Published: 1 April 2017 (print)/16 November 2017 (audio) 
Publisher: Carolrhoda Lab/HighBridge Audio
Pages: 200/5 hrs and 19 mins
Narrator: Amy Melissa Bently
Format: Audiobook
Genre: Contemporary Young Adult
★ ★ ★ – 3.5 Stars
When Nina Faye was fourteen, her mother told her there was no such thing as unconditional love. Nina believed her. Now she’ll do anything for the boy she loves, to prove she’s worthy of him. But when he breaks up with her, Nina is lost. What is she if not a girlfriend? What is she made of? Broken-hearted, Nina tries to figure out what the conditions of love are.
A lot has been said about the contents of this book but while it is confronting at times, it’s real. It’s about real experiences and while it’s not a manual or a how to guide for how every girl will live or act, it’s honesty about the mess of growing up and the battle against society, family, and yourself is important.
Nina’s journey to finding herself and undoing the damage of the lessons she was taught by her mother, about what she’s told to do and say by her boyfriend is empowering. There’s always time to learn and to change. Nina proves you are the captain of your own ship and you can steer your life into whichever direction you choose.
Love is at the centre of the book and the complicated relationship Nina has with her mother is woven through the story and a catalyst for many of her actions. For a short read there is a lot of story to digest. Arnold doesn’t glorify or exaggerate but there is a collection of emotional and traumatic experiences that the characters experience so it’s clear it isn’t for everyone.
It is a hard book to explain in words but the teen experience is laid out in full detail. The narrative explores sex, abortion, animal death, the raw emotion of growing up, the hypocrisies of society, and the expectations of girls. And as hard as it was to read at times, the honesty and seeing familiar emotions, reactions, and experiences on the page was reaffirming. I truly believe every girl has had a burning fire of anger inside her from a young age and it’s no wonder why when you see what we’re up against.
I will admit I rarely read authors notes, but given my experience of this book it was only right to read what the author had to say about it. It’s a great addition because in simple terms Arnold lays out that are young girls we are often acutely aware of how unpleasant it is being a girl. Our bodies do weird and gross stuff as it develops and long afterwards. We are constantly told how to be and how to act, how we can’t be unpleasant or imperfect, our body must look a certain way, we must act a certain way, and any deviation is mocked, repulsed, and shamed. All of which can contract what we want to do and how we want behave and worst of all it can warp our own sense of joy when we do try and embrace girlhood.
It was refreshing to see a story that breaks down that sometimes it’s hard and absolutely sucks to be a girl, as it does to be human. As a human, girls should be allowed to exist in whatever way they want and seeing a great flawed, messy character like Nina break through the bonds of what women should be and find herself was refreshing.
You can purchase What Girls Are Made of via the following
Wordery | Blackwell’s | Angus & Robertson
Fishpond | Amazon | Amazon Aust | Audible
