Take a photo of a barcode or cover
A review by noraaa_9999
Ride with Me by Jenna Jarvis
Did not finish book. Stopped at 47%.
Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for providing an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review!
I decided to not continue reading this book. I did like the storyline (Roadtrip, Emma is running away from her awful husband with her sister-in-law Lucy). The writing was good, but somehow I didn't get invested in the characters, and especially not Emma. Also maybe I'm too European to enjoy the story, there were two instances that I found really not okay, they may be normal in the US so it is okay if they happen like this in the story. But I expected at least some discussion about it, but they were just brushed over and not even challenged / discussed.
First was the readiness for violence both by Emma and Lucy They are in a fight at a bar, and Emma just grabs a gun that lies unattended below the bar. First, it is shocking that a gun is so easily reachable, and not kept safe, so that any bar visitor can just grab it. And then Emma ist totally comfortable with using, stealing it and keeping it openly in their van. I'm not naive, I know this is probably normal in some parts of the US. But I expected at least some discussion about it, how this is dangerous, and acknowledgement it's not okay. But they are just like "oh well we have a gun now in our van".
The second instance that made me stop reading was this sentence: "Though Emma had been getting by on four aspirins a day and then a half bottle of wine a night for maybe the last four years, she hadn't done anything she'd call recreational drug use in almost a decade." WTF??? Are pain killers and Alcohol not considered drugs in the USA? Okay, we know Emma had a really hard time with her horrible husband, so it is not surprising she used drugs to get through it. But this is a serious topic, it would have been a chance here to talk about addictions, and handle the topic with a bit more tact and sensitivity. There are so many people addicted to drugs, and here it is just mentioned in a sentence and brushed over like that is something normal. It sends a really bad message that it is not further discussed but directly followed by Emma using more drugs.
Short spoiler-free summary: I know it probably is realistic, that in some parts of the USA no one bats an eye if a gun ist just lying around, and a person has no problems handling it, and that lots of people are addicted to alcohol and painkillers. I just don't find it okay how the story totally brushes over these things, they just happen or are mentioned and not challenged at all. I wish it would have been discussed how this is harmful and for example how the person could get out of her addiction.
I decided to not continue reading this book. I did like the storyline (Roadtrip, Emma is running away from her awful husband with her sister-in-law Lucy). The writing was good, but somehow I didn't get invested in the characters, and especially not Emma. Also maybe I'm too European to enjoy the story, there were two instances that I found really not okay, they may be normal in the US so it is okay if they happen like this in the story. But I expected at least some discussion about it, but they were just brushed over and not even challenged / discussed.
First was the readiness for violence both by Emma and Lucy
The second instance that made me stop reading was this sentence:
Short spoiler-free summary: I know it probably is realistic, that in some parts of the USA no one bats an eye if a gun ist just lying around, and a person has no problems handling it, and that lots of people are addicted to alcohol and painkillers. I just don't find it okay how the story totally brushes over these things, they just happen or are mentioned and not challenged at all. I wish it would have been discussed how this is harmful and for example how the person could get out of her addiction.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content, Violence
Moderate: Drug use, Gun violence
Minor: Drug abuse