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3.7 AVERAGE
3.7 AVERAGE
Such a wonderful story! I read some reviews prior and others weren’t a fan but this book blew me away! I’m so lucky to have been given the chance to read it. Through the main characters and the plot, I felt like I was developing too. It shows friendship, family, love, death, grief. It shows so many human complexities that I just didn’t want to end the experience!
5/5 stars for this badass girl group!
**Thank you to NetGalley for giving me a free copy. I’m leaving this review voluntarily!
5/5 stars for this badass girl group!
**Thank you to NetGalley for giving me a free copy. I’m leaving this review voluntarily!
This was just ok for me which was disappointing because I love Jennifer! I didn't like that the girls were considered "bad." And the pace was a little slow in my opinion. I did like the relationships between the girls and the overarching idea that relationships can span social classes. I would be very interested to get student feedback, especially feedback from students who have recently read and loved The Outsiders. I would hand this to kiddos needing a hi-lo reading.
emotional
funny
sad
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I really enjoyed this book! It was a really great story of female friendship and despite its setting in the 60s the major themes felt as relevant as ever.
I think I set myself up for disappointment with this novel by misreading the description and convincing myself it was about budding lesbians in the 50s.
In the end, I'm still convinced Evie is a repressed lesbian, but that's beside the main point, which is that the interest of the plot and rebellion against the norms got lost in saccarine het romance and "easy" plot twist shock factor for the grand finale.
There was potential here but it got lost somewhere in the middle.
In the end, I'm still convinced Evie is a repressed lesbian, but that's beside the main point, which is that the interest of the plot and rebellion against the norms got lost in saccarine het romance and "easy" plot twist shock factor for the grand finale.
There was potential here but it got lost somewhere in the middle.
Thanks to Netgalley and Macmillan for the advance Kindle copy of this book. It is out TODAY. All opinions are my own.
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⭐️⭐️⭐️/5. Set in 1964, Evie and her friends are considered “bad girls”. They skip class, smoke, drink, and don’t seem to care what anyone thinks. When Evie is saved from an assault one night by what they call a “tea supper”, a girl from the other side of the tracks, she befriends her to cover up the murder. It is then that the newest member of their group shows them what it means to have true friendship. Recommended for grades 9+.
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⭐️⭐️⭐️/5. Set in 1964, Evie and her friends are considered “bad girls”. They skip class, smoke, drink, and don’t seem to care what anyone thinks. When Evie is saved from an assault one night by what they call a “tea supper”, a girl from the other side of the tracks, she befriends her to cover up the murder. It is then that the newest member of their group shows them what it means to have true friendship. Recommended for grades 9+.
I do not have words for how much I adored this book. I am not eloquent enough for it I think.
I've never experienced the inspiration of this, The Outsiders I mean. And I cannot say anything about how close, or how loyal of an adaption this is. For me, this was Grease. If Grease started off with someone getting killed and friendships so fiercely loyal and close it could blind the sun.
One of the things I loved about this book was that Connie was fiercely loyal toward her own girls. Often the leader of such Clicks, or Queen Bees as I call them, are often quite mean toward their own friends and yet are fawned upon by them. It was mentioned that Connie could be mean. But it was never showed toward her own group. I had my own Queen Bees during my teenage years and that made it more relatable. I never understood the cliché of staying close with someone who was mean to them.
I also loved the way the author made feminism the core subject of this book without making me feel stifled by it. Don't misunderstand me, the book bleeds feminism. But viewed through an much older lens where women lived with much stricter gender roles and had a lot less options than we do today. I loved that Evie was young and discovering herself and didn't know the words to put into feeling what she wanted. Which, if you haven't read it, is feminism. She wanted freedom, and the idea of having to marry right after high school was suffocating. So she did the only thing she could think of: She joined the Bad Girls, and the other unreputable crowd of teenagers that adults called trouble because they were the only ones that seemingly seemed to be fighting against rules and expectations.
