LitPick Review
The Scott Fenwick Diaries by Kristin Nilsen is a lighthearted, yet realistic and heartfelt coming-of age novel that follows Millie, a middle school girl navigating through her first real crush on a boy named Scott Fenwick. Told via Millie’s diary entries (the Scott Fenwick Diaries), the book captures the awkwardness, excitement, and confusion of the transition from childhood to adolescence.
The diaries not only contain Millie's overanalyzed depictions of every interaction with Scott, but also her dreams, insecurities, and events of her day-to-day life including best friend drama, family chaos, and middle school pressures. Millie's simple crush gradually becomes a canon event of her early teenage days, as well as a journey of self-discovery and growing up. She is able to learn that understanding herself and her friendships matter just as much as getting Scott’s attention.
The book's purpose is to show how young teens also experience emotions that feel enormous and world-changing, even in ordinary situations. Through its relatability geared toward tween and early teen audiences, the book explores themes of identity, friendship, and the ride of first love.
Opinion:
The Scott Fenwick Diaries by Kristin Nilsen surprised me as it captured exactly the confusing, funny, and emotional chaos of middle school but in a realistic and not exaggerated way. Unlike the majority of coming-of-age tales, this book didn't try to be too profound or melodramatic; it simply presented the everyday life of an adolescent girl in a loose manner with honesty and humor, which made it highly relatable. Millie's diary entries were like reading my own diary entries, complete with overthinking, cringeworthy moments, and honest afterthoughts.
I liked best how the book took this mundane thing, a crush, and turned it into this wonderful novel about figuring out who you are. Millie's obsession with Scott Fenwick can be silly at first, but the more the story goes on, the clearer it becomes that she's learning about who she is through what she feels about him. The way that the author depicted this subtle growth without making it overblown or unrealistic was what made the reader continue reading. I also liked the easy-going and funny, but thoughtful, tone of the book. The use of diary form writing made it easy to read, and the pacing never allowed it to get dull or repetitive. While the book seems to be tweens-focused, I was still engaged in Millie's world as a teenager because how well Millie's first-person viewpoint reached me. Another thing that I thought was quite relevant was how the book portrayed friendship and insecurity despite the theme of the book being crushes.
Millie’s ups and downs with her best friend, along with her self-consciousness about how others see her, reflected the social pressure that most teens experience but rarely admit out loud. It reminded me how important it is to find comfort in being yourself, even when it feels like everyone else is figuring things out faster. In general, The Scott Fenwick Diaries was a comfort and reflection for me as a teenage girl. It made me remember that adolescent chaos is normal, and that it is the small moments that will end up teaching us most about ourselves. Kristin Nilsen's wit and compassion can be felt throughout the book, a delightful and moving experience for anyone who has ever been uncomfortable, uncertain, or hopeful about growing up.
Fitting well into the realistic fiction and romantic comedy genres, The Scott Fenwick Diaries offers a relatable and funny look at the highs and lows of middle school life, perfect for readers who enjoy coming-of-age novels about crushes, friendship, and finding confidence in who you are.
