Ride or Die
by Gail-Agnes Musikavanhu
Soho Teen, 2023. 368 pages.
Review written July 31, 2023, from a library book
Ride or Die is the story of a rich Black teenage girl named Loli who likes to shake up expectations. She’s gotten into trouble many times, but her best friends Ryan and Cairo always back her up.
Then Loli meets a mysterious stranger – in a closet at a party.
Loli’s not one to hang out in closets at parties. But when she goes after her missing necklace in the pocket of a coat in the closet, there’s someone sitting in there. And they do some talking. She accidentally leaves the necklace behind with him.
But the next day, she gets it back in an envelope at her regular hang-out. Along with a letter proposing that they don’t investigate each other’s identity – but that they do start setting missions for each other. Adventures to solve, and then prove that they’ve accomplished them. To fail a mission is to stop the adventure.
And Loli can’t resist. When the missions get more and more out there, she gets hooked on the adrenalin. And then they start thinking about meeting.
But while Loli is obsessed with accomplishing each task (and creating her own clever challenges), she starts neglecting her current friends, the folks who have stood by her forever.
I enjoyed this novel, and the mystery kept me going. It was refreshing that race was not an issue, but that the privileged rich girl at the center of it was Black. However, as it went along, some of the things she did in the name of completing these missions went way too far for me. I know that was partly what the book was about, but I lost some sympathy for her. Now, I did like the way the ending took that into account. And I did thoroughly enjoy the story. But here’s fair warning: You won’t want to try any of these things at home.
Find this review on Sonderbooks at: www.sonderbooks.com/Teens/ride_or_die.html
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Disclaimer: I am a professional librarian, but the views expressed are solely my own, and in no way represent the official views of my employer or of any committee or group of which I am part.
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