Bad Girls Never Say Die by Jennifer Mathieu

The quick cut: A gender-flipped retelling of the Outsiders. A real review: People can quickly get categorized by others in life, especially at a young age. If you come from the wealthy side of town, you're more likely to be called a good kid. If you get bad grades or have premarital sex, you're a bad kid. In this Outsiders retelling, that logic is put to the test with an unexpected friendship. Evie and all her friends are used to being labeled bad girls. They skip classes, wear bold makeup, and hang out with boys. So when Evie finds herself in a precarious position, she is surprised to be saved by a girl from the right side of the tracks. Suddenly they find their lives tied together as the events from that night have lasting effects. Can they work together to save each other? Generally speaking, I enjoyed this retelling. It tackles a lot of complex issues like teen pregnancy, society labels, and being judged based on your wealth. However, the story is such a breakneck pace that a lot of opportunities to development the characters emotionally are missed. As much as I love a fast paced story, this one was too fast. Evie is used to a world that sees her as a bad influence. So when she meets Diane and they get to know each other, those assumptions about one another continue to be questioned. Seeing two people from very different worlds connect and work together is the type of friendship we need to see more of. We learn and become better versions of ourselves when we challenge our own assumptions. A fast story that needed a slightly slower pace. My rating: 3.5 out of 5