I had my doubts about this book when I saw that the wheelchair on the cover was one of those that you get at a store. It's not fit properly to the person in the wheelchairs body at all, which will make it more uncomfortable and would not be the type they would give to someone who is going to be using it full time.

While that was just from the start, I noticed as soon as I started reading that this book had a very poor pitiful me type thing going for it when it came to all the characters. Listen I get it there teenagers, and every teenager feels like that occasionally and has anger about their abilities. But the fact that the brother (Julius) and Jake who is in a wheelchair are being made to feel like a burden by everyone is not okay. Not to mention the fact that apparently, Quinn is oh so special and self-assured, yet can't seem to read a room when she is around her peers. Like come on Quinn I get it you have Alopecia and are now wearing wigs, but really you didn't test it out before the first day of high school? That doesn't make any sense and would not be how someone who has any type of disability would be doing things. Everything is planned ahead of time to make sure it goes well and that no reactions happen. It's just not believable and because of that I could not finish this book or recommend it to anyone.


As a person who does use a wheelchair, and who has been disabled my entire life, this type of representation is terrible. I am so disappointed that it was hyped up by so many people. While the author's intentions might have been good ones, she did not do enough when it came to having people who are disabled read it beforehand.

3.5 He is in a wheelchair from a football injury. She suffers from alopecia, which she hides under a wig. These two that feel like misfits find that they are not alone when they team up.

How We Roll is a story about a young girl who is shunned by her friends because she was just diagnosed with alopecia and a boy who is in a wheelchair from an injury.
These two form a friendship after their friends push them away because of they are different.

This story touches on how kids can be mean to others because they are different. It's about two people who understand each other even though they are dealing with completely different issues. It's a story about understanding, trusting each other and being there for each other.

I can't wait to read more by this author.

I got an ARC of this book.

I was all about this book. Do you see that cover? YES! I was all excited for characters with varying degrees of mobility. I was all excited for my first character with alopecia. The book didn't quite deliver on what the description said, which is shocking that I noticed since I actually read a description fully this time.

The main plots of the book can be broken down into four plots:
1.Quinn dealing with her alopecia/her past.
2. Jake dealing with his accident (and his brother for causing it)
3. Quin and Jake's potential romance
4. Julius being a nine year old with autism. 

So the back of the cover talks about 1-3. However the main plot just always felt like it was 4. There was so much focus on Julius that all the other drama felt secondary. Jake dealing with his brother causing the accident (which was why this mentioned in the small description, took away an emotional punch) happened around an incident with Julius trying to set a world record. Quinn dealing with her past, again revolves around Julius since her mother is so wrapped up in trying to keep Julius calm that Quinn doesn't feel like her issues matter. Quinn is also incredibly embarrassed by her brother, so that impacts how she can interact with Jake, she only lets Jake know about Julius because she was hiding her hair loss. 

So while I wanted to love this book, I only liked it. It was fun. It was sweet. There was sexual assault and sexual harassment talked about frankly. Quinn handled it on her own and wasn't emotionally traumatized by it. Instead it read as a way for people to see a range of responses to sexual trauma. Quinn's mother ad father were beyond upset and she was like "it happened. Move on". It allowed for people who aren't traumatized to see themselves in a character. It allows people to see that sexual assault and harassment can exist in many forms and seventies. The main downside to this book was the romance. Jake and Quinn's romance was very mild and very blah. There was nothing that sold the relationship to me. It happened, without effort. It happened in a weird way. I just couldn't buy into it. If Quinn and Jake were just friends in the end, then I wouldn't feel as let down by the book. It would have gotten extra points for focusing on friendship. I would have loved to see Jake get back with his ex. I wanted him to make amends and I wanted her to realize that Jake was coming to terms with everything. It would have been a more fulfilling ending for me.

Thank you to Macmillan and Netgalley for the advance Kindle copy of this 6/5 release. All opinions are my own.
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⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5 Quinn isn’t super sad when her family moves from Colorado to Massachusetts to try a new school for her little brother, who has autism. When Quinn was diagnosed with alopecia in eighth grade, her friends ditched her and the year was miserable. So when she starts over I’m a new school and state, she is surprised to make a new friend in Jake, a former quarterback who lost his legs after a snowmobile accident. Together they find the courage to embrace their new realities. Highly recommend to readers in grades 9+.

