Trouble Girls

This is the only Thelma and Louise reboot that matters! This story took me through such a range of emotions and had me cheering and booing for people in turn. I honestly had no idea how this would end, despite the extensive foreshadowing and it was INCREDIBLE! Every girl and woman knows what it’s like to be Trix and Lux, we’ve all been treated poorly by the “hog boys and men” before. This book took on so many different levels and nuances, the author is wonderfully talented! Definitely one that I’ll read again and again. Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for my free arc in exchange for my honest opinion! It was a fantastic story!

This is the Thelma and Louise reboot I never knew I needed!

Hot damn, Julia Lynn Rubin can write. Her characterizations were masterful, her descriptions captivating and her handling of difficult subject matter powerful.

I read it in one sitting, utterly engrossed and totally in awe.

Five stars all day long.

This was the Thelma and Louis story my lesbian heart has always needed! I almost cried I wad filled with so much joy.

I wanted to devour this book all in one sitting but I made myself take my time and enjoy every page. I loved everything about Rubin's writing! Her characters, her setting, just EVERYTHING about this was perfect and filled me with joy. I can not wait to get this as a physical book and show it off and never shut up about it!

I received a copy of this book from Wednesday Books and Netgalley.

So I finished Promising Young Woman last night and was deep in my feels so I cracked this one open and pretty much finished it in one sitting.

This book is entrancing and so believable..

Trouble Girls by Julia Lynn Rubin is such a great story! I loved everything about it, one of the best books of the year!

I love the premise, love the cover, and love that there is going to be a section for Content Warnings at the beginning of the book (wish more books did this!!). This was really well-written, and despite some of the heavy topics, I really enjoyed it. I would recommend for high school libraries.

This story resonated with me so much. It was really beautiful and heart-wrenching, and horrible at times in the best way. I read it in all of two days, and that's saying a lot with my crazy schedule because I just could not put it down. You want to root for Trixie and Lux, you want them to make it to California and start over. Props to Julia Lynn Rubin for crafting such an amazing story, if you're a fan of true crime, LGBTQ stories, women's rights, you need to read this book, it really takes you for a wild ride across the country with these girls! There is a huge content warning from about page 30 or so in, but that's all explicitly stated at the beginning, so definitely read the content warning if you think anything might affect you, I will say there were parts that were hard to read but merely surrounding the nature of the story.

A genuine thrill from start to finish, full of teenage girl anger -- would have loved to read this when I was 16/17.

Wow. Just wow. Trouble Girls is a shockingly heart-wrenching and unfortunately relatable book that I think every one can appreciate. The character and plot development was brilliant, and I found myself feeling both sad and happy for the main characters, Trixie and Lux. Throughout the whole story, the author expertly made me feel entirely uneasy, except for the very end. At the end, I felt relief, and I think that was the perfect way to end this story. The romance aspect of this book was definitely not lacking, and I think their relationship was really realistic. Trouble Girls was extremely well crafted and interesting, and I would definitely recommend it to anyone who is a fan of Thelma and Louise, people who are interested in thrillers, and anyone who wants to read about the realistic effects of sexual assault and harassment.

this was something special - I really was blown away by the retelling elements, as a fan of the original. The relationship was tender and soft and intense in it's own way - I LOVED these two girls with all my heart. The author has an amazing ability to really build out settings, I felt totally sucked into the atmosphere!

This book - the cover and the back cover? Truly amazing, I could stare at it all day. And the plot, it was riveting and kept me on the edge of my seat. How relatable was this book? It felt very appropriate for present-day times. And make it all sapphic? Yes. Will absolutely recommend this.

Trouble Girls is a total blast. I flew through this story. I was completely immersed and invested in the characters and their journey. I loved Trixie and Lux's relationship. They had such a beautiful connection that made you fall in love with them. Also their actions in the story felt realistic. This story could have easily been cringey but the author made the characters feel real. I loved the twist on Bonnie and Clyde. Overall, I LOVED Trouble Girls and I can't wait to read it again!

4.5 this is a dark, gritty and inspiring story of two young women on the run, very well written and i rooted for them and their love and survival story. I wish it didn't end where it did but continued a bit to what happened next. while this is not every woman's story, it is every woman story in certain ways and way beyond time for things to change

Trix and Lux are the modern Thelma and Louise that you’ve been wanting complete with the grit that you’ve been missing. Trouble Girls starts with a disastrous camping trip gone wrong and the two girls are on the run from the cops trying to make it as far as they can without getting caught. The entire time I was reading this it felt like a car chase scene from a Fast and Furious movie only in slow motion in the best of ways.

