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How We Roll
Quinn is a teen who loves her family, skateboarding, basketball, and her friends, but after she's diagnosed with a condition called alopecia which causes her to lose all of her hair, her friends abandon her. Nick was once a star football player, but because of a freak accident — caused by his brother — he loses both of his legs. Quinn and Nick meet and find the confidence to believe in themselves again, and maybe even love.
272 pages, Hardcover
First published June 5, 2018
38 people are currently reading
1653 people want to read
About the author
Natasha Friend
18 books542 followersNatasha Friend is the award-winning author of Perfect, Lush, Bounce, For Keeps, My Life in Black and White, Where You'll Find Me, The Other F-Word, How We Roll, and The Wolves Are Waiting. Natasha lives on the Connecticut shoreline with her family.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 265 reviews
February 19, 2022
THIS WAS AN AWESOME BOOK!!! What great representation. We have Quinn, who is just a kick-butt girl all around, basketball player and really cool big sister to younger brother Julius who loves facts and order and has autism. Last year at her old school, Quinn’s friends pretty much abandoned her when she lost her hair to alopecia. I love the way this book showed Quinn’s myriad reactions to this autoimmune disorder and the loss of her hair, her bravery, her decision to … it really took us through a spectrum of emotions.
I also loved Nick, athlete and artist, who is in a wheelchair after It was a good contrast, I thought, because where Natasha pretty much rolls with the punches and is a beacon of positivity, Nick is in a darker place at times and needs support. Living with a serious disability, the latter is definitely a reality as well and I liked how the book didn’t shy away from that. Really great supporting characters, especially Quinn’s family. One of my favorite books of this year!
Please excuse typos/name misspellings. Entered on screen reader.
I also loved Nick, athlete and artist, who is in a wheelchair after It was a good contrast, I thought, because where Natasha pretty much rolls with the punches and is a beacon of positivity, Nick is in a darker place at times and needs support. Living with a serious disability, the latter is definitely a reality as well and I liked how the book didn’t shy away from that. Really great supporting characters, especially Quinn’s family. One of my favorite books of this year!
Please excuse typos/name misspellings. Entered on screen reader.
June 13, 2018
Rating: 4.5 Stars
After a terrible year, Quinn was looking forward to a new start, in a new town, at a new school, where she wasn't the girl without any hair. In trying to become someone new, she built some great new friendships and found her way back to her self.
• Pro: The book featured an unlikely friendship, which ended up being sort of vital for both Quinn and Jake. The support and little nudges they gave to each other were quite heartwarming. I loved watching this friendship grow, flourish, and change. And, well, yeah, I totally shipped them too.
• Pro: Quinn had a big, beautiful heart, and I thought she had a really great attitude. She could have been bitter and hostile and all sorts of other terrible things, but she wasn't. Granted, it took her a while to start to trust people again, but as her trust in others grew, she regained her confidence and she started to trust herself as well.
• Pro: What a nice group of friends Natasha Friend assembled for Quinn. They totally made up for all the punishment she endured in Colorado, and it was sort of important for me to see her have some good things come her way.
• Pro: I liked that forgiveness was address in several different ways. Quinn had been wronged by so many people. She could have held grudges, but instead, she chose to move on and forgive those, who betrayed her. She also encouraged Jake to consider forgiveness, and I think was an important step in his life after the accident.
• Pro: It was tough to like Nick, at first, but as his friendship with Quinn grew, so did he. I was really proud of all his progress, and started looking forward to his time on page.
• Pro: Quinn's family was all sorts of fabulous. Her mom was so caring and patient, and her dad was this awesome, nerdy guy, who gifted us with daily Latin phrases, and was also willing to acknowledge his mistakes. Most of all, I loved that they loved Quinn and her brother so much, and took the time to tell them and show them they did.
• Pro: I have not read too many books with characters with alopecia. Friend helped me understand more about this disease, and the the things that people with alopecia have to deal with on a daily basis - the discomfort, the worry, the stigma, these things and the accompanying feelings were all conveyed quite well, and I really learned a lot.
• Pro: I also do not read too many books on the younger side of YA, and it was sort of refreshing. Quinn was 14 and a freshman, so we see different everyday life issues featured because of that.
• Pro: The ending was the most adorable, sweetest, precious thing ever. I swear! My face hurt from the size of the smile I was wearing.
• Con: I wanted more of this story, because I loved it so much!
Overall: I absolutely adored this sweet and touching story of family, friendship, being yourself, and being there for other people.
*ARC provided in exchange for an honest review.
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After a terrible year, Quinn was looking forward to a new start, in a new town, at a new school, where she wasn't the girl without any hair. In trying to become someone new, she built some great new friendships and found her way back to her self.
• Pro: The book featured an unlikely friendship, which ended up being sort of vital for both Quinn and Jake. The support and little nudges they gave to each other were quite heartwarming. I loved watching this friendship grow, flourish, and change. And, well, yeah, I totally shipped them too.
• Pro: Quinn had a big, beautiful heart, and I thought she had a really great attitude. She could have been bitter and hostile and all sorts of other terrible things, but she wasn't. Granted, it took her a while to start to trust people again, but as her trust in others grew, she regained her confidence and she started to trust herself as well.
• Pro: What a nice group of friends Natasha Friend assembled for Quinn. They totally made up for all the punishment she endured in Colorado, and it was sort of important for me to see her have some good things come her way.
• Pro: I liked that forgiveness was address in several different ways. Quinn had been wronged by so many people. She could have held grudges, but instead, she chose to move on and forgive those, who betrayed her. She also encouraged Jake to consider forgiveness, and I think was an important step in his life after the accident.
• Pro: It was tough to like Nick, at first, but as his friendship with Quinn grew, so did he. I was really proud of all his progress, and started looking forward to his time on page.
• Pro: Quinn's family was all sorts of fabulous. Her mom was so caring and patient, and her dad was this awesome, nerdy guy, who gifted us with daily Latin phrases, and was also willing to acknowledge his mistakes. Most of all, I loved that they loved Quinn and her brother so much, and took the time to tell them and show them they did.
• Pro: I have not read too many books with characters with alopecia. Friend helped me understand more about this disease, and the the things that people with alopecia have to deal with on a daily basis - the discomfort, the worry, the stigma, these things and the accompanying feelings were all conveyed quite well, and I really learned a lot.
• Pro: I also do not read too many books on the younger side of YA, and it was sort of refreshing. Quinn was 14 and a freshman, so we see different everyday life issues featured because of that.
• Pro: The ending was the most adorable, sweetest, precious thing ever. I swear! My face hurt from the size of the smile I was wearing.
• Con: I wanted more of this story, because I loved it so much!
Overall: I absolutely adored this sweet and touching story of family, friendship, being yourself, and being there for other people.
*ARC provided in exchange for an honest review.
BLOG | INSTAGRAM |TWITTER | BLOGLOVIN | FRIEND ME ON GOODREADS
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February 15, 2018There’s a person in a wheelchair on the cover... I’m sold.
November 1, 2023
Such a beautiful and eye opening story. I absolutely loved the Main Character. She was so brave and beautiful inside and out. When she met the other main character I just knew the story would play out beautiful. Truly is eye opening to the different disabilities represented in this book. Such a beautiful story of strength and learning to love who you are as you are!
July 25, 2018
3.5 Stars
How We Roll by Natasha Friend introduces us to Quinn McAvoy, a freshman athlete starting out in a new school. She plays ball, skateboards, and…is completely bald. Quinn lost all her hair on her head due to alopecia areata totalis (AAT), a disorder that the medical world still seems to know very little about. The causes are unclear, which is so scary and frustrating! After a year, of shunning and bullying in her old school, Quinn is hoping for a fresh start in Gulls Head, Massachusetts. But she’s also hoping to keep her baldness a secret with hats, wigs, and glue. But how long can Quinn keep the lies and half-truths up with her new friends?