Rating: 4.5 Stars

After a terrible year, Quinn was looking forward to a new start, in a new town, at a new school, where she wasn't the girl without any hair. In trying to become someone new, she built some great new friendships and found her way back to her self.

• Pro: The book featured an unlikely friendship, which ended up being sort of vital for both Quinn and Jake. The support and little nudges they gave to each other were quite heartwarming. I loved watching this friendship grow, flourish, and change. And, well, yeah, I totally shipped them too.

• Pro: Quinn had a big, beautiful heart, and I thought she had a really great attitude. She could have been bitter and hostile and all sorts of other terrible things, but she wasn't. Granted, it took her a while to start to trust people again, but as her trust in others grew, she regained her confidence and she started to trust herself as well.

• Pro: What a nice group of friends Natasha Friend assembled for Quinn. They totally made up for all the punishment she endured in Colorado, and it was sort of important for me to see her have some good things come her way.

• Pro: I liked that forgiveness was address in several different ways. Quinn had been wronged by so many people. She could have held grudges, but instead, she chose to move on and forgive those, who betrayed her. She also encouraged Jake to consider forgiveness, and I think was an important step in his life after the accident.

• Pro: It was tough to like Nick, at first, but as his friendship with Quinn grew, so did he. I was really proud of all his progress, and started looking forward to his time on page.

• Pro: Quinn's family was all sorts of fabulous. Her mom was so caring and patient, and her dad was this awesome, nerdy guy, who gifted us with daily Latin phrases, and was also willing to acknowledge his mistakes. Most of all, I loved that they loved Quinn and her brother so much, and took the time to tell them and show them they did.

• Pro: I have not read too many books with characters with alopecia. Friend helped me understand more about this disease, and the the things that people with alopecia have to deal with on a daily basis - the discomfort, the worry, the stigma, these things and the accompanying feelings were all conveyed quite well, and I really learned a lot.

• Pro: I also do not read too many books on the younger side of YA, and it was sort of refreshing. Quinn was 14 and a freshman, so we see different everyday life issues featured because of that.

• Pro: The ending was the most adorable, sweetest, precious thing ever. I swear! My face hurt from the size of the smile I was wearing.

• Con: I wanted more of this story, because I loved it so much!

Overall: I absolutely adored this sweet and touching story of family, friendship, being yourself, and being there for other people.

This is an outstanding novel for middle/highschoolers. I cannot recommend it highly enough. If you enjoyed Miracle by Palacio, then I think you would highly enjoy this book, also. Unlike Wonder, though, this is 3rd person POV and does not switch between characters. The voicing is spot on for teenagers, yet manages to be clean (yes, there are teens in the real world that don't curse up a storm). The author managed to pack a lot of different aspects into this book, and in unskilled hands this could have been a disaster. But Natasha Friend deftly incorporates good friends/bad friends and how to find out the difference; disability through an accident and the anger and grief caused by it; social pressures of school and dating; illness; family relationships, support groups and a host of other issues. The characters are well rounded and and we see them getting stronger, surer, and even kinder in their walk of life. And even-though some situations are not resolved (e.g. permanent disability), the book leaves readers optimistic and encouraged to tackle difficulties coming their way.

It’s been a while since I’ve read a book that has genuinely made me happy, let alone a Contemporary I genuinely love to pieces. And I love this book to the moon and back. It was such a quick read, I ended up reading it in 2 hours. We also have some autism rep with Quinn’s brother Julius and seeing the love Quinn has for him while also showing her insecurities about being pushed aside by her family was so very necessary. It fleshed out these characters and led to some genuinely important conversations. The friendship was the best part of the story. I did have a scare with Ivy, the popular girl, but she quickly shoved those fears away and was so supportive. And I loved every second of it.

Thank you to NetGalley and Farrar, Straus and Giroux (BYR) of Macmillan Children’s Publishing Group for providing me with an e-ARC to read and review.

In eighth grade, all of the hair on Quinn’s head fell off due to an autoimmune disorder called alopecia areata totalis. It subsequently tears down her social life and makes her reluctant to fully engage in a new one when she and her family move from Boulder, Colorado to Gulls Head, Massachusettes. This becomes a chance to totally reinvent herself in a place where the cruel nicknames of the past can’t follow her. Quinn’s voice is very clear and intelligent. She’s the kind of friend you want in your life because she’s incredibly kind and supportive. She does her best to take care of her own problems herself. It’s hard because she fear her wig might fall of at the worst moment and having to deal with an itchy scalp.

