Just wow. I’ve been reading YA for 15+ years and I’m ready to see this one win ALLLLLL the awards. The Printz and the National Book Award don’t often overlap, but I’m 👀👀👀

***

YA hits differently now that I have kids. I read it not just for my own entertainment, but with my boys in mind. Although they’re only 2 and 4, I’m always on the lookout for books to add to my personal YA library in hopes they’ll be interested someday. WHEN WE RIDE will join Neal Schusterman’s CHALLENGER DEEP and Jason Reynolds’s LONG WAY DOWN on my shelf as one of the most eloquently written, hardest-hitting YA books with a male narrator I’ve ever read.

This gut-wrenching novel-in-verse follows Diego “Benny” Benevides and his best friend, Lawson, through their senior year of high school. Benny and Lawson grew up in the same rough neighborhood and would do anything for each other. While neither has an easy road ahead of them after graduation, Benny is focused on getting into college, while Lawson sees selling drugs as his only way out. As Lawson slips further and further, dragging Benny down with him, Benny begins to question whether this friendship is worth risking his future.

This book is IMPORTANT. It is rare to find books for teens with male narrators who strike the right balance between being good role models and actually sounding realistic. Despite having a pretty clear message about the dangers of enabling someone you love, WHEN WE RIDE never once comes across as an “issue” book. The free verse style makes this a quick read, and it’s the best use of this form I’ve come across in awhile. The formatting tells a story of its own, so this is one I’d highly recommend reading in print if you can.

A quick (spoiler-free) note on the ending: while it creates some plot holes, the emotional impact is worth it. No other ending could have hit this hard or been more fitting for this story and these characters.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and W. W. Norton & Company (Norton Young Readers) for the opportunity to read WHEN WE RIDE in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

Diego Benevides (Benny) works hard as a busser and tries to get good grades in school. He hates his job, but his single mother constantly encourages him to stay focused. She wants him to graduate from school, go to college, and invest in a bright future. Benny's car helps him achieve his goals. But his best friend, protector and adopted brother Lawson often needs a ride. The relationship is tested when Lawson begins dealing various drugs and pushing Benny to party. Can Benny make boundaries and maintain progress toward achieving his goals or will he make choices that jeopardize his life today and in the future?
While the content of this book is disturbing at times (drug use, sexual content, profanity, addiction, trauma), it's also real. And the themes of friendship, loyalty, integrity to self and others are also important. I like the realness of the story and kept rooting for Benny to invest more in himself than in others.
His mom is a rock star. She works hard, is an example for her son, takes positive steps in her own recovery, sets healthy boundaries, and keeps communication open. She's an example of how the actions of others do affect us, but we're ultimately only responsible for ourselves.
I would share this book with anyone struggling with life. It's an important reminder about what really matters.

This novel delivers a raw and emotional look at the struggles of a young man trying to escape the cycle of poverty while staying loyal to the people he cares about. Diego Benevides is a compelling protagonist—hardworking, determined, and torn between his mother's expectations and the pull of his best friend, Lawson. The story masterfully explores the moral gray areas of survival, the weight of decisions that seem harmless until they aren’t, and the devastating consequences of loyalty in the wrong places.

The writing is sharp and immersive, pulling the reader into Diego’s world and making his choices feel personal and urgent. The tension builds steadily, and as the stakes rise, it becomes impossible to put the book down. With deeply human characters, an unflinching portrayal of systemic struggles, and a heartbreaking yet hopeful message.

The publisher provided ARC via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Giving this 2 star because the book was written like a play to me, and I absolutely hated the story line, it was so hard to follow based on that

Rex Ogle writes such heartfelt, important work, and this YA story in verse is no exception. This was such a push and pull of the connection between friends who consider themselves brothers, and the division that drugs, addiction and pain can bring. I was swept up in the drive of Diego (Benny) to stay clean and graduate high school at the top of his class. He continuously read classic books with tragic narratives such as Candide, A Clockwork Orange, and more. Each book seeming to parallel the tragedy of Lawson's downward spiral.

The pain and consequences continue to spill over into Diego's friends and family, as well as Lawson's girlfriend's lives until they culminate in tragedy. This book wrecked me, with allegorical writing that will keep me thinking about it long after I have finished.

I highly recommend this book for high schools and libraries.

This was a quick read that had a unique structure that kept you hooked! Benny/Diego and Lawson will forever transcend time in my mind.

"When We Ride" is a gripping and heartfelt novel that beautifully captures the highs and lows of friendship, love, and self-discovery. Rex Ogle’s storytelling is both raw and compelling, making it easy to connect with the characters and their struggles. The emotional depth and authentic dialogue make this a standout read, though the pacing sometimes feels uneven. Overall, a touching and memorable story that resonates long after the last page.

5/5 stars! Great story about friendship, love, family. I really loved how the story starts off with a dramatic scene. Instantly pulled me into their world and I was along for the ride (no pun intended!) but it was a great ride! I share similar experiences to Lawson in some regard but not to the crazy extent his life went. So some of the story really hit home for me.

Rex Ogle hits it out of the park with his first young adult fiction novel. This story told in verse is a ode to friendships that are like family, but also a warning that sometimes staying loyal may not be what is best for us. Great messages for teens and and engagin read.

Wow. This book took me for a ride so the title can work more than one way. I thought I knew what was going to happen in the end and it flipped. I went to sleep with a heavy heart after reading this. Absolutely incredible.

