Take Three Girls (Cath Crowley, Simmone Howell & Fiona Wood, Pan)

Take Three Girls is a novel about friendship, written by friends. The voices of Cath Crowley, Simmone Howell and Fiona Wood blend seamlessly to create a narrative
about three girls who are grouped together for a wellness class in their elite private school. Clem, Kate and Ady are superficially different—a swimmer struggling with body
image and the longing of first love, a musician afraid to chase her dreams, and a rich girl wanting more inspiration and creativity than her sarcastic group of friends allow.
Their personal struggles and shared values eventually form the basis of a strong friendship, which drives the narrative of the book. This beautifully crafted, lively novel
captures the good and the bad of female friendship. It celebrates the unique bonds that are made between young women in their formative years, but also acknowledges
the toxic social constructs that many young women struggle with in their platonic and romantic relationships. It also explores online bullying, body and slut shaming,
jealousy and feminism. Female friendship is a theme that has long been sidelined in favour of the trendier romance narrative, and it is a relief to see it growing in popularity, particularly in YA fiction.

Bec Kavanagh is a Melbourne-based writer, reviewer and manager of the Stella Schools Program

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