There’s a lot going on in this little book. A lot! Maybe too much. Autism, art, standing out or not fitting in, friendship, mean girls, and more. But one of my favorite parts was Quinn’s new friendship with Nick Strout, a boy who lost his legs in an accident. Nick and Quinn find a connection and source of strength in each other. I really liked watching them slowly get to know each other with texts and talks. Anger and standoffish-ness soon melts and trust builds. There’s even a little flirting, which added a dose of sweetness into the mix. A sweetness that made me smile.
“I know this is weird, but I don’t feel like explaining it right now. Can you just roll with it?”
“Oh, I can roll with it. You’ve seen me roll.”
“Are you making a wheelchair joke?”
“Maybe.”
I encountered a few bumps along the way though—the main one being Quinn’s “get over it” speech. Quinn just met Nick. She knows nothing of what he’s been through in the past few months. She has no right telling Nick to get over his anger. As you can tell those words are a pet peeve of mine. But…. Phew…sorry for the rant there. I just needed to get that out. That said…I truly enjoyed meeting Quinn, her family, Nick, and more.
I read How We Roll a few weeks ago, but I can’t seem to get it out of my head. It’s a story filled with courage and caring. There is so much to love and talk about here. Subjects like prosthetics and AAT need to be talked about and written about for young readers. This book is definitely needed on YA shelves. It's perfect for young YA readers--the tough ages of 13-15.
Check it out from your local Library.
p.s. Look at that cover! How often do you see a wheelchair on a cover? I never do. THAT cover is needed on shelves too.
March 5, 2021
I usually don't post negative comments because I respect the writer and the effort one puts in it, but this... No. I HATE this book and i don't often use that word.
There is so much wrong with it.
I mean I don't know much about alopecia so I can't judge but i do know a lot about autism and wheelchairs. She failed on both sides. Badly.
It is so shocking to see what kind of toxic dump Natasha Friend throws in this book. She clearly doesn't have any first band experience and only asked one person.
Oh austistic children are weird let's throw the most ridiculous things in there, like eating thermos food solely on Thursdays and making it look like the nine year old child is a mentally impaired kid with the mental age of 2. He's not respect not accepted and this is so harmful to autistic people that need to deal with this crap.
And i haven't even started on the wheelchair rules. NEVER EVER TOUCH SOMEONES WHEELCHAIR! You violate their personal space and belittle them, also you can seriously injure wheelchair users.
There's so much j don't like about this book, but one thing she did right. The cover!
Oh wait... She probably didn't make it herself.
There is so much wrong with it.
I mean I don't know much about alopecia so I can't judge but i do know a lot about autism and wheelchairs. She failed on both sides. Badly.
It is so shocking to see what kind of toxic dump Natasha Friend throws in this book. She clearly doesn't have any first band experience and only asked one person.
Oh austistic children are weird let's throw the most ridiculous things in there, like eating thermos food solely on Thursdays and making it look like the nine year old child is a mentally impaired kid with the mental age of 2. He's not respect not accepted and this is so harmful to autistic people that need to deal with this crap.
And i haven't even started on the wheelchair rules. NEVER EVER TOUCH SOMEONES WHEELCHAIR! You violate their personal space and belittle them, also you can seriously injure wheelchair users.
There's so much j don't like about this book, but one thing she did right. The cover!
Oh wait... She probably didn't make it herself.
August 4, 2019
Oh yeah 💖✨
I was not ready for the amount of different heavy topics surrounding this wonderful narrative.
The writing is amazing, the scenes and tone so appropriate and well paced. There was one point where I thought it was about to go cliché and it didn't and wooow I'm such a fan of the way the author told us this story.
I'm going to google more of Natasha's books.
I really recommend this. Diverse, hard and serious but also light and funny, and absolutely and utterly beautiful!
I was not ready for the amount of different heavy topics surrounding this wonderful narrative.
The writing is amazing, the scenes and tone so appropriate and well paced. There was one point where I thought it was about to go cliché and it didn't and wooow I'm such a fan of the way the author told us this story.
I'm going to google more of Natasha's books.
I really recommend this. Diverse, hard and serious but also light and funny, and absolutely and utterly beautiful!
August 26, 2019
I've read several of Natasha Friend's novels, and enjoyed every one. This one I had not known about and found it by pure chance in my local library. It was a beautiful story of how two teens, each struggling with an astronomical "difference" that causes stares and shunning from peers, learn to trust each other.
Memorable Quotes:
(pg. 217)-" That's what you had to do for Julius. You had to spell it out for him. And then you had to spell it out for everyone else, so they would understand why you were spelling it out for Julius."
(pg. 43)-" Quinn's username was FuzzyWuzzy, as in "Fuzzy Wuzzy was a bear, Fuzzy Wuzzy had no hair, Fuzzy Wuzzy wasn't fuzzy, was he?" There was a certain amount of sick humor on alopeciasucks.com."
Definitely for mature Y.A. readers, because of some graphic sexual teenage situations and humor.
Memorable Quotes:
(pg. 217)-" That's what you had to do for Julius. You had to spell it out for him. And then you had to spell it out for everyone else, so they would understand why you were spelling it out for Julius."
(pg. 43)-" Quinn's username was FuzzyWuzzy, as in "Fuzzy Wuzzy was a bear, Fuzzy Wuzzy had no hair, Fuzzy Wuzzy wasn't fuzzy, was he?" There was a certain amount of sick humor on alopeciasucks.com."
Definitely for mature Y.A. readers, because of some graphic sexual teenage situations and humor.
April 24, 2018
HOW WE ROLL was a great story about friendship between two kids who have significant challenges. Quinn is just going into ninth grade in a new city. She thinks it will give her a chance to make a new start. After she was diagnosed with alopecia and lost all of her hair, she had a hard time at her old school. Her friends sort of dropped her and she was bullied by students who called her names and lied about her. Now she has two different human hair wigs and plans to keep her condition secret.
Nick was in snowmobile accident and lost both of his legs above the knee. He was a really good football player but now he is angry, mostly at his older brother Tommy who was drinking and driving the snowmobile. But he is also just mad at life.
Quinn also has a younger brother Julius who is on the autism spectrum. Their parents moved to the Boston area from Boulder because there is a special school there for Julius. Living with Julius with the massive amount of care he needs and the routines he follows to keep him from meltdowns makes Quinn feel like she can't share the things that are bothering her with her family because they are so focused on Julius.
Nick and Quinn gradually become friends because they are in the same study hall and they text a lot, but it isn't until she needs help rescuing her brother from the roof of their house that Nick and Tommy learn about Quinn's alopecia. Their acceptance of her gives her courage to tell her new friends who are also accepting.
I liked the way these two kids supported and encouraged each other. I also like that their friendship could grow into a romance when they get older. I also liked the Quinn's parents were able to convince her that her needs were as important as her brother's.
Nick was in snowmobile accident and lost both of his legs above the knee. He was a really good football player but now he is angry, mostly at his older brother Tommy who was drinking and driving the snowmobile. But he is also just mad at life.
Quinn also has a younger brother Julius who is on the autism spectrum. Their parents moved to the Boston area from Boulder because there is a special school there for Julius. Living with Julius with the massive amount of care he needs and the routines he follows to keep him from meltdowns makes Quinn feel like she can't share the things that are bothering her with her family because they are so focused on Julius.
