I appreciate what the author was trying to do in this book. However, I feel it fell short in many ways. The relationship between the two girls felt very off. It's hard to put into words, but Trix felt abusive and possessive of Lux. I didn't like their relationship at all. I'm also hoping that the copy I received is not the final copy. There were continuity errors in a few different places.

Trouble Girls is described as a queer YA reimagining of Thelma & Louise and ah, heck yeah (although Thelma & Louise was plenty queer). I found this book absolutely gutting and enthralling.

On the off chance you’ve never seen T&L, I don’t want to be too spoilery, but it’s kind of hard to discuss this book without giving some elements of the plot away - you’ve been warned! I think this novel does an incredible job of dealing with sexual assault - how it often happens, what a girl or woman experiences (mentally, emotionally), and then the horrible aftermath (being questioned, not being believed, having her story picked apart, what was she wearing, did she encourage him, etc.) The experiences of both Trixie and Lux are so tragic, but their journey to take back their power is inspiring. You grieve for them and you cheer for them. You want to light things on fire with them.

I think the book also does a fantastic job of realistically capturing what it means to be queer in the present day. We’ve come a long way, baby, but it still isn’t a walk in the park. Trixie and Lux are much more open about their sexuality, but the author still captures their hesitation in acknowledging their attraction to each other - and their observations about how there are places they aren’t safe (physically and otherwise). Sometime that's a physical observation - a home with anti-LGBT placards and Confederate flags - and other times it's a person's reaction.

Something else I thought was spot on - this is probably getting into the weeds of my personal preference - but I really think the author perfectly captured *that kind of guy* (you know what kind) when she called them “hog.” Something I like a lot about (feminist) YA is that it can take a nebulous concept and make it very tangible and overt, thus helping younger readers develop a way to recognize and discuss that (usually much less tangible) concept. I hope that makes sense.

Let's get into nuts and bolts, too. The writing in this book was great. It sucked you right in and flowed. There were times that it was aching and beautiful but at no point did I have to roll my eyes at the language. The dialogue was believable. Actually, I really like that the story was believable - an extraordinary story, to be sure, but at no point did something so out of the realm of the possibility happen (they find an abandoned car that still runs with a full tank of gas! they find an envelope full of cash on the ground!)

Overall, I highly recommend this book. I really appreciate NetGalley, Wednesday Books, and the author for early access to this book in exchange for my honest review.

I'll be up front and say I was completely sold by the fact that this was a w|w romance and that cover, which instantly caught my eye with its neon 80s vibe. I haven't seen Thelma & Louise nor Riverdale and I haven't heard of the authors they reference that this book would work for fans of 🤷‍♀️ but it sounded like it was going to be one wild story. Two high school girls from a small middle of no where town plan to go on a mini vacation for a weekend which turns into finding themselves on the run and wanted for murder.

First off, this is heavier than I expected it to be for a Young Adult novel. There really should be trigger warnings at the end of the book synopsis. I'm assuming in the finished copy there is a set of trigger warnings at the beginning of the book, but there was not in my arc copy. <b>cw/tw: sexual assault, mentions of past child sexual abuse, attempted sexual assault, ptsd, death, stabbing, blood, threats of violence/sexual violence, drugs & alochol usage.</b>

I actually cant decide if I liked this or not, I mean I didn't hate hate it but I dont think I enjoyed it lol. It was very much a feminist, down with the Man story ,which isn't bad, but there was no compare and contrast in it...I'm not sure that makes sense or if I could even explain what I'm thinking, but literally every man they came across was rotten. It became tedious I guess at one point. Also, where I was expecting a high paced "on the run" thriller the girls pretty much are roadtripping and avoiding their larger problem for half the book.

Over all, I felt like the story was hindered by the lengthy setting descriptions on top of the emotional ones that didn't progress the story in any way and took away my connection to the story and its characters. To me, it felt like it was trying too hard.

On this episode of Everything is Canon, Steve talks to Julia Lynn Rubin all about her brand-new book Trouble Girls which is being described as “A queer YA #MeToo reimagining of Thelma & Louise with the aesthetic of Riverdale.”

