HOW GIRLS ARE MADE

Three teen girls in a small Ohio town start a secret sex education program.

After realizing that her school’s sex education program is woefully lacking, overachiever Fallon sets out to form a secret group to discuss sex and share information. She enlists the help of her best friend, Jobie, and classmate Shelby, a semi-famous fighter who’s in the spotlight after a video captured an act of domestic violence in which her (now ex) boyfriend punched her. The group begins meeting at a local recreation center, offering a safe space for their classmates to ask questions about sex. When the white teens create an Instagram account to share sexual health information more widely, they quickly gain both supporters and enemies. Each of the three protagonists faces her own struggles: Fallon becomes a target for harassment as the group and Instagram account grow in popularity, Jobie’s obsession with social media leads her down a dark path, and Shelby grapples with her recent breakup even as she’s drawn into a new, insidiously toxic relationship. The novel attempts to tackle timely issues but none is given enough time to be adequately addressed. The shocking and disturbingly dark ending may leave readers unsettled, though fans of McGinnis will appreciate her signature razor-sharp writing. While there are queer characters among the supporting cast and brief mentions of LGBTQ+ topics, the conversations around sex primarily center cisgender and heterosexual teens.

An ambitious novel that doesn’t delve deeply enough into its meaningful topics.