Story of a Girl

I have been craving for this book like forever and am extremely excited to finally get a chance to read it. I became immersed in the story I ended up finishing the book in less than a day. It is the kind of book I can really relate to—both mentally and emotionally.

Deanna is one of those characters I would never forget. She has her own issues to deal with just like everybody else. The worst thing is everyone thinks she’s a slut and calls her names she cannot even bear to hear. Her dad hasn’t talked to her ever since he caught her in the backseat of a car with a guy. Yeah, she was too young to have sex, and it was probably the biggest mistake she’d made. But does it mean her life is over because the whole town humiliates her? This is a story about recognition, forgiveness, and transition between forgetting the past and learning from it.

I LOVE this book! Mrs. Zarr has created such an exquisite atmosphere I put myself to indulge in every single page of the book. Story of a Girl is definitely a tearjerker I’ll always remember.

Reader reviewed by Kayleah.

The Story of A Girl. My Review: 4 stars out of 5
This story is truly Amazing! Deanna has to go through so many rough challenges and all because of a boy. Her dad found her in the back of a truck with her older brothers best friend. She gets labeled the School Slut. All she wants is to relive her life and not be labeled. She want to be something. She wants to outlive her role as the School Slut because all the things people say. She is always getting comments from people while walking down the hall. It is a very inspiring story and all should read it. It lets everyone know how we all label each other.

Reader reviewed by alecia

Alecia Alleyne

Story of a Girl:

By Sara Zarr

            I would definitely recommend this book to anyone boy or girl. I liked this book because it depicts the true aspects in the life of an average teenage girl. It does not sugar coat tough situations and beautifully illustrates the hard ships of a normal life. The main character in this book is Deanna Lambert who is a distraught teenager who longs to feel wanted and belonging to someone else. When she was thirteen years old her father caught her in the back of Tommys (age 17) Buick. Before that night she was daddys little girl and they had a great father daughter bond, he cherished her and she cherished him, they understood each other. After that he could not even look her in the eye, he was ashamed of her and in a way disowned her. She was known as the eighth grade skank and was constantly harassed and talked about in school. Her father had lost his job and was angered that after working at the company for 16 years he had been layed off. Her older brother Darren had gotten his girlfriend Stacy pregnant and they had April, a beautiful little girl. Now they are living in Darrens parents basement and are miserable. Deanna has dreams of saving allot of money up and she, Darren, Stacy and April will escape and live together. Deannas father views both of his children as a disappointment and hates Stacy because of her decision to keep the baby. Deannas mom is always trying to rekindle the love her family once shared, she is and optimist. Deanna only has two friends Jason and Lee. Her friendships will be tested. Now that she is working at the same place as Tommy, will she once again fall a victim to his innocent charm or will she be able to respect herself? Will Lee forgive her and be able to hang on to their friendship? Will her and her fathers relationship ever be able to return to how it was? Will Stacy ever return home? Will Darren, Stacy, April and possibly Deanna ever move out? To find the answers to all of these questions you should read this depictive and realistic book that leaves no stone unturned.

Reader reviewed by Katie

Story of a Girl is a story of the transformation Deanna makes as she searches for herself. She is trying to recover from the incident that happened when she was thirteen, but in her journey for a new life she is met by some past obsticles. This novel shows the determination one girl can possess in a search for her true self. Though she made some mistakes she may have regretted in the past, she is trying to redeem herself and make the people in her life see the real her. Her parents no longer trust her because of her past and because of the choices her brother has made. The only people she can really go to are in a relationship and therefore can't always give her the help and attention she needs. But despite all these hardships and obsticles she finds her own way out. I think in this novel I found my self sort of admiring the courage that Deanna shows. She didn't let the things people put her down for effect her as much as they would effect some people. This novel has a good message behind it. No matter what life throws at you, don't let it bring you down. You may hit rock bottom, but once that happens there is only one direction to go and that's up. 

Reader reviewed by Randi

Being labeled the "school slut" is not really much fun. After Deanna slept with a junior when she was only in the eight grade (thirteen years old) and happend to b caught in the back of his truck by her father, she earned this title the second the story was retold. Not only did she have to battle starting high school as a whore, but she battled being head over heels for her best friend who was dating her other best friend. Not to mention struggling with the fact that her father now can't even tell her that he loves her let alone look at her, and her mothers attempt to make the family work with them and her both Derren along with his pregnant girlfriend Stacy. Then to make matters worse she gets a job where that junior who told the whole school about what happend giving her her title. Deanna's struggles with family, friends, relationships, and social idenity are relatable and a real page turner. I suggest this book to anyone who is struggling throught their teenage years.

