The Good Luck Girls by Charlotte Nicole Davis

Synopsis (from Goodreads) 

Pages: 352 

Publisher: Hot Key Books 

Released: 1st of October 2019

Aster. Violet. Tansy. Mallow. Clementine.

Sold as children. Branded by cursed markings. Trapped in a life they never would have chosen.

When Aster's sister Clementine accidentally murders a man, the girls risk a dangerous escape and harrowing journey to find freedom, justice, and revenge - in a country that wants them to have none of those things. Pursued by the land's most vicious and powerful forces - both living and dead - their only hope lies in a bedtime story passed from one girl to another, a story that only the youngest or most desperate would ever believe.

It's going to take more than luck for them all to survive.

What I Have to Say 

A great new fantasy book about girls fighting against their abusers and oppressors. The thing that really set this book apart for me was that though they showed the trauma of sexual abuse perfectly and in several different ways, the emphasis is on fighting back rather than the abuse and trauma itself.

The wild west inspired world that the Good Luck Girls was based in was a really well created picture of colonialism and slavery. The references to the taking and corrupting of native lands made a fantastic contrast to the glorified picture of cowboys and outlaws that are often shown in Westerns.

I loved these girls so much that it was sad to put the book down. I look forward to seeing what Charlotte Nicole Davis comes out with next.

My thanks go to Hot Key Books for providing me with this free copy for review. 

Meat Market by Juno Dawson

Synopsis (from Goodreads) 

Pages: 416 

Publisher: Quercus Children's Books 

Released: 23rd of May 2019 

Jana Novak's history sounds like a classic model cliché: tall and gangly, she's uncomfortable with her androgynous looks until she's unexpectedly scouted and catapulted to superstardom.

But the fashion industry is as grimy as it is glamorous. And there are unexpected predators at every turn.

Jana is an ordinary girl from a south London estate, lifted to unimaginable heights. But the further you rise, the more devastating your fall ...

Honest and raw, this is a timely exposé of the dark underbelly of the fashion industry in an era of #TimesUp and #MeToo. It might just be Juno Dawson's most important book yet.

Trigger Warnings: sexual abuse, anorexia, bulimia, mentions of prostitution, drug use, anxiety, depression

What I Have to Say 

This book. Oh. This book. It gave me chills, it was so good. Dawson is an expert at combining a fairly casual style full of quirky metaphors and tons of pop culture metaphors with topics that are gritty and real and so, so dark. This book delves deep into the dark world of the fashion industry and does it in a way that gives you an enjoyable reading experience while still getting the point across in a way that makes you want to stand up and take action. 

I loved the way that Dawson was upfront about the darkness of the book from the start. How she put the foreshadowing front and centre, making it clear that this wasn't going to be a fairytale model story, but that things would get dark and that Jana would end up hurt. It added a creepy sense of foreboding to the whole thing and led me to pick up little things right from the start that showed the industry's core and the lies of those in charge of Jana's agency. 

Dawson also did a fantastic job of treating the issue at hand with respect and sensitivity, showing real, raw emotions without doing it to solely to shock and disturb the reader. 

My thanks go to Quercus and Netgalley for providing me with this free copy for review.