Release Date: July 12th, 2011
Publisher: Candlewick Press
Rating: YA 14+
Format: eARC
Source: NetGalley
Amazon ❘ Goodreads ❘ Website
A gay suburban hip-hopper freaks out her Christian high school - and falls in love - in this righteously funny and totally tender YA debut, for real.
Listen up: You’re about to get rocked by the fiercest, baddest all-girl hip-hop crew in the Twin Cities - or at least in the wealthy, white, Bible-thumping suburb of Holyhill, Minnesota. Our heroine, Esme Rockett (aka MC Ferocious) is a Jewish lesbian lyricist. In her crew, Esme’s got her BFFs Marcy (aka DJ SheStorm, the butchest straight girl in town) and Tess (aka The ConTessa, the pretty, popular powerhouse of a vocalist). But Esme’s feelings for her co-MC, Rowie (MC Rohini), a beautiful, brilliant, beguiling desi chick, are bound to get complicated. And before they know it, the queer hip-hop revolution Esme and her girls have exploded in Holyhill is on the line. Exciting new talent Laura Goode lays down a snappy, provocative, and heartfelt novel about discovering the rhythm of your own truth.
**This Review is based on an ARC (Advanced Readers Copy). The final text and/or cover may be different.**
We ride to get high, Minnesota-do-or-die
We talk shit and kick it, out bidness is the shiznet
Sot holler out out name, we're the illest Sister Mischief
This book was fun and completely filled with raps and rhymes and that type of stuff. I don't usually listen to or consider myself a fan of rap, but this book totally rocked! Laura Goode has created an amazing novel which looks at community, finding yourself and true love...with totally pumpin' beats.
Our MC, Esme is a totally rock-my-socks-off chick. Loved her! Her sarcasm, her difficulty in finding who she is, and her amazing lyrics are upbeat and keep the rhythm throughout the entire novel. I liked her most of the time, except when she kinda expects too much of other people. Poor Rowie. That's all I'm gonna say!
Marcy, up next, is pure AWESOME-NESS. She totally is the sassy best friend, who doesn't take no (or crap) for an answer. I liked Tess, as she was the popular girl who went and hung out with the bunch of misfits. She stands up for them, has connections (her dad's a state senator...I think) and seems to always seem so sugary-sweet mixed in with a little bit o' evil.
Now onto Rowie...okay, first off, she's from the same place as I am in India! I'm from Bangalore too! Awesome connection. Okay, other than that, she really wasn't a very strong character, definitely had her faults, but totally didn't blame her for what happened between Esme and her (not gonna give out the deets). But then she just kinda made me mad after that. Nothing more to say other than that.
I really loved the little footnotes at the end of the page sometimes. It was really cool to see texts, tweets, notes etc. that Esme and her friends connect over in the subtext. That was pretty different for a novel. I think the only other one (which isn't a classic) which I've seen footnotes in would be Stay by Deb Caletti.
Okay, now here's a little warning for the some of you: this book has a ton of swear words. If you're okay with that, that's cool, but other than that, loads of the raps (which would probably take up nearly 1/3 of the book if you combined it all together) have swear words and Esme and her friends do swear on almost every page. Just warning younger readers!
Overall, Sister Mischief was about being defiant and standing up for you and others, for your beliefs and interests. Laura Goode has created an amazing LGBT novel about true love, friendship and the sickest raps around. A geat debut, and can't wait to read more from her in the future!
- What Can't Wait by Ashley Hope Pérez (Review ❘ Amazon ❘ Goodreads)
- Calli by Jessica Lee Anderson (Amazon ❘ Goodreads)
- Wanderlove by Kirsten Hubbard (Amazon ❘ Goodreads)
- This Girl Is Different by JJ Johnson (Review ❘ Amazon ❘ Goodreads)
- A Long, Long Sleep by Anna Sheehan (Amazon ❘ Goodreads)
- Populazzi by Elise Allen (Review ❘ Amazon ❘ Goodreads)
