Hello Girls is the YA feminist friendship novel we’ve all been waiting for

Hello Girls is the YA feminist novel we didn’t know we needed. Two girls escape their abusers and go on an epic road trip. What more could you ask for?

Knowing where to start this book review is difficult because Hello Girls by Brittany Cavallaro and Emily Henry is everything I’ve been looking for in a book for so long. It has a ride-or-die friendship, featuring two girls escaping their abusers, a literal murder, and a story that allows the characters to make mistakes in order to learn who they really are.

But before I get ahead of myself, let’s go over what the book is about. Winona Olsen and Lucille Pryce became friends one night outside a police station, both trying to decide whether to turn in people in their family. They each decide against it, but after that night, they become the closest thing either of them have to family.

Winona is trying to survive underneath the facade her abusive father keeps up to make it look like he’s everyone’s friendly neighborhood weatherman, while Lucille is dealing with her manipulative, drug-dealing brother and a mother who needs things they can’t afford

They both are holding out until they’re adults and can escape their small town in Michigan. But fate has other plans.

One night, Winona’s father crosses the line and she decides she needs to get out now! And while Lucille is not ready, when Winona shows up in a very nice car that she “sort of” stole, Lucille is packed and ready to go.

Where are they going? To find Winona’s mother. Winona hopes she can bond with her mother over her father’s abuse, and then she can have some closure and go off to college without so much baggage.

But her father and Lucille’s brother are not willing to let go of these two girls so easily and as happens much too often, plans change. The result is an adventure that will change these friends’ lives forever.

In terms of writing, both Winona and Lucille are so well-developed I could cry (and did). Their voices are distinct so you’ll never have an issue remembering who is who.

Lucille has grown up poor and does everything she can to keep her and her family above water. She does the same thing once the two friends are on the road. Whether it’s counting cards, coming up with a good story, or shoplifting, Lucille will do anything to ensure Winona and her never have to go back to their old lives again.

And same goes for Winona. Don’t let her pampered life fool you. She’s willing to lie, trick, and hurt anyone who comes between her and her long-awaited freedom from her father. She might even be willing to kill.

Along the way, they both mess up, trust the wrong people, and make mistakes, but they never sway from their purpose: making it to see Winona’s mom and living their lives away from their abusers.

Do they make it? Is Winona’s mother everything she hoped? You’ll have to read the story to find out but whatever happens, don’t ever discount the strength of this friendship. They will stay together through anything.

I do want to give trigger warnings for physical and emotional abuse and murder. The abuse is both alluded to and on the page and the murder scene is very much on the page. Take precautions if necessary.

Whether you’re looking for a feminist YA novel or just looking for a good read, you have to check out Hello Girls. 5 out of 5 stars.  Cavallaro and Henry prove themselves to be master storytellers in terms of both the character development and the plot.

Hello Girls is a book for anyone trying to breathe under a suffocating life. It’s for victims and survivors. It’s for anyone who has that one person in the world they’d do anything for. It’s smart, angry, funny, and ultimately, the feminist road trip story your heart is yearning for.

Will you be picking up a copy of Hello Girls? Let us know in the comment section below!