This book is a tough read because it’s about a tough subject—trafficking of young girls. Although there is a tendency to view this as a depressing novel, it throws light on a subject that we shouldn’t let go unnoticed. And as always, when times are tough, women support each other. It provides a picture of mother/daughter relationships that are not healthy—a stark reality that I wonder if readers will agree with. We are uplifted by the redeeming friendship of the two main characters, Sammy and Nico, during their forced trafficking experience. This provides a lit candle burning faithfully in an otherwise dark world. Women can cope with amazing situations and female friendship is the way women rescue and protect each other. Prepare for exposure to tough scenes but be assured women find a way.

Thanks to NetGalley and Harper Via for the advance review copy.

(4.5 stars) This is the toughest, yet easiest, read I’ve had this year. Tough because of the devastating and gut-wrenching subject matter of human trafficking… and easy because I was so invested and engrossed in the story that I couldn’t put it down.

Lisa Harding has done a superb job of creating unique voices for her two main characters- teenage girls Nico and Sammy - who hail from different backgrounds and circumstances in rural Moldova and urban Ireland, respectively. They are both case studies in exploitation of our most vulnerable, as because of Harding's writing, they come alive on the page, making their journeys even more heartbreaking. They both end up trafficked for forced prostitution, and their paths - while different- are heartbreakingly and frustratingly similar, especially the neglect, misogyny, and ultimately the blind eye society turns toward them (because there’s money to be made, and this is a lucrative industry for those without scruples).

The story shifts back and forth between the two girls, where we see the childlike wonder and naïveté of Nico, who climbs trees with her brother; and the emotional damage heaped upon Sammy by an abusive, alcoholic mother and a father who refuses to see his daughter’s suffering.

Harding plants the reader into their heads so deftly that I could, for example, feel and so completely understand Sammy’s rage while also admiring her wry sense of humor. And when the two girls cross paths, I enjoyed seeing them through each other's eyes, and watching their friendship take shape in most unlikely of places. Overall, Harding succeeds at getting the reader to care so deeply about these characters that we follow their stories with rapt - albeit horrified and shocked - attention until the final page.

Trigger warnings abound for this subject matter. I am very glad I picked up this book - although it’s disturbing and bleak, it paints a very human picture about a reality we shouldn’t turn away from.

Thanks to NetGalley and HarperVia for the advance copy of this book, which I received in exchange for my honest review.

This was a hard read, only because I know it's all too real. It makes me sad and angry all at once. The statistics at the end of the book are sobering. We need to do better! Lord, have mercy on those children!

This novel captures the lives of two young girls, Nico and Sammy, who are growing up on different continents with very different upbringings. Both find themselves struggling with womanhood and have found it difficult to turn to their families for support, which ends up leading them into the wrong hands. As they work hard to survive the failings of their parents and society, they eventually get lost within the inner workings of a sex-trafficking operation. Both girls find each other amidst the chaos and degradation and manage to form a friendship that withstands the darkness that surrounds them.

I never expected to enjoy this novel as the subject matter is especially difficult to swallow. But from under the dark surface, something beautiful has emerged. Bravo!

The publisher provided ARC via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

This is a hard-hitting look at the world of child sex trafficking. It’s beautifully written, but gut-wrenching and anyone with sensitivity to deviant sexual situations should avoid it. The story is told from two POVs – 12-year-old Nico (Nicoletta) and 15-year-old Sammy (Samantha). Nico (from Moldova) is sold into the global sex trade when her destitute father makes what he thinks is a marriage deal. Streetwise Sammy (from Dublin) falls into the trade when she runs away from an abusive mother and an absent father and needs money to live. The two stories dovetail, with the girls coming to depend on one another to survive the horrors of their situation. This is an unflinching look at the harsh reality of sex trafficking and the cruelty which humans inflict on one another. My heart hurt for Nico and Sammy and all the girls, and boys, that are living in deplorable situations in real life. This is fiction at its best, giving readers a chance to learn about and develop sympathies for others outside their relatively small spheres of knowledge.

Thanks to NetGalley and HarperVia for a chance to read and review this book before it’s published

Harding delivers a gut-wrenching dose of reality into the insidious life of sex trafficking and how two girls from different parts of the world come together and find light in the darkest corner.

Let us begin:

We are first introduced to 12-year-old Nicoleta (Nico), who lives in a small village in Moldova.

Nico is a typical 12-year-old, happy and carefree, who loves to play with her dog and climb trees.
As soon as Nico begins her menses, her father, who is very poor and down on his luck, decides to marry Nico off, entrusting that a stranger will take his daughter to Ireland, where she will have a better life.

