macaroniapie's review against another edition
challenging
dark
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual assault
Moderate: Homophobia and Misogyny
pancake_reads's review against another edition
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
Content Warnings
Moderate: Sexual assault
Minor: Dementia
toofondofbooks_'s review
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.
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.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Homophobia, Gore, Racism, Islamophobia, Xenophobia, Pedophilia, Sexual content, Alcohol, Child abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Body horror, Murder, Dementia, Lesbophobia, Violence, and Blood
Moderate: Drug use and Drug abuse
Minor: Cancer
ergaich's review against another edition
Too much SA. Characters not intriguing enough. No true plot/character development.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Sexual harassment, and Murder
Moderate: Dementia, Terminal illness, and Sexual content
queersubtext's review against another edition
dark
reflective
sad
slow-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? It's complicated
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Violence, Racism, and Rape
laurpast's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual assault
queerspoons's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
3.25
Content Warnings
Moderate: Sexual assault, Child abuse, and Rape
shaipanda's review against another edition
So personally this book is wayyy too dark for me and i was definitely nottt adequately prepared when ppl mentioned it on booktok and just marketed it as a “gay book” cause like nooo 😳😳
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual assault
chelseamoretz's review against another edition
dark
medium-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? It's complicated
4.25
This story resonated with me so much. It was really beautiful and heart-wrenching, and horrible at times in the best way. I read it in all of two days, and that's saying a lot with my crazy schedule because I just could not put it down. You want to root for Trixie and Lux, you want them to make it to California and start over. Props to Julia Lynn Rubin for crafting such an amazing story, if you're a fan of true crime, LGBTQ stories, women's rights, you need to read this book, it really takes you for a wild ride across the country with these girls! There is a huge content warning from about page 30 or so in, but that's all explicitly stated at the beginning, so definitely read the content warning if you think anything might affect you, I will say there were parts that were hard to read but merely surrounding the nature of the story.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Sexual assault and Murder
misscatw's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
I first heard of this last September on Twitter with the line: "sapphic YA reimagining of “Thelma and Louise”. Just seeing that made me want to read it, being a fan of the film and sapphic stories.
Having finished the book, I found it was a beautifully written story of survival in the wake of incredible circumstances. Both main characters, Trixie Denton and Lux Leesburg, have experienced sexually-based trauma and in the wake of Lux's sexual assault and Trixie stabbing her attacker, the girls are forced to run for their lives. They spend the rest of the book on the run from the law, travelling west away from their hometown and lives in Blue Bottle, West Virginia. Along the way, they find that they have become the face of a #MeToo movement in the fallout of the attack, transformed by the media into these figures when they didn't ask for it.
I did like reading this book, even with its harsh topics as it deals with misogyny, rape/sexual assault, homophobia and abuse. I felt like these topics were handled well, highlighting how widespread misogyny is in the world, how it affects the perception of women in the media and can take a toll on those who experience it. While I did like the way the writing style portrays a particular aesthetic around these girls on the run, there were elements of the writing which I did not like and hindered my enjoyment of the book. It is written as one long text with no chapters, just page breaks, which I do not like - I prefer a good chapter structure. The pacing is off in parts, with it dragging through the middle of the book and only including little points of action. Also, I did not like the ending as it came to an abrupt conclusion and seemed quite open-ended since we don't find out what happens to the girls in the end. Personally, I am not a fan of open-ended conclusions as I like a good, clear ending.
We are told the story through Trixie's POV, getting to really know her character. We see a deep distrust of men - she frequently refers to them as "hogs" or "hog men" - a devotion to her best friend and love Lux, and a girl who cares about the women in her life, especially her mother, who she has to take care of. However, we get all this insight into Trixie's character but little into Lux. We know that she's a keen photographer who loves makeup, little trinkets and taking photos of everything she sees. It feels a little unbalanced with the characterisation here, since we see so much of Trixie and so little of Lux. I would have preferred it if the book was written from both their POVs so we could get an equal insight into their characters and see the events of the book from both their perspectives.
Overall, this was a great read that featured some flawed, messy characters in a situation that were not - and could not be - prepared for. They make some bad decisions along the way, but that is realistic, because they are young (seventeen, both of them) and inexperienced, in a situation beyond their control. They become known as The Trouble Girls, girls fighting back against misogyny and those who represent and perpetuate it (rapists, misogynists).
Having finished the book, I found it was a beautifully written story of survival in the wake of incredible circumstances. Both main characters, Trixie Denton and Lux Leesburg, have experienced sexually-based trauma and in the wake of Lux's sexual assault and Trixie stabbing her attacker, the girls are forced to run for their lives. They spend the rest of the book on the run from the law, travelling west away from their hometown and lives in Blue Bottle, West Virginia. Along the way, they find that they have become the face of a #MeToo movement in the fallout of the attack, transformed by the media into these figures when they didn't ask for it.
I did like reading this book, even with its harsh topics as it deals with misogyny, rape/sexual assault, homophobia and abuse. I felt like these topics were handled well, highlighting how widespread misogyny is in the world, how it affects the perception of women in the media and can take a toll on those who experience it. While I did like the way the writing style portrays a particular aesthetic around these girls on the run, there were elements of the writing which I did not like and hindered my enjoyment of the book. It is written as one long text with no chapters, just page breaks, which I do not like - I prefer a good chapter structure. The pacing is off in parts, with it dragging through the middle of the book and only including little points of action. Also, I did not like the ending as it came to an abrupt conclusion and seemed quite open-ended since we don't find out what happens to the girls in the end. Personally, I am not a fan of open-ended conclusions as I like a good, clear ending.
We are told the story through Trixie's POV, getting to really know her character. We see a deep distrust of men - she frequently refers to them as "hogs" or "hog men" - a devotion to her best friend and love Lux, and a girl who cares about the women in her life, especially her mother, who she has to take care of. However, we get all this insight into Trixie's character but little into Lux. We know that she's a keen photographer who loves makeup, little trinkets and taking photos of everything she sees. It feels a little unbalanced with the characterisation here, since we see so much of Trixie and so little of Lux. I would have preferred it if the book was written from both their POVs so we could get an equal insight into their characters and see the events of the book from both their perspectives.
Overall, this was a great read that featured some flawed, messy characters in a situation that were not - and could not be - prepared for. They make some bad decisions along the way, but that is realistic, because they are young (seventeen, both of them) and inexperienced, in a situation beyond their control. They become known as The Trouble Girls, girls fighting back against misogyny and those who represent and perpetuate it (rapists, misogynists).
Content Warnings
Moderate: Homophobia, Misogyny, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, and Violence