cyireadbooks's review against another edition
5.0
It is the mid 1960’s when social economic status played an important role in the lives of teens growing up in an era of unrest. Among those teens are a group of girls from the rough side of town whose reputations preceded them; and not in a good way. They are known as the bad girls.
Evie, Connie, Sunny, and Juanita don’t live in a posh neighborhood and don’t attend the best high school. Instead, they are relegated to a less than stellar high school who provided more of a babysitting service rather than an education.
On a fateful night out on the town, Evie is assaulted by one of the better neighborhood and well-to-do boys, Preston. As Evie struggles to fend off her assailant, she ultimately succumbs to the assault and blacks out. Evie then wakes up only to discover that Preston is dead — stabbed to death by one of the rich girls, Diane.
What follows is the unlikely friendship between Diane and Evie. And how Diane forms a camaraderie with the bad girls in a time where Diane would be shunned and/or ostracized by either side of the tracks.
While I have to admit that although I was intrigued by an excerpt, and the premise of The Outsiders retelling, I wasn’t convinced that I would enjoy the novel. Was I ever wrong! I loved that the story is told from Evie’s perspective as Evie isn’t as jaded like the others in her circle. Evie still has a moral compass and isn’t swayed easily into the bad girl syndrome. Diane is an innocent, but wise. I truly appreciated Diane’s empathy, especially since she was considered an outcast in her own societal circle.
The plot moves slowly at the beginning as it is done purposely to set up the scenarios that are about to unfold. Brilliantly done, it sets up the reader for a heartfelt conclusion.
Would I read more from this author? Absolutely! I love Mathieu’s writing style and Bad Girls Never Say Die is one of those books that you should take the time to read without expectation and without any preconcieved notions. Five outstanding stars.
I received a finished copy of the book from Roaming Book Press through the Bookish First Raffle. The review herein is completely my own and contains my honest thoughts and opinions.
Evie, Connie, Sunny, and Juanita don’t live in a posh neighborhood and don’t attend the best high school. Instead, they are relegated to a less than stellar high school who provided more of a babysitting service rather than an education.
On a fateful night out on the town, Evie is assaulted by one of the better neighborhood and well-to-do boys, Preston. As Evie struggles to fend off her assailant, she ultimately succumbs to the assault and blacks out. Evie then wakes up only to discover that Preston is dead — stabbed to death by one of the rich girls, Diane.
What follows is the unlikely friendship between Diane and Evie. And how Diane forms a camaraderie with the bad girls in a time where Diane would be shunned and/or ostracized by either side of the tracks.
While I have to admit that although I was intrigued by an excerpt, and the premise of The Outsiders retelling, I wasn’t convinced that I would enjoy the novel. Was I ever wrong! I loved that the story is told from Evie’s perspective as Evie isn’t as jaded like the others in her circle. Evie still has a moral compass and isn’t swayed easily into the bad girl syndrome. Diane is an innocent, but wise. I truly appreciated Diane’s empathy, especially since she was considered an outcast in her own societal circle.
The plot moves slowly at the beginning as it is done purposely to set up the scenarios that are about to unfold. Brilliantly done, it sets up the reader for a heartfelt conclusion.
Would I read more from this author? Absolutely! I love Mathieu’s writing style and Bad Girls Never Say Die is one of those books that you should take the time to read without expectation and without any preconcieved notions. Five outstanding stars.
I received a finished copy of the book from Roaming Book Press through the Bookish First Raffle. The review herein is completely my own and contains my honest thoughts and opinions.
1kelsey_jw's review against another edition
emotional
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
A lovely look at young female friendships but a little too cheesy for me in most of the dialogue. And I think it’s more of influenced by the Outsiders than really just stating it as a gender flipped version of The Outsiders
caitlinisbookish's review against another edition
4.0
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing an eARC in exchange for an honest review
Bad Girls Never Say Die is a gender-flipped reimagining of S.E. Hinton’s The Outsiders, following Evie after she is involved in a murder and is saved by a “good girl.”
This one was one of my most anticipated books this year, and it did not disappoint!
This was a really interesting look at the social status at its set time period: 1964, Houston. I loved the dynamic between Evie and Diane and seeing a slow trust and eventual friendship grow between them after being involved in such an earth-shattering event. Seeing the social hierarchy between the “good” kids and the “bad” ones was really interesting as well.
