This one has been described as being aimed for "Gen Z and chaotic teens" and I absolutely think that is true, as someone who is neither of those things. I think there may be some who resonate with kids pushing the limits to see where they'll get in trouble, but that doesn't call to me personally at all, unfortunately.

This book proves that if you challenge writing some clichés originally created by (young) white people bored with their privilege, you can make a profit even if it backfires, and I'm not talking about a tense story if you mix Nerve meets Fast and Furious YA book with 90's and 00's energy movies.

The plot tells the boring but happy story of Loli, a black teenager in which her friends, especially her white best friend Ryan. She has the opportunity to defy the law without the reality of white supremacy opening her eyes along with not being left without a social life throughout high school and college itself. I honestly thank the author for taking Lo's selflessness seriously in that she never put on a long mental monologue expecting her parents' chastisement for exposing herself to dangerous situations. Sarcastically I laugh because that is what a white family would do, and that there is no screaming in non-white families. I guess the author wanted to set up action with Black Joy.

Coming back to this point, I enjoyed the order of the chapters in which she quoted iconic songs regarding black culture, and they are told to her by a non-black foreigner.

Unfortunately Lo never seems to learn anything and not even when the story deserves to go wild and enjoy the euphoria, adrenaline and risks that the mystery genre always seeks to give us. And that there is not much parental presence, not even that there is some video leaked on the deep web as a family alarm about the crazy things a minor does even within the plot logic. I am surprised how easily her friends forgave her even with everything, as if they were unconditional friends where they could have also mentioned a few scenes of how they met and why that friendship is so strong to endure that bad phase. I think it's a good story, but the points were not quite strong ruining the reading for me.

Sure I would recommend it, especially when there is more representation of spoiled qpoc kids fighting against the world even if they have money.

it’s really not bad written, but the story and so many stuff pissed me off. I just couldn’t like the fmc loli and that ending ? too dramatic for me.
I was also a little bit disappointed with the Reveal of X

Overall it’s a great reading

I liked the love triangle situation. This book lived up to the Baby Driver esc promise. I loved the thrills and romance. It was epic and I always love reading a POC book.

It gives "Nerve","Baby Driver" and "I know you are trouble" vibes ! The rhythm is really fast paced,and I've liked A LOT the main characters. X was such a dubious guy,and it was really thrilling to see the extents of limits people can cross to prove themselves. Really great.

Actual rating 3.5/5 stars.

Loli Crawford and Ryan Pope are best friends with a reputation. There is nothing this duo won't do and they are renowned throughout their school for their ability to get in trouble and to never stop pushing boundaries. Both are put to the test, however, when Loli meets a stranger in the dark and begins a potentially dangerous game with him. A series of increasingly savage missions begin and the winner might lose more than they ever bargained for, along the journey of the game.

This novel was the very definition of a wild ride! So much so, that I sometimes struggled to keep up with it. The exchange of brief messages, between Loli and the stranger, turned into a string of texts and long letters, and their fun game turned into law-breaking very early on in the novel, which I loved, but it sometimes felt like I couldn't get a feel for the key players as plot overtook their character construction, a little. Those central to it felt authentic and I loved their creation but those individuals more at the periphery of Loli's friendship circle, but still important to the story, I became distanced from. Maybe this was a clever tactic made by the author to show the reader how her immersion with this mysterious figure was quickly drawing Loli away from those she was once close to. If this was the case then it was a success.

This certainly was a fun read and also included many deeper and more meaningful moments as the teen characters figured out who they really were and what they exactly wanted out of life. I loved these quieter scenes and they provided a peaceful change of pace in which reader and characters could recharge before another scheme was cooked up and the pacing was once again increased.

The novel's final climatic scene was one which shocked me a little and felt a little out of character from everything I had learned about Loli. I didn't really like the direction the novel seemed to be taking and I'm glad that the actual close to it altered course. Despite that, I finished this breathless but having enjoyed my time with it. Also, ready for a nap.

Wow, what an absolute ride of a book!

Frenetic pacing, whip smart banter, and characters that are gloriously imperfect. Loli is someone you simultaneously want to root for and lowkey be very afraid of (and afraid for her), and let's just say her choices kept me at the edge of my seat until the last page.

A great debut by Gail-Agnes Musikavanhu, definitely a YA author to watch!

P.S. Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for providing me with an e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I initially found out about this book on Twitter, through the author.