I loved the formatting of this novel. It gave the feeling that I was reading poetry from the start and that made it really intriguing and fulfilling to read. I was happy to read the Author’s remarks at the end and realize that they started with writing poetry. This novel was a page turner and quick read which is great for YA audiences. Rex Ogle did a wonderful job with painting the picture throughout the entirety of this novel. I only wish that we could have had a different ending, but that is exactly the point. There were so many times where I wanted to speak directly to the characters and ask them questions and tell them that they knew better. This novel is very relatable and I will definitely recommend and discuss it with other readers.

When We Ride is a YA book that I would highly recommend. The author did a fantastic job throughout its entirety of this book.
Two best friends who couldn’t be any more different. Both being raised so different and both facing issues because of it. I love how it takes you through such a ride of what is happening to their friendship, and in the end, the loyalty never ends.

This was a great ride (read), i love the way it was written out. It felt i was reading a playbook, the book isn’t really my cup of tea, but i will recommend it to people who enjoy this kind of reading.

I got this book from NetGalley, and I probably wouldn't have gotten it if I read the description more carefully, which would've been a mistake. I generally choose not to go for YA books, because I know they're not meant for me, and I generally go against In-verse and poetry, because I'm not into it.

Very small parts of this book made me feel like I was reading a typical YA book. Which is a good thing. My only complaint is really that it was in-verse. A lot of the time it just felt like there was a random unnecessary cut in the lines, but maybe that feeling is just me. Maybe I don't fully understand the art.

But also
maybe
it doesn't make
any sense.

I really enjoyed reading about Benny and Lawsons friendship and how it shaped each of their lives. In life sometimes you don’t pick your friends, they pick you and that’s sorta what their friendship was like. Although opposites they balanced each other out in an unspoken way. They truly saw one another for they were and not how everyone else perceived them. Rex Ogle captured the true essence of friendship in this and demonstrates how raw life can be when you love someone who may not see themselves as you do, with this emotional moving story.

Two teenage boys struggle to cope with a seemingly inescapable set of tragic life circumstances.

The first-person narrative conveys an innocent sense of transparency through its simplisitic yet gritty tone. The resulting authenticity evokes an overwhelming feeling of empathy for its readers.

You find youself rooting for the overly-responsible narrator who assumes the role of care taker while simultaneously oozing age-appropriate naivety. We cheer over his developed internal strength as he begins to adhere to a personal moral code. We see him start to demonstrate the wisdom gained from his dark experiences.

And, we cling to the plot as it unfurls. I couldn't move through the pages quickly enough.

The resounding ending leaves a lot to ponder. How do we deal with the cards that life has dealt?

I recommed this read as a quick yet deeply thought-provoking evening or weekend pick.

Review of When We Ride by Rex Ogle

Rex Ogle delivers another powerful and emotionally charged novel with When We Ride (Norton Young Readers). This gripping story captures the harsh realities of growing up too soon, navigating friendships in uncertain circumstances, and facing the weight of addiction. Ogle’s writing is both raw and poetic, making the novel impossible to put down. At its heart, When We Ride is about survival, resilience, and the blurred lines between childhood and adulthood. A short but deeply impactful read, it lingers long after the final page.

Thank you to NetGalley and Norton Young Readers for providing a free copy in exchange for an unbiased review.

WHEN WE RIDE by Rex Ogle left me shell-shocked. It shouldn’t have because I know the facts but seeing it fleshed out in two likable young men is more powerful than reading grim newspaper accounts. Brothers they were, for better or worse.

If this is the reality playing out in some of our high schools, maybe most, then this book should be required reading. And since it is in verse, I mean “read” properly, in the oral tradition. Out loud. It is a play behind the covers. Teachers can point out the way the oral tradition developed in ancient times, from poetry to many centuries later, the novel. This book provides many “teaching moments.” As above, for better or worse.

With thanks to NetGalley and W. W. Norton & Co. for an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I read this as an ARC from the publisher. I don't know quite what I was expected when I picked this one up, but I was absolutely blown away. I've never read anything by Rex Ogle before, but I sure will now.

At first, I was kind of put off by the formatting of the book. It bugged me for probably the first 10 pages. But once I settled in and stopped fighting it, I could really appreciate how it was controlling the pacing, steering the reader through the story and forcing them to stop on all of the points that were supposed to make you stop and really think.

I love that it didn't rely on stereotypes or tropes. I love (and hate) that it made me struggle through difficult thoughts and emotions. There was never a point in the story where I was thinking "you idiot, why didn't you just [x, y, z]." You might think it for a split second until you realize that [x, y, and z] aren't options, either. Benny's mom at Christmas absolutely broke my freaking heart.

I'm amazed at how Ogle was able to develop characters so thoroughly and to weave a plot line with so many interesting facets to it with so few words. Just a few little snippets of paragraphs on a page with forced spacing, and it just painted this profound picture that would be so much less if he had filled up the page with words trying to get us there. It's sad, a little depressing, with glimmers of hope, and feelings of unfairness for who wins and who loses and who doesn't have choices that are any good to make. Just like life.

It was a quick read, but it's really sticking with me. Things happened so quickly, and so powerfully, and then the feelings kind of crash into each other and all sneak up on you. I was fine when I finished reading it (sad, but fine), and then twenty minutes after I finished reading, I found myself with tears coming down my face.

Don't pass this one up.

This book was incredible. I often find that researchong older YA 'for boys' to be a reall challenge, and finding YA that deals with serious topics tob e even harder. However, When We Ride dealt with many issues and it was done in such a beautiful way, I loved it. This title will definitely become one of my 'easy hand sales', and I'd love to see more books in the same format. Thank you to Net Galley and the publisher for access.