Sadie Starr’s Guide to Starting Over
Miranda Luby
Sadie Starr is obsessed with starting over. A new year, a new diet, a new social media identity. Anything that gives her a chance to be a better version of herself.
So when her dad’s job moves the family interstate, Sadie’s excited for a fresh start. It’s also the perfect excuse to leave behind the mess she’s made with her best friend and secret crush, Daniel, whose advances she rejected – for fear of screwing things up.
But at her new school, life gets complicated fast.
She meets glamorous Alexa and her pink-badged girl gang, on a mission to ‘support women’, and outcast Jack, who the girls say has been stalking fellow student Loz.
But Loz has a different story, one that changes everything.
Sadie’s torn. She wants to be popular. She wants to keep Loz’s secret. She wants to fix everything. But she’ll have to make choices. And the wrong ones could throw her perfect new life into complete chaos.
Sadie Starr’s Guide to Starting Over is an engaging, funny – serious look at the downsides of aiming too high, the dangers of black and white thinking —and the journey to realising imperfections are part of being human.
Trigger warning: disordered eating
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andSadie Starr’s Guide to Starting Over
‘A wonderful exploration of fledgling feminism, diametrically opposed ideologies, and the complexities involved in filtering a kaleidoscope of messaging. Swings the pendulum high and low, then aims it squarely at your heart. Sadie Starr is a collision of sass and vulnerability, assuredness and confusion, burning and imploding beliefs, and a convincing portrait of all the shades of grey between. Perfectly highlights the pitfalls of perfectionism. Charming, honest, and so very now.’
‘Sadie is an incredibly relatable character…Powerful and engaging, Sadie Starr’s Guide to Starting Over explores performative feminism, #MeToo, eating disorders, bullying, family dynamics and grief.’
‘This beautiful and touching story teaches us so many things…Heartwarming, sad, and happy, but most of all a really good read.’
‘The feel-good factor throughout this book is very high…[It has] contemporary attitude and representation, endearing characters, dialogue that’s ripe for the picking and great descriptions of Melbourne.’
‘The characters reveal themselves to be incredibly nuanced…Miranda Luby subverts the classic high school characters to highlight her message…A realistic portrayal of teenage friendship and growth. An enjoyable and enlightening read!’
‘For the person who loves it when friendships are front and centre.’
