TW: Domestic abuse, talks of pedophilia, violence, death, drugs



August YA Book of the Month picks were all pretty fantastic - it was hard to choose just one, but I ended up going with Hello Girls, because it sounded like such a fun, wild ride. It was described as YA novel version of Thelma & Louise (which I've surprisingly never seen, but know the general gist of).


Lucille and Winona couldn't be from more different worlds. Lucy lives with her waitress mom and drug-dealing brother in a neighborhood with her extended family. She works part-time to help her family make ends meet. Winona, on the other hand, lives in a high-end home with her weatherman father and a fortune left by her mother, who overdosed when she was young. But Winona's father isn't the friendly neighborhood weatherman he seems - he's a controlling father, and Winona's mother? She's alive. And in Vegas. So Lucy and Winona make a plan to drive cross-country to find her, but they've got to make some pit stops along the way. 


I wouldn't go into this book with any kind of expectations that this book is incredibly realistic. It's about two teenage runaways doing illegal things, so be open-minded. But this book is a fun testament to the power of female friendships, and that family doesn't always mean DNA.

This novel is a bit corny at times, and there are some problematic themes within the book. There were sensitive topics that were handled pretty nonchalantly. The characters aren't very diverse, and the situations are a bit ridiculous. But it was definitely a fun and quick read. I enjoyed the female friendship and the camaraderie. I thought the book was definitely laugh-out-loud funny at times.





I enjoyed this book, and would likely recommend it to others. It's definitely a YA book with some serious topics, such as domestic abuse and pedophilia, but it's not diverse in a lot of ways. Because of that, I felt it was lacking in some areas. Overall, it was quick-paced and funny. I'd love to see it as a tv show or movie.



Goodreads rating: ★★★★☆