At first I wasn’t sure what to make of this book. Virgin was really was something special. I’m just blown away. Sanghani is definitely on my radar now.

Virgin is great. Well written, funny, and very relevant to our time. Even thought the protagonist is a virgin she is frank about her body, and sex. Ellie is a twenty-one year old virgin who shares her story of attempts to have her deflowered with the aid of her partner-in-crime friend Lara.Ellie embarks on several adventures with the opposite sex to speed up the process of becoming a non-virgin to no avail. Ellie learns the proper rules of kissing, foreplay, and describes in length different ways she masturbates to recognize an orgasm when the big day happens.
Overall, I really enjoyed this novel, and hope to read more from this author. I highly recommend this novel!

Full review is on my Blog
( )

Received from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Finally, a book that talks about some of the crap women go through to make themselves ready for sexy sex time. Between shaving, plucking, the right clothes, protection, etc. who has the energy for the rest of it? It made me think back to my "v-card" days and if I felt as much pressure to rid myself of mine as the MC did. I know it was meant as humor but I think at times it got a little too hyper focused, especially for something as anti climactic as the act itself tends to be. It was still an entertaining read but not one that has made a long last impact on me. ( )

I received this ARC book in exchange for an honest review from NetGalley.

First, the title is self-explanatory of the story's plot. This debut novel is a courageous, witty and often humorous book which follows a 21-year-old university student who ruminates over losing her virginity. Since the author is not much older than the characters of which she writes, this novel would mostly appeal to that focus group. University students and graduates in their 20's still navigating the vicissitudes of life as they transition into the"grown-up" world. Narrated with cheeky British humor although I would advise that readers who are easily offended by foul language ( specifically the f--- word) and graphic descriptions of "private parts" (although written to demonstrate the inexperience of the protagonist in often humorous "situations") should skip this book.

I found that the flow of the story needed some re-arranging. The other side stories although interesting become insignificant after the main plot is revealed. I enjoyed the side stories but wished they were woven into the story a bit tighter so that I didn't feel as if reading the rest of the book was obligated.

Overall, it was enjoyable despite the character's often predictable "situations" which arise due to her naiveté. ( )

Firstly, I was given a free copy of this book as part of the Goodreads First Reads program in exchange for my honest review. Which I have been sitting on and rewriting for like a week because I still can't figure out how I want to talk about this book.

But here goes.

When I was a preteen, I stumbled across the Alice series by Phyllis Reynolds Naylor. These books follow a girl from about the age of twelve onwards, dealing with all of the agony and awkwardness of puberty and adolescence. Out of everything I read as a kid, these were also the most frank when it came to sexuality.

Why am I mentioning another author in the context of this book review? Because reading "Virgin" by Radhika Sanghani felt a lot like reading the Alice books but in an older context.

Ellie, the main character of "Virgin," is 21 and hasn't had sex. She desperately wants to lose her virginity, but with that comes a whole minefield of problems and questions. Like the Alice series of my childhood, "Virgin" doesn't shy away from talking about embarrassing and awkward things about sex and bodies and relationships and societal expectations. And she does this without slut shaming, which is pretty awesome.

Granted, Ellie's anti-virgin sentiment at the beginning is... extreme (there's a line about being "deformed" that rubbed me the wrong way). Plus I had concerns about the whole virgin thing given that I don't think virginity is a legitimate thing, just a social construct that disproportionately harms women. But this book addresses both of those things to varying degrees.

Sanghani's writing style is easy and fun. In a lot of respects, the book reminded me of Bridget Jones. Or maybe a university newspaper sex column -- the author has a background in journalism, and I think it shows through here. The narrative doesn't get bogged down with a lot of description or filler. It's very to-the-point with a lot of dialogue.

I will say that some things frustrated me about Ellie. Her tendency to scream, for one thing. How she latched into the idea of having a gay best friend, for another, which is one of my biggest pet peeves. Hey, Ellie, you know how you don't want your mom treating you like a pet? Yeah, your friend doesn't appreciate it when you do the same thing to him.

But... hey, I know people who are just like that. Ellie might have her annoying quirks, but I can't say she's not realistic.

Except here's the thing, and this is the big reason why this book doesn't get more stars from me. Maybe this is because I was thinking about the Alice series or Judy Blume's books as I was reading it. Maybe I'm pushing onto this book what I'd like to see in a novel about 20-something virgins. I don't know. But I wasn't 100% sure what Virgin was supposed to be.

Just a funny, lighthearted story (see: all of the cringe-worthy stories)? Or a conspiratorial almost-how-to-guide (see: the list of tips on giving blow jobs)?

If it was the latter, then I have a couple bones to pick. Because, frankly, there were some misconceptions that were never addressed during the book. (You do not shave your vagina. The whole hymen thing is outdated and, frankly, wrong. There wasn't much mention of contraception or forms of protection apart from condoms, which is pretty risky given the nature of some of the scenes. The apparent definition of being sexually active was a bit off at the beginning of the book -- although I'm willing to chalk that last one up to differences between healthcare systems in the UK and Canada.). I so much wish those inaccuracies hadn't been there.

And I don't want to push onto the book my ideas of what it could be. Because I'm reviewing the book as it is. Comparing it to an alternate version of the book that only exists in my head, and that isn't fair. But I wish this book had gone a bit more in depth with the feminism angle. There's so much "Virgin" could have explored. Compulsory sexuality while simultaneously denying sexuality in women. Navigating women's sexuality when they're not cisgender, heterosexual, able-bodied, etc. Basically, there's a lot this book could have explored that it didn't.

Also, there was a pretty cool thing going on with Ellie and Paul bonding over a shared lack of knowledge of/experience with sex. That's something that would have been great to delve into a little more -- a straight woman and a gay man navigating first serious relationships in a culture that caters to heterosexual men.

But, like I said, I want to review what the book is. This book is about a losing-her-virginity-obsessed university student. This book is about dealing with some of the taboos surrounding women's sexuality. This book is about having sex if you want to and not having it if you don't. It's about not being ashamed of what your body does. It's about how ridiculous society can be about women and sex. And it's all wrapped up in a chick lit-y package.

This book does all of that very well.

I've read some criticisms saying that the whole losing-virginity thing has been overdone in fiction. And I guess there are a lot of books out there about that, yeah. But until women's sexuality stops being such a taboo, then I don't think there can be too many books like this. "Virgin," in my opinion, is a really necessary book. So, you know, thank you Radhika Sanghani for writing it. ( )

“Virgin” is a laugh out loud novel about a girl named Ellie who is trying to lose her “v-card”. She enlists the help of close friends in order to learn more about sex and feels the heavy weight of societal and peer pressure that guide her to decide to lose her “v-card”. Her reason? Everyone else has already “done it”. Ellie feels like she’s always the outsider looking in, so this is what mainly motivates her to go on this quest.

I found this book to be hilarious, with many cringe worthy events that had me laughing throughout the entire novel. I found the novel also to be relatable to many of what some twenty-somethings may be going through. Though women at this age have passed the puberty years we still worry about things like growing up, asking real questions, and we are still trying to understand boys.

The novel also doesn’t just focus on sex, but it’s also a novel about trying to find yourself and being comfortable in your own skin. And through this quest Ellie ultimately becomes more confident about herself and her body. I think this book is a great novel that women should read. I also really enjoyed the fact that it talks openly about subjects in way that doesn’t make readers uncomfortable and rather opens up the table for discussion. ( )