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3.7 AVERAGE
3.7 AVERAGE
Why did you do this to me??
The stunning descriptions of the girls were to die for. My poor sweet baby Diane deserved so much she deserved the world. I haven’t read a book this sad in a long time like genuinely the amount of sad faces and broken hearts I drew would be in the hundreds.
The stunning descriptions of the girls were to die for. My poor sweet baby Diane deserved so much she deserved the world. I haven’t read a book this sad in a long time like genuinely the amount of sad faces and broken hearts I drew would be in the hundreds.
3.5 stars rounded up to 4. “Bad Girls Never Die” is an enjoyable genderswapped riff off of SE Hinton’s classic “The Outsiders”. Evie is a bad girl, a member of a girl gang that drinks, smokes, and is from the bad side of the tracks. A chance encounter with a privileged young woman catapults Evie into helping cover up a crime - and to decide just what kind of woman she wants to be.
This book was action-packed, fun, and easy to read. I’ll be honest, I read The Outsiders way too long ago to remember it, but from my vague recollection “Bad Girls Never Die” hits a lot of the same notes. I particularly enjoyed Evie’s developing friendship with Diane as the pair work together to cover up a murder. Unfortunately, their friendship came at the expense of really rounding out the other girls in the gang - they were vaguely sketched (the tough one, the nice one, the dumb one with the boyfriend) and they never really got much to do. The characterizations were shallow at best; I’m not sure if “Bad Girls” needed a little more time to develop or fewer subplots (Evie’s family, Evie’s sister, etc).
Nevertheless, this was a fun book and essential for the #Metoo era.
This book was action-packed, fun, and easy to read. I’ll be honest, I read The Outsiders way too long ago to remember it, but from my vague recollection “Bad Girls Never Die” hits a lot of the same notes. I particularly enjoyed Evie’s developing friendship with Diane as the pair work together to cover up a murder. Unfortunately, their friendship came at the expense of really rounding out the other girls in the gang - they were vaguely sketched (the tough one, the nice one, the dumb one with the boyfriend) and they never really got much to do. The characterizations were shallow at best; I’m not sure if “Bad Girls” needed a little more time to develop or fewer subplots (Evie’s family, Evie’s sister, etc).
Nevertheless, this was a fun book and essential for the #Metoo era.
I LOVED this book. It's a gender-swapped retelling of The Outsiders, and it's done so well. There's great commentary on misogyny, racism, and more. It was engaging and I just really, really loved it.
Enjoyable but somewhat predictable read. This book focused on the girls friendship and how far they would go to protect each other. The story sometimes dragged along for me but I did end up enjoying this one!
It is the mid 1960’s when social economic status played an important role in the lives of teens growing up in an era of unrest. Among those teens are a group of girls from the rough side of town whose reputations preceded them; and not in a good way. They are known as the bad girls.
Evie, Connie, Sunny, and Juanita don’t live in a posh neighborhood and don’t attend the best high school. Instead, they are relegated to a less than stellar high school who provided more of a babysitting service rather than an education.
On a fateful night out on the town, Evie is assaulted by one of the better neighborhood and well-to-do boys, Preston. As Evie struggles to fend off her assailant, she ultimately succumbs to the assault and blacks out. Evie then wakes up only to discover that Preston is dead — stabbed to death by one of the rich girls, Diane.
What follows is the unlikely friendship between Diane and Evie. And how Diane forms a camaraderie with the bad girls in a time where Diane would be shunned and/or ostracized by either side of the tracks.
While I have to admit that although I was intrigued by an excerpt, and the premise of The Outsiders retelling, I wasn’t convinced that I would enjoy the novel. Was I ever wrong! I loved that the story is told from Evie’s perspective as Evie isn’t as jaded like the others in her circle. Evie still has a moral compass and isn’t swayed easily into the bad girl syndrome. Diane is an innocent, but wise. I truly appreciated Diane’s empathy, especially since she was considered an outcast in her own societal circle.
