Ride or Die

by Gail-Agnes Musikavanhu

This adrenaline-packed joyride of a debut is an ode to Gen Z and teens who love chaos—perfect for fans of Grace D. Li, Ebony Ladelle, and Baby Driver.

Best friends Loli Crawford and Ryan Pope have earned their nickname, the “Bonnie and Clyde of Woolridge High.” From illegal snack swapping in kindergarten to reckless car surfing in high school, they have been causing trouble in their uptight California town forever. Everyone knows that the mischief starts with Loli. When it comes to chasing thrills, drama, and adventure, no one is on her level.

At least until Loli throws the wildest party Woolridge High has ever seen just to steal a necklace and meets X, a strange, unidentified boy in a coat closet, who challenges her to a game she can’t refuse—one that promises to put her love of danger to the ultimate test.

Loli and X begin an anonymous correspondence, exchanging increasingly risky missions. Loli’s fun has always been free and easy, but things spin out of control as she attempts to one-up X’s every move. As Loli risks losing everything—including her oldest friend—she’ll face the most dangerous thing of all: falling for someone she shouldn’t.

Genres: Young Adult, Mystery, Contemporary, Romance, Thriller, Mystery Thriller, Fiction

384 pages, Hardcover

First published June 6, 2023

Reviews

[Faridah Àbíké-Íyímídé]

A whip-smart, fun, and twisty mystery with the most loveable protagonist at its center. Reminiscent of the much-loved high school cult classic films of the '90s and early 2000s, Ride or Die is pure magic with a dash of mayhem. Gail-Agnes has managed to craft the story of my dreams.

[Jovana (NovelOnMyMind) · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was beginning to realize that the person behind the mystery was far more intriguing than I could have expected. He was also unpredictable. Unknowable.

This was actually pretty cool. Interesting idea - a mishmash of genres that just works. There’s a bit of ya thriller, romance and coming of age. I loved how every chapter was song-themed, and secret pen pals has always been one of my favorite tropes.

However, I’m not quite sure what to think of that ending. Everything wrapped up a bit too cleanly for my taste. Not what I expected considering the rest of the story. Also, there were several small things throughout the book I didn’t like.

Still, it was a fun read. Unique and exciting.

A huge thank you to Soho Press for providing me with an ARC of Ride or Die by Gail-Agnes Musikavanhu in exchange for an honest review.

[kimberly ☆ · Rating 4 out of 5]

this book? this book is a wild ride, filled with clichés that you want to happen, but may or may not happen, living on the wild side, angst, and lots and lots of music! i absolutely loved this book, i loved the main character even though I could recognize some of her flaws early on, i feel like she learned from it, and her relationship with her friends, as well as the mysterious man, were all very easy to follow, and i honestly love the development of the storyline, i had a lot of fun reading this book and i think that anyone who picks it up will too!

4.5 stars

[•.~*Izzy*~.• · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5⭐️ i would say i enjoyed most of it, i loved the older 90’s-ish vibes and i really really enjoyed ryan and loli’s friendship. it dtarted off pretty good and then part way through it really dropped and just felt a lot less interesting and really made it hard to push through the book, but im glad i did nonetheless.

[Monte Price · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was fully prepared to make this my new favorite book... Again, I'm writing this review a long after finishing, but I think that's probably to this book's benefit.

As a summer release, I think this is a fun time. Kids that are out of school looking for something that will be highly engaging will definitely find that with this book. They'll likely have a better than than I did...

While the setup was good, getting these two characters together and getting them to agree to these missions was initially fun that lost it's luster for me pretty quickly. The narrative started to feel a little one sided, where the reader saw one character struggling to accomplish things that the other side was able to do off screen and with very little fanfare. It's the kind of narrative that might work cinematically, but here I was left to question if it was working as a novel.