Nick and Quinn gradually become friends because they are in the same study hall and they text a lot, but it isn't until she needs help rescuing her brother from the roof of their house that Nick and Tommy learn about Quinn's alopecia. Their acceptance of her gives her courage to tell her new friends who are also accepting.
I liked the way these two kids supported and encouraged each other. I also like that their friendship could grow into a romance when they get older. I also liked the Quinn's parents were able to convince her that her needs were as important as her brother's.
December 4, 2025
I burned through this book in an afternoon. I loved it-the characters, the storyline, the writing. I can't wait to get a copy for my library and start handing it off to kids. It is a great Middle Grade appropriate book about some very YA issues. I would say this is a definite first purchase for middle school libraries.
Quinn is actually a little relieved when her family up and moves across country from Boulder Colorado to Massachusetts. Her 8th grade year was a major suckfest (according to her) and she hopes that starting 9th grade someplace new will make all the difference. Well, not just starting someplace new, but starting somewhere where people don't already know her and finally feeling OK with using Guinevere. Her long, red-haired wig. Of course, she could also use Sasha, but she thinks that Guinevere is the better choice. This way no one has to know about her alopecia. And she won't have to worry about bothering her parents with her absurdly normal problems when they have more important things to deal with, like her brother Julius, who is on the spectrum. In fact, he's the real reason they moved-so they could send him to a better school. But Quinn isn't sure she likes not telling her new friends the truth about herself. Of if she even likes Guinevere all that much. And, she also doesn't want to screw things up with her new friends by being friends with one of their ex-boyfriends, even if that is all she is with Nick. The boy in the wheelchair. With no legs. He was in an accident earlier and nothing has been the same for him since. Quinn knows what that is like, but she doesn't really want to share too much about herself. Not yet, anyway. But, making friends and starting relationships requires trust. Something she has to figure out.
Again, highly recommend. This was a great story and it cements Friend as one of my "go-to" authors.
Quinn is actually a little relieved when her family up and moves across country from Boulder Colorado to Massachusetts. Her 8th grade year was a major suckfest (according to her) and she hopes that starting 9th grade someplace new will make all the difference. Well, not just starting someplace new, but starting somewhere where people don't already know her and finally feeling OK with using Guinevere. Her long, red-haired wig. Of course, she could also use Sasha, but she thinks that Guinevere is the better choice. This way no one has to know about her alopecia. And she won't have to worry about bothering her parents with her absurdly normal problems when they have more important things to deal with, like her brother Julius, who is on the spectrum. In fact, he's the real reason they moved-so they could send him to a better school. But Quinn isn't sure she likes not telling her new friends the truth about herself. Of if she even likes Guinevere all that much. And, she also doesn't want to screw things up with her new friends by being friends with one of their ex-boyfriends, even if that is all she is with Nick. The boy in the wheelchair. With no legs. He was in an accident earlier and nothing has been the same for him since. Quinn knows what that is like, but she doesn't really want to share too much about herself. Not yet, anyway. But, making friends and starting relationships requires trust. Something she has to figure out.
Again, highly recommend. This was a great story and it cements Friend as one of my "go-to" authors.
December 6, 2018
This book was showcased in my library on the "New Young Adult Books" section. I'm glad I did! This book was really good. I enjoyed that there is so much going on and so much to learn from the story.
I don't want to ruin the story for someone else, so I'm going to be very vague. There are situations that are unavoidable and some that are. There is a sibling with a challenge, and a new friend with a devastating accident. There are surprises when it comes to groups of friends and who a person can count on.
I especially loved how seeing someone else's struggles can make you re-evaluate how you handle your own. Sometimes all it takes is seeing how others are handling things to see that you might be going about things in the wrong way yourself.
I don't want to ruin the story for someone else, so I'm going to be very vague. There are situations that are unavoidable and some that are. There is a sibling with a challenge, and a new friend with a devastating accident. There are surprises when it comes to groups of friends and who a person can count on.
I especially loved how seeing someone else's struggles can make you re-evaluate how you handle your own. Sometimes all it takes is seeing how others are handling things to see that you might be going about things in the wrong way yourself.
October 25, 2022
This book is ableist and has harmful depictions of autism. Here are reviews that go into the problematic elements better than I can:
Lowa’s Goodreads Review (#OwnVoices Autistic Reviewer):
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Miriam’s Goodreads Review:
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Rowan’s Goodreads Review:
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Skye’s Goodreads Review:
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Stephanie’s Goodreads Review:
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Lowa’s Goodreads Review (#OwnVoices Autistic Reviewer):
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Miriam’s Goodreads Review:
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Rowan’s Goodreads Review:
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Skye’s Goodreads Review:
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Stephanie’s Goodreads Review:
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
July 27, 2021
To be honest, I found the disability rep in this book pretty harmful. Right from chapter one, the main character is constantly ableist towards her little brother, and it's never called out. I'm disappointed in this one.
June 10, 2020
I really enjoyed this book. It made me have a better perspective of my life and realize how lucky I am for all that I have and how healthy I am. I admired the development of the friendship between the main character Quinn and Nick. They had a lot to relate to so when they first met, their friendship was inevitable. In addition, the confidence that Quinn gained throughout the book was inspiring and made me think that if this girl who is faced with so many challenges is confident, I should be too. The only reason I didn’t give this book 5 stars is because it was slow moving at some points and there weren’t many surprises, but it was still a very inspiring and overall happy book. I would definitely recommend it.
June 2, 2018
Really, really well done. Quinn, who has alopecia, and her family move to a new town so that Quinn's younger brother Julius, who is autistic, can go to a better school. Quinn is mostly relieved to be in a town where no one knows she has alopecia, and she can wear a wig and fit right in. She befriends a group of popular girls at her new school, and a boy Nick, whose legs were amputated after a snowmobile accident caused by his brother Tommy. A former football star, Nick's still coming to terms with the changes to his life and with his resentment over his brother's role in the accident, and Quinn's too afraid of her own reputation to admit to him why she understands what he's going through so well. I love how thoughtful and intentional this novel is, and how much it subverts expectations and defies the usual tropes we find in young adult fiction.
First, I love how Friend treats her characters' disabilities / conditions. Friend is very honest about how autism, amputation and alopecia all impact not just the characters' lives but also their families. For example, each of Quinn's wigs costs $2,000, her mom is practically in daily meetings with Julius' therapy team, her dad keeps trying (and failing) to break Julius from routines, and Nick sleeps in the family den rather than his old bedroom. Moreover, I love how, even though Quinn is super comfortable about how to act around persons with disabilities, she still gets it wrong sometimes. But more importantly, her missteps don't make her freeze; rather, she deals with them. For example, she invites Nick to her house and it's only when he shows up in his wheelchair that she realizes her house is up a steep incline and accessible only by steps. Instead of immediately giving up on getting Nick into her house, she asks his permission to have her and her parents carry his chair up the steps. And later, when he visits on his prosthetic legs, she knows she has to resist the temptation to help him up the steps.
There's also a great scene where she sees him at an event in his wheelchair and is super curious about why he isn't wearing his prosthetics. She's literally about to ask him why when she realizes -- not that it's an inappropriate question, even though it is -- but that he maybe just felt like using his wheelchair that day, just like she feels like wearing a wig some days and not wearing a wig other days. I love that because so often the question of what is or isn't appropriate to ask a disabled person is framed as a series of do's and don't's that, quite frankly, can be intimidating and, worse, reductive. So I love that Friend shows how important simple thoughtfulness and empathy can be. It's not so much that you should never ask a double amputee why they're using their wheelchair, but that you should consider whether you want someone to ask you why you're, e.g. wearing your hair a certain way or wearing a particular item of clothing or whatever other visible decision you made that morning.
