I enjoyed this fairly short story, but felt there could have been a bit more written about the build up to the girls disappearing. The main part of the story was quite disturbing, but eye opening and it is easy to see how girls could get caught up in that lifestyle. I read it in one sitting so it was quite gripping and I was desperate to learn if they made it home. I would have liked to know more about what happened to the other girls they met and about their lives as teenagers before they were drawn away by their ‘boyfriends’

I got an ARC of this book.

This book follows the horrifying tale of two best friends who become victims to human sex trafficking. When people think sex trafficking, this is the idea they get. The girls were kidnapped, moved across the country and forced to perform sex work in fear of violence and/or death depending on the discretion. The girls were given imaginary quotas that changed based on the pimps moods. He would regularly rape them. It was really spot on to one type of sex trafficking. It is horrifying how well it was written into a YA book.

My main issue with the book is there is so much that is left out. I wanted to know what happened to the house that the girls were forced to live in. What happened to those other girls? I wanted to know more about Ru. I wanted to know more about Dawn. I wanted more details overall, which I can't really fault the book for because it is a reluctant reader it wouldn't be able to have all the details I wanted without losing that reading level or becoming unimaginably long for the people who should have access to the book. 

I like that Taylor is able to toe the line between sex work and sex trafficking like a champ. Ru was very vocal about the fact that she CHOSE to be in the life. She said repeatedly that it was bad that the other girls were forced to be in the life since no one should be forced into sex work. Then there was the story of Kanika's mother. Kanika was able to stand up to her Aunt Becky about it near the end of the book. It was wonderful for Kanika and Taylor to really express the difference between consensual sex work and sex trafficking. I never expected that difference to be so eloquently written in a YA novel or in any adult novels for that matter for years to come. Most people still can't grasp that difference because prostitutes are bad and women who have sex are bad. Hell, women who are raped are bad too because it is their fault (to be clear none of that is a view of me or this blog. Feminist and sex abuse/rape survivor here). So seeing a book that allows women to have the agency over their bodies to choose to be a sex worker and how she even went to college shows a wonderful representation of modern sex workers. 

I would have liked to see Kanika go into some sort of therapy when she got home to help her deal with being raped for so long. Most of my complaints are just wanting more. The book was complete and told the story it was supposed to tell, but I wanted more. I wanted to know that everyone was ok, even if they weren't, because it was based on a true story. I needed my worry to be placated so I wouldn't be left to worry about these girls. Taylor not providing that may have been just for space or time. Or it might have been a conscious effort to show that this horror story is not over for most of the girls. It will never be over for some of them. I have to applaud that.

My other main complaint is the constant racist jokes/comments about Asian people. There was even a joke that Asians are good at nails at one point. There was never addressing the prejudice that Kanika showed towards Asian people. This prejudice is never discussed as being wrong or harmful. It was just left as if it was ok. It took a whole star away from my enjoyment of the book. It was so jarring each time it happened.

A short YA read, and I use that term loosely. It is purportedly based on real life events and the thought of this happening causes some real life terror. The challenge with this novel, is that the author didn’t convey that sense of terror on the page. So, you’re reading and thinking what could adults have done to prevent this. Maybe, nothing. It truly could happen to anyone, but the tension of that knowledge is not burrowed into the story. I would still rate it as above average and believe it can serve as a cautionary tale for young adults.

Be careful where you go, be mindful of who you trust, never drink from a mystery cup. All those lessons that can be gleaned from the reading could prove the difference in one finding their self in a similar harrowing experience. I haven’t said much about the plot, the book description adequately is revealing. The sadness I felt, came from knowing this was a fact based story and not from the emotional telling of the story, with the exception of a few instances. ⭐️⭐️⭐️.5 stars. Thanks to Netgalley and James Lorimer & Company for an advanced DRC. Book will be available Aug. 1st, 2018.

An interesting story on an important topic. Every young girl should read this. The writing was sometimes a bit disconnected, but otherwise a great story.

Based on a true story, Ride or Die depicts the life of a 15-year-old teen from Canada who was kidnapped, abused, and forced to work in the sex trade industry. While this book could have served as an effective means to bring light to a serious issue, I think this story missed the mark.

First, the plot development and the writing left a lot to be desired. For this book to be based on real-life events there were several parts of the plot that just didn't ring true. First, when Kanika's best friend Panama disappeared, Kanika keeps pertinent information about the unsavory characters that she last saw her friend with from the police and Panama's family. The flow of the writing was off and it read like a bunch of random chapters put together. On top of that, Kanika is not a very likeable character. She's completely selfish and self-absorbed. She completely forgot all about Panama when a boy takes interest in her. I also found it very hard to believe that 2 teenagers who just underwent the horrific ordeal like Kamika and Panama would then decide to go off on their own after their respective escape and rescue.

This book could serve as an excellent cautionary tale or a teachable moment for young girls with a little more fleshing out and plot development.

I don't understand who this book was written for. The book is based on harrowing, real life events: Canadian teenagers stolen away from their families and forced into prostitution. On the one hand the content seems disturbing for kids, but as a cautionary tale it would seem fitting; but then on the other, other hand the mistakes the kids and parents and grandparents make in this story are not highlighted or rectified, so there really isn't a moral of the story except perhaps that we should not judge sex workers because we don't know their story, and if it could happen to Asian Panama or Black Kanika then it could happen to me or you too.

There were plenty of racist stereotypes (from the Asian model minority, to the strong, sassy Black chick), as well as the Bratty Teenage Daughter Trope that I think is equally insidious and damaging. Wanda Taylor had a fantastic opportunity to let us hear an authentic voice, but the dialog was uneven at best: "There are a few items of clothing on the beds in your rooms," explained Dawn. "they may or may not fit. But you gotta make it work for now. Here's the rundown. you share this house with four other sex workers. You hos don't touch shit that ain't yours. You don't steal shit. You clean up your own shit. And you don't give me no shit. Follow that and you'll survive in here. Got it?"

I think the biggest problem is all the instances of miscommunication, lack of communication, mixed messaging, and out-right lying presented throughout this story as matter-of-fact rather than highlighting the damage it causes, and how it spreads and worsens, or better yet explaining what a positive, healing impact communication can have when done properly. The latter seems like something an author with a background in social work and advocacy would have a great ability to convey, and something that the Young Adult reading audience could really gain from.

I was really looking forward to read this book, unfortunately, the download never made it to my Kindle. Obviously a problem with the file.