I suppose that some of that works this had been compared to should have led me to understand that there would be an element of thw ork that was a little unserious, I don't think I was as prepared for that as I could have been. In the end it amounted to a book that I thought was okay, but not the new favorite that I had been expecting.

[Eden · Rating 1 out of 5]

The first 50% of this book was strong. We had a main character who didn't care what anyone else thought. We had a mystery and clues. I was intrigued. Where this book lost me was that the main character wasn't LIKABLE and I didn't know who I was supposed to be rooting for her to be with: the mystery guy or her best friend? I was getting mixed signals from the author and I don't think it was plotted out well. The "twists" were laughable and the ending was wild in a dumb way. This was truly a waste of my time.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for an e-arc in exchange for my honest review.

[Chelsea · Rating 3 out of 5]

Though I had some issues with it, I really liked this book until a little over half-way through. The main character was selfish and her friends deserved better. I didn't like the reveal of X, but I stopped liking that character, so I guess it's a good thing it wasn't who I wanted it to be. The plot got a little too ridiculous for me the closer it got to the end.

[Bas ☆ · Rating 2 out of 5]

honestly what????
i wanted to give it 3 stars but that ending?? yeah....never mind

[Gemini · Rating 3 out of 5]

Disappointing

I really wanted to love this story, but it just didn’t work for me. Loli wasn’t likable at all. The dynamic of her being the only Black girl dealing with a circle of rich white boys turned me off. I saw potential in the plot to go through a bunch of risky missions with a mystery boy. The suspense of finding out his identity and their next mission kept my attention. The journey to get there left me feeling like this just wasn’t believable. The dialogue didn’t feel authentic. The dynamic between Ryan and Loli came off as more weird than cute.

SPOILER ALERT: this paragraph will contain spoilers. I don’t usually include spoilers, but I can’t let this slide. At one point Loli sinks Ryan’s car into a lake. Her parents scold her and then buy a brand new Mustang to replace his car. C’mon son! I thought the story was going to redeem itself towards the end. Then there was a ridiculous sequence of Loli and Ryan jumping from a moving train (that they had to sneak onto) into a dam. They swam to the shore (in their prom attire) and one of their friends happened to be waiting for them in Ryan’s new Mustang. From there, they went to get chicken tenders and fries in their sopping wet prom clothes. Then they lived happily ever after. Ugh! I was so disappointed in that whole scene.

I found myself rolling my eyes way too many times trying to get through this book. I gave it a generous three star rating. Thank you to NetGalley, Soho Press, and Gail-Agnes Musikavanhu for this advanced copy to review. #RideorDie #NetGalley

[Signed, Iza · Rating 2 out of 5]

"I was beginning to realize that the person behind the mystery was far more intriguing than I could have expected. He was also unpredictable. Unknowable."

That was my favorite part of RideOrDie. The entire mystery, missions, puzzles, clues, and communication style. It was an exciting adventure. I initially thought the reveal of X would be who I thought it would be, but it wasn't, so that was good on how unpredictable it was, and I later didn't like his character. Loli was an unlikeable character to me too, she was selfish and self-absorbed. I couldn't care about her at all.

As soon as X's character was revealed, the author lost me on where it was heading and headed. And I was proven right by the ridiculously abrupt ending that had me lost, and ugh that I wasted my time. The only character I cared about and wished more was written about was Ryan, especially being on the asexual spectrum

A case of a pretty attractive cover to me - nothing else.

[tappkalina]

DNF at 14%

[Spiri Skye · Rating 4 out of 5]

I had no idea this book would have amazing asexual spectrum rep it made me very happy

[Hellerzilla · Rating 1 out of 5]

No more cover buys for me. This was an excruciatingly long read. The MC was this snobby selfish narcissist without any care for others and didn't learn about anything at the end. I found the "plot twist" laughable and so cliché. Easy skip.

