It’s no secret that I love young adult books. So when I got the opportunity to read and review Vibha Batra & Kalyani Ganapathy’s graphic novel, The Secret Life of Debbie G, I jumped at it.
Arya is a child of divorce and is facing the very real possibility of her parents never getting back together. Her dad has shifted to the USA and is in the process of starting his own family, where as her mother drops the bomb on her head that she might be tying the knot with Tarun Kapoor – who just happens to be her nemesis, Kiara and her once upon a crush, Kiaan’s dad. Forced into a modern day reminiscent Cinderella-esque situation, Arya finds it hard to navigate Class XI Commerce section without her best friends, Nikhil and Rucksack.
Too bad Nikhil seems too caught up with his new crush, Fatal Attraction, and Rucksack is off fulfilling her parents’ dreams of her working in a television serial. So, all the normal things a Class XI student would face, right? Wrong.
Arya is constantly bullied for being overweight. And without her friends by her side her walls go up and she behaves exactly like a scorpion does when backed into a corner. She lashes out.
Only because she’s lashing out at other students through an anonymous Instagram account it has become the hot topic everyone discusses. And unfortunately, even the best laid plans sometimes go awry!
The graphic novel recounts what led to Arya’s downfall and why she has been telling us her side of the story.
I finished reading this book in less than two days and savoured every bit of it. From the quirky dialogues that will resonate with the new generation, to references that are so hip that even I had to go to Urban Dictionary to figure out what they meant – The Secret Life of Debbie G gives you a sneak peek into the high school students of today.
Witty writing from Vibha Batra’s part and amazing illustrations from Kalyani Ganapathy – this really is the work of a dream team. I almost hope there is a sequel in the works for this novel.
If you are looking for a light fun read in the young adult section, this is definitely a book you should pick up. And we highly recommend it if anyone is looking for a book to gift to teenagers and young adults!
Amit Sharma has written two novels and is a software engineer by profession. His hobbies include making his daughter laugh and reading, of course! So, here
Deepti Menon is the author of the ‘Shadow’ trilogy of thrillers and her stories have been published in around 25 anthologies. She has shared her
Neil Gaiman is a renowned author whose works have inspired numerous TV shows that are now available for streaming in India. His stories are dark,
Feminism has come a long way since the 19th century, but women were still not taken seriously as writers. The gender bias in the literary
Damyanti Biswas is the bestselling author of two stunning thrillers. Her latest book ‘The Blue Bar’ is the first of the ‘Blue Mumbai’ series of
Like me, do you crave books with quirky, strong, and fun female characters too? Because, I’d rather not read any more about women that are
Get all latest news, exclusive deals and Books updates.
