Hello Girls audiobook

I am so mad at myself for putting this off for so long because I FUCKING LOVED THIS. WOW.

I am deeply fortunate to have gotten to read this as a manuscript. HELLO GIRLS is a razor-sharp union of sidesplitting dark comedy, fierce feminism, and poignant friendship, paced like an Alfa-Romeo at full throttle, and written in gleaming, perfect, gutpunch sentences.One of the sharpest, funniest, and most perfectly written books I’ve ever read. This story of two best friends on the lam will have you alternating between rolling with laughter and picking your jaw up off the floor in wonder. Brittany Cavallaro and Emily Henry have worked magic on the pages of HELLO GIRLS.

was not expecting to love this. BUT I DID. what a wild ride.

This review originally appeared on Novel Ink as part of the Hello Girls blog tour. I received this book for free in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.content warnings: drugs, alcohol, domestic abuse, parental abuse, disordered eating, gambling, murder, violence, mentions of prostitutionHaving read and loved books by both Cavallaro and Henry, I went into Hello Girls fully expecting to enjoy it, and it did not disappoint. It’s a story of unlikely friendships, revenge, road trips, rebelling against the patriarchy, and ruthless women. (So, pretty much all my favorite things.)“Why did people lie ? With their words, with their voices, with their bodies, with their beautiful houses and beautiful clothes and sometimes even their faces ? Why couldn’t everyone just be what they were ? Monsters should look like monsters.”The plot of this book is nothing revolutionary– it’s a YA road trip powered by revenge, of which I’ve read several– but what makes Hello Girls shine, in my eyes, is our two main characters. Winona and Lucille represent two of the myriad ways society attempts to pin women down, to keep them quiet, to force them into prescribed roles, to trap them. The two come from vastly different circumstances, but they’re united in their desire for more. They want better for themselves, and they’re not afraid to take matters into their own hands to get it. At its heart, Hello Girls is a story of friendship, the kind of pure friendship that means you would do anything for the other person. (There are also heavy hints that their friendship has the potential to bloom into a romantic relationship, but there’s no confirmation of this, nor is there any explicit queer rep in the book.)It’s this friendship that drives the plot of Hello Girls. It’s your classic running-from-the-law-and-their-past road trip journey– complete with robberies, murders, slights of hand, and more!– but Lucille and Winona’s friendship is the driving force behind it all. The beautiful friendship dynamic provided an excellent reprieve from the often-dark subject matter. I wouldn’t say this is the most suspenseful story I’ve ever read, but it kept me on the edge of my seat enough that I never wanted to stop reading. This is absolutely one of those books to devour in one sitting.I would be remiss not to mention that this book deals with some pretty heavy subject matter, so please use caution and check the content warnings before going in. The two girls are fleeing Winona’s abusive local-celebrity father, Lucille’s manipulative and thieving drug-dealer brother, and in general, the expectations that society, especially men, places upon young women (namely the expectation to follow orders, stay silent and docile, and take whatever is dealt to you by people in positions of power). Though Winona and Lucille don’t necessarily deal with their trauma in healthy ways in this book, the authors never sensationalized or trivialized it, which I really appreciated. Hello Girls often touches on the pervasiveness of misogyny, and it shows up on pretty much every step of Winona and Lucille’s journey. It’s a book that makes explicitly clear something we already know– men are trash. Anyone who knows me knows I loved this theme, lol.“Despite the way the world had seen them, despite what it had demanded of them, the lies it had told and the love it had taken away, the insistence that they be both more and less than who they were, despite the rent they had to pay, the utility bills, the days in line waiting for them at the DMV, the interviews for jobs, the meals they would have to make and the floors they would have to clean and the windows they would have to close against the night sky–Lucille had the confused sense that they were still girls.At least today.At least right now.”And I’ll be vague to avoid spoilers, but though a bit predictable, I will say that I enjoyed the ending– although I think it’s going to be a polarizing one. Overall, I thought Hello Girls was a fun ride from beginning to end, with the added bonus of lovable-but-flawed characters and a pleasantly surprising undercurrent of friendship throughout. It’s the perfect book to savor during these last few weeks of summer.