I do think that the pacing was a little slow, especially in the beginning, but the characters and plot made up for it.
Overall, I definitely recommend this book. Fair warning, however, that this book contains a lot of content that may be triggering so be wary of that.
Bad Girls Never Say Die is a gender-flipped reimagining of S.E. Hinton’s The Outsiders, following Evie after she is involved in a murder and is saved by a “good girl.”
This one was one of my most anticipated books this year, and it did not disappoint!
This was a really interesting look at the social status at its set time period: 1964, Houston. I loved the dynamic between Evie and Diane and seeing a slow trust and eventual friendship grow between them after being involved in such an earth-shattering event. Seeing the social hierarchy between the “good” kids and the “bad” ones was really interesting as well.
I do think that the pacing was a little slow, especially in the beginning, but the characters and plot made up for it.
Overall, I definitely recommend this book. Fair warning, however, that this book contains a lot of content that may be triggering so be wary of that.
mdettmann's review against another edition
3.0
3.5 This really was a female The Outsiders. I liked the flow and the way it still was it’s own story. Really enjoyed it!
estebe's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
andrea28's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
jennifergallo's review against another edition
3.0
Follows a group of "bad girls" around Houston, Texas during the 60s. The "bad girls" stick together and look out for each other. A "good girl" from the other side of the tracks is causing trouble and loyalties will be called into question. Mystery, suspense, & intrigue. Pegged as the feminist/female version of The Outsiders. Unpopular Opinion: I thought The Outsiders was just 'OK.' This is the first title I've read by the author but I'm planning on checking out her book - Moxie - because it is being developed into a movie by Amy Poehler for Netflix
Check out Bad Girls Never Say Die by Jennifer Mathieu wherever you buy books!
✦ Goodreads ➜ https://bit.ly/3GT6YjW
✦ Amazon ➜ https://amzn.to/3k5WjJ2
✦ Apple ➜ https://apple.co/3EOxkC3
✦ Google ➜ https://bit.ly/2ZX3mgg
✦ Kobo ➜ https://bit.ly/3ENTmF4
✦ Nook ➜ https://bit.ly/3k6Bkpj
TAGS: fiction, historical fiction, young adult, ya, coming of age, romance, suspense, mystery, thriller, romantic suspense, feminism
*Thanks to NetGalley, Macmillan's Roaring Brook Press & Jennifer Mathieu for providing a free eARC in exchange for my honest review #BadGirlsNeverSayDie #NetGalley @NetGalley #RoaringBookPress #MacKidsBooks @mackidsbooks #AuthorJenMathieu #JenniferMathieu #JenMathieu @jenmathieu @authorjenmathieu
Check out Bad Girls Never Say Die by Jennifer Mathieu wherever you buy books!
✦ Goodreads ➜ https://bit.ly/3GT6YjW
✦ Amazon ➜ https://amzn.to/3k5WjJ2
✦ Apple ➜ https://apple.co/3EOxkC3
✦ Google ➜ https://bit.ly/2ZX3mgg
✦ Kobo ➜ https://bit.ly/3ENTmF4
✦ Nook ➜ https://bit.ly/3k6Bkpj
TAGS: fiction, historical fiction, young adult, ya, coming of age, romance, suspense, mystery, thriller, romantic suspense, feminism
*Thanks to NetGalley, Macmillan's Roaring Brook Press & Jennifer Mathieu for providing a free eARC in exchange for my honest review #BadGirlsNeverSayDie #NetGalley @NetGalley #RoaringBookPress #MacKidsBooks @mackidsbooks #AuthorJenMathieu #JenniferMathieu #JenMathieu @jenmathieu @authorjenmathieu
maritata's review against another edition
dark
emotional
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
2.5
cajunliterarybelle's review against another edition
5.0
This is a gender-flipped retelling of The Outsiders set in 1964 Houston, Texas. I see so many similarities to the classic, including this line about one of the characters: "But Connie knows what it's like to be hit. She says sometimes it's the only way she can be sure her parents know she exists." Fans of The Outsiders may recognize this as similar to a description of Johnny Cade, except Connie is the leader of the pack in this book. There is an incident that causes a murder, when one girl feels the need to defend another. The story wonderfully stands on its own while simultaneously being a reflection of Hinton's book. I loved it. It's even a YALSA 2023 Quick Pick for Reluctant Young Adult Readers. I listened to and can easily recommend the audiobook.