[Arzum · Rating 5 out of 5]

work of a genius mind

[Saanvi · Rating 3 out of 5]

3 ⭐️ the first half was so good and fun and then it went really downhill

[Lillian Davis · Rating 3 out of 5]

It just wasn't my cup of tea! It was a great book! But if you're gonna run away then girl.....run away. She is so indecisive, and I know the point of her character is to show how to not run away from the problems and face your feelings, but she doesn't do it until the end. Even with that, when she was missing Ryan, she literally showed no signs of having feelings for him, so it made zero sense for them to fall in love in the end. Maybe a friends to lovers trope isn't my favorite, so this may be pretty biased review (which is why i left 4 stars bc it's obviously well written), but this was really giving codependency. And yes, I'm happy Ryan peeped but falling in love after she tried to literally run after an apology.......STAND UP... This has to be top most toxic girl characters I've read...the author ate though bc I was at the edge of me seat.

Ngl I'm changing to 3 stars bc I have so much beef with the main character....but it's well written!!!!

[Chkmebu · Rating 2 out of 5]

The best part about this book is the cover. I liked the soundtracks that were incorporated at the beginning of the chapters and throughout the book. I also appreciated that although the teen experiences in the book were way over the top and extreme, they weren’t a sugarcoated version of today’s teen experiences.

The MC Loli Crawford is annoying at best. She’s a whiny, self absorbed, reckless brat. “Tristan Mattaliano” and “exasperated” were used way too many times.

While the audiobook narration was good, this one just wasn’t for me.

[Roanna25 · Rating 3 out of 5]

Upon further discussion this was really more of a 3. The beginning was good but it did get ridiculous and yet didn't explain why. Also I hate the trope of best friend love interest

[Joana Morais · Rating 4 out of 5]

The girls who get it get it.

[Kiersten · Rating 2 out of 5]

Loved the premise then... it just seemed to go off the rails (no pun intended).

[Jaye Berry]

Ride or die? More like just die because this is boring and the characters are insufferable, bye

[USOM · Rating 4 out of 5]

(Disclaimer: I received this book from the publisher. This has not impacted my review which is unbiased and honest.)

Ride or Die and its heist and prank atmosphere makes it a quick read. Not only do you want to find out who this mysterious figure is, but each prank, heist, and dangerous nighttime escapade sweeps you away. Full of puzzles, riddles, and letters Ride or Die is perfect for anyone who likes the idea of pushing ourselves and of meeting someone who will up the ante. It's also a story deeply rooted in friendship and trust.

[marilynn · Rating 3 out of 5]

i was having the time of my life before i figured where this was going at the last 15% which immediately made me so bored.
i love a good cliché but not one that makes me go "oh..."
also loli grew very unlikeable and selfish and i love me a good unlikable main character but not one that doesn't seem to have any character development throughout the book so yea this was unfortunately a bust

ryan my ace king they knew you'd be too powerful if they also made you aromantic but it's okay IIII know

[Ava L · Rating 4 out of 5]

If I had a dollar for every time “cliché” and “touché” was in this book, I’d be out of school on a yacht.

[Hannah DCamp · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thanks to NetGalley for providing me with an eARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I think...I loved this

I've been sitting in my apartment since March, devastated by the aftermath of the Harry Potter series. I was chewed up and spit out, and have had no luck getting into any other books since.

This story pulled me out of my slump. It was super twisty in the best ways, and I loved how vibrant the characters were. I felt viscerally stressed, offended, and shocked by turns, which for me is a rarity among contemporary YA. Loli is the best and worst character - she's so completely arrogant, selfish, and spoiled, and I really wanted to hate her (and sometimes succeeded, honestly), but somehow Musikavanhu made me love spending time in Loli's brain. She was engagingly written, relentlessly flawed, and so blind to it. It was like watching a train wreck in slow motion, and when we finally reached the breaking point, when Loli misses Ryan's performance and Ryan calls her on her bs, it was somehow both shocking and the only logical consequence for her actions. And the other characters are no less engaging, even the secondary ones. Wolf was one of my favorites, I'd love to read more about him, and I also loved that Loli and Ryan's moms were seen so frequently.