I was super excited to read this book once I found out the main character was black.

The pacing of the book was really good, there was a nice progression.

The characters felt a bit 2D, especially the parents who didn’t really seem present AT ALL.

I know LOLI was the main character but GOSH she was self centred and unaware.
Deffo was giving rich girl, first world problem vibes.

I don’t know how she still had friends after all those shenanigans she pulled 😂😂
Definitely SIDE EYED HER, multiple times.

At first the mystery of X was really interesting and the friendship between her and Ryan, pushed me to read on.

But the deeper she got herself in with X , the more she became careless and reckless. Affecting her relationships.

3.5 stars for me,
I think this book idea would’ve been better executed as a movie

I fell in love with the front cover of ‘Ride or Die’ the second I saw it. The illustration; the colour scheme; the tagline, all of it - if you pardon the pun - is to die for. This is how I immediately knew I had to read the novel, and I’m pleased I did!

Gail-Agnes Musikavanhu’s writing style is flawless, with fast-paced prose and witty, smile-inducing dialogue. Similarly, her plot is enjoyable and I found myself eager to know what was going to happen to Loli next, particularly in regards to her friendship with Ryan. Their dynamic is intoxicating, with just the right amount of will-they-won’t-they (definitely not if you ask Loli) and history that can only be achieved through years of shared experiences.

I actually enjoyed reading about Loli’s relationships with Ryan and Cairo more than I did her relationship with ‘X’ - the mysterious stranger she meets. Perhaps this is just because I preferred those characters to X, or because I preferred Loli’s personality when she was with her ‘ride or dies’, but I would be curious to know if this is something other readers found too.

Some scenes were so brilliantly written that I had to go back and reread chunks of text to ensure I appreciated them fully. The opening chapters are excellent examples of this, when Loli’s forward-thinking and ability to scheme is shown through her planning a last-minute party for a very particular reason. And the main plot itself - how Loli becomes tangled up in a dangerous game with X - is intriguing and original.

In conclusion, I’d say ‘Ride or Die’ is reminiscent of Jeanne Ryan’s ‘Nerve’, but with somewhat lower stakes. This isn’t a bad thing at all - in fact I liked how plausible this story was and enjoyed finding the similarities and differences between it and ‘Nerve’ - and is instead just an observation. I’d recommend it to YA readers who enjoy thriller books, particularly those with a deep exploration of themes like friendship and romance.

I can’t wait to yell from the roof tops about how much I loved this one. Will update my review once I officially post about the book but I really enjoyed it. I can’t wait for the next book by this author.

This one just wasn't for me. I thought it lacked substance, even for a YA novel, and i could not get into the characters or their interpersonal dynamics.

“One broken rule opens doors for many more.”

I received this ARC copy of Ride or die from SOHO Press and Netgalley.

I completely inhaled this book, I absolutely adored it!
The main character, Loli, was an amazing character! She was very interesting and just iconic really.

“Running away in third grade wouldn’t have been as iconic without my Paciotti flipflops; car surfing wouldn’t have been worth it without my Versace pumps.”

I loved the idea and the plot points of the game between her and MV/X, whilst they were strangers, or at least kind of strangers. I found myself thinking about this book whenever I wasn’t reading it and trying to guess who MV/X was. I didn’t end up guessing it right.

I enjoyed seeing the character progression in Loli, from the beginning where she was quite carefree to seeing her gradually become nervous and developing some sort of feelings towards MV/X

I was completely gripped by the entire of this book and didn’t want to stop reading it all really.

“I also feel sad for those who send messaged in bottles. I doubt a single one of them ever got what they wanted.”

I loved the fact that each chapter was names after a song on Ryan’s yearly song of the day playlist. It linked in nicely with the ending.

“You’re scared to wait for moments because you’re afraid they’ll never come.”

I loved the front cover so much! The vibrant red really pops out and the graphics are absolutely beautiful! I will definitely have to buy a physical copy of this book when it comes out, I need it on my shelf!!

“But I think we’ve both learned that you don’t always have to see something to appreciate it.”


I gave this book a 5⭐️ rating and definitely recommend it!

Thank you to NetGalley and Soho Press for providing me with a digital arc of this book in exchange for an honest review.

rating: 3.5-4/5

I was really excited about this book, because who doesn't enjoy books with chaotic plotlines every now and then? This book is about Loli Crawford, the main protagonist known as the mischief of town with her best friend Ryan Pope. When Loli throws the biggest party Woolridge High has ever seen just to steal a necklace she meets X, an identified boy who challenges her to a game that promises to put her love of danger on a test. This game takes Loli to question her relationships and love for danger right when she's about to lose everything.