I also love Friend shows that Quinn's hesitation to let people know about her alopecia isn't innate but rather directly linked to how society responds to people with alopecia. There's a great moment where Quinn goes to a party and feels really cute because of the hat she's wearing, but then a total jerk makes her baldness the butt of a cruel joke. I think it's really important because again, so often book and movie characters are portrayed as being very self-conscious about their disability, and while those experiences are equally valid, I love that Friend puts the blame for this self-consciousness squarely on the shoulders of society, which is really where it belongs. I've heard that of all the barriers disabled people face, attitudinal barriers are the most difficult to deal with, and I think Friend really brings that point home. And I also love that Quinn can feel absolutely cute while bald, not because it's inspirational, but because it's realistic, given the disabled people I've met in real life. And again, this type of representation is so rarely seen in media.
Finally, I love that the whole mean girl / mean popular people is turned on its head. Quinn's friends at her new school are the popular crowd, and so often the It Girls are portrayed as bitchy and the indie / nerdy girls as the only nice ones. Here, there are no immediate villains (even the jerk who bullied Quinn at her old school was obviously ashamed of his behaviour when she confronted him later on, though he was too much of a jerk to apologize). I like that each time Quinn hesitantly reveals a bit more of herself to her new friends, they don't react the way she expects them to, and instead reveal their own experiences that are somewhat similar. For example, upon learning of Julius' autism, one of them reveals she has a sister with Down Syndrome. I also love that Nick's ex-girlfriend (who is one of Quinn's new friends) handles Quinn and Nick's friendship with such maturity. To be honest, I don't think I would have had that level of maturity at her age, and it's behaviour I aspire to even as an adult. So I really like that Friend deliberately steers away from stereotypes for all the characters.
+
Thank you to Raincoast Books for an advance reading copy in exchange for an honest review.
First, I love how Friend treats her characters' disabilities / conditions. Friend is very honest about how autism, amputation and alopecia all impact not just the characters' lives but also their families. For example, each of Quinn's wigs costs $2,000, her mom is practically in daily meetings with Julius' therapy team, her dad keeps trying (and failing) to break Julius from routines, and Nick sleeps in the family den rather than his old bedroom. Moreover, I love how, even though Quinn is super comfortable about how to act around persons with disabilities, she still gets it wrong sometimes. But more importantly, her missteps don't make her freeze; rather, she deals with them. For example, she invites Nick to her house and it's only when he shows up in his wheelchair that she realizes her house is up a steep incline and accessible only by steps. Instead of immediately giving up on getting Nick into her house, she asks his permission to have her and her parents carry his chair up the steps. And later, when he visits on his prosthetic legs, she knows she has to resist the temptation to help him up the steps.
There's also a great scene where she sees him at an event in his wheelchair and is super curious about why he isn't wearing his prosthetics. She's literally about to ask him why when she realizes -- not that it's an inappropriate question, even though it is -- but that he maybe just felt like using his wheelchair that day, just like she feels like wearing a wig some days and not wearing a wig other days. I love that because so often the question of what is or isn't appropriate to ask a disabled person is framed as a series of do's and don't's that, quite frankly, can be intimidating and, worse, reductive. So I love that Friend shows how important simple thoughtfulness and empathy can be. It's not so much that you should never ask a double amputee why they're using their wheelchair, but that you should consider whether you want someone to ask you why you're, e.g. wearing your hair a certain way or wearing a particular item of clothing or whatever other visible decision you made that morning.
I also love Friend shows that Quinn's hesitation to let people know about her alopecia isn't innate but rather directly linked to how society responds to people with alopecia. There's a great moment where Quinn goes to a party and feels really cute because of the hat she's wearing, but then a total jerk makes her baldness the butt of a cruel joke. I think it's really important because again, so often book and movie characters are portrayed as being very self-conscious about their disability, and while those experiences are equally valid, I love that Friend puts the blame for this self-consciousness squarely on the shoulders of society, which is really where it belongs. I've heard that of all the barriers disabled people face, attitudinal barriers are the most difficult to deal with, and I think Friend really brings that point home. And I also love that Quinn can feel absolutely cute while bald, not because it's inspirational, but because it's realistic, given the disabled people I've met in real life. And again, this type of representation is so rarely seen in media.
Finally, I love that the whole mean girl / mean popular people is turned on its head. Quinn's friends at her new school are the popular crowd, and so often the It Girls are portrayed as bitchy and the indie / nerdy girls as the only nice ones. Here, there are no immediate villains (even the jerk who bullied Quinn at her old school was obviously ashamed of his behaviour when she confronted him later on, though he was too much of a jerk to apologize). I like that each time Quinn hesitantly reveals a bit more of herself to her new friends, they don't react the way she expects them to, and instead reveal their own experiences that are somewhat similar. For example, upon learning of Julius' autism, one of them reveals she has a sister with Down Syndrome. I also love that Nick's ex-girlfriend (who is one of Quinn's new friends) handles Quinn and Nick's friendship with such maturity. To be honest, I don't think I would have had that level of maturity at her age, and it's behaviour I aspire to even as an adult. So I really like that Friend deliberately steers away from stereotypes for all the characters.
+
Thank you to Raincoast Books for an advance reading copy in exchange for an honest review.
January 7, 2019
This outstanding YA realistic fiction book deals with alopecia, autism, and a student who has lost both of his legs in an accident. How does a family member with special needs affect the dynamics of the family members? How does one go from being the star quarterback to a figure of pity? And how far does one go to keep her complete baldness a secret from her classmates? Heartwarming, educational, and highly recommended.
August 20, 2019
I love, love, love this one. The characters, even the minor ones, are well developed. Unfortunately because of a very small plot point, I don’t feel comfortable putting it in my library for 5th graders to read. Will pass this one on to junior high.
June 11, 2019
I whipped through this and really loved it.
Perfect for year 8, 9 & 10 readers of contemporary novels (only gentle romance), but lots about family and identity.
Perfect for year 8, 9 & 10 readers of contemporary novels (only gentle romance), but lots about family and identity.
June 25, 2018
4 Stars: This was very enjoyable!
Also...it kind of bothers me that the GR synopsis names the love interest as Jake while in the book his name is Nick...Now onto my actual review!
HOW WE ROLL was precisely what it was meant to be: inspiring. While Quinn and Nick were not dealing with typical high school issues, they both were incredibly brave and understandably frustrated with their life. I expected Quinn, who is on the younger side of YA as a high school freshman, to be immature, but her courage surprised me. Overall, Natasha Friend succeeds in representing many issues and being inclusive while not seeming like she is trying too hard. Every hurdle was believable and felt natural, which is not very easy to do as an author. Not only was the novel what I consider the perfect length for a contemporary novel at around 250 pages, but it was effortless to read and tough to put down.
Quinn and Nick were both imperfect but ultimately made an excellent pair. So many great characters continued to present themselves throughout. Quinn’s parents were a favorite, and her relationship with Julius, while a side plot, was super insightful. Every side plot offered more depth to the story and the characters. I always love when great parents are represented. I appreciated that even Nick’s relationships with his family presented a definite arc. I especially enjoyed Nick’s brother’s Tommy and the growth of their relationship. I found a few parts of HOW WE ROLL to stick out at me as the perfect additions. Quinn’s dad, while very random, always used Latin phrases in his conversations, and as a Latin student, I appreciated it greatly. Quinn also found the Massachusetts accents to be weird, and their discussions were written phonetically, warranting a laugh every few chapters.