The book follows West Virginians Trixie and Lux and how a single night of violence derails a weekend getaway and will forever change the course of their lives as they head cross country, alone and on the run from not only the police, but their former lives as well.

Like the promotional language says, Trouble Girls takes the subtext and message of Thelma & Louise and makes it palatable for today’s sensibilities. With plenty of cinematic moments, important messaging, and an ambiguous ending, this book succeeds as not only entertaining, but a conversation starter as well.

Steve and Julia talk about the impact Thelma & Louise had on Julia and this book, the real-world esthetics of the story, Trouble Girls of course, and much, much more.

For the full interview with author Julia Lynn Rubin, click the link below!

https://www.cinelinx.com/off-beat/shows/everything-is-canon-trouble-girls/

Very interesting story. I heard it was a Sapphic Thelma and Louise and I was ready. This is the journey of Lux and Trixie and they choices they make as they’re on the run. The pacing starts off fast. I found myself thinking “okay, this should be wrapping up” only to find that I was 50% done, or 70% done, etc. There were several twists in this book that I wasn’t expecting, and that definitely kept it moving/engaging.

Trixie and her best friend Lux are planning a weekend escape of camping and getting away from their burdens. These two girls have troubled home lives and then they choose to go on the run after a tragic mistake. A YA LGTBQ version of Thelma and Louise is an apt description for this novel and the plot needs no further summary.

There is a lot to like about this book. The writing is well-done; I believe the author does a great job capturing the language of teens. The story incorporates the zeitgeist of #MeToo as Trix and Lux become symbols of the movement as their story breaks nationally. Sexual assault, queer love, dementia, murder, PTSD, and parental death are all facets of the story line.

I am not the target audience for this book. I had a hard time truly understanding Trix and Lux, especially Lux. I never understood character's motivations. The characters in the book cover a lot of emotional territory, but much of it stays superficial and hard to relate to. I believe the right audience will love this book, but it is not a book I would recommend for a general audience.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the arc of this novel.

DNF @ 55%

I hate to say it, but I’m finding myself a little bored. Perhaps I just had too high of expectations or perhaps the narrator just wasn’t doing it for me. But honestly, not a lot was happening and I didn’t like the MC’s too much to want to stick around.

I wanted a total badass murder-and-run type of scenario and just wasn’t getting that.

*TW: sexual assault

Reading Trouble Girls feels like wearing one of those lip plumping serums, that's glossy and pink and shiny as pop music... but then stings like all get out. Weird metaphor? Whatever, I'm standing by it. It's an unapologetic (and, for such a short, action-packed book, surprisingly delicate) take on rape culture, and a devastating thrill ride right off a cliff. Trixie and Lux are messy, flawed, heartbreaking characters you can really get attached to, in all their effed-up glory. The pace is breathless - maybe to its detriment, as it takes off pretty quickly and jumps right into things in a way that I wasn't sure worked right at the beginning, but it builds up speed that never lets you down - or lets you go.

Thank you to NetGalley and Wednesday Books for the advance review copy!

dnf @ 24%

as a huge thelma and louise fan, i had high expectations for trouble girls, but this contemporary reimagining just fell flat for me. i found the writing so clunky and heavy-handed that despite the incredibly high-stakes storyline and serious themes, i was never able to connect with either trixie or lux—and even their supposed connection felt forced. i do appreciate what the author was trying to do, but all in all this one was a disappointment for me.

i received an arc from netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Trouble Girls is exactly what it claims to be--a queer, YA, feminist reimagining of Thelma and Louise set in the age of the #metoo movement and I really didn't hate it. There were aspects of the book I found triggering, like the depiction of racism and homophobia and the victim shaming, but that is all true to life, so I thought that was well represented, albeit hard to read. The writing was impeccable and I feel like this book had a unique voice. I enjoyed the love story/friends to lovers trope between Lux and Trixie and especially enjoyed hearing Trixie's unique narrative throughout the novel. I was a bit disappointed in the end, however, and would have prefered a more concrete wrap up of things.

