You know those characters who just reach into your heart and scoop it out? The ones who you feel so deeply with and remember those feelings of friendship complexities, of family which lets us down? That was me and Millie. Keep reading this book review of Mighty Millie Novak for my full thoughts.
Summary
Sixteen-year-old Millie Novak is stuck in an “if only” rut. If only she were stronger and faster, maybe her roller derby teammates would take her seriously. If only she had the guts to go back to in-person learning, maybe she’d have a social life. If only she wasn’t such an awkward mess, maybe she could get the attention of that cute girl on the all-star derby team. And don’t get her started on her family!
After the one-two punch of her beloved older brother’s departure for college and her parents’ overdue split, leaving her lonelier than ever, Millie decides it’s time to reinvent herself. With the help of her new friend Pumpkin and a little bit of deceit, Millie crafts a plan to cement her status on the team and get her crush to fall for her.
But reinvention isn’t easy. Millie’s constantly shown up by show-off teammate Stork, and the only way she can get her crush’s attention is through increasingly elaborate lies. Worse, she begins to suspect Pumpkin is not the supportive friend she’d imagined. Toughest to handle? Realizing the person she’s in love with might not be her longtime crush, after all.
Review
(Disclaimer: I received this book from the publisher. This has not impacted my review which is unbiased and honest.)
Mighty Millie Novak begins with heart. Full of imposter complexes, Millie struggles to feel like she belongs on the team. She struggles to figure out how seriously she wants to take roller derby, to figure out where she stands in her family, and what friends she wants to make. It’s always difficult to figure out how to merge our worlds, to be honest when our feelings have changed. My favorite element has to be the friendship difficulties. How we realize we’ve changed and how do communicate that?
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When we wonder if building a friendship on something can change. If we can share our new interests, let go of what might have been that spark, and if we can stand on our own. She feels so deeply that she is failing, that she isn’t good enough, so she cuts herself down before anyone has a chance. To make sure if we’re the ones who hurt us, we can never be hurt by others. Talk about a big OOF in terms of resonance. But also how we need friends who challenge us, who make us face our fears, who inspire us. If you’ve ever had trouble making friends, calling Mighty Millie Novak.
I was deep in my feels so many times in Mighty Millie Novak. It felt incredibly relatable. All the ways we can be self-absorbed and the necessity of bravery to be honest and vulnerable. To look headfirst into the headlights of what scares us. Find Mighty Millie Novak on Goodreads, Storygraph, Amazon, Bookshop.org, & Blackwells.