This was a love story with a twist. Love couldn't survive in the standard American dream so they etched out their own version to suit their needs. Here we see Bonnie Parker in 1930s America, totally blinded by her love for Clyde, forming one of America's most infamous couples. Clyde is in prison and Bonnie awaits his return but the Clyde that returns is damaged and hurting. Unable to abide by the law Bonnie knows that he won't remain long free from prison so they flee and embark upon a dangerous journey filled with love, daring and attempts at survival. This novel delves deep into their characters and their motivation- we see a couple totally infatuated by one another, with the idea of being in love, that they will stop at absolutely nothing to please one another. This is a great read, so informative, so well researched. I no want to read Becoming Bonnie to learn even more about her earlier life.

I read this book. It's not as good as the first.
I received an ARC of this book from Netgalley. Thank you, Netgalley.

DNF @ 40%

Fiction and Fact; where do the two meet one another? How much of a noveliazation based on real people and real events can be truly believed to be fact?
Usually I go into books like Side by Side, which is about Bonnie and Clyde, knowing that I'm going to be reading a fictionalized version of some real life people. This (generally) allows me to be open minded and allow for the writer to manipulate some dates and character reactions in order for good fiction to come of the novelization. However, I feel Jenni L. Walsh went too far with Side by Side.

Too sympathetic
I stopped reading at 40% after having been super annoyed with Bonnie's excuses for everything. At about the 20% point I remember thinking that Bonnie must come to her sense soon. And yet that never seems to happen. Bonnie is portrayed as being 'innocent' the entire time that the men are knocking off banks, running from the law and even shooting officers dead. There has to be a point at which this woman can no longer use the 'anything for Clyde' BS excuse she has; or so I would have thought. Turns out Walsh doesn't agree and so I gave up on Side by Side as I didn't want to read another word about how Clyde had to do something or was justified in his heinous crimes.

One Great Moment
There is however a scene that is absolutely fantastic and I'd like to give a nod to Walsh for. It's regarding the moment in which the most famous photographs of Bonnie and Clyde are taken. You know the ones where they are all dressed-up and leaning against cars with guns of all kinds in their hands. It includes the infamous photo of Bonnie with a rifle and cigar in her mouth. This was well portrayed and regardless of how it really happened in real life I did enjoy Walsh take on this 'picnic' excursion that turned into exaggerated picture taking.

Overall
I think the story of Bonnie and Clyde is very compelling. It's a little strange but many of us are jealous of the kind of love and devotion that is said to have been between the two of them. What we (as outsiders) to Bonnie and Clyde's relationship need to ask ourselves is, was their love worth the lives of more than 8 police officers?
I'd like to think I'd say no. But then again I do love my husband and I suppose it's hard to say what you will do for the person you love when push comes to shove. At the very least I hope I wouldn't delude myself into believing that all was well as I broke the law with my partner or that it would be just 'one more robbery'. I'd like to think I'd be realistic with myself.
It's too bad this portrayal bothered me so much as there is a story to be told her. Just not from the perspective that Walsh tells it here.

Please note: I received an eARC of this book from the publisher via NetGalley. This is an honest and unbiased review.

Side by Side begins where Becoming Bonnie ends. While Clyde is in jail, Bonnie impatiently waits each day for Clyde’s release. She hopes that once he is out of jail, they can buy a farm and live a happy life. However, when he is finally released on parole, Clyde becomes a different person. He is distant to Bonnie. He has a hard time finding a job because he is a criminal. Clyde soon believes that crime is the only way to make a living. He quickly drags Bonnie into a life of crime also. Eventually, Bonnie and Clyde become the nation’s most famous outlaws.

Because the story is told from Bonnie’s perspective, she is mostly portrayed as a sympathetic character. She is idealistic. She wants to lead a simple life by having a farm. She also has a love of poetry and writes poems during her trials. The novel portrays Bonnie as an inactive participant in the crimes. Clyde is the instigator, and Bonnie is mostly dragged into his crimes. She just accompanies Clyde and witnesses his actions. She does not kill anyone. It is Clyde who does the killing. The novel also shows that Bonnie has an unconditional love for Clyde. She loves him for all his flaws and actions. She is willing to go wherever he goes, even if it is a life on the run. Thus, while I did not approve of her actions, I did find Bonnie to be a somewhat tragic figure.

