That's Debatable by Jen Doll REVIEW

That's Debatable

by Jen Doll

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Blurb

Millicent Chalmers isn't here to make friends.

She's here to win, and she's on track to set a record if--no, when--she wins the state debate tournament for the fourth year in a row. Calm, cool, and always in control, Millie doesn't care what anyone else thinks of her, least of all the sexist bullies bent on destroying her reputation.

Taggart Strong couldn't care less about winning debate, much to the consternation of his teammates, school and parents. In fact, he might even enjoy losing, as long as the side he believes in wins.

But when a tournament takes a scary turn, Millie and Tag find themselves unexpectedly working together. Maybe Millie can teach Tag a thing or two about using his head, and Tag can teach Millie a little bit about following her heart.

Review

"I owe it to myself to see what might happen. To put who I am and what I feel out into the world, regardless of how much it might scare me. And to fight sexism and douchebags every step of the way."

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions expressed in this review are my own.

This book was an okay experience for me. There were some things this book did really well and some others that left something to be desired.

I really liked how sexism and bullying were portrayed in an academic activity as I don't think it is focused on enough. We see females on debate teams being judged on their appearance and even their tone of voice. That's Debatable talks about how women are often accused of being too emotional if they are passionate or have an opinion about something whereas men don't face the same criticisms.

What didn't work for me was the teenage romance between Millicent and a boy named Tag. It was fine however I feel like a friendship could have worked just as well and the romance wasn't needed and added nothing to the story.