Girl on the Other Side is supposed to be the story of two not-so-different girls from opposite ends of the social spectrum. Though the theme of equality holds true for the end of the story, it wasn’t quite to smoothly placed in the beginning and middle. To be honest, most of the first parts of this book left a lot to be desired. Initially presented, Tabby is smug and self assured in her supreme popularity while Lora thinks she is the only student of intelligent thought in the school; they only thing they share in common at this point is how annoying they are. Sadly, their attitudes don’t improve much until the very end of the story when they realize tragedy affects everyone. This was problematic for me because with characters that jaded and fixated on how horrid their troubles are, growth isn’t just expected, it’s demanded. At the same time, though, this growth has to make sense. Lora’s growth, if she underwent any at all, was hardly discernable, and I couldn’t quite reconcile Tabby’s new kindness towards Lora with her past uncalled for cruelty. Perhaps I’m being a little too harsh, but I was a little disappointed that it felt Kerbel was trying too hard to be deep and profound that the story never quite reached there.
Though a little disappointing for me, fans of Kerbel’s earlier writing in Mackenzie, Lost and Found may still enjoy Girl on the Other Side.
Rating: 3.0
Review copy from publisher Dundurn
Girl on the Other Side by Deborah Kerbel
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