I recommend HOW WE ROLL to avid readers of contemporary romance, as well as those who enjoy reading about diverse situations. Anyone looking for a quick, cute, and ultimately insightful read should pick up this book.
Also...it kind of bothers me that the GR synopsis names the love interest as Jake while in the book his name is Nick...Now onto my actual review!
HOW WE ROLL was precisely what it was meant to be: inspiring. While Quinn and Nick were not dealing with typical high school issues, they both were incredibly brave and understandably frustrated with their life. I expected Quinn, who is on the younger side of YA as a high school freshman, to be immature, but her courage surprised me. Overall, Natasha Friend succeeds in representing many issues and being inclusive while not seeming like she is trying too hard. Every hurdle was believable and felt natural, which is not very easy to do as an author. Not only was the novel what I consider the perfect length for a contemporary novel at around 250 pages, but it was effortless to read and tough to put down.
Quinn and Nick were both imperfect but ultimately made an excellent pair. So many great characters continued to present themselves throughout. Quinn’s parents were a favorite, and her relationship with Julius, while a side plot, was super insightful. Every side plot offered more depth to the story and the characters. I always love when great parents are represented. I appreciated that even Nick’s relationships with his family presented a definite arc. I especially enjoyed Nick’s brother’s Tommy and the growth of their relationship. I found a few parts of HOW WE ROLL to stick out at me as the perfect additions. Quinn’s dad, while very random, always used Latin phrases in his conversations, and as a Latin student, I appreciated it greatly. Quinn also found the Massachusetts accents to be weird, and their discussions were written phonetically, warranting a laugh every few chapters.
I recommend HOW WE ROLL to avid readers of contemporary romance, as well as those who enjoy reading about diverse situations. Anyone looking for a quick, cute, and ultimately insightful read should pick up this book.
did-not-finish
May 8, 2022I had my doubts about this book when I saw that the wheelchair on the cover was one of those that you get at a store. It's not fit properly to the person in the wheelchairs body at all, which will make it more uncomfortable and would not be the type they would give to someone who is going to be using it full time.
While that was just from the start, I noticed as soon as I started reading that this book had a very poor pitiful me type thing going for it when it came to all the characters. Listen I get it there teenagers, and every teenager feels like that occasionally and has anger about their abilities. But the fact that the brother (Julius) and Jake who is in a wheelchair are being made to feel like a burden by everyone is not okay. Not to mention the fact that apparently, Quinn is oh so special and self-assured, yet can't seem to read a room when she is around her peers. Like come on Quinn I get it you have Alopecia and are now wearing wigs, but really you didn't test it out before the first day of high school? That doesn't make any sense and would not be how someone who has any type of disability would be doing things. Everything is planned ahead of time to make sure it goes well and that no reactions happen. It's just not believable and because of that I could not finish this book or recommend it to anyone.
As a person who does use a wheelchair, and who has been disabled my entire life, this type of representation is terrible. I am so disappointed that it was hyped up by so many people. While the author's intentions might have been good ones, she did not do enough when it came to having people who are disabled read it beforehand.
While that was just from the start, I noticed as soon as I started reading that this book had a very poor pitiful me type thing going for it when it came to all the characters. Listen I get it there teenagers, and every teenager feels like that occasionally and has anger about their abilities. But the fact that the brother (Julius) and Jake who is in a wheelchair are being made to feel like a burden by everyone is not okay. Not to mention the fact that apparently, Quinn is oh so special and self-assured, yet can't seem to read a room when she is around her peers. Like come on Quinn I get it you have Alopecia and are now wearing wigs, but really you didn't test it out before the first day of high school? That doesn't make any sense and would not be how someone who has any type of disability would be doing things. Everything is planned ahead of time to make sure it goes well and that no reactions happen. It's just not believable and because of that I could not finish this book or recommend it to anyone.
As a person who does use a wheelchair, and who has been disabled my entire life, this type of representation is terrible. I am so disappointed that it was hyped up by so many people. While the author's intentions might have been good ones, she did not do enough when it came to having people who are disabled read it beforehand.
July 28, 2018
To be hella honest lo agarré súper desconfiada porque pensé que podía ser un nuevo Bajo la misma estrella wannabe (vieron que salieron muchos libros con adolescentes que sufren alguna enfermedad después del boom, no? Bueno, pensé que era uno más). Sin embargo, me encontré con dos personas que se quieren superar a sí mismas teniendo un nuevo comienzo: ella cambiándose de escuela y él en silla de ruedas, habiendo sido un jugador estrella de fútbol americano.
Es dulce, respetuoso y bastante real, al menos para alguien que no sufre de nada de lo que ellos sí. No sé, no es de los mejores libros del año pero sí una súper lectura, aunque light, para llenarte el corazoncito de calor.
Es dulce, respetuoso y bastante real, al menos para alguien que no sufre de nada de lo que ellos sí. No sé, no es de los mejores libros del año pero sí una súper lectura, aunque light, para llenarte el corazoncito de calor.
April 5, 2018
I loved this book. I could relate since I've had Trichotillomania since I was 13. Although not the same as Alopecia I did wear a wig to school and got teased and my wig ripped off and tossed around. I hope this book does really well.
January 21, 2022
To see more reviews check out MI Book Reviews.
I got an ARC of this book.
I was all about this book. Do you see that cover? YES! I was all excited for characters with varying degrees of mobility. I was all excited for my first character with alopecia. The book didn’t quite deliver on what the description said, which is shocking that I noticed since I actually read a description fully this time.
The main plots of the book can be broken down into four plots:
Quinn dealing with her alopecia/her past.
Nick dealing with his accident (and his brother for causing it)
Quin and Nick’s potential romance
Julius being a nine year old with autism.
So the back of the cover talks about 1-3. However the main plot just always felt like it was 4. There was so much focus on Julius that all the other drama felt secondary. Nick dealing with his brother causing the accident (which was why this mentioned in the small description, took away an emotional punch) happened around an incident with Julius trying to set a world record. Quinn dealing with her past, again revolves around Julius since her mother is so wrapped up in trying to keep Julius calm that Quinn doesn’t feel like her issues matter. Quinn is also incredibly embarrassed by her brother, so that impacts how she can interact with Nick, she only lets Nick know about Julius because she was hiding her hair loss.
So while I wanted to love this book, I only liked it. It was fun. It was sweet. There was sexual assault and sexual harassment talked about frankly. Quinn handled it on her own and wasn’t emotionally traumatized by it. Instead it read as a way for people to see a range of responses to sexual trauma. Quinn’s mother ad father were beyond upset and she was like “it happened. Move on”. It allowed for people who aren’t traumatized to see themselves in a character. It allows people to see that sexual assault and harassment can exist in many forms and seventies. The main downside to this book was the romance. Nick and Quinn’s romance was very mild and very blah. There was nothing that sold the relationship to me. It happened, without effort. It happened in a weird way. I just couldn’t buy into it. If Quinn and Nick were just friends in the end, then I wouldn’t feel as let down by the book. It would have gotten extra points for focusing on friendship. I would have loved to see Nick get back with his ex. I wanted him to make amends and I wanted her to realize that Nick was coming to terms with everything. It would have been a more fulfilling ending for me.
I got an ARC of this book.
I was all about this book. Do you see that cover? YES! I was all excited for characters with varying degrees of mobility. I was all excited for my first character with alopecia. The book didn’t quite deliver on what the description said, which is shocking that I noticed since I actually read a description fully this time.
The main plots of the book can be broken down into four plots:
Quinn dealing with her alopecia/her past.