Reader reviewed by froggytown

Okay, I absolutely loved this book, but it was more personal reasons than about the actual book.

Reader reviewed by lia

Deanna Lambert is still dealing with what happened between her and Tommy Webber in the back of a Buick down at the old Chart House parking lot. She was 13 at the time. Tommy, her older brother's supposed best friend, was 17. They had been "dating" secretly before things got sexual. And then Deanna's father found them in the back of that car. At school Tommy couldn't keep his mouth shut. Even at such a young age, Deanna was known as the school slut.

Three years later, she still has to hear the slander. Most popular versions of the story: "Deanna Lambert is a total nympho&Deanna Lambert is a complete psycho&Deanna Lambert is beyond pathetic&" And to make matters worse, her father still won't look her in the eye.

When her English teacher, Mr. North, suggested they start a personal journal as a place to "express your feelings," Deanna began the story of "the girl on the waves." By doing this, she gave the girl "personal feelings I didn't want to feel." The girl would think about her dad and the happy times they shared when she was a child. These were times before the girl's dad ignored her.

In addition to her non-existent relationship with her father, things aren't necessarily peachy. Deanna's brother, Darren, and his girlfriend recently had a baby and are unhappily living in her parents' basement. And no matter how hard Deanna's mother tries to pretend things are okay, the pieces of their family life are still falling apart.

Deanna loves her brother, his girlfriend and their baby. She dreams of one day living with them --- in their own apartment. Then they might all be happy. Inspired by her idea to find her own place, Deanna gets a summer job to start saving money. Little does she know that her job at a crummy pizza place will make her face her past head on. She'll finally address why she did what she did with Tommy and how she feels about it now.

This is a really good book but its not really what i expected and the end is not really expected either.

Reader reviewed by Stephanie

Deanna Lambert was just 13 years old when her father caught her having sex in Tommy Webers car. Now, shes a rising high school junior and hates her life, living with her spineless mother, her father who hates her, her brother Darren, his girlfriend Stacy, and their unplanned pregnancy, baby April. Its bad enough that her home life sucks without considering how shes always teased in school, called a skank and a slut and a lot of other bad things, all for what happened with Tommy Weber, the jerk who then turned it into a humiliating story for everyone to hear.

Its hard to imagine life getting any harder. But it does. Desperate for money (that she plans to help Darren, Stacy, and April move out with), Deanna takes a job at the local run-down pizza place. The owner, Michael, is niceand gayenough, but its her coworker that really makes her nervous: Tommy Weber, two years older but no less nightmarish. And then she has to go ahead and mess things up with Lee, her only female friends, and Lees boyfriend, Deannas best friend Jason.

Perhaps, Deanna begins to think, she is destined for a life in her town of Pathetica, married to a loveless disgusting man and begetting screwed-up kids. However, theres support and silent encouragement from all people&even the ones Deanna thought would never love her again, or whom she would never like again.

STORY OF A GIRL. Such a simple and ambiguous title. Could be about anything, right? However, Sara Zarr spins Deannas heartbreaking story of teenage mistakes and love lost wonderfully. Everyone in Deannas world becomes real to the reader as well. Deannas tale reminds us that, while life can sometimes seem not worth living, theres always a light at the end of the tunnel.

Reader reviewed by Lauren

This book was interesting. The main character, made a mistake when she was in eighth grade and now she must lwith the rumors that still go around in her high school. Her brother Darren empregnated his girlfriend Stacy and now they both live in his parents basement. The main character gets a summer job at a pizza place and is reunited with Tommy, the boy all the rumors stemmed from. The main character must take her life and set it right again wither her best friends Jason and his girlfriend, her dad, who won't even look at her, and her own life.

Reader reviewed by Kristin

I hate it when people give books 4 out of 5, but I had to for Story of a Girl.

I liked it, but I felt depressed during the whole book and disappointed at the end. Plus, I really wanted to jump into the book and yell at her. Maybe due to her actions or how there were some parts reminiscent of her in me.

SPOILERRRRR.
I liked and did not like how there was no miraculous boyfriend for her at the end of the book. I liked that fact because that sets it apart from all the other YA books with a romantic subplot. On the other hand, I did not like it because well, there was no new guy.

Another thing that kept annoying me was how the main character (forgot her name again...) would not talk to her friends about her feelings and what she was gong through half the time! Plus, she got between her two best friends that were dating and therefore alienating herself from both of them. I really wanted to shake some sense into her then.
Although I really did not like some parts of the book, I think Sara wrote a great book on trying to move on from our mistakes that we keep making again and again.