This had incredible potential but I sadly did not enjoy it. If it wasn't a review copy I would probably have DNF'ed before halfway. There story just doesn't flow smoothly, it feels clunky and slow.

I’m not sure if it was just me and my mood or the book but I had to DNF this one. Will update my review if I ever try again.

Wasn’t a huge fan. The romance was meh, the plot was boring and it felt like everything dragged. It took me a while to finish this book

4/5⭐ to Trouble Girls by Julia Lynn Rubin. Thank you very much to Wednesday Books and Netgalley for an egalley copy to review! This is a story based on the tale of Thelma and Louise where best friends Trixie and Lux head out for a much-needed weekend away when their lives are changed forever and they're forced to go on the run. As much as this has elements of a "fun" out-law road trip story this book does get intense so please check out trigger warnings first. The inciting incident, which also sets up one of the major topics/themes of the book, is one of the girls is nearly sexually assaulted in the bathroom of a bar when the other girl intervenes and injures the perpetrator who ends up dying from the injuries. Terrified, Trixie and Lux start their runaway road trip trying to keep ahead of law enforcement and the resulting media frenzy. This whole situation brings up the difficult but much-needed conversation around the #MeToo movement from the barriers survivors face in reporting harassment, assault, and getting the justice they deserve to the divisiveness this conversation brings in society - particularly online. Part of Trixie and Lux's fear in returning home and reporting the whole situation to the police is the support people have for their perpetrator online, not only defending his character but villainizing the girls (who are still unknown to the public or police at this time). There is one good thing that does come out of this situation, and that is because Trixie and Lux don't have anyone to trust than each other and they are now spending all their time together is that the girls finally realize their feelings for each other. They each have been through so freaking much, even before this situation happened, so it's beautiful that they finally have each other and a new relationship to explore and companionship. Finally, I think what really pushed this novel forward and why I liked it so much is the writing created the perfect atmosphere for this story. It relayed the intense emotions Trixie and Lex are feeling, the tension of running away from the law after a horrible incident, and the relief they have that they have each other. If this at all sounds like a story you'd enjoy, I'd definitely recommend checking it out!

Unfortunately this book was not for me. I read the first 50 pages but couldn't get into the story. Thank you for letting me read and review this book.

This wasn’t terrible, but I expected much more. It seemed to drag on and I found the characters getting on my nerves. I can neither recommend or not recommend this one.

Sapphic Thelma and Louise it is not. Trigger warnings for rape culture, sexual assault and victim blaming. That being said it is a beautiful story that I enjoyed. I think the way she addressed the #metoo movement was done very well. I’d recommend it!

Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for the eGalley. All opinions are my own.

A thrilling story about two girls who become the face of a #MeToo movement after a night of violence has them as fugitives. The storyline was intriguing and the cover is stunning. Could have used a little more character development.

I was so intrigued by the premise of Trouble Girls, since a sapphic Thelma and Louise story seems like something that I would love.

Unfortunately, this one didn't work for me as a reader. Though this book addresses some pretty difficult topics, I struggled with the way that they were framed, as it often seemed shaming. I found the characters difficult to connect with, and the unusual format of the book a little jarring.

I hope that this book finds its audience, it just unfortunately wasn't me.

Trouble girls is a queer story following Trixie and Lux. Two small town girls who end up running away when a guy tries to sexually assault Lux. Trixie kills him to protect her but they don't really realize the consequences, and they think that they will be okay with just a little bit of money. However things aren't that easy and they'll figure it out even though Trixie tries to hide their money problem in order to protect Lux for a moment.

Overall, I liked it but I never really was into it, it that makes sense. I like to do multiple things at once and this was a nice background story but not one I would add to my shelves.

(Thank you for letting me read and review an ARC via Netgalley)

I really enjoyed the premise of this book. It had a lot of potential to be suspenseful and full of action. While overall I did enjoy it, it lulled at times. I wish it moved just a little faster. It is a worth while three star read. It would make a killer show ;).

I gave this a one out of five stars. I didn’t care for the story. I didn’t like the main characters either. I wouldn’t recommend this.

So I liked this one, but it wasn't my favorite. Sometimes YA characters can read a bit immature for me and that is what happened here. Some of the characters actions just didn't work for me so I think it took this down a bit. Doesn't mean that others won't enjoy this, but it wasn't for me.

I tried to get into this book because when I heard LGBTQIA+ Thelma & Louise, I was so pumped. But it wasn't for me. I ultimately had to put it down.

I’m honestly sad to say that I was hugely disappointed by this book. It felt so much like a first draft that I was going through it and my inner copy-editor was dinging with edits, and not just of the typical spelling or grammar errors you’d maybe expect to find in an ARC.

