Monday, February 25, 2013

Review: OUT OF THE EASY by Ruta Sepetys

Title: OUT OF THE EASY
Author: Ruta Sepetys
Published: February 12th, 2013
Genre: YA, historical, mystery
Publisher: Philomel
POV: 1st person
Pages: 352
Format: Advanced Reader's Copy
Source: Unsolicited from Publisher
It’s 1950, and as the French Quarter of New Orleans simmers with secrets, seventeen-year-old Josie Moraine is silently stirring a pot of her own. Known among locals as the daughter of a brothel prostitute, Josie wants more out of life than the Big Easy has to offer. She devises a plan get out, but a mysterious death in the Quarter leaves Josie tangled in an investigation that will challenge her allegiance to her mother, her conscience, and Willie Woodley, the brusque madam on Conti Street.

Josie is caught between the dream of an elite college and a clandestine underworld. New Orleans lures her in her quest for truth, dangling temptation at every turn, and escalating to the ultimate test.
I highly enjoyed Sepetys's debut novel, BETWEEN SHADES OF GRAY, so I was naturally curious and nervous when it came to her sophomore novel. Could Sepetys bring a different time and place to life with as much emotion as her debut? I was skeptical, so I kept putting off reading this story until I finally read Christina's (Confessions of a Book Addict) review and was convinced that I needed to give it a chance. Fortunately, all of my worries about this novel were soothed and erased within first few chapters. Sepetys depicts New Orleans and this story's characters richly and vividly. OUT OF THE EASY is one of those stories where you find yourself eagerly flipping the pages as the mystery unfolds. This book even proves itself to be a touching, memorable story, largely because of the exceptional characters. 

I never thought I would love a book involving murder, brothels, terrible mothers, gangsters, and love triangles, but I was obviously wrong. The characters all prove themselves to be fully developed, and not quite the people you initially expect them to be. While there is a mystery to be solved within the story, I found Josie's growth and interpersonal relationships to be more fascinating. She's growing into herself, trying to decide who she is and where her future will take her. Despite everything that holds her back, she's one tough cookie and I was on Josie's side from the beginning. All in all, this is such a challenging story to review simply because it was incredible. If you love authentic historical novels, wonderful characters, coming of age moments, and a touch of mystery and romance, then you need to read OUT OF THE EASY. You won't regret it. 

Highlights: The characters, the setting, the writing....Sepetys portrays everything vividly and with the right amount of authenticity. She gives readers characters to love1 and hate 2, along with settings that burst to life with each and every word. These characters make this story something special. Even the love triangle is expertly written. Plus, Josie works in a bookstore and she's a total bookworm, which makes her instantly awesome. 

Lowlights: I want more? 

Cover: I like the shades of green that are used, since I don't usually see too many green covers. The symbolism is nice, too. It's a good cover, but it's not the best one I've ever seen.

1 Jesse! Josie! Cokie (what a sweet guy)! Willie! I could go on and on and on...
2 Oh my gosh, Josie's mother. I want to slap her.


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20 comments:

  1. I NEED TO READ SOMETHING BY RUTA LEA! I haven't read this or Between Shades of Gray and I'm clearly missing out on some special writing. So glad to know that the only lowlight of this book was the fact that there wasn't more of it for you to read:) Win.

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    1. You absolutely must read one of Ruta's books!! They are both fantastic. :)

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  2. I'm so glad you loved this book, too! Thanks for the shout-out by the way. Didn't you just love Josie and Cokie?? They are two of my favorite characters ever....just loved them! I really enjoyed the writing as well and need to read Between Shades of Gray now. I'm a huge fan of Sepetys! Great review, Lea!

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    1. No problem - your review convinced me that I needed to pick it up, so you deserve the shout-out!

      Love Josie and Cokie! I wish Cokie had more page-time. Hope you enjoy BSoG when you get a chance to read it :)

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  3. Wow, this sounds so amazing. You had me at New Orleans -- I love books set there. I've put this on my 'to-read-soon' ist. Thank you for sharing!

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    1. It's incredible! Sepetys does a fabulous job describing the setting, too. Hope you enjoy OotE!

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  4. "I never thought I would love a book involving murder, brothels, terrible mothers, gangsters..." <-- that actually sounds pretty good to me. XD

    I've preordered the UK pb edition (since that's what I bought BETWEEN SHADES in). I've read more than a few really positive reviews. What's good is that all those people were apprehensive going into it, same as you, because of what it had to live up to. So excited!

    The shades of green reminds me of this book with something like Dragonslayer in the title? And another one by Fforde, or maybe that's the same book. Haha. I'd look it up but I'm not bothered.

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    1. Ha, then you'll probably enjoy this one! Hope you end up loving it once you get your copy :)

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  5. Glad to hear this one is good! I need to try out one her books soon...I've seen nothing but glowing reviews for both of them so far!

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    1. She's a fabulous writer. You should definitely check out either one of her novels!

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  6. I wasn't sure about this book (1950s? New Orleans?) either until I got an early copy and dove in, not stopping until done because it was just that good. Fantastic review that captures all the reasons why people need to check this out!

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    1. It's one of those books that sucks you in, right? Glad you enjoyed it, too!

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  7. This one sounds so fantastic! I definitely love a book with these elements - not gonna lie. And New Orleans? There's something about that city that screams great setting! Great review and can't wait to check this one out!

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    1. It's definitely a great setting - so vivid and alive! Hope you like this one :)

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  8. First time I read about this book and really, I didn't think it was for me. But your review is so amazing, I think I need to read it and discover for myself if it's that good :D

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    1. You should give it a chance! It really is a great story, the writing is fantastic.

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  9. I feel the same way about characters who work in bookstores LOL. Also I never would have guessed that this was a YA book just by looking at the cover.

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    1. It's hard not to love characters who work in bookstores ;)

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  10. I am so happy to see glowing reviews for this one! I can't wait to read it. :)

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    1. Hope you enjoy it when you do get a chance to read OUT OF THE EASY!

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