This book started out fine, I was intrigued by the whole scheme to get Loli's necklace back and I actually really enjoyed her character because her flaws were evident to everyone but to her, so it was interesting to see how she worked on finding them out through the story.

The relationship between Loli and Ryan I found was very realistic, even though the miscommunication drove me crazy sometimes, but I know it was necessary for the story to take place. Ryan as a character was fine, I neither love him nor hate him, he's just fine. Sure he was funny and nice, and I won't lie I was smiling like a fool sometimes but I feel like he could have been developed better as a character. Honestly, I blame this on me being a childhood best friend to lovers girlie.

I also really liked the game between Loli and X since I never knew what the other one would plan, and they were pretty creative sometimes, enough for me to worry about something happening to either of them. The letters part was pretty nice, but as soon as they started texting and meeting I knew there was something wrong, I just didn't know what it was, at least not then. I found X to be extremely strange and honestly kind of scary by the end of the book, which I assumed was the purpose of the author, but it was still funny to see how I wasn't rooting for X and Loli at the end.

Now moving on to the things in the book that I did not like. This is a fast-paced book which I normally don't mind when it's done well, but I felt like the ending was extremely rushed and confusing when the author could have taken a few bits of the book out and focused a little more on developing the end (which was good, I just wished it was a bit longer). B the time I reached the last page I was confused because I thought there would be more since the ending didn't really feel like an ending. So yeah I just wish that would have been a little bit longer.

Will I still recommend this book when it comes out? Of course, it was a quick and easy read that got me immersed in the story, and I'm sure people will enjoy it if they like fast-paced books.

Uau. This book. It’s freaking amazing! I loved it so much! I was totally gripped by this book and I couldn’t (nor wanted) to stop reading it. It’s an amazing YA to start the year! And the design and graphs of the book? Amazing!! I wanted to know more about the end. Didn’t like it too much. That’s why I can’t give 5 starts.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with a digital ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I received this book several weeks ago. Yes, weeks. Throughout that time, I have tried time and again to get into this book, but everything has just fallen flat for me. Finally, I had to admit it: I can't finish this book.

I'm sure there are plenty of others who will think differently, but I cannot stand the main character. Ryan and Loli's friendship felt so fake to me. The plot interested me, but it wasn't capturing my attention enough to keep me reading. I hate DNF-ing ARCS, and the writing fit the genre and age group nicely, but I couldn't handle it. No disrespect to the author, but this just was not for me.

This book felt really unique and had a certain intrigue around it for sure, but ultimately, it ended up not being for me.

This a a great read from Gail-Agnes Musikavanhu, fast paced and totally engaging for teens who want recommended a contemporary novel.

The intertwined lives of Lollipop and Cairo, grabbed me right from the start. What friendship means, what being daring means, what being comfortable in your skin means.

Thanks NetGalley for the ARC!

PS - shame the link to the Spotify playlist didn't work, I really wanted to read and listen together

Thank you to NetGalley and Soho Press for providing me with this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I went into this book expecting something completely different. Unfortunately, this type of book is not to my taste, and I was not able to finish reading it.

I'm sure there are a lot of people who would love Ride or Die for what it is.
Readers that will like this book are those that enjoy teenage high school dramas, slow build-ups, and John Green novels.

This is my first book by this author and I'm super stoked to read more of thier work. I went in with no expectations. And i was so into it from the beru beginning. I can be picky with stories and this one just had me.

I was beginning to realize that the person behind the mystery was far more intriguing than I could have expected. He was also unpredictable. Unknowable.

This was actually pretty cool. Interesting idea - a mishmash of genres that just works. There’s a bit of ya thriller, romance and coming of age. I loved how every chapter was song-themed, and secret pen pals has always been one of my favorite tropes.

However, I’m not quite sure what to think of that ending. Everything wrapped up a bit too cleanly for my taste. Not what I expected considering the rest of the story. Also, there were several small things throughout the book I didn’t like.

Still, it was a fun read. Unique and exciting.

A huge thank you to Soho Press and NetGalley for providing me with an ARC of Ride or Die by Gail-Agnes Musikavanhu in exchange for an honest review.