Bad Girls Never Say Die is a novel set in the 1960's about self-proclaimed "bad girl" Evie and her "bad girl" group of friends. It's been toted as a gender swapped, feminist version of The Outsiders with a splash of Grease and The Goonies thrown in and while reading, I could definitely see those aspects portrayed. Everything changes for Evie when she meets Diane, a "good girl" who saves her life in a "bad girl" way. This novel examines what it means to live on both the "right" and "wrong" side of the tracks and understand what it means to be a friend. Jennifer Mathieu wrote a brilliant story that is easily recommendable to young teens, especially those reading The Outsiders. The story had good pacing and a nice flow, but at times felt a little easy to predict the outcomes of some situations, which is why I didn't give it a fifth star, but would have given it 4.5 had that been an option. I really like Jennifer Mathieu's writing style and look forward to reading more from her.
**ARC received for Honest review**

I fell in love with Jennifer Mathieu's writing style after reading Moxie. Side note - If you have not read Moxie, you need to do so ASAP! Bad Girls Never Say Die, takes the cake. This is a novel you will become instantly addicted to unable to put down. Make sure you clear your schedule before diving deep into this one!

There is nothing stronger than a bond between females, or is there?

It is 1964 and Evie Barnes is a self-proclaimed "bad girl" . Its Houston, Texas and the girls are BOLD. These girls know how to conduct on audience. One night Evie, is saved by a good girl. Everything Evie once believed is now called into question.

This is a story about loyalty, decisions, murder, tragedy, and of course secrets.

Due out October 19, 2021 you do not want to miss this one!

Thank you NetGalley, Jennifer Mathieu, and Macmillan Children’s Publishing group for providing me with an arc of this novel in exchange for an honest review. I was initially interested in this book because of Moxie, which has been on my tbr for years. I became even more excited finding out it was a retelling of “The Outsiders” – but I feel like it fell flat in that aspect.

This isn’t a bad book by any means and has some unique qualities to it. However, it did seem predictable while reading, and I never became fully engaged in the story. The writing was fine, but the characters seemed average and the pacing was slow. There was one point in the middle where I considered stopping it, but the ending held a couple of twists so I’m glad I continued.

I feel like my main issue with this one was that I felt a bit… old for it. It had important themes such as sexual assault and how women were treated and seen in the sixties, but it also seemed like it was meant for the younger end of the young adult section. I appreciated Evie’s friendships and learning more about Diane (who was my favorite character) as well as the world Mathieu built.

3 stars, not bad, but maybe just not for me.

This, unfortunately, felt predictable to me. I wanted to love it, the description on NetGalley made me so excited, but it fell very flat.

I love The Outsiders, and I hoped to feel the same with this book, but I didn't. The writing was fine, but the pace was too slow and the storyline too predictable. There wasn't much depth to the characters. I thought there might be a bit of mystery to it, but there wasn't.

Trigger warning: sexual assault

I really liked this book and how she got over someone. I enjoyed the romance and the friendships. I liked she came to enjoy her family. I liked that she was able to get over a boy and move on with her life. Great story.

I am reviewing this book as a standalone novel, not in comparison to The Outsiders. I avoided any reviews about this story before I read it, but I did come across a description that called it the female-version of The Outsiders (which was written by a female author as some may have forgotten).

The setting and time period fit the story nicely. If this was nowadays, all the teenagers would have cell phones and a lot of the communication issues would be solved with a phone call or text. Also, when a murder occurs (this happens in the beginning), modern forensics would have found the killer a lot quicker. So the story takes us back to a different time (however views on abortion in Texas are somehow back to 1964 in the year of 2021).

Some things never change, such as race and class. There are no Black characters in this book, which is realistic as the white youth of this time probably would not be interacting with other races. The schools are purposely segregated in 1960’s Texas, and yet there is still forms of segregation happening around the country in 2021. And class is absolutely an issue both back then and now. When it’s time to peg someone for the murder, is it going to be a rich kid or a poor kid? I won’t give a spoiler, but…I think you know the answer. (I will say, at least you know with no Black characters in the book, it’s not pegged on anyone in the Black community).

Another aspect that has not changed in all these decades is the complexity of female friendships. That’s the real heart of the story- the love of your teenage friends and how that can carry you through the pains of adolescence. 4.5 stars. Thank you to Roaring Brook Press for the arc. Releases 10/19/21.

