“… sometimes the devil you know is the lesser threat.”
Caroline’s best friend is missing, and while she’s mourning the loss of her girlfriend, Willa, finding Madison is the priority. The more she delves into what’s going on, the higher the danger. Too many people are keeping secrets, and Caroline doesn’t have a lot of people to turn to. Let’s hope she can find Madison before it’s too late.
I was looking over other reviews before I wrote my own, and I’m just blown away that other reviewers are not as blown away by this book as I am. True, it has some pacing issues at times, but this is such an eloquent and thoughtful book on so many levels that the pacing is minor in comparison. The content ticked a lot of boxes. Contos discusses the toxicity of conversion therapy, the pressure teens feel from their parents, the differences in economic classes, toxic masculinity, and the corruption that trickles from the top down.
I’m going to gush a bit about Caroline because she is such a fantastic character. She’s in this family where she’s virtually ignored and forced to fit into this mold her mother has created for her. She’s lost the love of her life and she’s hurting. And she still keeps pushing forward, still keeps trying to uncover the truth and Madison’s whereabouts. There is strength in Caroline’s voice, her fears, and insecurities. We see how vulnerable she is, and that makes her strength even that much more admirable.
Her pain is palpable:
“I know exactly what it’s like to not belong in the place you’re supposed to call home…” And really, how many LGBTQ+ youth get kicked out of their homes? Because 1.6 million youth are homeless, and as much as 40% of homeless youth fall into one (or more) of those categories.
You get multiple stories in this one. You get pieces of an unknown person, and you get Caroline’s story, and those two will weave together the more you read. I admit to being a bit lost at first with the unknown person because I wasn’t sure how their story related. But I liked what they had to say, and I liked how it came together. This was such a fantastic read, so well thought out. Very nicely done.
Read this review on Amazon and Goodreads.
Throwaway Girls is available on Amazon for $5.99.
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