I really wanted to enjoy this book, but I found it to drag on a lot, and wondering when it would end. Part of my problem with this book is that there are no chapters in this book, there is nothing breaking up the book into more manageable chunks. I understand that for some this may not be an issue, but as a busy college student trying to just read a chapter here and there as I have time, this layout made it so that every time I put down the book, I was putting it down in the middle of a sentence or an event.

The characters felt flat to me, there was so much space within this narrative to really dig into who these girls were, but in part, because it is totally from Trixie's perspective, I felt like I knew very little about the girls beyond the details of their background. I wanted to feel compelled by these girls and their time on the run, but without much to go on as far as their personalities, there was nothing to be compelled by.

The story is an important one to tell, and very timely but for me, the organization of the book detracted from my enjoyment too much to ever be immersed in the story because I kept wondering when the chapter would finish only to realize at the end that there were no chapters, that there were no breaks, it was just a steady stream of information that began to feel repetitive by the end.

This book was extremely fast paced and I loved how this take on Thelma and Louise went. I definitely was not expecting a lot of the twist and turns in this book so it was such a page turner, I could not put it down and cannot wait to have it physically.

Thank you to Netgalley & Wednesday Books for providing me an e-ARC of Trouble Girls in exchange for an honest review!

Content Warnings: Sexual Harassment, Sexual Assault, Drug Use, Homophobia, Misogyny, Murder, Dementia

Trouble Girls is pitched as a #MeToo Queer reimagining of Thelma & Louise & although I have never seen the content that provided the inspiration, I'm still here to say yessssss. I love the on-the-run storyline and felt as if I was a part of Lux and Trixie's road trip across the country.

This book is definitely fast-paced. Once the conflict happens -- it becomes a non-stop ride from place to place, with more conflict entering throughout. I had 0 idea where Trouble Girls was going to take me & couldn't wait to figure out how these two teenaged girls were going to get out of their Mess, or in general, if they were gonna even get out of it.

Loved the LGBTQIA+ content and relationship. & how realistic the story felt in terms of victim-blaming, slut-shaming, etc. Throughout the story, we hear men express that it's the victims' fault for being sexually assaulted, along with disgusting comments like "I would have raped her too." With the 'anonymity' of the internet, we see these comments all of the time & as much as I hate to see it, I do appreciate it being laced into my reading so that maybe other people who might neglect these comments will start to see how damaging it truly is.

One of the biggest issues with Trouble Girls is that it leaves the reader wanting more & not in the "HEY LOVE THIS I NEED A SEQUEL" kind of way. More like, it felt like there was a lot of missing information. For one, I'm not a huge fan of the ending, I do feel like it was kind of abrupt, especially with how intense most of the read was.

We also get a glimpse into Trixie's backstory to explain who and why, but I feel like we still didn't get all of the information and instead, details were just teased. If this was a series & we had a chance to learn more later this would be fine, but it didn't work for just a standalone.

In general, I did enjoy this book & loved the thrill of the road trip, but the feeling that something was missing made it so I couldn't completely fall in love with Trouble Girls.

A YA Thelma and Louise retelling, enough said. There was a lot of hype this book had to live up to and I can positively say it does not disappoint. From the beginning pages the characters will grab and shake you for attention. I truly felt what they experienced as they take us along this wild ride. I loved every page of this action packed, thriller, coming of age story. If you love books about friendships, and friends to lovers stories this is a great read!

The book begins with two best friends, Pixie and Lux getting ready for a fantastic weekend to celebrate Lux’s Birthday. Their bags are packed and the begin their journey. Lux begs Pixie to make a pit stop where everything they held dear is shattered in a split second decision that will change their lives forever. When a crime is commented the girls run from their “problem”. Throughout, Pixie is in love with Lux and will do anything within her power to keep her from harm, sacrificing her own morals, and heart in the process. Along the way, their choices become rash and muddied. The girls find themselves in the company of a variety of characters that threaten their situation, safety, and decisions.

Trigger warning: drug use, rape, attempted rape, underage alcohol use, victim and slut shaming.

I was granted an eARC of this novel in exchange for an honest review. Thank you to NetGalley and Wednesday Books!

Review for Trouble Girls posted on Culturess: https://culturess.com/2021/06/01/trouble-girls-review/

Overall, I felt kinda meh about this book. Not necessarily bad, but not particularly memorable either. Giving it 2.5/5 Stars.