The plot moves slowly at the beginning as it is done purposely to set up the scenarios that are about to unfold. Brilliantly done, it sets up the reader for a heartfelt conclusion.
Would I read more from this author? Absolutely! I love Mathieu’s writing style and Bad Girls Never Say Die is one of those books that you should take the time to read without expectation and without any preconcieved notions. Five outstanding stars.
I received a finished copy of the book from Roaming Book Press through the Bookish First Raffle. The review herein is completely my own and contains my honest thoughts and opinions.
Evie, Connie, Sunny, and Juanita don’t live in a posh neighborhood and don’t attend the best high school. Instead, they are relegated to a less than stellar high school who provided more of a babysitting service rather than an education.
On a fateful night out on the town, Evie is assaulted by one of the better neighborhood and well-to-do boys, Preston. As Evie struggles to fend off her assailant, she ultimately succumbs to the assault and blacks out. Evie then wakes up only to discover that Preston is dead — stabbed to death by one of the rich girls, Diane.
What follows is the unlikely friendship between Diane and Evie. And how Diane forms a camaraderie with the bad girls in a time where Diane would be shunned and/or ostracized by either side of the tracks.
While I have to admit that although I was intrigued by an excerpt, and the premise of The Outsiders retelling, I wasn’t convinced that I would enjoy the novel. Was I ever wrong! I loved that the story is told from Evie’s perspective as Evie isn’t as jaded like the others in her circle. Evie still has a moral compass and isn’t swayed easily into the bad girl syndrome. Diane is an innocent, but wise. I truly appreciated Diane’s empathy, especially since she was considered an outcast in her own societal circle.
The plot moves slowly at the beginning as it is done purposely to set up the scenarios that are about to unfold. Brilliantly done, it sets up the reader for a heartfelt conclusion.
Would I read more from this author? Absolutely! I love Mathieu’s writing style and Bad Girls Never Say Die is one of those books that you should take the time to read without expectation and without any preconcieved notions. Five outstanding stars.
I received a finished copy of the book from Roaming Book Press through the Bookish First Raffle. The review herein is completely my own and contains my honest thoughts and opinions.
emotional
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
A lovely look at young female friendships but a little too cheesy for me in most of the dialogue. And I think it’s more of influenced by the Outsiders than really just stating it as a gender flipped version of The Outsiders
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing an eARC in exchange for an honest review
Bad Girls Never Say Die is a gender-flipped reimagining of S.E. Hinton’s The Outsiders, following Evie after she is involved in a murder and is saved by a “good girl.”
This one was one of my most anticipated books this year, and it did not disappoint!
This was a really interesting look at the social status at its set time period: 1964, Houston. I loved the dynamic between Evie and Diane and seeing a slow trust and eventual friendship grow between them after being involved in such an earth-shattering event. Seeing the social hierarchy between the “good” kids and the “bad” ones was really interesting as well.
I do think that the pacing was a little slow, especially in the beginning, but the characters and plot made up for it.
Overall, I definitely recommend this book. Fair warning, however, that this book contains a lot of content that may be triggering so be wary of that.
Bad Girls Never Say Die is a gender-flipped reimagining of S.E. Hinton’s The Outsiders, following Evie after she is involved in a murder and is saved by a “good girl.”
This one was one of my most anticipated books this year, and it did not disappoint!
This was a really interesting look at the social status at its set time period: 1964, Houston. I loved the dynamic between Evie and Diane and seeing a slow trust and eventual friendship grow between them after being involved in such an earth-shattering event. Seeing the social hierarchy between the “good” kids and the “bad” ones was really interesting as well.
I do think that the pacing was a little slow, especially in the beginning, but the characters and plot made up for it.
Overall, I definitely recommend this book. Fair warning, however, that this book contains a lot of content that may be triggering so be wary of that.
3.5 This really was a female The Outsiders. I liked the flow and the way it still was it’s own story. Really enjoyed it!