The plot felt jumpy; before we even had time to get to know the characters or be convinced of their motives, the inciting incident had already happened, and with very little impact at that. I had no attachment to these characters, and I wish the author had spent more time fleshing them and their character arcs out, and less time trying to make this book a colossal amalgamation of tropes that would tick every box in a fanfiction—but, and this is the important part, only when we have an attachment to the characters at the centre of those tropes and believe in their relationship beyond them.

In addition to a very empty and lacklustre plot that lacked the suspense, tension and chemistry I would expect of a Thelma-and-Louise-esque thriller, I just was not a fan of the writing style. As I mentioned, I felt like I was constantly trying to improve upon what I was reading as I was reading it, and while I’m no writer, I think it’s fair to say that that’s not what you want to feel while reading a book for fun.

I wish the author all the best and hope they continue to hone their skills in their sophomore novel.

This book started out pretty fast paced and crazy. I was immediately drawn into the premise of a sapphic book loosely based on a Thelma and Louise retelling. I was riveted once the big event happened and could not stop reading and couldn't put this book down. But then the book started to get a little drifty in the middle and the ending completely threw me, it didn't go the way I thought it would.

Trixie and her best friend Lux have planned a weekend trip to the lake to relax and get away for awhile. The road trip starts out fine until they stop at a college bar and get into some serious trouble that they weren't anticipating. The two girls flee in their car to run from their mistake and decide to never go home, they're going to get as far away from their problem as possible. Along the way they run into multiple problems but also find the freedom to be themselves and a newfound relationship.

One thing I really didn't like about this book was its lack of chapters. It made the story almost run together more and there really wasn't any good breaks throughout. A couple times in the story I was irritated by their decisions but that also might just be me being an adult and not looking at it from a teenager standpoint.

Overall a decent book that I did read pretty quickly, I only wish the book had kept it's same pace throughout and not gotten so slow and drifty in the middle.

*Many thanks to Wednesday Books for the gifted copy for my honest review!*

Trouble Girls by Julia Lynn Rubin is a book with a lot of potential. There were just some elements for me that missed the mark. It's headlined as a queer Thelma and Louise that gives representation to the working class. There are some ways in which feminism is represented, however, that perhaps undercut the book's central theme. I will say, it's beautifully written, and it's a book that kept me thinking. I'll look forward to reading more from the author.

Many thanks to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for providing me with this book. All thoughts are my own.

I did not enjoy this title, mainly because the story was a bit far fetched for me and also ended in a very unsatisfactory manner.

Trigger warning for rape culture and victim blaming. I think the writing was beautiful. Overall the intention of the book was good however it didn’t really fully capture my attention. 2.5 star rating.

Queer Thelma & Louise! Road trip! Fighting the patriarchy! There were so many things about this novel that I wanted to work for me, which absolutely sold me concept-wise. I think this book had such potential to be incredible. Unfortunately, aspects of the execution fell flat and I didn't love the assembly of all those intriguing individual elements. The story felt more surface level than I wanted. I was reading a collection of scenes, which related to one another plot-wise, but didn’t really connect me to any deeper emotions. Some of the themes Trouble Girls means to tap into are female rage, queer joy, and the desperation of a best friendship in front of a tragic background.

One thing I did appreciate--Trixie and Lux seemed like real life teens. They acted their age 100% of the time. All their rash decisions, poor money management, and mistrust of any offered help (sometimes justified, other times unfortunate) led to fantastic characterization as two teen girls from less-than-perfect home lives, looking to find their way out of a mess. Trixie's longing for her home life deepens over the course of the story, even as we see how imperfect her past has been. To me, that was the emotional height of the story. Life grew so complicated around her, and Trixie wished to go back to the simplicity of the life she knew in her mother's house, with her old job and best friend.

Speaking of whom, I need to talk about Lux. My biggest issue is that Trixie treated Lux like a manic pixie dream girl. I’m pretty sure this was meant to be a queer reimagining of this trope, but it fell flat for me because subverting the concept requires a bit more than “hey! they’re sapphic!” for me. Trixie’s narration therefore doesn’t allow Lux much agency  outside of how Trixie sees her, which irritated me throughout the novel. I would have felt much more connected to the story with dual narrators who could counter this effect of over-writing Lux’s story with Trixie’s perspective. I don't think this characterization did the novel a great service, as you can't really have Thelma and Louise and only narrate for Thelma.

Their brief romance also fell victim to this unequal characterization. Lux and Trixie supposedly carry on this whirlwhind romance, but between Lux's naïveté at the beginning of the story and Trixie's yearning, there wasn't much chemistry between them for me. Nor does a life on the run seem conducive to starting a relationship, or giving it page time to develop.

Ultimately, I think most aspects of the novel fell flat for me. I don't think I'd have a different experience on a second or third read, but I'm glad I finished the story and committed to learning the ending. I always say my issues with books are mine, and you should make your own reading choices, so I bet Trouble Girls will resonate with some of you. It's worth checking out from the library, especially if you're interested in stories about female agency and sexual assault. I'm giving Trouble Girls 3/5 stars.