Renegade Girls coming April 1st, 2025 from Hachette Book Group; 304 pages
Content Warning: Child labor, unsafe working conditions, mild injury
About the Author: “Nora Neus is an Emmy-nominated producer, author, and journalist specializing in people-centered stories. Her multidisciplinary work, focused on some of our world’s most challenging issues, aims to amplify voices and motivate change” (Bio from the author’s website).
Find Nora Neus on the following platforms:
About the Illustrator: “[I]llustrator/designer/corn chip enthusiast based in Brooklyn. […] Proud member of One Love Community Fridge and volunteer with Owen Davey’s Monthly Portfolio Review” (Bio from the illustrator’s website).
Find Julie Robine on the following platforms:
Helena “Nell” Cusack’s summers are spent in New York where she can spend time away from Chicago and the pressure of finding a husband. This summer, Nell finds herself working as a society reporter for the New York Chronicle and is unsatisfied with how all of her pieces criticizing society are altered beyond recognition. Making a deal with her boss that allows her to become more honest about society, Nell seeks a story worthy of a stunt girl, girls who go undercover for reporting assignments. When Nell’s best friend, Lucia, is injured while working in a factory, Nell is determined to uncover the horrors of the factory as her first stunt girl assignment along with the help of photographer Alice Austen. As their reporting gains popularity, Nell’s relationship with Alice grows deeper, leading to a summer full of romance and justice.
I was pleasantly surprised to find out that all the characters in this book are inspired by real people. I honestly love stories with concepts like this that are rooted in the truth but take some creative liberties. Nell is a wonderful character, and it was fun to see which details Neus included were real and which were embellished. Lucia is such a sweet and supportive character, and I absolutely loved seeing Alice’s friend group and how they were so different from the other women in society seen earlier in the story. Despite this, there’s little doubt in my mind that my favorite character was Mr. Dixon, who was in charge of the paper. It was refreshing to see a male character that seemed to side with women, especially considering the time period this story takes place in. In terms of illustration, the art was beautifully done and stunning to look at. My main complaint was that it was occasionally hard to tell the difference between the two leading ladies, Nell and Alice. However, the way color was used throughout the story was so powerful and helped combat this issue. Nell is almost always wearing pink, while Alice is seen most often in orange. This was also so nice to see because pink and orange are the main colors of the lesbian pride flag, and I can only imagine choosing these colors for their wardrobes was intentional. I enjoyed Renegade Girls, and highly recommend it to anyone looking for a feminist, queer romance.
Renegade Girls releases on April 1st, 2025.
Pine Reads Review would like to thank NetGalley and Hachette Book Group for sending us an ARC in exchange for an honest review. Any quotes are taken from an advanced copy and may be subject to change before final publication.
Vanshikha Vij, Pine Reads Review Writer