despite the way the world had seen them, despite what it had demanded of them, the lies it had told and the love it had taken away, the insistence that they be both more and less than who they were, despite the rent they had to pay, the utility bills, the days in line waiting for them at the dmv, the interviews for jobs, the meals they would have to make and the floors they would have to clean and the windows they would have to close against the night sky –lucille had the confused sense that they were still girls.at least today.at least right now. *takes deep breath* oh my gosh, this book made me feel so many emotions. my mind is a complete mess – i need some time to organize my thoughts.hello girls was not what i expected. i dived in expecting a fluffy road trip adventure – two best friends having the time of their lives, with the abuse and drug dealing as part of the backstory. domestic violence and drug trafficking turned out to be two main themes of the novel, and although it was not what i had in mind, i really liked how the problems were addressed in the book – i liked that instead of prettifying them, the authors let the characters seek solace in each other.it took a while for me to actually get into the story. it was like i was thrown and stumbled into a random day in someone’s life with no prior knowledge of who they are. the multiple povs just made it even more complicated.but after a while, when i got to the part where the two girls meet, things finally! started to make sense. and the writing was so humorous – i was totally hooked. i bet my parents could hear me laughing at 2am when i was reading this particular sentence (sorry mom and dad for disturbing your slumber): winona did not look like a young audrey. she looked like a thumb. like a not-hot tom hiddleston. this was all wrong. emily henry described this as “a good book with very bad ideas”, and i wholeheartedly agree. the storyline itself is good, but the ideas the girls come up with… are not. i wouldn’t say they’re immature (“reckless” would be a better word, maybe…?), but they plan the worst schemes. robbing a gas station and sleeping (literally) with a con man are just two of the many dumb things they did. but i totally understand – it’s not like they have a lot of choice – after all, they are two broke girls on the run. and, to be honest – bad decisions make good stories. i cracked up so hard reading the parts where they make (not necessarily legal) plans. these bad ideas are a reminder that the characters have flaws, and that made everything more three-dimensional and realistic.although hello girls has its flaws, it’s a very impressive book overall (so much happened – i never got bored + the dark stuff was balanced out by winona and lucille’s amazing friendship) and i would highly recommend it. (also, i really need to give brittany cavallaro’s individual works a try sometime. i heard the charlotte holmes books are pretty good.)trigger warnings: drugs, domestic abuse, gambling, murder, violencemy blog:http://marshmallowpudding.home.blog

this was really really really really really really really good !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!there are so many great things about this book, but can i just say a few:💋 the BEST FRIENDSHIP between winona and lucille was absolute GOALS and so so amazing !! the whole book is literally girls supporting girls and best girlfriends roadtripping across the country, robbing gas stations, and drugging men who buy pills to drug young women. absolutely badass, fun, and a little insane. i LOVE it. non and lucy always have each other’s backs and they look out for one another; they’re also gorging on gummy bears, taking a million selfies, or getting sweet revenge on an ex. it’s exactly what having a soul mate best friend is like, and i love how perfectly the authors captured that. 💋 i have never read a book by henry, but i loooove cavallaro’s charlotte holmes series. that’s the main reason why i picked this book up. in brittany’s writing, generally there’s a strong main plot that’s exciting and captivating, but it’s served with some serious themes on the side. in the charlotte holmes series, it’s topics like rape/sexual assault, addiction, ptsd & anger issues. in hello girls, there’s themes of domestic violence and abuse. i love that she includes topics like this; i think it’s really important to address these issues in literature, especially young adult, even when it’s not the main focus of the book. it adds depth to the story and also serves as a way to speak out about things like this. KUDOS !!!!!!💋 lovable and relatable characters !! just yes !!!!!!!!!💋 THIS COVER GOSH DARN 💓💕💓💕💓💕💓i recommend this to anyone!! there aren’t that many ya books out there solely about unbreakable bonds between best friends, and this one is so empowering. L O V E !!!!////um hello girls yes

