Book Review: New Girl by Paige Harbison

New Girl by Paige Harbison

Paperback, 304 pages

Expected publication: January 31st 2012 by HarlequinTeen

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

They call me 'New Girl'... 

Ever since I arrived at exclusive, prestigious Manderly Academy, that’s who I am. New girl. Unknown. But not unnoticed—because of her. 

Becca Normandy—that’s the name on everyone’s lips. The girl whose picture I see everywhere. The girl I can’t compare to. I mean, her going missing is the only reason a spot opened up for me at the academy. And everyone stares at me like it’s my fault. 

Except for Max Holloway—the boy whose name shouldn’t be spoken. At least, not by me. Everyone thinks of him as Becca’s boyfriend but she’s gone, and here I am, replacing her. I wish it were that easy. Sometimes, when I think of Max, I can imagine how Becca’s life was so much better than mine could ever be. 

And maybe she’s still out there, waiting to take it back.


My Thoughts:


Haunting, mysterious with a touch of psychothriller. I love books with stories such as this that keeps me awake all night because I JUST need to know what will happen next. I was always at the edge of my seat. It was that thrilling.

New Girl tells a story of two girls, two completely different girls, who enter Manderley academy at two different consecutive years. The other is the past, while the other one is the present. The current new girl got the spot that opened because the other girl went missing at the end of the year, and everyone speaks about her. Worst, Dana, becca's (the missing girl) roomie, accuses her of trying to be Becca, when she's not. But she's not denying the fact that she's attracted to Becca's ex, Max.

Told from becca (the past) and the new girl's "me" (the present) perspectives, I was immediately attached to the story. It helps that I'm in Love with the idea of boarding schools and the exclusivity of being in one. Two chapters down, i noticed that the main character's name was never mentioned, until the last part when Max called her name. I feel that this means something big. It's when Becca is no longer attached to her, and her own unique identity is distinguished, and i had butterflies in my stomach when Max said "Carrie"., sigh. ;)

Plus, the characters are very much real and i like how society was correctly portrayed in the novel. It's really true that society tends to judge people especially when the circumstances point to it. Just like what happened to Carrie. Carrie has a very strong character and that's one that I totally admire. When the storm that comes one's way is too much to handle, we tend to quit, but she didnt,and that's so admirable. Believe me when I say she suffered through a hard and tough time.

Very incredible storyline. The plot was concretely planned. Just love it! I want more!

View all my reviews