I thought all the characters were fleshed out. I especially liked her best friend Blanche. She also did not want to be dragged into crime and live her life on the run, but she also wanted to be with her husband. I found her to be very similar to Bonnie. I had a hard time liking Clyde. He always kept returning to his old habits, and he killed innocent people without a thought. I thought he was selfish and was not good enough for Bonnie.

Overall, this was an insightful and empathetic portrayal of Bonnie. The story was fast-paced and action packed, and it kept me on my seat reading! In fact, I read it in one sitting! Side by Side was also well-written and provided vivid details. While I adored Becoming Bonnie, I had to say this novel surpassed its predecessor! I highly recommend this book for those that love action novels, suspense, and romance mixed in! Side by Side is hands down the best Bonnie and Clyde adaptation yet!

The story of Bonnie and Clyde is infamous. Everyone knows how they lived and died. Their cross country crime spree is the stuff of legend. Jenni L Walsh first dove into what made a woman like Bonnelyn turn to a life of crime with Clyde Barrow in Becoming Bonnie. In Side by Side she shines that same spotlight on their crime spree and ultimately humanizes them in the process.

The research that went into this novel is evident in every meticulous detail. It's like a snapshot of what Bonnie and Clyde's life on the run would have been like, and what that era in general was like for people living in it. It's setting at times feels disjointed as a result of the duo crisscrossing the country to evade police. This, however, fit the tone perfectly and ensure that the reader felt as disoriented as Bonnie did sometimes. These elements are all a testament to the strong writing that is within this book. Jenni L Walsh makes you feel like you are there experiencing it with the characters.

Many portrayals of Bonnie and Clyde treated their crime spree in a glamorous manner. They tend to gloss over the realities that would have come with the lifestyle they were living. The sleepless nights on the road. The constant worry that would have plagued them. The injuries that were never tended to properly. This portrayal makes it sound exhausting and horrific. It never erases what they've done, but makes you feel sympathy in a way that I am not sure other adaptations of managed quite so effectively.

The bond between Bonnie and Clyde must have been strong for them to have stood by each other during everything that happened. Jenni L Walsh weaves in the love they had for each other into every decision that is made. It's evident in every part of their journey. It makes your connection to the characters stronger because you become invested in ther connection to each other.

We all know how the story of Bonnie and Clyde ends. It's an ending that always haunted me. I think it is a large part of why their infamy remains long after their lives ended. It's a tragic ending to an already tragic story. Their ending is handled perfectly within this book, as is the betrayal that facilitates it. It resonates in a way that ensures you feel it, and allows it to linger. It is, perhaps, one of my favourite parts of this well crafted read.

Jenni L Walsh weaves a heart tugging, gripping, and realistic portrait of two people who become criminals out of circumstance. It is a perfect follow up to Becoming Bonnie and a must read for anyone interested in Bonnie and Clyde, or just wants a really great historical read. It, once again, boasts a strong character voice and ensures that I'll be reading anything else Jenni L Walsh writes next.

Great storyline with good strong characters. Very well written. I would recommend this book to anyone.

Some day they'll go down together
they'll bury them side by side.
To few jt'll be grief,
to the law a relief
but it's death for Bonnie and Clyde.

The story of Bonnie and Clyde is has fascinated people for decades, which really isn't all that surprising. Their story is one of fiction, one that people never dreamed could happen, one that Bonnie Parker never dreamed of living. But she did, she stuck by Clyde knowing the only thing he could bring her was a life on the run, a life spent hiding. But she wouldn't change it for the world.

In the first book, Becoming Bonnie, we learn who Bonnie was, what made her choose a life with Clyde Champion Barrow, a small time farm boy with a record. Her best friend, Blanche, married into the Barrow gang soon after convincing Bonnie to work at a speakeasy with her. Prohibition was in full swing and Bonnie needed a little extra cash so why not? Thus beginning her life of crime and meeting her one true love.

Side by Side picks up with Bonnie typing pardon letters to try to get Clyde out of prison for good. She can't stand him being locked up and needs him back in her arms. Little does she know he's got a trick up his sleeve. In an attempt to get out early, Clyde has another inmate chop off two of his toes. Of course that's after he's already been branded with a new charge, murder. Clyde went in a petty thief and came out a hardened criminal. Going home wasn't an option for him, there were too many people casting doubt in his direction, if he wanted to start over it had to be somewhere else. A farm maybe, with Bonnie by his side. But the only way to get the money for a farm is robbin' here and there, nothing major.... until they decide to hit a bank.
From there the story of Bonnie and Clyde takes flight.
There's no turning back, they're wanted now.
Dead of alive.

