I read “Things You Don’t Know You Want” by Priscilla Rapp, and overall, I thought it was extremely cute. It portrayed the classic adolescent scenario in which a girl avoids her affectionate feelings by converting them to indifference or annoyance very well. Although this general plot is very cliche, the author executed the story very well. She displayed her internal thoughts in detail while also keeping up with great setting details. This memoir captured me more than any other memoir I’ve read recently.
“Things You Don’t Know You Want” actually reminded me of a couple different scenarios in my own life. In my experience, girls often run away from their feelings as the narrator does in the memoir. One day in sixth grade, a girl that had seemed like she hated me actually made a huge effort to talk to me. This story really brought me back, which is one of the reasons I love it so much.