But If only he knew where he was sending Nico away, would he still do it?)

Samantha (Sammy), who is neglected, has dealt with an alcoholic mother and a father who is absent when needed to protect her.

Sammy then turns to the streets of Dublin, Ireland, where she was raised, and feels she is street smart and savvy. However, because of the neglect and abuse at home, Sammy decides she’s better off on the streets, seeking attention from anyone who will show her an ounce of kindness.

But Sammy meets someone who shows her compassion; only that kindness isn’t the kind she expected.

Cloud Girls is a dual narrative from Sammy and Nico at alternating times.

Eventually, Harding brings the two girls together in the book, where they will be required to perform unimaginable acts.

Acts that no child should ever be required to perform.

Abuse rained down upon the two girls by adults when it is adults that should be taking care of them and being the protectors.

Harding makes this novel almost deplorable if it were not 100% true,

Unfathomable if it were not needed in this world to shed light.

Harding serves a cold case of reality; unfortunately, she does it “BRILLIANTLY.”

It has always been strange to me to say a book like this is “AMAZING,” but that’s precisely what it is.

Kudos to you, Ms. Harding, for shedding light on sex trafficking “again” and making sure the light “NEVER DIES OUT” and these “CHILDREN AND YOUNG WOMEN” are “NEVER FORGOTTEN.”

Job Well DONE!!!

It crushes your whole “SOUL.”

“HUG YOUR DAUGHTERS”

“HOLD YOUR DAUGHTERS CLOSE”

Thank you, NetGalley/Lisa Harding/HarperVia/ For this “Gut-Wrenching” eARC for my honest review. My opinions are of my own volition.

A difficult story about tough topics.

Well written, but slow in some parts

Many thanks to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for the advanced copy of the book.

“Cloud Girls” follows two young girls from different countries and their experiences in human sex trafficking. The story begins with 12 year old Nico who enjoys typical 12 year old things like playing outside, climbing trees, and playing with her dog. She enters the world of sex trafficking, because of the choice her father made, unbeknownst to Nico. In alternating chapters, the reader meets Sammy. Sammy is the daughter of an alcoholic mother and mostly absent father. She runs the streets and participates in harmful behavior indicative of her life situation and need to be accepted and loved. Sammy ends up making a life altering decision that will change the course of her life. The author has captured the emotional and physical trauma that Nico and Sammy have to endure, thus enabling the reader to more fully understand the horrors of human sex trafficking. Human sex trafficking is a worldwide issue and this book gives insight into the trauma people have to endure.

I really wanted to like this book, I really did but I just couldn’t get into it. I gave it to 50% and then I stopped, it wasn’t worth reading anymore and I didn’t care about either character.

This story follow Samantha, Sammy, and Nicola, Nico. Both girls are brand new teenagers. Nico gets her monthly, and her father, down on his luck and very poor, sells her to a man. He wants to think that she will be treated well and given the life he can’t give her, but what he doesn’t know is that the man runs a sex ring and Nico is their newest member. Sammy is running away from home and hurting herself with booze and cutting. Her mom is an alcoholic and her dad loves her mom and doesn’t see it.

Eventually the girls are supposed to meet and become friends, but at the 50% mark this still hadn’t happened and I gave up. I found Sammy incredibly boring and stupid. She was offered help many times and at each turn she refused. She had a loving best friend eager to help, but again, turned her down. I did feel bad for Nico, but it was her storyline I found most troubling. I just found it unbelievable that the selling of daughters was still occurring in this day and age, and there was no indication that this book was set in the past. Had it been written somewhere that this book was set in history, I could have felt more for her, but there was no lead in, no sense of time so it just left the reader wondering and I became frustrated. I’m not going to argue that sex trafficking isn’t alive in this day and age, its just how this book sold sex trafficking seemed outdated.

I do want to extend my thanks to @netgalley and the publisher for my advanced copy of this book. While this book wasn’t for me, that doesn’t mean it wont be a 5 star read for you so take this as you will.

A devastating but important story, very beautifully written. The book covers the topic of sex trafficking through the stories of 2 girls from different walks of life, their friendship and the truly evil side of humanity they encounter...which exists to this day.
I would definitely recommend this book.

Thank you NetGalley, author, and publisher for the chance to read this book!

Highly recommend this one! This was my first book to read by this author but definitely won't be my last. The characters will stay with you long after you finish the book and you will find yourself wishing the story would never end.