Huge thank you to NetGalley for an arc and an even bigger thank you to author Jenni L. Walsh for a signed bookplate!

For everyone that knows what eventually happens to Bonnie and Clyde, you'll still want to read this! Action packed and full of history, the research that Jenni put into this is outstanding! Read her first book Becoming Bonnie first -- you will be so happy you did!!

I loved the sequel to Becoming Bonnie. Yes you can read it on its own but you miss how Bonnie becomes what she is in SIde by Side

Even reading Side by Side , the wild ride you will take with Bonnie and Clyde you still wonder how in earth she didn't leave Clyde.

Action pacted, pages fly and you know the ending isn't going to turn out so well for Bonnie and Clyde but you are hooked on every page.

I found myself googling all the characters in the book to see what happened to them after the ride ends.

Great book; get your copy today

If you've been reading my blog for some time, you'll probably know that Becoming Bonnie was one of my top reads of 2017. I found Bonnie's story wonderful and although I knew some things about Bonnie & Clyde because I had watched the 60's film, the truth is that I had no idea of how Bonnie became that person and what had led her to live that kind of life.

Side by Side (what a beautiful title!) was quite different from Becoming Bonnie. It is action-packed, it's a road trip book, an adventure, and of course, it is also a love story. Because if there hadn't been love, Bonnie wouldn't have ended up in that situation, that's for sure. Based on what I read, do I think Clyde loved Bonnie? Sure, he adored her. Was he good for her? Absolutely not.

I found myself sympathizing mostly with Blanche (Bonnie's friend) in this book. I loved Bonnie in Becoming Bonnie because I could relate to her and could understand why she did the things she did. In Side by Side, though, I didn't like her that much. I can understand that being in love can make you do crazy stuff, but was Clyde really worth it? Come on, he wasn't even that fun to be around. And poor, poor Blanche! Don't get me started on that.

One thing that I want to highlight is how much I love Jenni L. Walsh's writing. Ever since I read her previous book, she had me completely captivated. In Side by Side, it was no different. She's done so much research to be able to write these books, and I feel like sometimes we don't really appreciate this kind of effort. From the way the characters talk to the clothes they wear and everything in between, there is so much to take into account.

Side by Side is a thrilling and emotional ride that you can perfectly read as a standalone. However, I wouldn't want you to miss the prequel, as it's still a favorite and I'll always remember it fondly.

3.5, rounded up. Jenni Walsh continues (and completes) the story of Bonnie and Clyde in this story, which focuses this time on the later part of their relationship, spent evading law enforcement as they made their way through the central part of the country, robbing what they could, when they could to get by. Walsh's story is told from the perspective of Bonnie, and it's a very sympathetic portrayal- Bonnie comes across as a woman who had the misfortune to fall in love with a man who couldn't stay away from criminal activity, and she was helpless in her devotion to him to stop him or not assist him. Her youth is evident, and her naivete, though it wanes throughout the story as she experiences more with Clyde, is heartbreaking. Bonnie, in this story, really did seem to hold out hope that there would be a happier ending for her and Clyde. It's a clearly well researched story, and while there isn't more left to tell of Bonnie's story, I would love to see what Walsh writes next.

Side by Side is the sequel to Becoming Bonnie and what a sequel it is!! Continuing Bonnie Parker’s story, Side by Side combines an intriguing mix of fact and fiction to bring to life her story and how her life took the turns it did. It highlights her life as a young woman who cares deeply for family and friends and the extent she will go to protect them. It attempts to explain her thought processes as she struggles with the mayhem that she is entangled in and why she can’t leave Clyde although she knows where it will lead them.

Bonnie is telling the story in the first person. This brings her story alive and allows you to walk beside her and to understand why she makes the decisions that she does. You feel her emotional highs and lows as she struggles with her love of Clyde and how it clashes with her upbringing. She tries to rationalize the destruction that they create and only wants to realize their dream of life on a farm where they are left alone.

This novel can be read and enjoyed by teens to adults. The language is mild and the adult situations are handled tastefully. Although this book is the sequel to Becoming Bonnie, it can be read as a standalone. The author fills in the background information so that you understand what is going on and why. I highly recommend not only this book but Becoming Bonnie for a glimpse into what Bonnie’s life may have been like.

I received and reviewed this book for NetGalley.

