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Reviewed by Alija Turkovic for Readers' Favorite
The Gilded Butterfly Effect is an engaging novel by Heather Colley that depicts the turbulent experiences college students endure as a "rite of passage." The narrative explores the adventures of several students, mainly highlighting the journeys of Penny and Stella. Penny is a reserved girl who has recently started attending a new university. She seeks approval and takes a dangerous path to achieve it. Her college life gradually becomes enmeshed with Stella, a troubled but popular sorority girl who struggles with substance abuse and an eating disorder. Their somewhat unstable friendship is tested by the chaotic influences of the sorority and fraternity culture that unfolds around them. They are both pressured into conforming to modern pressures associated with popularity and womanhood. Will they ultimately lose or finally find themselves?
In The Gilded Butterfly Effect, Heather Colley offers a candid, thought-provoking, partly humorous look at escapism and the quest for acceptance through the eyes of college students on the verge of adulthood. The writing is sharp and emotionally raw, pulling readers into complex university experiences driven by convoluted but identifiable extremes. Penny and Stella fill each page with very different internal voices and teen insecurities. The author makes it easy to empathize with them despite their rollercoaster-type journeys. Colley has a gift for delivering sharp one-liners that bring out the humor in otherwise daunting situations, yet her profound messages are never lost. If you're a fan of the teen movie Mean Girls or you love YA fiction about college years, complex friendships, self-worth, and the pressures to fit in, this novel is a must-read.