Jake's life has been turned upside down with the loss of both his legs. He's left angry and alone, finding it difficult to me a part of the world again. Quinn's friendship is just what he needs because in a way she can understand him - even if their situations may be viewed as apples and oranges. Jake's kind of moody - which is understandable - so the questions becomes how much will he change within the course of the story. I'm happy with how far he comes by the end.

The teen drama is very much alive in this book. And even in a fictional sense it's heartbreaking that these kids, so young, would treat each other so callously. Perhaps this was to juxtapose it with what principle characters are going through? I too was wary when Quinn found a new group of friends. They talk a lot and share lip gloss (unsanitary but they seem close enough to do that) but they're good people, which is what Quinn needs in her life

I like that the difficult situations aren't sugar-coated. It's a stark but honest reality: Quinn losing her hair. Jake losing his legs. Quinn's little brother, Julius, having autism that can't be clearly pinpointed on the spectrum. Raising a child who has autism.

There were enough lighter, sometimes funny, moments to drive away the sad ones. Quinn and Jake have really good back and forth banter in very few words.

The story is told really well and everything came together rather nicely in the end. I enjoyed reading How We Roll (a fitting title) and would recommend this book to anyone looking for a light, honest read on friendship, fitting in, trust and understanding, along with a great main character.

Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC! I was a little worried when I requested this one. I try to keep an open-mind, and I try to read just about everything so I can recommend books to all my students with different interests, but sometimes I have a hard time making my way through YA titles. I was pleasantly surprised by this one! First, I think it was a positive example of friendships with the girls at her new school versus the girls at her old school. It also showed a young female working through a common issue amongst teens and dating teens these days. Next, I was not overly annoyed by Jake, but I started to really like him as a teen boy dealing with more than his share of issues. I was worried at times I would get annoyed by his angst or if he developed an insta-love for Quinn (which it honestly felt like was going to happen), Again, pleasantly surprised because that did not happen. I felt like their friendship was realistic and enjoyable to see develop. I am actually amazed that her brother is not mentioned in the book description because that is a big part of her life, and it was very well handled. They never make it seem like his autism can be magically better, and you see the struggle is real in a family like that. I appreciated and enjoyed that aspect of the book as well. It is a fairly quick and easy read. Perfect middle school read with the right touch of good friendships, struggles, and some love thrown in that is not in your face or annoying.

Quinn and Jake are both believable characters based on their circumstances. I’m not sure I’ve ever seen another teen character with alopecia, and the reactions of her “best” friends are sad, but somewhat predictable. I’m glad her new friends are better for her.

Easy read about difficult circumstances. Quin is a likable character without flaws. Nick is a bit more authentic because he is grumpy due to the tragic loss of his legs.

When Quinn loses her hair to alopecia she loses all her friends; so when her family moves across the country for her little brother Quinn is determined to start fresh. Jake was the hotshot QB for the high school in his hometown but when a devastating accident leaves him in a wheelchair he withdraws into himself. After Jake and Quinn meet they start a friendship that will help them to gain confidence and eventually turn to something more.
Thanks to NetGalley and MPS for the ARC!

Quinn's family has moved to a new city in order for her brother who has autism, to attend a school designed to meet his needs. This is also Quinn's chance to reinvent herself as a new person. After losing her hair due to alopecia and all of her friends to rumors (and baldness), she is hopeful that she will be able to move past all of that and not be "Head" anymore. Jake was a football star with a promising career. After an accident, he is wheelchair bound and bitter. Quinn and Jake eventually hit it off and sparks begin to fly.

I thoroughly enjoyed this story. Friend's decision to give Quinn alopeica was an interesting one, and a condition not often seen in YA literature. I also enjoyed Quinn's inner struggles with being the (relatively) healthy child of parents with a special needs child. Often times, healthy children feel overlooked by their parents due to the high stress situation of having a child who requires a lot of time and attention. This is an important thing to discuss in literature and I'm glad Friend tackled it in the manner that she did.

There were a number of laugh out loud moment, a number of cringe-worthy moments (but only because you feel for what the characters are going through), and a number of moments I wanted to break out the tissues. All in all this was a really lovely book and I look forward to ordering it for the library.