Nick dealing with his accident (and his brother for causing it)
Quin and Nick’s potential romance
Julius being a nine year old with autism.
So the back of the cover talks about 1-3. However the main plot just always felt like it was 4. There was so much focus on Julius that all the other drama felt secondary. Nick dealing with his brother causing the accident (which was why this mentioned in the small description, took away an emotional punch) happened around an incident with Julius trying to set a world record. Quinn dealing with her past, again revolves around Julius since her mother is so wrapped up in trying to keep Julius calm that Quinn doesn’t feel like her issues matter. Quinn is also incredibly embarrassed by her brother, so that impacts how she can interact with Nick, she only lets Nick know about Julius because she was hiding her hair loss.
So while I wanted to love this book, I only liked it. It was fun. It was sweet. There was sexual assault and sexual harassment talked about frankly. Quinn handled it on her own and wasn’t emotionally traumatized by it. Instead it read as a way for people to see a range of responses to sexual trauma. Quinn’s mother ad father were beyond upset and she was like “it happened. Move on”. It allowed for people who aren’t traumatized to see themselves in a character. It allows people to see that sexual assault and harassment can exist in many forms and seventies. The main downside to this book was the romance. Nick and Quinn’s romance was very mild and very blah. There was nothing that sold the relationship to me. It happened, without effort. It happened in a weird way. I just couldn’t buy into it. If Quinn and Nick were just friends in the end, then I wouldn’t feel as let down by the book. It would have gotten extra points for focusing on friendship. I would have loved to see Nick get back with his ex. I wanted him to make amends and I wanted her to realize that Nick was coming to terms with everything. It would have been a more fulfilling ending for me.
June 12, 2018
I'll always read Natasha Friend's books because 'Perfect' holds a special place in my heart. I was gifted it for Christmas in 7th grade, and it was the book that got me back into reading. I remember finishing it in a few hours, how easily it read and how important the topics were. The same goes for 'How We Roll'. However, now I'm able to see the simplicity of the writing and the drawbacks to the books not being fleshed out more.
There is a lot to love about this book. Quinn is a good character who isn't full of drama. In fact, she had so much happen to her that I'm shocked she wasn't affected more. I would have liked to see more of her emotions, of what she is really feeling. She often seemed to brush everything off without ever dealing with the things that would happen to her. I understand her trying to be strong, but it would have been (in my opinion) realistic to see her break down, get angry, or realize that some of the things that happened to her (the sexual assault) are NOT okay in any shape and form. It would have shown growth in her character and had her seem more like a real person. I just wanted more depth.
Speaking of depth, Nick could have benefitted from that as well. We do see him change from a very angry teen to someone at least trying to get on with his life again. But he's honestly not in the book much at all, which was a disappointment to me. I understand the book is mostly about Quinn, but I needed to see more of Nick and get to know him to truly believe his friendship with Quinn. Where it stands now, he seems like a very bland character. Most problems he dealt with were only quickly discussed and 'resolved' and I never felt any kind of emotional attachment.
Nick's brother Tommy also seemed interesting, as well as Quinn's friends. But they also got glossed over. It is rare for me to really like every character in a book and I honestly enjoyed all of the main and supporting characters. I just wish I would have been able to get to know them better because it felt like there was much more story to be told.
Honestly, with how short the book was, there was only so much that could fit. So for the length, it was a really good book. However, if another 100 pages would have been added, I feel like it could have been so much more and the issues I had above would have been resolved.
Even though I had these issues, there was a lot more to like than dislike. Quinn befriends three girls who she originally thinks she "knows exactly what kind of girls they are" just because they like to gossip and wear lip gloss and skirts. However, she still gives them a chance and they end up being really nice girls. I loved this, because most of the time in YA, the pretty girly girls are always the 'mean girls'. It was so refreshing to see this not happen, and for someone like Quinn who is more of a tomboy to befriend them. It shows that people don't have to have similar personalities or like the same things in order to be friends. There was a moment where it seemed one of the girls, Ivy, was going to turn out to be a backstabber or mean girl and I was never more happy when this was proved wrong. I love how Ivy's jealousy was handled. Again, it's so so refreshing.
Nick's brother Tommy was a nice surprise too. He was popular and a football player but not a jerk at all. Quinn thought he was cute but didn't jump all over him and fall in instalove. Actually, instalove was absent from this book entirely. I loved seeing guys and girls being friends. I loved how Quinn and Nick didn't even get together during the book. It was such a nice change of pace.
Now, this book does read pretty young. It's understandable because Quinn is only 14. But then at times, she seems much more mature for her age. I find this realistic though. I know when I was a teenager, there were times when I would behave more like a kid and other times more like an adult. It's a confusing time. I did have an issue with the text and chat speak, however. Natasha Friend was writing it as if kids still text like they did on flip phones. Quinn used both her smart phone and computer, but still always typed things like 'u' 'r' (this was done to save time on flip phones but you really don't see people doing this anymore, especially when autocorrect would fix it anyway) and confusingly 'w/o' (which is much harder to type on a smart phone than actually spelling it out). Now I'm a Millennial, not a Gen Z kid like Quinn and her friends, but I'm online all the time, I grew up always chatting away and I still do. I've seen how text and chat speak has developed and kids these days aren't typing like that, in fact I see older people typing like that way more often than teenagers. I felt like I was back in 2004 with the text speak I was reading in this book. Now, people are actually extending their words for dramatic effect instead of shortening them. I feel like this could have used a little more research. It's not a huge problem, it just bothered me with how unrealistic their talk was and how it seemed to go to far to sound like teenagers chatting when it actually missed the mark.
I'd like to finish with pointing out that Quinn's parents were AMAZING characters. There was no absent parent syndrome here. They weren't perfect and made mistakes but they absolutely loved their daughter and were there for her. The was they handled Quinn's autistic brother Julius was great as well. Quinn also didn't resent her parents. She got annoyed with them, sure, but she supported them and understood the sacrifices they were making as well. It was amazing to see a good father/mother/daughter relationship in YA.
This book doesn't get as deep as I'd like it to be, but it's a quick read (read it in about 3 hours) that I feel is well worth the time.
There is a lot to love about this book. Quinn is a good character who isn't full of drama. In fact, she had so much happen to her that I'm shocked she wasn't affected more. I would have liked to see more of her emotions, of what she is really feeling. She often seemed to brush everything off without ever dealing with the things that would happen to her. I understand her trying to be strong, but it would have been (in my opinion) realistic to see her break down, get angry, or realize that some of the things that happened to her (the sexual assault) are NOT okay in any shape and form. It would have shown growth in her character and had her seem more like a real person. I just wanted more depth.
Speaking of depth, Nick could have benefitted from that as well. We do see him change from a very angry teen to someone at least trying to get on with his life again. But he's honestly not in the book much at all, which was a disappointment to me. I understand the book is mostly about Quinn, but I needed to see more of Nick and get to know him to truly believe his friendship with Quinn. Where it stands now, he seems like a very bland character. Most problems he dealt with were only quickly discussed and 'resolved' and I never felt any kind of emotional attachment.
Nick's brother Tommy also seemed interesting, as well as Quinn's friends. But they also got glossed over. It is rare for me to really like every character in a book and I honestly enjoyed all of the main and supporting characters. I just wish I would have been able to get to know them better because it felt like there was much more story to be told.
Honestly, with how short the book was, there was only so much that could fit. So for the length, it was a really good book. However, if another 100 pages would have been added, I feel like it could have been so much more and the issues I had above would have been resolved.
