Unscripted by Nicole Kronzer
Grade: B+
An e-galley was provided by Amulet Books via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
Summary: Seventeen-year-old Zelda Bailey-Cho has her future all planned out: improv camp, then Second City, and finally Saturday Night Live. She’s thrilled when she lands a spot on the coveted varsity team at a prestigious improv camp, which means she’ll get to perform for professional scouts—including her hero, Nina Knightley. But even though she’s hardworking and talented, Zelda’s also the only girl on Varsity, so she’s the target for humiliation from her teammates. And her 20-year-old coach, Ben, is cruel to her at practice and way too nice to her when they’re alone. Zelda wants to fight back, but is sacrificing her best shot at her dream too heavy a price to pay?
The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly: I am always here for books about girls striving to do what they love. Zelda wants to do improv - a form of comedy that, admittedly, has never been my favorite, but I was still interested in her story.
Through Unscripted, Nicole Kronzer explores how misogyny is so engrained in our society and how exhausting it is for a teen girl to have to put up with sexism and to also be groomed/emotionally abused by a power figure. But it's also a story of girls standing up for each other and finding the guys who aren't amused by sexism. Thankfully, Zelda has that in the Gildas (her cabinmates), her brother, their friend from home, and some Boy Scouts she meets while hiking. She also finds a boy who truly likes her for who she is and wants to help and protect her in any way he can.
This book will be highly relatable for many teen girls, and it'll challenge guys to revisit the jokes they make and how they view women.
Content warnings: sexual assault, misogyny and sexism, gaslighting, emotional abuse, microaggressions
The Verdict: I know all of those content warnings sound heavy, but this is a truly enjoyable book!
Will I be adding this book to my library?: Definitely.
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