This is exactly the feminist revenge story I wanted when it was announced. This is to say, I was not at all disappointed by this book. Who doesn't love two BFFs robbing convenience stores and driving across the country on the run from abusive family members? I adore some good road trip stories, and this one may just top any others I've ever read. The idea of these two authors coming together to write this was honestly one of the best ideas of our generation. This book is riddled with feminist quips and best friend inside jokes and an overwhelming anthem of "eat the rich," which of course, I'm obviously here for. And there are SO MANY times where one of the girls has a smart comeback about how men are just constantly using girls for their own gain and it's just honestly a book I really loved to read for all of those elements alone, not to mention the amazing, sarcastic and relatable characters, the realistic portrayals of abuse and poverty, and an overall badass female duo. I loved the character development between the two characters, and I really liked the exploration of the two different worlds these two girls come from compared to the other and how that ties into their friendship. It takes a lot of unlearning internalized ableism on Winnona's part, and I just really loved their friendship. This entire book is basically centred around their friendship and it's just as enthralling, if not more, than the situations they get themselves in. I loved the almost romanticism the dynamic between them takes on, I like that their future and friendship, in general, is mostly open-ended, it leaves a lot of room for afterthought, and I gotta admit, this story did stay with me for quite a bit of time after I'd finished reading it. I just really love reading about friendship between girls, and the lengths they'll go for each other and I love it even more when it involves theft and fleeing cross-country. This is like, one of the best feminist anthems I've read in a while.

*screams* I LOVE THIS BOOK! I LOVE THIS BOOK! I LOVE THIS BOOK! OMGalexa, play "no body, no crime" and "mad woman" by Taylor Swift right now!i have at least fifteen different emotions in my heart right now and 4 of them are shouting: WINONA AND LUCILLE LOVE EACH OTHER! THEY WILL BE GIRLFRIENDS! THEY WILL THEY WILL THEY WILL!a (sort of) win for wlw everywhere.rtc!!!

This was sent to me by the publisher, in return for an honest review. Of course, all thoughts are my own. 3.5 stars.I have incredibly mixed feelings about this book.This seems to have been written for me. My favorite trope *ever* is vigilante teenage girls. I just find the entire trope so thrilling and impowering. While I loved that aspect of HELLO GIRLS, it's far from a perfect story.First off, these girls are pretty dumb. I can't go into too much detail since the parts where their lack of thinking would be a spoiler, all I can say is that it was incredibly frustrating to see these girls make these terrible decisions and then act dumbfounded whenever it blew up in their faces, even though there was a much smarter solution, fifty pages beforehand.On top of that, GIRLS suffers from way too much inner dialogue. I'm a reader who *loves* dialogue, so this is definitely a personal thing, but I found myself skimming a lot of what was going on in the girls' heads because it was just too drawn on.Lastly for the negatives, I had a hard time telling the two girls apart. It's very similar to my experience with Albertalli & Silvera's WHAT IF IT'S US. These two authors' voices are just too similar for me to not constantly second guess who's head I was in, which led to me not connecting as much with the girls as I wanted to.I know I seem pretty critical about this book, but it really is something I'll remember for awhile.I LOVE how these girls didn't really give a shit about anyone else but them. They're definitely flawed characters and it was nice to see them not turn into these girls with an amazing moral compass. It's so incredibly fun and the girls *do* get smart towards the end and I could seriously see this becoming a movie. Overall, I recommend this for fans of GONE GIRL and BIG LITTLE LIES who may be looking for a younger version of these stories.TW: domestic violence

I absolutely loved this rollercoaster ride of a book! When Winona and Lucille finally reach their breaking points they run away from home together to start a life free from everything holding them back. But things don’t exactly go the way they envisioned. From robbing convenience stores to faking a kidnapping, these girls are on a wild ride across the country that there’s no going back from. Such a fun, fast paced book that I could not put down! Highly recommend it and can’t wait to see what these authors think up next, whether together or on their own!

