Quick take
The author of When the Sky Fell on Splendor teamed up to write this Thelma and Louise style ode to revenge.
Good to know
Fast read
Feminist
Female friendships
Drug & alcohol use
Synopsis
Best friends are forged by fire. For Winona Olsen and Lucille Pryce, that fire happened the night they met outside the police station—both deciding whether to turn their families in.
Winona has been starving for life in the seemingly perfect home that she shares with her seemingly perfect father, celebrity weatherman Stormy Olsen. No one knows that he locks the pantry door to control her eating and leaves bruises where no one can see them.
Lucille has been suffocating beneath the needs of her mother and her drug-dealing brother, wondering if there’s more out there for her than disappearing waitress tips and generations of barely getting by.
One harrowing night, Winona and Lucille realize they can’t wait until graduation to start their new lives. They need out. Now. All they need is three grand, fast. And really, a stolen convertible to take them from Michigan to Las Vegas can’t hurt.
Free sample
Get an early look from the first pages of Hello Girls.
Hello Girls
One
Winona Olsen watched her father move through the softly lit banquet hall to the stage, as if carried by the current of the room’s applause. In his blue pinstripes, his elegant stride reminded her of the great white sharks her mother used to take her to see at the Kingsville Aquarium.
They’d had season passes, and Winona remembered her mother saying dreamily, on more than one occasion, “They even swim when they’re sleeping. Can you imagine, Nony? What that would be like, to keep moving even when you’re asleep but never get anywhere? You’re just stuck in a glass tank.”
On the stage at the front of the room, her father stepped up to the podium and shook the presenter’s hand.
“You must be so proud,” the silver-haired woman to Winona’s right murmured to her through the applause. “What is this, his third Changemaker?”
Winona flashed her perfectly symmetrical smile, a duller, narrower version of the thousand-megawatt one beaming from the stage. “Second,” she answered.
The woman sat back in her chair, one hand placed over her heart and a look of delighted surprise splashed across her face. Winona knew she’d met the woman before, at some benefit or luncheon or award ceremony—there were only so many philanthropists in northern Michigan and they took turns making speeches and polite small talk at the same few events each year. Truthfully, Winona’s father had won far more awards for his philanthropic endeavors than she’d just copped to, but he would have thought it in poor taste for Winona to rattle off the entire list, and taste was Stormy Olsen’s greatest strength.
Why I love it
Kristen Simmons
Author, The Deceivers
There are three things that push a book into LOVE IT territory for me: high stakes, characters with nothing to lose, and punchy dialogue. Hello Girls delivers all three.
Best friends Winona and Lucille have seen more than their fair share of hardships. They’ve been abused and used, and have only each other to cling to, along with a dream of something more after graduation. But one fateful night fast tracks their plans to get out, and in a stolen convertible they aren’t turning back. They’ve got a new plan—Las Vegas—they’ll just have to knock over a few gas stations for cash on the way.
I love this story—not just for the wild, Thelma & Louise vibe, but for the intensity of emotions brewing just under Lucille and Winona’s dark banter. It’s fun, shocking, and intense, with a mystery that will keep readers flipping pages to find out what happens next.
Member ratings (500)
Kayla D.
New Canaan , CT
Such an amazing book. Modern day Thelma and Louise but for young adults. I binge read this book and could not put it down. A fun book dealing with many issues and challenges throughout.
Lauren B.
Chicago, IL
It was really good and it took me less than a day to read the whole thing. I refused to put it down! The only thing upsetting me was the ending, but it still was an amazing book. ;)
Christina C.
Norton, MA
I was thoroughly entertained & cared very much for these 2 girls, but there were just 1-3 things that weren't resolved. I found it funny & just a little over the top.
Kelli L.
Schenectady, NY
I absolutely loved the characters and there were no boring parts of this book at all. So easy to read and you won’t want to put it down.
Kelly T.
Bradenton, FL
Cavallaro and Henry are one of my favorite author bestie duos and this book was perfection from the opening pages to its closing lines!