Side by Side begins with Becoming Bonnie and I highly recommend starting with that book first. Becoming Bonnie introduces Bonnielyn Parker and gives a clear picture of who she is and what makes her tick. Side by Side begins as she is now known as just Bonnie not Bonnielyn (or Saint Bonnielyn - gotta read the story).

I love books that take me to another place and time, when you get a good sense of the time and era the characters are living through. Naturally when I finished reading, I googled and discovered that the author has drawn from the pages of history then she filled in the gap‘s nicely, capturing the way of life and feeling the toll of the Great Depression. Believe it or not Bonnie and Clyde had dreams for the future.



Jenni L. Walsh's debut was Becoming Bonnie followed a year later with Side by Side (next week it hits book shelves) and I have to say how impressed I am with her writing. She has taken two historical figures and breathed life into them, she humanized them and while their crimes are terrible she was able to tell Bonnie's side of the story. I was totally engaged, the characters were well developed and she stayed true to history. I will definitely be on the lookout for more books by Jenni L. Walsh.

My thanks to the publisher (via netgalley) for an advance copy of this book.

5 hopelessly devoted stars to Side by Side: A Novel of Bonnie and Clyde! ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️

I have long been fascinated by Bonnie and Clyde and have always wanted to learn more about them. I bought Becoming Bonnie, but have not read it yet. That fact did not affect my enjoyment of Side by Side. It can definitely stand on its own and is a fulfilling story as is, though I definitely intend to read Becoming Bonnie so I can learn more about her early life in order to understand her better.

It’s Texas in 1931, during the Great Depression, and Bonnie is waiting for Clyde to come home. He is languishing in prison, and she is pining for him and the life together they had once imagined. She writes a letter to the government begging for less jail time for him.

Clyde eventually returns, but he’s not the same...Are their big dreams forever shattered? How will they survive when Clyde cannot get or keep a job, and money is hard to come by? Clyde decides he is never returning to jail, but at what cost?

Side by Side felt as real as Bonnie and Clyde once were. Bonnie’s love and devotion for Clyde were palpable, and even though we all know the ending they succumbed to, the ride that led them there was thrilling and dramatic. Overall, Side by Side was an honest and tragic tale of this infamous, larger-than-life pair.

Thank you to Jenni L. Walsh, Forge Books, and Netgalley for the ARC. Side by Side will be released on June 5, 2018.

This was good! I really enjoyed the first book and was excited to find out there was a 2nd one. This one got into their life of crime which is what I thought would be in the first. Learned a lot about Bonnie and Clyde, appreciated the author note at the end as well.

SIDE BY SIDE by Jenni L. Walsh (published June 5, 2018 by Forge Books) is the follow up to BECOMING BONNIE. The novel picks up a couple years after BECOMING BONNIE ends. Clyde Barrow is suffering in prison, and Bonnie is determined to get him out. Once Clyde is released, Bonnie and Clyde try to begin a new life together. But nothing seems to work out. Prison nearly broke Clyde, and he can’t get over what he suffered at the hands of the guards and other inmates to fully reconnect with Bonnie. They are still suffering in poverty. Their dream farm is nothing but a far off dream. The police are after Clyde, and their continued harassment costs him his job. It’s no wonder that Bonnie and Clyde slip into a life of crime. They were practically forced into it.

In BECOMING BONNIE, Walsh created Bonnie’s story using the few facts that are known about the real Bonnie Parker’s life before she hooked up with Clyde. In SIDE BY SIDE, which covers from 1931 to Bonnie’s and Clyde’s deaths in May 1934, Walsh sticks more closely to the facts. While Walsh sticks to the timeline and real-life exploits of Bonnie and Clyde that were covered (and exaggerated) in the news, Walsh creates an intimate world that depicts Bonnie and Clyde as sympathetic villains. Walsh doesn’t try to hide that Bonnie and Clyde, as well as the other members of their gang, did some horrible things – robberies, car thefts, and multiple murders. Walsh does provide reasons for why Bonnie and Clyde did these horrible things. All Bonnie and Clyde want is a farm of their own. A place where they can lay low and avoid the police who are dogging Clyde. The problem is that in their quest to get the farm, they commit various crimes and give the law more and more reasons to come after them. Then, at the end of a long road of bad decisions and regrets, Bonnie and Clyde briefly get their dream before they are gunned down by the police.