This review and many others can also be found at Musings of a (Book) Girl.Content Warnings: child abuse, Alzheimer’s, underage drinking, gun violence, drugsFirst off, you need to know that I would die for Winona and Lucille. These two are the absolute best characters in the world and I would do anything for their happiness.Hello Girls is easily one of my top three books of 2019 so far. I haven’t read any of Brittany Cavallaro or Emily Henry’s solo novels, but I’m definitely dying to now. There are co-authored books I’ve read where it’s obvious which author wrote which parts, but Hello Girls was completely seamless.Something that caught me off guard was how much incredible humor there was. None of it was overtly obvious slap-you-in-the-face, but it was there and I found myself laughing so many times. I loved the subtlety of it all and often found myself wondering if what I read was supposed to be a joke because it was pretty dark but realized it didn’t matter because it was funny.The adventures these two friends went on were absolutely wild and crazy. I was expecting a few off the wall antics on their way to Vegas, but I got way more than I ever thought was possible. The situations Winona and Lucille found themselves in never would have happened in real life and I loved every second. I desperately need Netflix to adapt this into a movie or series.This story was fast-paced the two main characters had such an incredible amount of depth to them. I never once had an idea of where things would end up, and though sometimes that bothers me, it was a really great adventure and fit what was going on perfectly. Hello Girls kept me on the edge of my seat the entire time I was reading it and this is one I wish I could experience again for the very first time.A digital ARC was provided through Edelweiss in exchange for an honest review.

Goddamn, this book was so heartbreaking, wild, and a helluva lot of fun! But damn it, I want a part 2!!! 😍😈

I love YA and this is a perfect example as to why that is because Hello, Girls was a perfect read!With its thrill-seeking characters and their whimsical mission to change there lives with one another no matter how drastic their terms may turn out to be, with a friendship as strong as Winona and Lucille's nothing becomes impossible.A friend that read this mentioned how it's got a Thelma and Louise vibe and that made me extremely more pumped to read this and now that I have I can confirm how true that is!!This is the third novel I've read with two authors and I find myself enjoying these novels and they're dynamic ability to form and craft such effortless characters while not even telling which is which character or part/chapter as a reader. I find it just fascinating and incredible, to be honest.I also think my favorite part about this book (other then it's a beautiful and cool cover) is the fact thatthe title name was actually included in the book (which made the cover way more cooler in my opinion) because when I think of Winona and Lucille, I literally say "Hello Girls" to myself!!Both Winona and Lucille feel like the outcast's of their family. Unwanted and unappreciated by there parents, the girls bonded over a night where the drama got out of control and left both girls no choice but to go to the police. In hopes of finally confess to authorities the danger and trouble they have been dealing with, they each decide that they were never going to be able to walk into the police station and actually file a report because they probably wouldn't believe them or even help them. They instead decided to help each other and that was when an indestructible bond was created.From there the girls made a plan and every day leading up to their escape was a struggle. Then one night, Winona couldn't take it anymore after her father chopped her beautiful curls off into a bob when he found out she disobeyed his rules by finding a letter her mother wrote her. Winona's only hope was to find her lost long drug addict mother who she was told was actually dead by her father, but after finding the letter, Winona could finally realize that that wasn't true. On a mission, both girls picked up unexpectedly then originally planned and hit the road for Vegas in search to find Winiona's estranged mother. Everything from hear on out NEVER goes as planned and they end up in a situation, after situation, after situation, while piling up a long list of serious offenses if they were to ever get caught by the authorities.Winona and Lucille are the ultimate partners in crime and the best dynamic young duo I've seen since the '90s. I highly recommend this book to all YA lovers and especially those who are fans of Thelma and Louise!

evigt svag för snygga coola tjejer som slänger dharma bums i huvudet på kerouacvurmande skitkillar. även mycket bra bok i övrigt!

I received an ARC of this title at a work conference.TRIGGER WARNING! THERE IS EMOTIONAL AND PHYSICAL ABUSE IN THE FIRST 100 PAGES! While it is by no means extremely detailed, graphic or gruesome, it WAS difficult for me to read without getting sick (and i have no experience with emotional or physical abuse). Basic run down: 2 girls from very different backgrounds runaway from their dangerous homes and go on a road trip hoping to find one of their mother's. The girls support and love each other through thick and thin. They're hella smart and don't put up with crap once they hit the road.So I am not generally someone who enjoys contemporaries as a whole but oh my goodness! I whipped through this book in a few hours.The characters are FANTASTIC! While they both come from VERY different economic backgrounds, they see each others struggles as similar and help support each other. They're so set up to fail by their families and the world...so you kinda can't help but root for them despite the fact that they commit crimes. The girls are so smart and resilient. This whole book is about them supporting each other to get themselves out of their dangerous home lives and into the world where they can make a life of their choosing. I got attached to both of the girls while none of the background cast are really fleshed out which also made me feel more sympathetic and supportive of the main characters (again, despite them committing crimes).