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A review by gene_vieve_
The Last Girls Standing by Jennifer Dugan
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
So I really love thrillers normally and I really walked into The Last Girls Standing thinking I was genuinely going to enjoy the book. I wanted so, so, so badly to enjoy the read.
Sloan is a character you want to love, you want to wrap her in your arms and cradle her because of her lack of memory after the traumatic events that happened to her. Cherry is a doll, she's protective and kind maybe to a fault. I think I was really endeared to her because she's almost a picture perfect representation of the kind of person you want after experiencing trauma.
I found myself confused, throughout the book, by the kind of relationship the two shared, by the lack of boundaries, by the way Sloan holds on to Cherry so tight. At times I was rooting for them, other times I wanted them to practice having space.
I cannot emphasize enough how endeared I got to these two children, how much I wanted them to win, whatever a win would look like.
Spoilers ahead:
I hated the ending of this book. It feels incredibly dark for a YA novel as well as unnecessary. I wanted nothing more than for Cherry to have a break by the time the ending came around. I wanted nothing more than for Sloan to let people help her.
And I can't help but wonder about a kill your gays trope mixed with the validity of making trauma bound toxic queer characters. We don't need more of that. For so many reasons these young ladies deserved a happy ending and instead Cherry is dead, Sloan never got help with her PTSD and killed somebody. I just can't find it in myself to enjoy this book as much as I thought I was going to.
Sloan is a character you want to love, you want to wrap her in your arms and cradle her because of her lack of memory after the traumatic events that happened to her. Cherry is a doll, she's protective and kind maybe to a fault. I think I was really endeared to her because she's almost a picture perfect representation of the kind of person you want after experiencing trauma.
I found myself confused, throughout the book, by the kind of relationship the two shared, by the lack of boundaries, by the way Sloan holds on to Cherry so tight. At times I was rooting for them, other times I wanted them to practice having space.
I cannot emphasize enough how endeared I got to these two children, how much I wanted them to win, whatever a win would look like.
Spoilers ahead:
I hated the ending of this book. It feels incredibly dark for a YA novel as well as unnecessary. I wanted nothing more than for Cherry to have a break by the time the ending came around. I wanted nothing more than for Sloan to let people help her.
And I can't help but wonder about a kill your gays trope mixed with the validity of making trauma bound toxic queer characters. We don't need more of that. For so many reasons these young ladies deserved a happy ending and instead Cherry is dead, Sloan never got help with her PTSD and killed somebody. I just can't find it in myself to enjoy this book as much as I thought I was going to.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Grief, Death, Blood, and Child abuse