Even though I had these issues, there was a lot more to like than dislike. Quinn befriends three girls who she originally thinks she "knows exactly what kind of girls they are" just because they like to gossip and wear lip gloss and skirts. However, she still gives them a chance and they end up being really nice girls. I loved this, because most of the time in YA, the pretty girly girls are always the 'mean girls'. It was so refreshing to see this not happen, and for someone like Quinn who is more of a tomboy to befriend them. It shows that people don't have to have similar personalities or like the same things in order to be friends. There was a moment where it seemed one of the girls, Ivy, was going to turn out to be a backstabber or mean girl and I was never more happy when this was proved wrong. I love how Ivy's jealousy was handled. Again, it's so so refreshing.
Nick's brother Tommy was a nice surprise too. He was popular and a football player but not a jerk at all. Quinn thought he was cute but didn't jump all over him and fall in instalove. Actually, instalove was absent from this book entirely. I loved seeing guys and girls being friends. I loved how Quinn and Nick didn't even get together during the book. It was such a nice change of pace.
Now, this book does read pretty young. It's understandable because Quinn is only 14. But then at times, she seems much more mature for her age. I find this realistic though. I know when I was a teenager, there were times when I would behave more like a kid and other times more like an adult. It's a confusing time. I did have an issue with the text and chat speak, however. Natasha Friend was writing it as if kids still text like they did on flip phones. Quinn used both her smart phone and computer, but still always typed things like 'u' 'r' (this was done to save time on flip phones but you really don't see people doing this anymore, especially when autocorrect would fix it anyway) and confusingly 'w/o' (which is much harder to type on a smart phone than actually spelling it out). Now I'm a Millennial, not a Gen Z kid like Quinn and her friends, but I'm online all the time, I grew up always chatting away and I still do. I've seen how text and chat speak has developed and kids these days aren't typing like that, in fact I see older people typing like that way more often than teenagers. I felt like I was back in 2004 with the text speak I was reading in this book. Now, people are actually extending their words for dramatic effect instead of shortening them. I feel like this could have used a little more research. It's not a huge problem, it just bothered me with how unrealistic their talk was and how it seemed to go to far to sound like teenagers chatting when it actually missed the mark.
I'd like to finish with pointing out that Quinn's parents were AMAZING characters. There was no absent parent syndrome here. They weren't perfect and made mistakes but they absolutely loved their daughter and were there for her. The was they handled Quinn's autistic brother Julius was great as well. Quinn also didn't resent her parents. She got annoyed with them, sure, but she supported them and understood the sacrifices they were making as well. It was amazing to see a good father/mother/daughter relationship in YA.
This book doesn't get as deep as I'd like it to be, but it's a quick read (read it in about 3 hours) that I feel is well worth the time.
August 9, 2019
This review was originally posted on The Moonlight Library
How We Roll was a sweet, short little book I read in a few hours in the early hours of the morning one night when I couldn't sleep.
It tells a story of self-acceptance from the point of view of a teen girl with alopecia, and her unlikely but endearing and bumpy friendship with a boy at her school who lost his legs in an accident and uses a wheelchair and prosthetic legs. (Also his name is Nick but for some reason the blurbs for this book keep saying Jake!)
Similar to my being drawn to Abbie Emmon's 100 Days of Sunlight, I wanted to read this book for purely personal reasons. My husband is disabled and a part-time (ambulant) wheelchair user, and I'm interested in how authors, especially in YA (my true love), approach disability - especially when wheelchairs are involved, since they're the universal symbol of disability.
In comparison, How We Roll wasn’t as deep as 100 Days of Sunlight, and I feel that telling it in third person limited point of view limited the emotional impact on the reader. I think getting Quinn's point of view would have been stronger and more intense, especially with her brave, unconventional (but probably secretly not so uncommon) somewhat resentful feelings towards her younger brother, who has autism, and is the reason her family moves to another state. We don't see the story from anyone else's point of view. I think having a deeper introspection into Quinn's thoughts, motivations, and deepest secrets would have given this novel, especially its climax, a deeper emotional impact.
I really liked how Quinn had numerous hobbies that helped round her into a three-dimensional character. She loved basketball and skateboarding, and was good at both, and both played a part in her characterisation. I like how she was a genuinely nice person cautious of making faux pas towards probably the first physically disabled person she's met. I even appreciated how Nick was so angry all the time, which meant that I thought he was an asshole and had to do some work redeeming himself.
The focus on this book was much less on romance, but on a developing friendship between a boy and a girl. The two main relationships Quinn had were divided equally between her difficult brother and her new friendship with Nick. Even though the romance was hinted at, I kind of wish that it had gone all one way or all the other. Instead of leaving me guessing and little unfulfilled at the end (and even a bit uncaring), maybe some more pages could have been added to explore this friendship maybe perhaps tentatively turning into a romance if that's how you want to interpret it. I mean, I like juice, too.
I really loved the way Friend phonetically spelt out some of the speech of the Boston characters. I LOVE the Boston accent, and it's not an easy one to imitate, but it sure is fun to listen to, and I felt really immersed reading about characters saying 'powah' and 'ovah' and stuff like that. It was fun, but also kept reminding us the reader how much of an outsider Quinn was. I was a little disappointed that Nicky didn't have the Boston accent, too!
Overall I did enjoy reading this book, but I feel like it could have expanded a bit more on the romance side and actually committed to saying something about that, or else making it completely platonic (which I also would have been OK with!), and not just dropping a couple of hints and then ending before anyone committed to anything.
How We Roll was a sweet, short little book I read in a few hours in the early hours of the morning one night when I couldn't sleep.
It tells a story of self-acceptance from the point of view of a teen girl with alopecia, and her unlikely but endearing and bumpy friendship with a boy at her school who lost his legs in an accident and uses a wheelchair and prosthetic legs. (Also his name is Nick but for some reason the blurbs for this book keep saying Jake!)
Similar to my being drawn to Abbie Emmon's 100 Days of Sunlight, I wanted to read this book for purely personal reasons. My husband is disabled and a part-time (ambulant) wheelchair user, and I'm interested in how authors, especially in YA (my true love), approach disability - especially when wheelchairs are involved, since they're the universal symbol of disability.
In comparison, How We Roll wasn’t as deep as 100 Days of Sunlight, and I feel that telling it in third person limited point of view limited the emotional impact on the reader. I think getting Quinn's point of view would have been stronger and more intense, especially with her brave, unconventional (but probably secretly not so uncommon) somewhat resentful feelings towards her younger brother, who has autism, and is the reason her family moves to another state. We don't see the story from anyone else's point of view. I think having a deeper introspection into Quinn's thoughts, motivations, and deepest secrets would have given this novel, especially its climax, a deeper emotional impact.
I really liked how Quinn had numerous hobbies that helped round her into a three-dimensional character. She loved basketball and skateboarding, and was good at both, and both played a part in her characterisation. I like how she was a genuinely nice person cautious of making faux pas towards probably the first physically disabled person she's met. I even appreciated how Nick was so angry all the time, which meant that I thought he was an asshole and had to do some work redeeming himself.
The focus on this book was much less on romance, but on a developing friendship between a boy and a girl. The two main relationships Quinn had were divided equally between her difficult brother and her new friendship with Nick. Even though the romance was hinted at, I kind of wish that it had gone all one way or all the other. Instead of leaving me guessing and little unfulfilled at the end (and even a bit uncaring), maybe some more pages could have been added to explore this friendship maybe perhaps tentatively turning into a romance if that's how you want to interpret it. I mean, I like juice, too.