This ARC was provided to me via Kindle, from HarperVia and #NetGalley. Thank you for the opportunity to preview and review. Opinions expressed are completely my own.

TW - sex trafficking, assault

Deeply disturbing but needed to raise awareness and truth.

One cannot read this story without it instilling a deep sense of empathy, compassion, anger and so much sadness. There are so many children who are trafficked as sex slaves in this country, and all around the world. It has become an epidemic and it’s important, so important, for books like this to be written to shine a bright light on the travesty of injustice to these children and young adults, just by virtue of not talking about it enough, not investigating it enough, and not writing about it enough.

Thank you, Ms. Harding, for enlightening us on this horrible subject. I’m fully on board with it being written in fiction form as a true account would be even more chilling and difficult to read.

This is a 5-star book and a must read. Thank you, NetGalley and HarperVia for the ARC. This is my honest review.

Emotional Gut Punch is a correct description for this book. Wow, what a beautiful but heartbreaking story which sadly happens too often in this day and age in our society. Cloud Girls is the story of Nico and Samantha who both under different circumstances fall victim to sex trafficking. It is a hard read but beautifully written.

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC.

This book was completely devastating. Especially knowing these things happen daily in every country right under our noses. The story of these girls devastated me and is something I will not soon forget. The points of views were written respectfully and gave absolute respect to both victims. I hope others read this book and are effected to the point of action

Thank you so much to the publisher for sending a copy of this my way in exchange for an honest review.

I requested this without knowing much about it before going and upon finishing the book. It feels similar to every book about best friends I’ve read before. One always gets jealous of the other and etc

Thank you NetGalley and HarperVia for giving me the opportunity to read an advanced readers copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Cloud Girls is a story about a heartbreaking reality for some in our world, and it pays homage to the people whose fate is to become victims of a flourishing global trade. It starts by introducing us to two young girls and takes us on a short journey of their lives, which leads them to become victims of sex trafficking. What’s interesting to me was how Cloud Girl sheds a light on not only international sex trafficking, but also the domestic rings.

I think the story started off at a good pace—there were enough details to satisfy my curiosity without being too excessive and dragging on. However, that changed at a certain point and it almost felt like the story ended abruptly. I personally don’t think there was enough plot to pull off that ending.

As for the characters—Sammy represented the horrible struggles of domestic abuse and domestic sex trafficking. Compared to Nico, I found it very hard to connect or sympathize with her. The character lacked substance and it almost felt like she was a supporting role in the story.

A random observation: I’m not sure if it was intentional, but I think nowhere in the story does it say when it takes place. Because there were two points of view, I had the impression that the characters were in different time periods. I think Sammy’s point of view hints at phones and other modern stuff, but Nico’s was a bit ambiguous that it took me a while to realize that they were both in the same century.

2.5 stars

The theme is childhood sex trafficking , on a local and international level. The story is told through two main characters- Sammy (Samantha) a child raised inDublin and Nico (Nicoleta) from Moldova who after a harrowing journey ends up as her roommate. They represent an unknown number of children trafficked, but the root causes are the same-society turns a blind eye, the parents are neglectful or abusive or motivated by money, and they are “ lost” in an untraceable and at times uncaring system.
Abused physically, mentally and emotionally, heavily sedated so they can do their “ job”, there is no way out for them.
Well written, vivid, raw, at times horrifying and revolting, this is one that is hard to read, but equally as hard to put down. Harding has done a superb job illuminating the topic.

This book punches you in the stomach several times with its heart wrenching, thought provoking, compelling story about two girl from different backgrounds: neglected teenagers and victims of sex trafficking!

Both Nico and Sam’s character developments and her narrations were perfect! Their stories are well excited! You feel their pains deep in your guts! So tragic, realistic, sad, bleak and definitely so hard to absorb!

Nico’s own father sells her to marriage as soon as she becomes a teenager and Sam cannot stand anymore to live with a mentally distorted, alcoholic mother and a father who cannot even protect her from her mother’s wrongful treatment! She decides to leave the home.
Both girls find herself in the most horrible, nightmarish path they cannot escape!

Writing is beautiful, direct, honest! Both girls’ stories were engaging, realistic!

Giving my full, painful, tragic, poignant five stars!

Many thanks to NetGalley and HarperVia Publishing for sharing this amazing digital reviewer copy with me in exchange my honest opinions.

This book is absolutely heart-wrenching. It’s the story of Nico and Samantha who are both victims of sex trafficking. It’s really hard to read, but definitely important.