I’m a big fan of memoirs. As I learned in a seminar I went to last night about “writing and publishing a book” everyone has a story to tell.
It’s incredibly true. So I recently I finished Not that Kind of Girl: A Memoir by Carlene Bauer.
She tells her story of being raised by an Evangelical mother in New Jersey. Her mother, who endlessly wishes nothing more than for her two daughters to not become “that kind of girl” quite literally – and we all know exactly the type of girls she’s referring to. We’ve either seen them or been them. But that’s not it – she eventually explores her own beliefs, values and widens horizons both spiritual and intellectually. Turning down drugs and sex politely and never with judgment. She belatedly comes of age in New York City on her quest to be a writer (because those stories aren’t a dime a dozen in Manhattan) and makes up for lost time – finding a soul sister in alcohol and meeting men who she doesn’t end up falling in love with – but still holds her value of waiting for love to have sex near to her.
I enjoyed the storyline, sometimes it got a bit wordy for me, but the writing was good. Carlene has a compelling voice to captivate her audience and a unique story to tell. Falling in love, finding yourself in The City in your twenties is a story told often but with her unique voice and values, made it a very worthy read. I sometimes struggled with her wordy descriptions and sometimes too deep explanations but overall, it was an enjoyable read.
4 out of 5 stars
{This review is a part of the TLC Book Tour thus I did receive a copy of the book for free – however all opinions here are my own}