I liked this book so much I made a playlist for it on iTunes! https://music.apple.com/us/playlist/bad-girls-never-say-die-playlist-companion-for-the/pl.u-M9qWfW1dYvX

I’m a huge fan of Jennifer Mathieu’s Moxie, which is a fabulous feminist YA novel—we had a great discussion about that one on Unabridged Podcast!—and of S. E. Hinton’s The Outsiders (though it’s been a while since I read it! Stay gold, Ponyboy). So, when I saw that Mathieu had a new book coming out that flipped The Outsiders to a female perspective, I was All. In.

Did it work? Well, here’s what I loved. As in Moxie, Mathieu builds a compelling protagonist, a fifteen-year-old named Evie who struggles with the limited expectations of her 1964 Houston, Texas, society and of her mother and grandmother. They are thrilled that Evie’s sister is married, even though it means that she moved far away and is so, so lonely. They make it clear to Evie that she should aspire to do the same.

But Evie wants more from her life. She wants choices. She wants to have friends who are tuff. She wants to think there’s a possibility that she can leave Houston.

With her best friends—Connie, who is the toughest of them all; Juanita, Evie’s sweet neighbor; and Sunny, whose sweet sincerity has led her into a controlling relationship with her boyfriend—Evie has started skipping school and wearing makeup and defying anyone to challenge her group.

I loved this part of the book, where we see exactly why Evie loves her friends so much, how much she wishes she could regain the close relationship with her mom and grandmother without limiting herself again, and the way Evie yearns for more without always being able to articulate exactly what “more” is.

Then, everything changes. And Evie is caught up in a situation that being tough can’t get her out of.

Mathieu beautifully depicts this world. There’s a huge disparity between the “tea sippers” of upper-class Houston and Evie’s own, lower socio-economic realm. Evie is a fabulously complex character, and we feel her connection to her friends, who step up to support her as much as they can.

But at a certain point (and I can’t say much more without spoilers), I felt like the book became focused on unfurling certain plot elements—often connected to its origin story—to the detriment of its rich characters. While the book certainly shares some elements with The Outsiders, it was most successful for me when it stepped out on its own, exploring Evie’s life and the limitations she defied, again and again.

Overall, though, this book is worth reading, and I would recommend it to students—this could be a foundation for many important discussions.

*Thank you to Roaring Brook Press, the author and Netgalley for providing me with a E-ARC of "Bad Girls Never Say Die" in exchange for an honest review*

I honestly immediately wanted read this book once I saw that this was a gender bent retelling of "The Outsiders". "The Outsiders" was the only book I had to read for school that I actually liked, so I was very interested to read this. I liked the twists on the original story, but it just didn't grab me the way I wanted.

I know this book is supposed to be like “THE OUTSIDERS (For Girls!)” but I would posit it is more like Ottessa Moshfegh’s “EILEEN (For 12 Year Olds!)”

I received a free digital ARC from Macmillan Children’s Publishing Group via NetGalley. Bad Girls Never Say Die was an amalgamation of Grease and The Outsiders. Main character Evie (Evelyn) has been labeled as bad girl from the tough side of town. The youngest of her girl group, she takes comfort in the strong females in her life. When she is saved by a good girl (tea sipper) who dresses all prim and proper Evie starts a journey on self realization and what friendship means.

The cover of this book is dynamic. After writing The Truth About Alice and Moxie it is obvious Mathieu knows how to write strong female characters that are introspective. Her stories stick with you and are heartfelt. While Mathieu’s other books are contemporary, I recommend this historical fiction title as well. Easily recommendable to teens.

Everyone considers Evie a bad girl. Evie and her friends wear a lot of makeup and spend too much time with boys. Even if they are bad, they take care of each other. Evie’s world gets turned upside down when she is attacked and her rescuer is a good girl. Is there really such a thing as a good girl and a bad girl? What are the definitions of loyalty and friendship?

Bad Girls Never Say Die is a stand-alone realistic story with a historical fiction feel. The story does take place in 1964, but I don’t believe it is historical fiction. Mathieu has taken the storyline of The Outsiders and flipped it into the female perspective. With that said, readers may want to read (or re-read) The Outsiders after this book just to enjoy the parallels … I know I am planning to do that next. The storyline flows smoothly and the book ended way too soon. I recommend this book as a thoughtful escape read whether you know anything about The Outsiders or not.

I came into this book remembering how much I didn't like The Outsiders when I read it ten years ago. The original just wasn't a good fit for me since I don't typically like reading from the perspective of male characters.

