Nasty Girls

Nasty Girls #1

by Erick S. Gray

Camille, Jade, and Shy are best friends and have always had each other's backs. Jade and Shy's boyfriends, Roscoe and James, are partners in a lucrative drug business, but one night they get caught up in a shoot-out that goes horribly wrong. Shy's man, Roscoe, ends up in prison while James walks away clean, and things begin to fall apart between the girls. Jealousy, greed, revenge, and betrayal test the true bonds of friendship. Get ready, because these girls are about to take "nasty" to a whole new level.

Genres: Urban, African American

320 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2006

Reviews

[K.augustine]

If I hear or read the word "leather" one more time I can going to snap. Why did every character in this book have to wear leather like it was going out of style? As soon as the author began to describe anyone's outfits for the day I knew the word leather was coming sooner rather than later and unfortunately I was right. Leather everything! HELLO, there are other fabrics out there! This book almost drove me to join PETA! Ha ha. Besides that annoyance this book was awesome. Some much happened and the description of events were so vivid that I literally felt like I was watching a movie. These girls definitely did some nasty things, Shy in particular. She was hands down my early favorite but that wore off slowly and she became a villain by the end of this tale. I was shocked, yet fully entertained by the action packed despicable acts in this novel. Some of these characters just blew my mind with their backstabbing agendas. A part two would be awesome.

[Ms.Toni · Rating 3 out of 5]

Life Is What You Make It

Best friends for years, Camille, Jade and Shy have always looked out for each other. But once Shy's boyfriend, Roscoe, gets locked up, things change for the trio. Their bond is tested and friendship is stretched to its limit.

"Nasty Girls" has been sitting on my shelf for a few years now. Got an autographed copy from Erick when he rolled through town. On a mission to knock a dent in my TBR pile, I cracked it open. Had I read this book when I first got it, I might have enjoyed it more. Let me explain...so many books, so many authors and so many years later I found "Nasty Girls" to be a very typical read. Nothing more, nothing less. It was saturated with stereotypical characters, stereotypical dialogue and an overabundance of designer clothes. I lost count of the number of times leather was worn. Leather jackets, leather pants, leather shirts, leather skirts. I don't know how many cows were killed during the writing of this book, but a farmer somewhere is very upset! Every female was a b*tch. Even the female narrators referred to themselves as b*thces in their thoughts. It was a bit much. I also didn't care for the naïveté displayed by some of the female characters' actions. And I'm not sure how the title comes into play.

Now, with that said, what I did like was the fact that it was a well-written story. I also appreciated the reality of life. As with life, there are not always going to be happy endings, and I liked that Erick wasn't afraid to show that. Despite my issues with it being a typical read, once I picked up "Nasty Girls," it is fast-paced and not easy to put down.

No major flaws exist, but it remains a tale told many times before. I think Erick is talented, but I'd like to see him move past the typical, the expected, and the obvious. And maybe he has since this book came out a few years ago.

[Karen Bourne-Douglas · Rating 4 out of 5]

First time reading this author, the title was not fitting for the book. No sure if I will be reading book 2, then again I am curious, hmm.

[Patrice · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was an easy read. I did not like how things turned out but hey, that's real life, I guess. The book was Okay. The only person I was really interested in was Shy. She was my favorite :)

[Urban Pages · Rating 5 out of 5]

First off let me start by saying the title for this book does not really fit the storyline. (In my opinion)

This book really triggered my emotions at times, but the amount of life lessons that can be taken away from this story is worth the read. The disloyalty and betrayal between friendships and relationships in this book is disastrous. Even so, there are definitely some genuine friendships and relationships that form as well. I was drawn to Camille’s character the most. The amount of love and loyalty she showcased throughout the book was refreshing to read. Jade was also a favorite of mine whom misfortunes were caused by loving a man far more then he deserved. Shy’s poor decisions made me so angry throughout the book and her disloyalty made her pay in the end.

Overall, the book was a good read and I do recommend it.

[ReadnliftwithShar · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was so good but it took me through it. It was crazy how one man, James, caused so much turmoil to so many people. I enjoyed getting to read from each of the three main characters’ perspective. I loved how Camille started as the odd girl but ended up being the glue to Jade and Shy’s life. I wished the girls had all ended up with a HEA but I think the author ended the book well. It is sad the way they Shy turned out and she didn’t have a good backbone to stand on. Out of the three, I expected more from Shy but she could not handle the lifestyle. It was one curveball after another with this book. I felt so bad for Jade, she had finally gotten happiness and made amends with her mom- ugh. I almost cried thug tears. But James got what he deserved in the end- good riddance!

