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3.71 AVERAGE
3.71 AVERAGE
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!
challenging
emotional
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
challenging
emotional
sad
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
dark
emotional
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
N/A
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
N/A
This is a gender-flipped retelling of The Outsiders set in 1964 Houston, Texas. I see so many similarities to the classic, including this line about one of the characters: "But Connie knows what it's like to be hit. She says sometimes it's the only way she can be sure her parents know she exists." Fans of The Outsiders may recognize this as similar to a description of Johnny Cade, except Connie is the leader of the pack in this book. There is an incident that causes a murder, when one girl feels the need to defend another. The story wonderfully stands on its own while simultaneously being a reflection of Hinton's book. I loved it. It's even a YALSA 2023 Quick Pick for Reluctant Young Adult Readers. I listened to and can easily recommend the audiobook.
def right to be called a gender-flipped retelling of the outsiders I LOVED IT i see so much of myself in evie and the ending made me cry
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Read my review here: https://onemamassummer.weebly.com/book-reviews/bad-girls-never-say-die
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Misogyny, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Pregnancy
Moderate: Sexual content, Violence
Minor: Miscarriage
Sometimes having no memory of most of the classics one is forced to read in school (no, seriously, my brain dumped all knowledge of most of them because I hate being told what to read and hated it more as a kid) is helpful. I didn't spend any real time comparing the two beyond wondering if maybe I should read The Outsiders at some point.
Can't tell if marketing this as a gender flipped The Outsiders was a good idea or not since so many people touch on that as being a sticking point for them. On the other hand, had they not mentioned it at all, people would be bringing it up anyway so... eh.
I found myself pretty quickly loving Evie and Diane and Juanita seemed pretty fab right from the start as well. I liked that you kind of had to get to know Connie to love her and ditto for Sunny, though the latter is more because of her being eclipsed by her relationship with her boyfriend and her friendship with Connie. Some of the twists are only twists if this is your first time around the block, like Evie, but they still work because of how they hit the characters.
My favorite thing has to be the strong theme of friendship. These girls would do anything for each other, even friends who seem to have burned bridges with one another, and that's something I think we need more of in the world.
That said, I went three stars (my kingdom for half stars, dangit!) because while Evie and to an extent Diane felt fleshed out, everyone else did feel shortchanged and also some stories nail the historical feeling and some don't quite make it. This felt close but not quite there.
Can't tell if marketing this as a gender flipped The Outsiders was a good idea or not since so many people touch on that as being a sticking point for them. On the other hand, had they not mentioned it at all, people would be bringing it up anyway so... eh.
I found myself pretty quickly loving Evie and Diane and Juanita seemed pretty fab right from the start as well. I liked that you kind of had to get to know Connie to love her and ditto for Sunny, though the latter is more because of her being eclipsed by her relationship with her boyfriend and her friendship with Connie. Some of the twists are only twists if this is your first time around the block, like Evie, but they still work because of how they hit the characters.
My favorite thing has to be the strong theme of friendship. These girls would do anything for each other, even friends who seem to have burned bridges with one another, and that's something I think we need more of in the world.
That said, I went three stars (my kingdom for half stars, dangit!) because while Evie and to an extent Diane felt fleshed out, everyone else did feel shortchanged and also some stories nail the historical feeling and some don't quite make it. This felt close but not quite there.
