Author: Jennifer Mathieu
Publication Date: 19 October 2021
Publisher: Roaring Brook Press
Page Count: 304
Reading Method: Digital ARC [thank you to the publisher!]
Dates Read: October 17 – 20
Have I read The Outsiders? Yes. Do I remember it at all? Absolutely not. I read it a million years ago and it was required reading for school, so you know I brain-dumped it immediately after finishing any required assignments. I have seen several reviews saying they were disappointed that they didn’t really get the same feel from Bad Girls Never Say Die as they did with The Outsiders… that wasn’t the case for me. I had nothing to really compare it to.
I didn’t love the book for its own unique reasons. It definitely felt like it was meant for the younger side of YA. There’s absolutely nothing wrong with that, but it just wasn’t for me. The story itself was pretty solid, but the writing had a tendency to be a bit redundant. We could have cut out a lot of the unnecessary reiteration of character’s histories and the story would have moved much faster. I do think the story dealt with some important issues and did a great job of giving the feel of taking place in the sixties. It’s also important to note that this entire series of events takes place in the span of about a week (maybe just a little over). I think the age of the characters lends to the tendency to over dramatize everything a bit, leading to rash and foolish decisions.
I am sure there is an audience who will love this, but this is one of those instances where a book just isn’t for me. There is nothing inherently wrong with it, we just didn’t vibe. Love the cover though!
Evie Barnes is a bad girl. So are all her friends. They’re the sort who wear bold makeup, laugh too loud, and run around with boys. Most of all, they protect their own against the world. So when Evie is saved from a sinister encounter by a good girl from the “right” side of the tracks, every rule she’s always lived by is called into question. Now she must redefine what it means to be a bad girl and rethink everything she knew about loyalty.
In this riveting story of murder, secrets, and tragedy, Jennifer Mathieu puts a female twist on S. E. Hinton’s The Outsiders. Bad Girls Never Say Die has all the drama and heartache of that teen classic, but with a feminist take just right for our times.
Hi! I’m young adult author Jennifer Mathieu (pronounced Muh-two, but if you speak French you can pronounce it better than that. Sadly, I don’t speak French.) I’m a writer and English teacher who lives in Texas with my family. A native of the East Coast and a former journalist, I enjoy writing contemporary young adult fiction that treats teenagers like real people. I love to eat and hate to cook.
