Reviews with content warning for Misogyny - Trouble Girls

I first heard of this last September on Twitter with the line: "sapphic YA reimagining of “Thelma and Louise”. Just seeing that made me want to read it, being a fan of the film and sapphic stories.

Having finished the book, I found it was a beautifully written story of survival in the wake of incredible circumstances. Both main characters, Trixie Denton and Lux Leesburg, have experienced sexually-based trauma and in the wake of Lux's sexual assault and Trixie stabbing her attacker, the girls are forced to run for their lives. They spend the rest of the book on the run from the law, travelling west away from their hometown and lives in Blue Bottle, West Virginia. Along the way, they find that they have become the face of a #MeToo movement in the fallout of the attack, transformed by the media into these figures when they didn't ask for it.

I did like reading this book, even with its harsh topics as it deals with misogyny, rape/sexual assault, homophobia and abuse. I felt like these topics were handled well, highlighting how widespread misogyny is in the world, how it affects the perception of women in the media and can take a toll on those who experience it. While I did like the way the writing style portrays a particular aesthetic around these girls on the run, there were elements of the writing which I did not like and hindered my enjoyment of the book. It is written as one long text with no chapters, just page breaks, which I do not like - I prefer a good chapter structure. The pacing is off in parts, with it dragging through the middle of the book and only including little points of action. Also, I did not like the ending as it came to an abrupt conclusion and seemed quite open-ended since we don't find out what happens to the girls in the end. Personally, I am not a fan of open-ended conclusions as I like a good, clear ending.

We are told the story through Trixie's POV, getting to really know her character. We see a deep distrust of men - she frequently refers to them as "hogs" or "hog men" - a devotion to her best friend and love Lux, and a girl who cares about the women in her life, especially her mother, who she has to take care of. However, we get all this insight into Trixie's character but little into Lux. We know that she's a keen photographer who loves makeup, little trinkets and taking photos of everything she sees. It feels a little unbalanced with the characterisation here, since we see so much of Trixie and so little of Lux. I would have preferred it if the book was written from both their POVs so we could get an equal insight into their characters and see the events of the book from both their perspectives.

Overall, this was a great read that featured some flawed, messy characters in a situation that were not - and could not be - prepared for. They make some bad decisions along the way, but that is realistic, because they are young (seventeen, both of them) and inexperienced, in a situation beyond their control. They become known as The Trouble Girls, girls fighting back against misogyny and those who represent and perpetuate it (rapists, misogynists).

Content Warnings

bookcrushin's review

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adventurous dark emotional medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.5

This was an intense read, I kind of enjoy the revenge fantasy of it all, but also it is a lot of trauma, so be sure to check CWs to read safely.

Content Warnings

obscurepages's review

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challenging dark emotional tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

It's my first read for Pride Month and I'm so glad to say I enjoyed it! Trouble Girls was a great read! It was dark, poetic, gritty, and poignant.

The overall story is a very real and heartbreaking example of what women go through because of terrible men. The characters were also compelling, and I was particularly moved by the MC's perspective. Also, it's very hard to explain it, but this book just makes you feel things. It takes you on such an emotional and haunting journey on finding freedom and love, and running from your fears. Overall, I enjoyed this one.

CW: sexual abuse/sexual harassment, rape, attempted rape, blood, gore (mild), domestic abuse, toxic relationships

Thank you so much to Wednesday Books for sending over an ARC! This, of course, did not affect my overall opinion of the book.

(Check out the rest of my Pride Month TBR!)

Find me elsewhere: Instagram | Twitter | Blog

Content Warnings

melaniereadsbooks's review

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adventurous challenging sad slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? N/A
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.25

Thank you to Netgalley and Wednesday Books for an arc of this book.

On a weekend trip, best friends Trixie and Lux run into trouble at a bar and the night ends in violence. The girls go on the run as wanted fugitives, and they have to deal with harsh truths and realities as they leave behind the only life they've ever known, and only have each other to hang onto.

I so badly wanted to love this book, but it just didn't grip me the way I had hoped it would. I felt like the pacing was quite slow, and I didn't feel like I knew the characters enough to really care about them. The important things that happened were kind of glanced over in the writing to make way for more reflection from Trixie, which is fine, but makes for a read where it feels like you're always waiting for the action to start.

The most interesting part of this book for me was the discussions of sexual assault, the forum posts, and where the girls went with that. I thought those parts made some really good points and was an important topic.

I was not a fan of the ending of this book, personally.

Pub Date: June 1, 2021

Content Warnings

giulsisnothere's review

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adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective sad tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!

Tw: sexual harassment, abuse, terminal illness, homophobia, vomit, alcohol and weed consumption, mention of conversion camp, misogyny, teen pregnancy, murder

Trixie and Lux are excited to finally get out of their town for the weekend but a night of violence changes everything and the girls will have to try survive on their own. 

I LOVED this book! I could really feel the anxiety the two girls felt while they were escaping from the media and the cops. At times I had to put down the book and just breathe. 

Trixie was passionate, impulsive and hopelessly in love with her best friend Lux. At first I was rooting for them, but reading further I realized their relationship was quite toxic because they completely isolated themselves from the rest of the world and they wouldn't let anyone into their little bubble. 

I really loved the description of the places and I really felt like I was travelling alongside with Trixe and Lux. 

The book was fast-paced and a total page-turner and I ended up devouring it in less than three days.

I highly recommend it to fans of Courtney Summers and those looking for an intriguing YA thriller!

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me to read an early copy!

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