One, let me say that I didn't finish Cry Girls. Let me change it a bit. I didn't finish Sad Girls. While reading the sad stories of these girls, I found myself rolling my eyes so much that I was afraid they were going to pop right out of their sockets. One point I was rolling my eyes so hard I thought that I'd reached my corner of the brain. Others might say that reviewing a book I stopped reading in the middle is unfair. It is indeed unfair. Here are the reasons I will continue to express my opinion. Sad Girls tells the story of Audrey who, after lying to her classmates about Ana, spread the lie like wildfire. Ana, unable to accept the rumors and rumours, committed suicide. Audrey and Ana's lover, Red, meet at the funeral. (I'll be honest, the names for the characters are not my favorite in this book. Audrey and Red hit it off immediately and decide to avoid the funeral in order to hang out elsewhere. These people all live in small towns where everybody knows everything about each other (to an extent that is creepy). Everyone in town has been talking about Audrey, and Red. (If the main topic of conversation is where two teens are located in your community, then you should move). Audrey's mother finds out that they're talking about this in the supermarket. Audrey is forbidden from speaking to Red but, hello mom-angry rebellious teenager! Audrey's (oh did I not mention that she has already a boyfriend?) boyfriend appears later. Audrey's boyfriend (oh, didn't I mention she already has a boyfriend?) gets uncomfortable. He tells her to not see Red anymore. She reluctantly agrees. She misses Red more and more the longer she's away. Her current boyfriend seems to be "not right for her". Sad Girls is a book with so many problems that it can be difficult to keep up. The story is boring. Dialogues are repeated one after another. The characters are absurd and keep crying, babbling. Most YA books aren't bad, they just have a different style of writing to attract the young adult crowd. The language in young adult novels is not supposed to be dumb. You don't need to simplify things for the audience, but this novel does. The characters in this novel don't do much. The characters are merely spectators who say a little dialogue, perform a small scene, cry a bit and then disappear. Sad Girls is an utter literary failure. The above issues are not what bothers me most. The book is not the reason I chose to post this despite having not finished it. The book's biggest flaw is the way it treats things like depression, anxiety, panic attacks and suicide as trivial. Recently, there's been an increased emphasis on getting help for mental disorders. It is upsetting to me as someone with depression when I read a book that treats the disorder like it's a joke, especially if it targets the most susceptible age group. No. No. Not just me is bothered. Lang Leav has a wide audience and is an awful writer. Is that what you're trying to convey? In my review of Lang Leav’s The Universe of Us, I said that she confused abuse with love. He has glorified grief and suffering in some of his works. It's understandable that good art can come out of suffering, but to glorify it? Getting so addicted? This is a bady message for the rest of the world. His (so called) "poetry" has never been something I've admired. After reading about Cry Girls I also have no respect whatsoever for his writings. My rage and frustration are strong, but for the moment I'm gritting teeth and trying to swallow it..... Read More