But more than anything, I loved the fierce friendship that spawned between Evie and Diana. Or maybe just Evie as a person. The entire book takes time across maybe two weeks and yet this friendship was one of the legends.
Which, as someone who often grows easily attached to people I shouldn't, I felt myself seen in. It was the platonic version of a whirlwind romance.
I also really applaud the decision to put disclaimers, and contact information for various organizations one could contact or call if any of the themes in the book was something you found triggering or experienced yourself. For there were many. From
I loved this. I really did. Might need to pick up this The Outsider book/movie and give it a twirl.
I've never experienced the inspiration of this, The Outsiders I mean. And I cannot say anything about how close, or how loyal of an adaption this is. For me, this was Grease. If Grease started off with someone getting killed and friendships so fiercely loyal and close it could blind the sun.
One of the things I loved about this book was that Connie was fiercely loyal toward her own girls. Often the leader of such Clicks, or Queen Bees as I call them, are often quite mean toward their own friends and yet are fawned upon by them. It was mentioned that Connie could be mean. But it was never showed toward her own group. I had my own Queen Bees during my teenage years and that made it more relatable. I never understood the cliché of staying close with someone who was mean to them.
I also loved the way the author made feminism the core subject of this book without making me feel stifled by it. Don't misunderstand me, the book bleeds feminism. But viewed through an much older lens where women lived with much stricter gender roles and had a lot less options than we do today. I loved that Evie was young and discovering herself and didn't know the words to put into feeling what she wanted. Which, if you haven't read it, is feminism. She wanted freedom, and the idea of having to marry right after high school was suffocating. So she did the only thing she could think of: She joined the Bad Girls, and the other unreputable crowd of teenagers that adults called trouble because they were the only ones that seemingly seemed to be fighting against rules and expectations.
But more than anything, I loved the fierce friendship that spawned between Evie and Diana. Or maybe just Evie as a person. The entire book takes time across maybe two weeks and yet this friendship was one of the legends.
Which, as someone who often grows easily attached to people I shouldn't, I felt myself seen in. It was the platonic version of a whirlwind romance.
I also really applaud the decision to put disclaimers, and contact information for various organizations one could contact or call if any of the themes in the book was something you found triggering or experienced yourself. For there were many. From
Spoiler
attempted sexual assault, to police brutality, to alcoholic guardians, and neglect and abuse from parentsI loved this. I really did. Might need to pick up this The Outsider book/movie and give it a twirl.
challenging
emotional
hopeful
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
I need the physical book trophy for this ASAP!!!
Anyone who knows me knows The Outsiders is one of my all-time favorite books, and this gender-swapped reimagining was so good. It perfectly fit The Outsiders vibes without being a complete copy, which I was a bit worried about.
I couldn’t put it down honestly. Even when I thought I knew what was going to happen, I needed to know what was going to happen next and HOW it would happen and absolutely was rooting for the characters and feeling my own empathy and understanding grow. The ending absolutely devastated me, and I haven’t been able to stop thinking about it since I finished it.
I also really loved the themes: feminism, growing up and finding your own way, looking past outward appearances, and above all never giving up no matter how bleak circumstances seem.
You should read this if:
💄 You’re a fan of The Outsiders
💄 You love emotional, suspenseful reads
💄 You’re looking for a quick, addictive read that will stick with you
TW, tropes, and things to know:
YA Historical Fiction, Gender-bent Retelling of The Outsiders, found family, coming-of-age, feminism, never give up, star-crossed lovers, different worlds, mentions of child abuse/neglect, implied sexual assault, scene involving attempted rape, violence, attempted violence, accidental/self-defense killing, teenage pregnancy, mentions of juvenile detention, mentions of abandonment, discussions of unwed mothers’ homes, cigarette smoking, alcohol use, racism, classism, mentions of miscarriage (not described), death of friend, mentions or prison, mentions of police brutality
A female version of SE Hinton’s The Outsiders. Similar but different in a good way