I received this book for free from Publisher in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

Fallon is a fixer. From planning prom to organizing her college applications, she’s got it all figured out…except for when her younger sister comes to her with very basic questions about sex. Shocked that she knows so little—and her fellow classmates even less—Fallon decides some practical education is in order. And Fallon isn’t above practicing a little civil disobedience by creating a secret underground off-campus group.

Shelby is a fighter. Having her nose broken is nothing new in her semiprofessional career…but this time it’s her boyfriend who threw the punch. Now her phone is blowing up with texts from a new guy who tells her she’s perfect, she’s special, she’s everything he’s ever wanted…except for a few small details. Shelby’s happy to adjust for him, because isn’t that what a healthy relationship is about?

Jobie is a failure. She doesn’t have enough followers and her posts never go viral, no matter how hard she crushes challenges and applies exactly the right filter. But a friendly DM from a good girl just like her points her in the direction of a whole new audience of admirers. Guys who just want to talk. Guys who give her the attention she’s always wanted.

The lives of all three girls intersect in Fallon’s secret class, rumors of which have parents up in arms. Fallon needs to keep herself anonymous, Shelby needs to keep her new boyfriend happy, and Jobie needs to keep her followers…who keep asking for more. Each girl finds herself trapped in an inescapable situation—that will leave one of them dead.

Short and Sweet Review

How Girls Are Made follows three girls Fallon, Shelby, and Jobie whose lives collide in a secret, off-campus sex-ed class that was never supposed to get this big or this dangerous. Fallon is the planner, the fixer, the girl who loves a good list. When her younger sister comes to her with questions she absolutely should have learned in school, Fallon decides to start an underground class to teach real sex education, mental health, and self-defense. Shelby is the fighter, tough in the ring but stuck in the cycle of an abusive relationship she keeps trying to rationalize. And then there’s Jobie, who feels like a failure because her social media won’t blow up, and gets lured in by someone who promises attention…and keeps asking for more. The three girls end up tangled together by this quiet rebellion Fallon starts, and as the dangers around them grow, it becomes clear early on that one of them won’t survive.
This book is heavy in every way Mindy McGinnis usually is, and you really do need to be in the right mindset going in. She doesn’t sugarcoat anything—domestic violence, online predators, manipulation, shame, the way social media twists girls’ sense of self. As a mom, it hit especially hard because these are issues teen girls are really dealing with, right now, in the real world. It feels uncomfortably honest at times, and that’s exactly what makes the story work.
What I loved most was getting the POVs of the three girls and getting an insight on their lives and struggles. Getting inside each girl’s head made their choices make sense, even when you’re watching them walk into something dangerous. Fallon’s overthinking and need to control everything felt so relatable. Shelby’s humor and quick wit made me love her almost instantly, even as you feel the anxiety creeping up behind her. Jobie is harder to relate to (for me at least), but her chapters were honestly some of the most eye-opening. Her need for validation and the way she slowly twists herself into the kind of girl her online admirers want—it’s heartbreaking because it’s so realistic.
The book opens with a death, and you spend the entire story wondering whose it is. I actually liked that we unravel the mystery alongside the author it feels chaotic in the same way these girls’ lives feel chaotic. But I’ll be honest, the death itself left me with questions. Not so much about who it is, but more the why this way? I finished the book loving it, but also wanting answers I’m not sure we’re supposed to fully get.
Still, even with the frustration, I really appreciated what this story is trying to say: that girls are expected to survive a world that constantly fails them, and they’re rarely given the tools to protect themselves. Fallon’s class felt like the kind of thing teenage girls desperately need—and the fact that it blows up in the way it does is both heartbreaking and painfully believable.

Overall, this isn’t a feel good read, but it’s an important one. It’s messy and uncomfortable and sad, but it also highlights resilience, connection, and the idea that healing is possible if we stop pretending everything is fine. You won’t walk away from this book smiling, but you will walk away thinking about it. And honestly? That’s kind of the point.