Female-Centered Book Recommendations

As Women’s History Month comes to an end, I think now is the perfect time to recognize some of my favorite female-centered books I read last year. The books are not ranked in a particular order and it is important to note there may be spoilers ahead.

1. “Carrie Soto is Back” by Taylor Jenkins Reid

As the title says, the book follows Carrie Soto as she attempts to come back from her tennis career after retiring and discovering there may be another female athlete who can rival her. I enjoyed reading the book as it highlights the struggles women face in the sports industry, particularly how they are subject to criticism based on their bodies. It was also refreshing to read a book following a flawed protagonist. Carrie is not always in the right but eventually learns how to change her ways. I related very much to Carrie’s determined personality which prevented me from putting down the book because I was so eager to see what would happen next to her.

2. “Circe” by Madeline Miller

“Circe” is a retelling of the myth we thought we all knew regarding Circe, how she came to her island and met Odysseus. Miller does an excellent job of depicting Circe’s emotions throughout various parts of her life. Arguably, my favorite part of reading the book was witnessing Circe become more self-assured of herself and her abilities.

3. “Luckiest Girl Alive” by Jessica Knoll

I know I previously said how Carrie Soto was a flawed protagonist, but she has nothing on Anni FaNelli. Anni has managed to successfully reinvent herself after leaving her small town, but now she is confronted with her dark past. I picked up “Luckiest Girl Alive” with little to no knowledge of it, besides knowing it was recently adapted as a Netflix movie, but it has since become one of my favorite books. The book explores the constant need for perfection women may face while also confronting where these feelings come from. Not to mention the ending was the perfect twist I never saw coming!

4. “Rouge” by Mona Awad

“Rouge” explores topics of beauty standards and grief while following Belle as she attempts to deal with the loss of her mother. Both Belle and her mother have strived to fit beauty standards by using countless serums, cleansers and other products as well as their obsessions with mirrors. In addition, the book also explores how women can be their own heroes. Many speculated Awad’s writing for “Rogue” was inspired by “Beauty and the Beast.” The book definitely has a fairytale tone. After a while, suspending disbelief becomes a requirement–how else are we supposed to believe Tom Cruise is able to walk through a mirror? At its core, “Rouge” explores the challenging yet beautiful relationships between mothers and daughters.

5. “Groupies” by Sarah Priscus

Another book exploring the relationships between women is “Groupies,” which explores female friendships through the characters Faun and Josie. In 1977, Faun left her hometown to join her friend Josie in Los Angeles, California. There, the two become groupies to the fictional band “Holiday Sun.” This newfound freedom and vicinity to fame allows Faun to come into her own while exploring the possible career of photography. Besides the friendship between Faun and Josie, the book also focuses on the other female relationships between the other groupies, too. For those who loved the female friendships in “Daisy Jones & The Six,” this is definitely a must-read.

There are plenty of other female-centered stories which explore aspects of womanhood such as relationships with other women and the pressures women face. However, some of those books I have not read yet or I might have accidentally left out from the list. With this in mind, this list is by no means comprehensive. Regardless of if you choose to read one of these books or another, happy reading!

• Adriana Gasiewski
• book recommendation
• books
• female-centered books
• Kent State University
• ksu
• reading
• Women's History Month