So this reimagining is incredibly refreshing! I wound up reading a little more than half of the book in just two or three hours because it was consuming. I constantly wanted to know what the characters were going to do next. Also, I really like the nuances of the relationships. At first, some of the characters seemed just a little flat, but as the story unravels, Evie's friend group reveals themselves to be pretty complex young women with secrets and hardships.

While I disliked the original text, I would have loved to read something like this in middle school—a feminist reimagining on a classic novel about a girl gang, female friendships, and young women who protect other young women.

I was pretty sure I'd love genderswapped Outsiders retelling, and I was right! I loved these girls and their world, and watching them learn that not everyone is as they appear on the surface. I also appreciated the focus on the importance - the centrality - of bodily autonomy in women's lives and how having options is crucial. It did drag a bit in the middle for me as the crew spent a long time discussing what they should do, but the characters were vibrant enough to keep it moving.

As a literature teacher The Outsiders is one of my favorite classic books. In fact after reading it in junior high, I sought out other works by SE Hinton. When I first found out about Bad Girls Never Say Die, I was super stoked for a girl heavy Outsiders-ish tale. Unfortunately, I wasn't hooked from the get-go. I found the characters to be a little flat, and I had a hard time picking one to root for. The story also dragged on at points. Unfortunately, this is not something I loved reading.

Bad Girls Never Say Die is, as advertised, a feminist bad girl story set in 1964 Houston. The main character, Evie, has been hanging with a tough crowd for a little over a year. When she ends up crossing paths with a girl from the wealthy part of town Evie begins to develop a new awareness of the "other."

This book is interesting and, generally speaking, well-written. Secrets are revealed at a pace that held my interest, and characters evolved in expected ways.

The contextual references were a bit distracting in that they were too rare to feel authentic. The feminist perspectives feel too modern for the time period, but I can't quite put my finger on why.

As a huge fan of The Outsiders, I did not find this work to reach the level of poignancy and depth of setting and character as S.E. Hinton created. If I made a true comparison, my rating would be lower. Reading it without thinking "Outsiders" will likely lead to greater enjoyment.

Thank you to Macmillan Children's Publishing Group, Roaring Brook Press, Netgalley, and the author for early access to this new novel.

Yet again another winner from Jennifer Mathieu. As with her other works, this has such cringeworthy moments that make you think, relate, and learn. Her writing is incredibly compelling and the voice is so fantastic.

A gender-bent version of “The Outsiders” comes with “Bad Girls Never Say Die” by Jennifer Mathieu.

Evie is the “bad” girl along with her friends, who do all the sort of things that “good” girls don’t do and are made fun of by other kids in school, and they want nothing to do with the goody-goodies. But when a good girl saves her from being attacked by a classmate, Evie has to question that. Why would someone like Diane ever try to help her? And will keeping silent about what happened that night hurt someone else?

A story about female friendship and the aftermath of sexual assault, this is an emotional read that blends young adult and historical fiction in an interesting way. It’s not an easy read, but it is a compelling one.

3 stars

I really enjoyed reading _Moxie_ right after it was released and was extremely excited to receive this arc as a result. While I cannot say I disliked the read, I just never really got into the characters or events.

Evie is the m.c. of this young adult/historical fiction piece, and she is part of a kind of _The Outsiders_ gender swap adventure. At the start of the novel, Evie has a traumatic experience that becomes even more traumatic in a different way; I'm leaving this purposely vague so as to eliminate the possibility of spoilers. After that point, there is no action at all. There is so much talking, fretting, and wondering where various characters are / wondering why they are where they are. For me, this felt tedious quickly.

This novel does present an interesting picture of its place and time, and that is all extremely depressing for women. There are also some difficult conversations around rape, sexual assault, sexual harassment, and the lack of choices for women. These are appropriate to the setting, but they are frustrating nonetheless.

I'll definitely be back for more from Mathieu, but this one did not bring me the engaging plot and characters I was expecting.

TW: rape and sexual assault

Billed as The Outsiders, but with a group of girls from the wrong side of the tracks, Bad Girls Never Say Die is a story of female friendship. Bonding with other girls who don't have the easiest life to form a pack against the kids who have steady lives, Evie is the youngest of the group. When she goes to the restroom at the drive-in on her own, she's attacked by a preppy rich kid. Another girl, a preppy kid originating from the good side of town, saves her by pulling a knife on the guy. . . . so they go on the run. While the story is engaging, the characters are a bit flat and the dialogue is very simplistic. I wanted more. I wanted depth and to feel the feelings.