I really loved the way Friend phonetically spelt out some of the speech of the Boston characters. I LOVE the Boston accent, and it's not an easy one to imitate, but it sure is fun to listen to, and I felt really immersed reading about characters saying 'powah' and 'ovah' and stuff like that. It was fun, but also kept reminding us the reader how much of an outsider Quinn was. I was a little disappointed that Nicky didn't have the Boston accent, too!
Overall I did enjoy reading this book, but I feel like it could have expanded a bit more on the romance side and actually committed to saying something about that, or else making it completely platonic (which I also would have been OK with!), and not just dropping a couple of hints and then ending before anyone committed to anything.
May 25, 2025
I think this is a 3.75/5
It's been a while since I picked up a piece of young adult or juvenile fiction, and while I usually steer clear of the genre, How We Roll caught my eye for a personal reason—it features a protagonist living with alopecia areata. As someone who also has this autoimmune disorder, I found myself empathizing deeply with Quinn's experience.
The book has all the familiar hallmarks of a coming-of-age teen novel. It transported me back to a simpler time—almost like watching something off the Disney Channel—while also grounding the story in the modern teenage world of Instagram, DMs, and navigating identity in an online age. That juxtaposition was unexpectedly insightful, showing me what it's like to be a teen today while reflecting on my own past.
While How We Roll didn’t leave a lasting emotional impact, I appreciated its subtle treatment of alopecia. The condition doesn’t take center stage, and that, in itself, is a powerful message: alopecia is a part of life, not the whole of it. Quinn’s journey isn’t solely about her hair loss, but about finding connection and acceptance, particularly through her bond with the other lead character. I liked that they both find solace in embracing their new realities. It's a quiet but meaningful win for representation, especially for young adults navigating similar experiences.
That said, I did dock some mental points for the book’s attempt to address alopecia, autism, and physical impairment all within the same storyline. While inclusivity is vital, trying to explore so many complex issues in one short novel can veer into “edgy misery” territory, where heavy themes start to compete rather than complement. I also noticed that some other reviews have criticized the portrayal of autism and physical disability—representation is important, but accuracy and depth matter just as much.
It's been a while since I picked up a piece of young adult or juvenile fiction, and while I usually steer clear of the genre, How We Roll caught my eye for a personal reason—it features a protagonist living with alopecia areata. As someone who also has this autoimmune disorder, I found myself empathizing deeply with Quinn's experience.
The book has all the familiar hallmarks of a coming-of-age teen novel. It transported me back to a simpler time—almost like watching something off the Disney Channel—while also grounding the story in the modern teenage world of Instagram, DMs, and navigating identity in an online age. That juxtaposition was unexpectedly insightful, showing me what it's like to be a teen today while reflecting on my own past.
While How We Roll didn’t leave a lasting emotional impact, I appreciated its subtle treatment of alopecia. The condition doesn’t take center stage, and that, in itself, is a powerful message: alopecia is a part of life, not the whole of it. Quinn’s journey isn’t solely about her hair loss, but about finding connection and acceptance, particularly through her bond with the other lead character. I liked that they both find solace in embracing their new realities. It's a quiet but meaningful win for representation, especially for young adults navigating similar experiences.
That said, I did dock some mental points for the book’s attempt to address alopecia, autism, and physical impairment all within the same storyline. While inclusivity is vital, trying to explore so many complex issues in one short novel can veer into “edgy misery” territory, where heavy themes start to compete rather than complement. I also noticed that some other reviews have criticized the portrayal of autism and physical disability—representation is important, but accuracy and depth matter just as much.
June 16, 2019
Before alopecia took Quinn’s hair, her biggest problem was hiding her autistic brother’s disruptive behaviors from her friends. Now her friends are moving on without her. She’s not upset to move cross country to Massachusetts, where no one knows she’s bald. Armed with a $2000 new and very uncomfortable wig, Quinn is ready for a fresh start. She meets news friends and Nick, a boy who recently lost his legs and found a bad attitude. Her new friends aren’t perfect, but neither is she. They have something her former friends don’t, empathy.
HOW WE ROLL is one of my favorite Natasha Friend books. Quinn has dealt with more than most fourteen year olds and comes by her wariness of new people who don’t pronounce their Rs with good reason. She’s not so tough she pushes people away, a trope with I truly dislike. Even the minor characters have complexities. While her friends have some teenage superficialities, they also have depth. One bemoans that Nick was no longer fun after his legs were amputated, yet also has empathy for special needs siblings.
Perfect for older middle grade and younger YA readers, HOW WE ROLL will appeal to girls who like realistic fiction.
HOW WE ROLL is one of my favorite Natasha Friend books. Quinn has dealt with more than most fourteen year olds and comes by her wariness of new people who don’t pronounce their Rs with good reason. She’s not so tough she pushes people away, a trope with I truly dislike. Even the minor characters have complexities. While her friends have some teenage superficialities, they also have depth. One bemoans that Nick was no longer fun after his legs were amputated, yet also has empathy for special needs siblings.
Perfect for older middle grade and younger YA readers, HOW WE ROLL will appeal to girls who like realistic fiction.
July 2, 2019
We have long been fans of Natasha Friend’s writing. This is a heart-warming story about new beginnings, reinventing yourself and starting over. Quinn and her family have moved to Massachusetts so that her brother Julius can attend a special school that will cater to his particular needs. It’s also a much needed fresh start for Quinn who has experienced a terrible year of bullying and isolation in year 8. Quinn has alopecia and while she has a strong support network in her online community and family she feels unsupported by her friends. At her new school, armed with two new wigs, it is time to reinvent herself. There she meets Nick, a prickly angry boy who is coming to terms with the loss of his legs following a snowmobile accident and also learning to renegotiate his friendships. What is appealing about this book is that it isn’t really a story about romance, although there are hints that it may develop into that, but it is a story of friendship and trust. It is also a story about difference, kindness and acceptance.
Suitable for 13+ - reference to an incident involving sexual teasing, harassment and bullying, differently abled characters, alopecia, autism
Suitable for 13+ - reference to an incident involving sexual teasing, harassment and bullying, differently abled characters, alopecia, autism
August 26, 2018
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5 for this sweet #mglit friendship/romance between a girl with #alopecia and a boy a double leg amputation. .
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We are big @natashafriendauthor fans in our library—PERFECT and LUSH in particular are always going in and out, mostly on peer to peer recommendations. Her books are highly readable, conversations are believable and the story just flows. HOW WE ROLL is no exception. I read this in a day and know I will be able to sell it easily to kids. Don’t miss this great #mirrorsandwindows book on disability. Recommended for grades 7+.
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#bookstagram #book #reading #bibliophile #bookworm #bookaholic #booknerd #bookgram #librarian #librariansfollowlibrarians #librariansofinstagram #booklove #booktography #bookstagramfeature #bookish #bookaddict #booknerdigans #booknerd #ilovereading #instabook #futurereadylibs #ISTElibs #TLChat #mgbooks
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We are big @natashafriendauthor fans in our library—PERFECT and LUSH in particular are always going in and out, mostly on peer to peer recommendations. Her books are highly readable, conversations are believable and the story just flows. HOW WE ROLL is no exception. I read this in a day and know I will be able to sell it easily to kids. Don’t miss this great #mirrorsandwindows book on disability. Recommended for grades 7+.
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#bookstagram #book #reading #bibliophile #bookworm #bookaholic #booknerd #bookgram #librarian #librariansfollowlibrarians #librariansofinstagram #booklove #booktography #bookstagramfeature #bookish #bookaddict #booknerdigans #booknerd #ilovereading #instabook #futurereadylibs #ISTElibs #TLChat #mgbooks
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