For a much longer and detailed review, check out our episode devoted to this book on our podcast, You Have To Read This Book!!, https://anchor.fm/youhavetoreadthisbook.

I loved the premise and idea of this book and really commend what the author was trying to do. I think it brought up a lot of really current social issues in a fun and exciting way. However, it tried to do too much, and ended up not doing any of it particularly well, while not being very interesting at the same time. I loved the characters and how they were unapologetically messy teenagers who made realistic mistakes in an impossible situation. But they also don't grow or take responsibility for any of their mistakes throughout the entire book and I think that was my biggest frustration. I think it is important for characters in revenge-plot type books to learn and grow, especially for a book meant for teenage girls. The writing is so deep into Trixie's frame of mind that it was also hard to get into at first, but I eventually got used to it and think that was actually one of my favorite parts of the book. My podcast cohost Payton, however, talks about how she thinks it would have been more interesting from Lux's perspective. Another big problem I had with this book is that its so slow and repetitive. But overall, it was enjoyable enough and I wouldn't recommend it to everyone, but would to someone who wants an aesthetic, social issue oriented, revenge porn-type book.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Wednesday books for the ARC.

3.5*

I finished this book and immediately started crying. I'm not completely sure why, but I think it was all the anxiety releasing- Trouble Girls had me on edge almost from the start. I found this to be a really stressful read, one I'm not sure I even liked all that much, although I definitely didn't hate it. While the writing is wonderful and the story and characters compelling, it's just not a book that I'll ever revisit, or can really recommend. I guess if you want to be stressed and left with no real resolution than this could be the book for you.

I think my real issue is, I wanted more from this story- more to give reason for the anxiety I was feeling pretty much the entire time I was reading. I wasn't sure what I was expecting, but the payout, for me, didn't live up to everything that had led us there. I'm not against open endings, but I feel like this story really needed a conclusion. I think I'd feel different if this was a New Adult or Adult read, but considering this is YA, I wanted, needed, to know what was going to happen to Trixie and Lux. While I didn't love Trouble Girls, it's a story that will haunt me for a long time.

Thank you Netgalley for giving me a copy of this book in exchange of an honest review.

Trouble Girls defiently critizices rape culture and delves into the #MeToo movement through a queer retelling of Thelma and Louise.
Lux and Trixie decide to go to their first trip together but something goes wrong. After fighting back to defend themselves from sexual asault, their lives take a sudden 360 turn. Now they are fugitives and the face of a #MeToo movement they didn't want to lead.
Having this premise i was really excited to read it however it left me wanting more. We follow Trixies point of view therefore we get to know Lux through her infratuated eyes. While there was not the depth that i wanted to see into the characters personalities the author did an incredibly astounding job at exploring trauma and and what comes after a person is assaulted. I loved the road trip but the way some conversations were written didn't do it for me.
Another thing i didn't quite enjoy was the ending. I was expecting and hoping for something different. This is completily subjective and i know that a lot of people will love it though.

Overall, Trouble Girls is a powerful and needed book that will make everyone who reads it think while enjoying the flufflines that comes with love and friendships.

I didn’t love this. I’m giving it two stars because the book had a unique ~vibe~ but I was overall underwhelmed and disinterested in this story.

I’m wary of anything comped as a “#MeToo” title. While it’s important to represent nuanced stories of sexual assault that center on survivors, using the movement as a marketing tag line feels icky. Our white leads in TROUBLE GIRLS were created to represent a big social movement that’s front lined by women of color. Not every story is required to represent all women or all survivors. However, this story reeked of white feminism because it failed to account for any nuance when it comes to other survivors’ identities and experiences.

I was excited for this as a f/f friends-to-lovers romance, but the girls had no chemistry for the whole book. Until the end, the love interest felt like a manic pixie dream girl. Throughout their time on the road, the girls run into a hodgepodge of characters who were flat (and sometimes cruel) portrayals of impoverished people and addicts. The end is also incredibly anticlimactic after everything, and I don’t think we really see any completed character arcs for our leads. Unfortunately, I would not recommend this one to a friend.