Reviews tagging 'Dementia'

Trouble Girls: A Novel by Julia Lynn Rubin

7 reviews

pancake_reads's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging emotional tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0


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toofondofbooks_'s review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional tense fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

"Trouble Girls" is a sapphic YA novel about two best friends who are about to go on a road trip, but after a night of unthinkable violence, they end up on the run from the law. 

This book was an extremely quick read with engaging characters and an action packed story. I thought that the chemistry between the two main characters was electrifying and their devotion to each other unlike anything I've seen in YA recently. Even when things were at their worst, I never questioned their love for each other, it's the kind of love that was not only romantic, but familial. You can tell that they aren't going to let each other go without a fight. The way that things unfolded, especially their relationship, was realistic in most aspects, but there were some things that I thought were weird about the journey. However, I can't really explain that without giving away spoilers and I try to keep these spoiler free.

 I really thought it was cool and kind of claustrophobic how it felt like I was with these girls the whole time. When they expressed being too hot, or hungry, or thirsty, or dead tired, it felt like I could feel it, too, which is something I don't always experience. I liked how the ending left things open for interpretation, which is also really all I can say about that. 

Something that really stressed me out was the lack of chapters. There aren't any chapters, it's just continuous, separated by page breaks. It was still a good and easy read, but I really, really would have preferred chapters. It made my head hurt. 

Extra points for the beautiful cover.

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ergaich's review against another edition

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Too much SA. Characters not intriguing enough. No true plot/character development. 

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bookcrushin's review against another edition

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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. 

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librarianlex's review against another edition

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dark emotional mysterious sad tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.0

Didn't live up to the hype. 

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literarypenguin's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark tense fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

3.5 Stars

When I finished reading this book yesterday, I had to carefully gather my thoughts and feelings about this book. I can now say with honesty that I have mixed feelings about it. My feelings do lean more positive then negative but I do have thoughts. I did enjoy the book but some things to dampen my enjoyment just a bit. 

Trixie and Lux are two small town girls with hard upbringings. After deciding to take a road trip to get away for awhile, Trixie and Lux make a small pit stop at a college bar. That pit stop soon turns violent as the girls are forced to run for their lives. Now on the run, Trixie and Lux must decide if they turn themselves in or leave their former lives behind forever.

One thing I loved about this story was that the characters, especially Trixie and Lux, were flawed and messy. I love when characters are flawed because it makes them more human and not some unattainable form of perfection. Trixie had some clear issues with PTSD/Anxiety that she has yet to get help with. Lux has abandonment issues and issues with her emotions that she cant control. These issues that Trixie and Lux had made the story all the more real and raw. The writing was very good and the locations are definitely what kept me invested. I loved seeing the different places and people the girls encountered on the road, how some were good and some not so good.

One thing that bothered me was how when the girls got a unexpected windfall of money, they spent it very fast and without much care. I know they are teenagers and they can make irresponsible decisions but I thought since they both were taking care of people, Trixie being the sole caretaker of her mother with early onset dementia or Alzheimers and Lux taking care of her little brother, i thought they would be more aware of their money and more responsible with it. I really didnt like some of their decisions either and how some situations were a little too convenient for them. 

I thought that the #Metoo movement could have been included a little bit more and found a better way to fit more into the story rather then just in blog posts and forums. I thought the ending could have been a bit better either with a epilogue or better ending. 

So even though my feelings were mixed by the end, I still enjoyed it. Take a read for yourselves and whether your feelings are positive, negative or mixed like me I hope you get enjoyment from it like I did.

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melaniereadsbooks's review against another edition

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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

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