SIDE BY SIDE is a fascinating novel. Bonnie and Clyde were small-time robbers and murders, but they captured the attention of America during the Great Depression. Roughly ninety years later, Bonnie and Clyde continue to fascinate people. The majority of what people know about Bonnie and Clyde comes from exaggerated newspaper reports. Walsh digs beneath the exaggerated public portrayal to create a (mostly) sympathetic and (somewhat) likable Bonnie and Clyde. Their crimes are driven by their love for each other and their dream to get their own farm. Bonnie remains likable through the novel, but the reader will question her blind love for Clyde – a love that leads Bonnie into a life of crime. I didn’t like Clyde so much. He’s the one who leads Bonnie into the life of crime. He’s the one who keeps committing crime after crime after crime in a dream of having a life on the straight and narrow as a farmer.

Walsh still does take liberties with the story, though not as many liberties as she did in crafting Bonnie’s origin story in BECOMING BONNIE. Walsh creates numerous minor storylines to run parallel with the well-known and documented crime spree. While this story is about Bonnie and Clyde, the minor characters of Buck and Blanche Barrow also play a leading role in telling the entire story. The characters are all compelling, and they each bring something different to the novel. Walsh shows them all as real people instead of as villains. The novel provides an inside look at Bonnie and Clyde’s crime spree that captivated the nation. Also, the early 1930s era comes to life in this novel.

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Side By Side by Jenni L. Walsh is a novel about the life and times of Bonnie and Clyde. It’s a dramatic tale told mainly from Bonnie’s point of view. It was an interesting read as I had heard of Bonnie Parker and Clyde Barrow but didn’t really know too much about them and their wild, crazy exploitive lives. I can tell from reading that the author must of put an awful lot of thought and research into this before writing the book. I found it to be fascinating although I can not imagine why Bonnie would of chosen such a life for herself when she had had such big dreams beforehand. I guess love really does make you do some pretty foolish things. I would like to thank NetGalley and author Jenni L. Walsh for allowing me the opportunity to read an ARC. It’s a book that I’m sure many will enjoy, especially historical fiction fans and anyone who likes to read stories that are filled with a lot of action-packed excitement.

Bonnie & Clyde. For most of us, we know some portion of the story of this young couple and the trail of violence they left in the wake of robberies and their sensational end. In Side-by Side, Jenni L. Walsh puts you in the midst of it all - the car rides across multiple states and multiple crimes - the conversations about the "grand plan" to get enough money to just disappear and grow old together on a farm - in Bonnie's head as she's processing through what they are doing, what they want to do and how to survive. The action and the reflection told in this tale manage to keep you involved with the characters even as you know each chapter is bringing you closer to the final drive that brings their infamous end.

While this is Jenni's second Bonnie story, it is not necessary to read Becoming Bonnie before jumping into this tale. But, Becoming Bonnie is also a great tale of how Bonnelyn Parker evolved in the late 1920s into one half of this infamous duo.

Free ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Book is available June 5th.

“Side by Side” by Jenni L. Walsh is an intriguing, captivating, intense, suspenseful adventure packed novel. Jenni L. Walsh has written an amazing descriptive vivid story about the lives of Bonnie and Clyde. The Genres for this story are Fiction, and Adventure, based on Historical Fiction. The timeline of the story starts in 1931 Texas during “The Great Depression”.

The author describes the colorful cast of characters as complex and complicated. During this time of poverty, what lengths will people go to survive? There are betrayals, lies, secrets and deceptions. The people representing the side of the law often don’t uphold and respect the rules. At times one can wonder who is the bad guy or good guy? I know I am often rooting for the ones that are suspect of being “bad”.

At the beginning of the story, Bonnie writes a letter to the government asking for a shorter jail sentence for Clyde. Bonnie tries to hold and keep a job during these difficult times. When Clyde is released he is a broken man. Clyde has made up his mind that he is never going back to jail again. When he is free, and tries to hold a job, the law officials bait him and follow him. It seems like just a matter of time for things to explode and get out of hand.

Bonnie joins Clyde, and resolves to stay by his side while they do what they feel they have to do. Their companions are often dangerous, and not to be trusted. There are twists and turns, highs and lows, and the anticipation of treacherous and threatening adventures. This becomes a quest to live or die. Will Bonnie and Clyde be together? I would highly recommend this novel for readers that enjoy adventure, danger, and the combination of fiction and history. I received an ARC from NetGalley for my honest review.

This is a compelling story of Bonnie and Clyde. It is very well written and researched with Bonnie in the driver's seat. It is another look at the story we have heard and been told. The action is there too. Readers are engrossed with the story from page one. If you enjoy historical fiction or Bonnie and Clyde or both this book is ready for you to pick up and read.