In a town where girls are expected to smile, stay quiet, and accept the rules, three young women decide they've had enough. Sometimes the natural order needs changing.
📚 Pre-Reading Thoughts
The premise immediately brings to mind stories about young women pushing back against systems that have protected the wrong people for too long. There is something especially powerful about stories set in small communities, where reputation and appearances can matter more than the truth.
📖 Post-Reading
As I thought...
- This is a thoughtful, engaging read about friendship, speaking up, and refusing to accept harmful behaviour as "just the way things are."
- The rural setting works particularly well. Riverside has that unsettling small-town atmosphere where everyone knows everyone, but that closeness doesn't necessarily mean people look after each other.
- The touches of magic add an interesting layer without overwhelming the very real issues at the centre of the story.
It surprised me by...
- How much this feels like a conversation about power and reputation. The story understands how difficult it can be to challenge someone who has been labelled the "golden boy."
- The different perspectives of the three girls. They don't all approach the situation in the same way, and their individual experiences make the story more complex.
- That the story does allow consequences. With books dealing with this kind of behaviour, one of the most frustrating outcomes can be watching people avoid accountability. Here, the actions are addressed rather than ignored.
This isn't a book that relies on constant twists and shocks, but it is an important and worthwhile read. At its heart, it's about recognising injustice, finding your voice, and understanding that silence doesn't have to be permanent.
🎧 Music Pairing
🎵 Featured Song:
You Don't Own Me
🎶 Vibe Album:
Jagged Little Pill
🎧 Artist Recommendation:
Beyoncé — confidence, resilience, and refusing to be underestimated.
🌈 Vibe Check
- Colour Palette: wildflower yellow, deep forest green, storm grey, warning red
- Soundtrack: boots on gravel, distant thunder, a car radio turned up too loud
- Season: late summer sliding into autumn
- Mood: angry, determined, defiant
- Scent: pine trees, rain, old wooden porches
🃏 Tarot Pull
Strength
Strength is not about overpowering someone else. It is about courage, self-possession, and knowing when enough is enough. The girls of Riverside reclaim control over their own stories, refusing to accept fear and silence as the price of belonging. Their greatest power comes not from revenge, but from finding the courage to speak.
👀 For fans of
- Moxie
- The Grace Year
- feminist YA fiction about friendship, resistance and finding your voice
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