The New Girl contends with change, growth, and friendship perfectly. Lia's family is loving to Montreal, and that means a new city, a new school, a language, and new friends. While dealing with all that, Lia also gets her period for the first time, and a new crush.

I found the focus on Lia's period experience so refreshing. Its a mix of relatable and educational, and I liked the role it played in showing strong female friendships, familial support during times of pain, and how it can affect daily life. Though not the focus of the story, a very important part.

I also liked the visual representation of Lia learning French and being in a very diverse school. As Lia learns French, the jumbled words start to disappear. We get to understand what Lia understands and I liked that aspect of character development and world building. Such a clever way to show growth and skill building.

Lastly, I adored the female friendships. I like that Lia learns that you don't have to be from the same place to share joy in the everyday. The growth in her connectedness at school was fantastic, and I loved seeing her make mistakes with her friends and having that be normal and okay.

All in all, a book I think more young people should read to learn about acceptance, change, and what a pain periods are.

Plot: 5/5
Characters: 4.5/5
World Building: 4.5/5
Writing: 5/5
Pacing: 5/5
Overall: 5/5

Finished copy gifted by Scholastic in exchange for an honest review.