GUY’S GIRL by Emma Noyes

FTC Disclosure: I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher via Netgalley. All opinions are my own.

Thank you so much to Berkley for the free copy of Guy’s Girl and to Yasmine Hassan for the opportunity to take part in the blog tour for this book!

Guy’s Girl is Emma Noyes’ adult debut novel and wow, does it pack an emotional punch!  I was sold on the book as soon as I read the first line of the synopsis:  “The boy who couldn’t love and the girl who wouldn’t.”  I felt myself getting invested in the characters as soon as I read that line and knew I had to find out more about Ginny and Adrian.  I became all the more invested when I read the author’s note and learned just how much of her own personal experience was the basis for Ginny’s journey.  While I’ve not personally struggled with an eating disorder, I’ve known a few people who have and appreciated that this book gave me a little more insight into what my friends might have been going through on their path to recovery.

The story is presented across multiple timelines and I thought this was such an effective way to follow Ginny’s journey.  The path to recovery is rarely ever linear and the author uses the multiple timelines to show Ginny at various points in her life and her successes and setbacks with respect to her eating disorder.  Ginny also struggles with anxiety, which has only compounded the problem over the years and led to her feelings of self-doubt, as well as her feelings that no one could possibly ever love her.  Ginny’s journey over the years is a heartbreaking one at times, full of raw emotion.  I definitely shed a few tears watching her struggle and make frustrating choices that sometimes just didn’t make sense,  but I loved Ginny and these struggles and poor choices made her feel all the more real to me, and I was fully invested in seeing her journey through to the end.

While Ginny’s journey to recovery takes center stage, I also enjoyed the exploration of her personal relationships.  As the title states, Ginny is a guy’s girl.  She has always found it easier to make friends with guys and loves that their friendships are usually drama free, as long as there’s no romance involved.  When she meets Adrian, however, that line gets blurred because Ginny feels so much more than just friendship for him.  Adrian is battling his own personal demons though and has no interest in romance.  He believes it isn’t worth the heartache he witnessed his own mother experience, and therefore, refuses to let love in.  While both Ginny and Adrian clearly need to work through their own issues before a healthy relationship is possible between them, I still love watching the two of them together.  I would definitely consider the romance a slow burn but watching Ginny and Adrian grow to become each other’s biggest supporters is just beautiful to watch.

Guy’s Girl is a powerful story that is also beautifully written, filled with raw emotions that just felt so authentic.  It’s an emotionally heavy read at times, but it’s also a story that is filled with healing, hope, and love.