Brittany Cavallaro, Emily Henry
Genre: Young Adult, Contemporary
Publisher: Katherine Tegen Books
Rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars
Goodreads
Best friends are forged by fire. For Winona Olsen and Lucille Pryce, that fire happened the night they met outside the police station—both deciding whether to turn their families in.REVIEW
Winona has been starving for life in the seemingly perfect home that she shares with her seemingly perfect father, celebrity weatherman Stormy Olsen. No one knows that he locks the pantry door to control her eating and leaves bruises where no one can see them.
Lucille has been suffocating beneath the needs of her mother and her drug-dealing brother, wondering if there’s more out there for her than disappearing waitress tips and generations of barely getting by.
One harrowing night, Winona and Lucille realize they can’t wait until graduation to start their new lives. They need out. Now. All they need is three grand, fast. And really, a stolen convertible to take them from Michigan to Las Vegas can’t hurt.
If you are looking for a YA Thelma and Louise inspired story, look no further. This was a story about two girls, who were let down and abandoned by the people, who were supposed to protect them. They were tired of conforming to the unrealistic standards set for young women, and they needed to break free from their oppressors. Long story short, they stole a car, robbed a store, and were off in search of their new beginning.
The trail these two blazed, and the wreckage left in their wake was unreal, as well as highly entertaining. Though quite dark, the story was filled with whip-smart dialogue, witty observations, and keen reflections on the many social constructs erected to keep women in their place.
Though I wish there would have been more hope infused in this book, I did appreciate the friendship between Winona and Lucille, which was my favorite aspect of this story. These two couldn't have been more different, but they recognized something in each other, and bonded over their shared mental and physical wounds. And, everyone wishes they had a (literal) ride or die friend like these two did.
Their backstories broke me, and left me with an aching heart, but I found great solace in the fact, that they had each other. These two were ride-or-die friends, literally, and I was thrilled they were able to depend on each other as a means to escape their dismal lives.
I also liked seeing both Lucille and Winona take back their power. Lucille never seemed to totally give it up. She maintained some semblance of control at all times, but Winona played the part of the china doll on the shelf in her quest for self preservation. Each mile added between them and Michigan was accompanied by another step by them both to regain control of their lives.
Overall: Perhaps a little too dark for me, I still enjoyed this action packed and entertaining tale of friendship, survival, and crusade for freedom.
* ARC received in exchange for an honest review.
I love friendship stories, and these are some of my favorite fictional female besties.
- Buffy & Willow - Buffy the Vampire Slayer
- Brooke & Peyton - One Tree Hill
- Romy & Michele - Romy and Michele's High School Reunion
- Cher & Dionne - Clueless
- Jules & Jess - Bend it Like Beckham
- Anne & Dianna - Anne of Green Gables
- Monica & Rachel - Friends
- Chelsea & Raven - That's So Raven
- Lucy & Ethel - I Love Lucy
- Leslie & Ann - Parks and Rec
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Who are you favorite fictional besties?
Let us know in the comments!
I started reading the review and the song Getaway Car by Taylor Swift popped in my head. Ugh I wish I had a literal ride or die friend! Winona and Lucille sound like great characters. I love that their friendship is tight and they bond :) Lovely review!
ReplyDeleteGenesis @ Whispering Chapters
I am not familiar with TSwift's music, but the title certainty fits almost every situation these young women encountered. The friendship was one to envy in this book, and I love a good female friendship
DeleteI have this one to hopefully read soon. I'm glad you enjoyed the characters. Love the female friendships you shared. I agree with Lucy & Ethel and Jules & Jess!
ReplyDelete-Lauren
www.shootingstarsmag.net
Everyone knows I like more fluff, but the story was good, and the friendship was great.
DeleteIt's a new one to me and it does sound pretty good. Great review.
ReplyDeleteIt was good, and I was flipping those pages. I just like a little more "light" in my reading. Had the ending been more hopeful, I would have gone 4/5.
DeleteI love Brittany Cavallaro's previous works (Charlotte Holmes series is actually one of my favourites of all time) so I am DEFINITELY excited for this one. Great review! I'm sorry it was a little too dark for you but I'm glad you enjoyed it well enough! Thanks for sharing!
ReplyDeleteIt's a preference thing with me. I am ok with a little darkness, if the ending is hopeful, and I needed a bit more hope there at the end, but the story was good. Many issues women have been facing for an eternity are addressed, and the friendship was really special
DeleteWow this sounds good. And they're running from Michigan (my home state)! Which, okay, depending on the area of Michigan, I can maybe see haha. Seriously though, this does sound really well done and it's nice to read books that challenge the social constructs that you mention.
ReplyDeleteI loved Romy and Michelle! I still quote that movie sometimes- and Lucy and Ethel too.
I don't know if they were running from MI, per se, but rather, people who lived there. The authors' note talks about the inspiration for the story, and it was the stuff many women deal with on a daily basis. They wanted some badass teens to take on the patriarchy, and they definitely made a point and gave me things to think about.
DeleteI like the sound of a respin of Thelma and Louise, but I am sad that it was a bit too dark for your taste. I will put it on my maybe list.
ReplyDeleteDark for my taste is probably not dark for most people. I am a fluffer-nutter. But, I liked the topics they tackled and the friendship
DeleteThis sounds like a fun contemporary read. I love that it features female besties and how you shared some of your other favorite works that feature female besties. I'll have to check them out!
ReplyDeleteThere are fun moments, but it's a story packed with a lot of crime. The friendship was incredible, though.
DeleteI don't mind dark stories, I think I'd like this one!
ReplyDeleteYou know the kind of books I gush over, I like them super light. So, a bit too dark for me, may not be too dark for others.
DeleteThis sounds like something that I would like. I enjoy darker stories and have love Emily Henry's writing. I like that this has a nice Thelma and Louise feel to it :)
ReplyDeleteThe writing was great, the story flowed well. I just would have liked a more hopeful ending, but that's something I personally need.
DeleteThis one does sound a bit dark and both girls are certainly dealing with some serious issues at home. I like that they found a connection in each other and had such great support. Too bad the ending was a bit more upbeat/hopeful for the girls.
ReplyDeleteI can see a lot of people loving this, because it is a rage against the patriarchy, AND it features a ride-or-die friendship. I know that if the ending was a bit more up, I would have rated this higher, because it was good. I devoured the book. It was non-stop, but I have needs as a reader, which I know not everyone else does.
DeleteThis sounds super dark compared to what your typically read Sam... But its hard to pass us female friendship! It's neat that that part was done well.
ReplyDeleteIt was darker than my norm, but I love both authors, and wanted to see what they would do together. It was good, and had the ending been a bit more hopeful, I probably would have bumped it up a bit.
DeleteThis one is new to me, but I just added it to my TBR! I like books with a lot of hope, too. When they're too dark, I feel so blah afterwards. I'll read something familiar and fun afterwards to shake it off.
ReplyDeleteLindsi @ Do You Dog-ear? 💬
I was ok at the end of it, though I wanted a bit more light at the end. It was good. It featured a great friendship and I like both authors' writing.
DeleteI definitely agree about the friendship! And while I didn't mind the darkness, I agree that a little more hope at the end would have worked better. I liked it overall, but there is just something that didn't fully click for me- I am trying to figure out what that is so I can write my review but reviews are hard, Sam! Yours is great though!! Glad you mostly liked it!
ReplyDeleteThanks! I wanted to love this book, because of the premise and the authors, but me + darkness is never a great thing. Still, they left me with a lot of chew on, but that one scene in Vegas was too close to the ending, and they didn't turn it around enough for me.
Delete