I absolutely loved the voice of Trixie. She reminded me of my own childhood in the south and embodied that desperate feeling of wanting to be an adult but not quite getting there yet. Lux is the bubbly best friend who tries her best but as the journey deeper and deeper into darkness the two girls go, it’s clear the Lux can very much hold her own.

Trouble Girls has definitely helped me get out of my reading slump seeing as I read it in under a day which hasn’t happened for the longest time. I felt like I was watching a car crash and couldn’t look away until I knew these girl’s fates. Highly HIGHLY recommend!!

A queer, modern day Thelma & Louise for the YA market. Trouble Girls had me hooked from the very first paragraph. In a couple of sentences Julia Lynn Rubin had set the tone for the entire story. I instantly knew Trixie’s voice and her outlook on the world. The journey that Trixie and Lux go on isn’t a scene for scene recreation of the movie so the plot still kept me on the edge of my seat.

I personally loved how harsh and messy this book was at times. I can see how those things won’t appeal to all readers. Trixie and Lux constantly make bad decisions. However I do think that is understandable since they’re young, on the run, and in way over their heads. They’re willing to do whatever is necessary to try and protect one another.

The ending of the book had my heart racing. I was anxious to find out if the story was going to end like the movie or not. I can see people wanting more from the ending, but I’m personally satisfied with where it left off. This is a dark book that won’t be for all readers, but I definitely recommend it to people who enjoy hard-hitting YA books.

Trouble Girls is a powerful and dark read. Filled with visceral and gritty details, it tells the story of two girls who attempt to go on the run and flee West after a night of violence. With the cops closing in and the heat increasing, sparks fly between the girls as they drive. Trouble Girls examines violence against women, the patriarchy, and the power of women everywhere uniting to protect each other against predators.

There is no doubt in my mind that this is a very important book that many will find reflects aspects of their lives back to them. The romance between Trixie and Lux was heartbreaking and bittersweet. I enjoyed the stolen romantic moments between the girls as they explore what it means to be in love while the ticking clock of their pursuers relentlessly pushes them to drive. The descriptions of violence were sometimes graphic, yet they reflect the reality of what it means to exist as a woman. The prose is unflinching and honest. Trouble Girls pulls no punches, makes no apologies, and holds a mirror up to the world we live in. This was a heartbreaking and wildly burning tale that I will be thinking about for some time. I would recommend reading the trigger warnings for this book, especially regarding sexual assault, abuse, sexism, and violence. Thank you to Julia Lynn Rubin, Wednesday Books, and Netgalley for a free ARC in exchange for an honest review. Trouble Girls releases June 1, 2021.

For publisher: My review will be posted on the publication date and I will publish it on Instagram, Goodreads, Amazon, and Barnes & Noble etc

I typically don't read or enjoy YA novels and I probably wouldn't have even requested this one if I had realized it was YA before I started it. Here's the thing though once I started, I was pulled in fast and aggressively and this book totally took me by surprise!

Trixie and Lux are both complex co-protagonists who decide to take a little girls' weekend. This is needed for them both as their lives at home are a mess. Both girls have had to deal with very adult issues and grow up much faster than they should have. They have no idea what's to come over the course of this trip. We end up with two girls who protect each other, fall in love, and get themselves in and out of trouble on a daily basis- for example when they pick up the hitchhiker and visit a cult-like encampment that no sane person would do anymore. Obviously, as much as they have had to grow up, these are still kids. The pacing in the beginning of the book was a little slow since it's mainly a road trip, but it picked up in the second half as they became more and more desperate to flee and stay together. The end is inevitable, but you know that these two have been through more than any teens should have to and you're still cheering for them at the end! Do expect: sexual assault, stabbing, alcohol consumption, victim blaming, slut-shaming - just as a warning for possible triggers.
Thanks to NetGalley for this ARC!

Thelma and Louise in 2021! The characters were incredibly well-developed and complex in Trouble Girls. I especially liked that the plot reflected the larger societal conversation around #MeToo and college sexual assault. I would recommend this book to anyone who is interested in LGBTQ YA novels, as it is a gem of the genre.