A book with a dated storyline for the girls. A group of young girls find themselves pregnant and are disowned by the majority of their families in a beach area of Florida. Living in a truck and a garage with newly born babies. Quite a lot of graphic talk at the start of the book but it seemed to settle down as you got into the book.

Story a little sparse on some details, ie as to where did they their money to live on, how did they find the things they needed for a new-born?

It did bring into play the hope of some of the girls that all is not lost for their future.

Thank you Netgalley for letting me read this book.

The stories of a group of outcast young women, in a little town called Padua Beach, Florida, either pregnant or just given birth, and how they intertwine with each other and how their lives develop along the way.

The blurb for this book really sold it to me and I was pleased to receive the arc. However it wasn’t quite as expected and anticipated. Slow and laboured (sorry 😬), at times it dragged along. I don’t think I am the right demographic for this book, as the writing style is good, just the subject matter I lost interest in. I’m sure it will be a winner with the majority of readers, just not my thing.

As with Nightcrawling, Mottley is not afraid to show true emotion and get to the heart of modern day issues.

Realistic and unadorned, the book starts with a birth and ends with one.

The views of the Girls are, to me, a little dated, in that they ‘think’ a man is the answer to their problem, actually they are strong women in themselves. As they ‘grow’ they realise the error of that way of thinking.


2.5*

Thank you NetGalley and Penguin General UK.

i genuinely cannot believe that leila mottley is only 23 as of right now. she writes characters with such depth, such complexity and nuance to every single one of their choices; in many ways, i feel as though she does exactly what other much older authors have always strived to do in a near-perfect way. i really liked her first novel <i>nightcrawl</i>, but this one was just something else. i adored the three main characters with all my heart — they all made really questionable choices, but mottley made them come across as so endlessly likeable that i could not help but root for all three of them, emory with her dreams of majoring in biology, simone and her fierce love for her two children, and adela, who went from being a sheltered, somewhat annoying upper-middle-class kid to immersing herself in the group. and of course, the budding relationship between emory and adela was absolutely lovely. i don't want to give away any details, but i loved the way mottley inserted it into the story.

besides that, i really liked the snippets we got from the rest of the group, as well as the way mottley describes the florida panhandle with such beauty. i could feel the heat and humidity and the sweat all through the girls' school year, and i really have to commend her for describing such an apparently awful place with such warmth and appeal.

overall, this was a brilliant read. i cannot wait to see what mottley comes up with next; although this is only her second novel, i can already tell that i'm going to dutifully follow the rest of her career. please make sure to check this one out when it gets released on june 24th!

This is an interesting story about teenage pregnancies. The girls form a friendship group centered on an old truck for some reason. This seems a bit dated in attitudes and the girls are still very reliant on men, and are looking for a man to love them and support their children, although they do find their strength in the end. However, there is far too much detail about childbirth and breastfeeding for my liking.

Wasn't sure at first about the book as it was about teenage pregnancies and thought it might be the same as the others. but something about the title and blurb intrigued me so i read on. it's a very different novel to the rest on the subject and delves into all matter of things really well. the title of the book is very direct and lends itself well to the themes within

What an emotional story. How these girls go from taking an unideal situation and not only making the best of it but discovering themselves along the way. I hope it will bring awareness to teen pregnancy and al that it entails.