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A review by hsinjulit
Trouble Girls by Julia Lynn Rubin
1.0
Buddy read with Gabriella! I encourage you to check out her 4-star review instead.
This book is well-written and I did like the social commentary-ness of Trouble Girls, but I don’t know... maybe Thelma & Louise just isn’t meant to be retold in YA in almost its entirety.
Trixie Denton (~17) and Lux Leesburg (~17) go on a weekend getaway but accidentally get entangled with a crime. Now, they are on the run and the road trip stretches into days and weeks.
I… am not sure what I just read.
I appreciate the points this book is making, including the main theme of sexual assault and some mentions of racism, homophobia, etc., but other than that, the somewhat unnecessary descriptions included to build the scenes made me very uncomfortable. Especially some insults other characters throw around. They felt somewhat gratuitous even though, at the same time, I understand why they were included.
The book is full of panic attacks and anxious energy, and yet, I never really felt enough connection to the main characters to care for them. I liked that the romance subplot is full of chemistry, but other than that, Trixie and Lux just move from town to town, meeting a lot of random people on their way. And I didn’t feel like I know them at all, even when it is told in Trixie’s first-person point of view.
Had the story been told from Lux’s POV, we might have been able to learn more about the both of them. Alas, I spent most of the time waiting for the ending of the story and when I reached it, I was disappointed. Like the movie, which I have not seen, it is somewhat open-ended. I love a good open ending, but in Trouble Girls, I finished the book wondering why I road-tripped with them for almost 300 pages.
I should reiterate that Rubin wrote the story well, but I personally couldn’t get into it. Perhaps, if you are a Thelma & Louise fan, you will love this YA retelling.
Content warnings: murder, panic attack, dementia, sexual assault (including rape), blood, homophobia, smoking (underage), brief suicidal thoughts, mention of overdose, homophobia, misogyny, mention of teen pregnancy, mention of trans rejection, mention of racism
I received a digital review copy from Wednesday Books via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
This book is well-written and I did like the social commentary-ness of Trouble Girls, but I don’t know... maybe Thelma & Louise just isn’t meant to be retold in YA in almost its entirety.
Trixie Denton (~17) and Lux Leesburg (~17) go on a weekend getaway but accidentally get entangled with a crime. Now, they are on the run and the road trip stretches into days and weeks.
I… am not sure what I just read.
I appreciate the points this book is making, including the main theme of sexual assault and some mentions of racism, homophobia, etc., but other than that, the somewhat unnecessary descriptions included to build the scenes made me very uncomfortable. Especially some insults other characters throw around. They felt somewhat gratuitous even though, at the same time, I understand why they were included.
The book is full of panic attacks and anxious energy, and yet, I never really felt enough connection to the main characters to care for them. I liked that the romance subplot is full of chemistry, but other than that, Trixie and Lux just move from town to town, meeting a lot of random people on their way. And I didn’t feel like I know them at all, even when it is told in Trixie’s first-person point of view.
Had the story been told from Lux’s POV, we might have been able to learn more about the both of them. Alas, I spent most of the time waiting for the ending of the story and when I reached it, I was disappointed. Like the movie, which I have not seen, it is somewhat open-ended. I love a good open ending, but in Trouble Girls, I finished the book wondering why I road-tripped with them for almost 300 pages.
I should reiterate that Rubin wrote the story well, but I personally couldn’t get into it. Perhaps, if you are a Thelma & Louise fan, you will love this YA retelling.
Content warnings: murder, panic attack, dementia, sexual assault (including rape), blood, homophobia, smoking (underage), brief suicidal thoughts, mention of overdose, homophobia, misogyny, mention of teen pregnancy, mention of trans rejection, mention of racism
I received a digital review copy from Wednesday Books via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.