[Monae Love · Rating 3 out of 5]

I love a good urban novel. I was intrigued the whole time and loved the pace of the book. My biggest concern was the title. I associated the word "Nasty" with sex and that may be my own fault. The characters felt real but the reality of everything felt so depressing. From the death, the one girl on drugs and the other friend being secretly bisexual. As a queer woman I would have loved to see a bigger queer storyline but I do understand that a man wrote this book and there are limits with stories. If you like a fast read that keeps you entertained it's pretty good. Definitely a guilty pleasure of mine.

[Chalia · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was my first urban novel so it took me a while to get used to reading how I talk, the ending was a little disappointing but it was still a fun read, easy to get through. I wish we got to know more about Camille and Cream, I wish we learned how Jade's new boyfriend handled her death. I wanted to know if Shy had weened off of crack or if losing her boyfriend was enough to have her keep using. Nonetheless, I am content.

[Michael Bell · Rating 3 out of 5]

I would not have named this book Nasty Girls. Jade, Shy and Camille were trying to save their dignity in a tough, drug-infested environment. There was a good guy named Corey that was a police officer. Cream was an entrepreneur/drug dealer. He made a decision that might come back to bite him. Shy had a rough life all the way around. The glass pipe called her name. It was a quick read.

[Whitney · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good book. I loved how it was told by several different angles. And who knew I'd end up hoping the cop got a hea. I'm trying to find the 2nd one so I can find out how jade turns out, but I'm having trouble finding it. I'll keep looking tho.

[Michelle Watson Lee · Rating 5 out of 5]

Quite the page turner. Easy read. Great storytelling. Overall I was really into it. If this was on tv ppl would watch. It’s messy. It’s drama. There’s also love, friendship, and striving for something better. This was fun.

[Tiffany Lawes · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is lit

[Pariis Griffin · Rating 5 out of 5]

i love it

[Page Turner · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was an interesting, grimy tale of project life in Queens. I enjoyed it and it wasn't as predictable as I anticipated.

[Sarah · Rating 3 out of 5]

I feel like the the author wrote this book assuming he knows how black women think and feel not really ever talking one. So their dialogue throughout the book was soothing

[Kelcie LeAnn · Rating 5 out of 5]

Urban books are my favorite I love the street life books I had this finished in one day . One of my favorites

[Christina Mages · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book

[Dione Brown · Rating 4 out of 5]

I need to read more..the other books to really give my opinion..

[Tanairis · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great read if you're into urban books/novels. I love how all stories are tied with one another, very detailed and filled with juicy story lines. Erick S. Gray did it with this one!!!

[S · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good book, on to part two.

[Trinity Smith · Rating 2 out of 5]

Language, cheating, drugs

[Tangiepangie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I’ve read this Book via paper and audio. Enjoyable read it’s the regular NY/ project type of read about 3 friends going through the motions of life.

[Jessica · Rating 1 out of 5]

DNF

[Stephanie · Rating 5 out of 5]

The name does not dit the book. I loved the story & was pissed how it ended! I need to know what transpired with the characters and if Camille got the gun roscoe told her about.

[Chelley Rene · Rating 2 out of 5]

These have got to be the dumbest group of ppl I’ve ever read about in my entire life. I don’t even have the energy to drag them lol.

[Christine · Rating 3 out of 5]

The dialogue is so corny you just gotta laugh. Probably a decent story under all that though.

[Mrs Tupac · Rating 5 out of 5]

ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS I'VE READ IN 2015 =) !!! WHAT AN OVERALL JUICY & STEAMY BOOK THE BIG DICKS AND DRAMA KEPT MY ATTENTION IF YOU LIKE URBAN BOOKS ABOUT FRIENDSHIP YOU'LL LOVE THIS ONE. AT FIRST THE BOOK WAS SLOW, DRAGGED ON , AND VERY REPETITIVE. BUT THEN WHEN I CONTINUED TO READ MORE INTO THE BOOK , IT STARTED TO BECOME A GREAT READ TO ME. I WOULD SURE LIKE TO KNOW WHAT DECADE THIS BOOK TOOK PLACE IN. I HOPE THERE WILL BE A SEQUEL - THE AUTHOR DESCRIBED JAMES SO GOOD HE HAD ME WANTING TO FUCK HIM THAT GETTING ATE OUT WHILE TOUCHING THE CEILING SOUNDS SO NICE RIGHT NOW. I FOUND SHY AND JADA'S STORY(S) & LOVE TRIANGLE SO INTERESTING TO ME.CAMILLE WAS ALL OVER THE PLACE HOW COULD SHE DOG OUT NIGGAS BUT END UP GOING TO CALIFORNIA WITH ONE SMH I SKIPPED MOST OF HER MIXED UP BULLSHIT. I REALLY WISH SHY & JADA WOULD'VE CONFRONTED EACHOTHER >_< . . . SHY WAS SUCH A COWARD ASS BITCH & JADA WAS A STUPID ASS BITCH TO KEEP FALLING FOR JAMES B.S SHE HAD POTENTIAL AND HER LIFE WAS CUT SHORT WHY COULDN'T SHE LEAVE JAMES SOONER. BITCH ASS JAMES WAS A LOWDOWN NIGGA HE SHOULD'VE DIED A HARSHER WAY HE KNEW WHAT HE WAS DOING THE WHOLE TIME WITH HIS SHIESTY ASS HE WAS THE EPITOME OF WHAT A SNACK REALLY WAS. THE ONLY SMART PERSON WAS ROSCOE BECAUSE HE SEEMED TO BE PREPARED FOR IT ALL . . . I THINK HE WENT TO JAIL TOO SOON I DID NOT READ ENOUGH ABOUT HIM TO DEPICT WHAT TYPE A PERSON IS WAS. . . I LOOK FORWARD TO READING MORE FROM THE PERSON WHO PINNED MY NEW FAVORITE BOOK.

[Janice · Rating 2 out of 5]

A friend was given this book by a co-worker of hers and she suggested that I read it, as it was something that she wouldn't normally read, and hence I wouldn't normally read.

It's "urban fiction" basically meaning that it's written for a certain demographic, of which I am not. I'll be honest and say that the writing level is about the 3rd grade if you can get past all the expletives. I would bet that about 1/3 of the book is the word "fuck" and "bitch" and another word that I'm not going to write here.

I will also admit that I didn't like how it portrayed women, in the sense that they were always valuing themselves based on their clothing, their looks and whether or not they had "a man" - I'm not sure if that's because it was written by a man or what, but it was definitely apparent that every time there was trouble, the women always went running to a man to help solve the problem.

However the story took a twist in the end that I wasn't expecting, and it did catch me off guard. So I will give the author that...but I'm just so frustrated that all the book did was perpetuate stereotypes about that culture - and maybe people write what they know, but I found it more sad than anything.

[Tasheba Pommels · Rating 5 out of 5]

Date:September.30,2012
Title:Nasty Girls
Author:Erick S. Gray
Genre:An Urban Novel

In This Book,Nasty Girls,Written by Erick S.Gray these three girls are crazy. They live there daily lives trying to be young and party wild. Then all are facing different problems in there Life. This book is such an eye candy book. I never want to put it down when im reading. I often GET IN TROUBLE in Class for reading at the wrong times.I have read pages 1-263, im almost done reading it.

In this book one of the characters boyfriend is in jail. She is trying to hold him down while in there but it gets to hard for her. I never had a problem like this but i know how it feels to be alone and miss some one. The second girl is have trouble maintain a good relationship. But her boyfriend is abusing her. The third girl is bi sexual and shes trynna figure out what she wanna do if she wants a girlfriend or boyfriend.

I wonder what made the author write a book like this. Did he face problems like this, in his younger days?

[TellsOfABibliophile · Rating 5 out of 5]

🥺

This was the book that started my whole reading journey and the reason I fell in love with urban fiction. Reading it again was so nostalgic it brought me right back to being 12 years old, sneaking and reading this like I was grown 😂. I got the same feels I did back then.

I’m still torn about how this story unraveled. How the sisterhood between Camille, Jade and Shy could just dismantle the way it did still blows my mind. The loyalty, the betrayal, the envy it all felt so real and raw. This really showed how fast things can change when greed and jealousy get involved.

Even after all these years, Nasty Girls still holds up. It’s wild, drama filled, messy and sad. This story will always have a special place in my heart because it’s the one that made me fall in love with reading in the first place.

I will be checking out part two also.

✨Nostalgic November Read✨