The Mysterious Voice's identity evaded me completely. I can't praise the author enough for her skill here. Usually I can see this coming a million miles away, but the fact that he was literally under our noses the whole time, the way I had to go back and re-read the previous times he showed up, was just *chef's kiss* Honestly, the author (and Loli) mention cliches all the time, and I loved the way Musikavanhu played with them. I guessed Ryan's feelings for Loli pretty early on, but wasn't sure until the end, and the red herring of his sexuality did kind of throw me a bit. There are a bunch of examples of common tropes that she uses, like the prom, the romance with MV. My favorite is probably the chase scene with the train, where Ryan literally jumps onto a moving train to save Loli. That is straight out of every action movie ever, and it made me chuckle.

So yes, I highly recommend this one for absolutely anyone. I've made a playlist on Spotify with all the chapter tracks (just search "Ride or Die"), so you can listen as you read. I have trouble listening to music while I read (especially if it has words), but musical accompaniment was too much fun to pass up, and it rounded out the main trio even more.

[Emily · Rating 5 out of 5]

“One broken rule opens doors for many more.”

I received this ARC copy of Ride or die from SOHO Press and Netgalley.

I completely inhaled this book, I absolutely adored it!
The main character, Loli, was an amazing character! She was very interesting and just iconic really.

“Running away in third grade wouldn’t have been as iconic without my Paciotti flipflops; car surfing wouldn’t have been worth it without my Versace pumps.”

I loved the idea and the plot points of the game between her and MV/X, whilst they were strangers, or at least kind of strangers. I found myself thinking about this book whenever I wasn’t reading it and trying to guess who MV/X was. I didn’t end up guessing it right.

I enjoyed seeing the character progression in Loli, from the beginning where she was quite carefree to seeing her gradually become nervous and developing some sort of feelings towards MV/X

I was completely gripped by the entire of this book and didn’t want to stop reading it all really.

“I also feel sad for those who send messaged in bottles. I doubt a single one of them ever got what they wanted.”

I loved the fact that each chapter was names after a song on Ryan’s yearly song of the day playlist. It linked in nicely with the ending, suggesting he’d been there the whole time.

“You’re scared to wait for moments because you’re afraid they’ll never come.”

I loved the front cover so much! The vibrant red really pops out and the graphics are absolutely beautiful! I will definitely have to buy a physical copy of this book when it comes out, I need it on my shelf!!

“But I think we’ve both learned that you don’t always have to see something to appreciate it.”

I liked that Loli didn’t end up with X, however I would have loved a bit of closure on where he ends up.

I gave this book a 5⭐️ rating and definitely recommend it!

[christi · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ride or Die was one of the first Y.A. novels I've read in years and was personally, a breath of fresh air. I went into this book with a list of tropes, stereotypes, and standard expectations typically associated with a Y.A. novel. This book blew my expectations out of the water.

I enjoyed that the protagonist has depth to her character and doesn't fall into the overdone weak-female-role-looking-for-romance trope. Instead, Loli is humorous, likeable, and frustrating in all of the right ways. The other characters in this book hold their own and I think Gail-Agnes does a great job of giving each character their own personality and style, which I believe is executed well and easily-absorbed by the reader.

My favourite part of this book is the mini yet wild ups and downs. Just as you think there's conflict-resolution or a potential lull in the book, Gail-Agnes adds a twist in the story. My most read genres include thrillers, mysteries, and suspense, and I appreciate that some of those elements were added in Ride or Die. Personally, I feel like the addition of suspense provides something new to the Y.A. genre and makes the reader excited to continue reading Ride or Die.

Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed this book as someone who almost never reads Y.A. novels. If you're looking for a traditional sappy, stereotypical Y.A. romance, you most likely won't get your fix from this book. However, if you're interested in slowly easing yourself into the Y.A. genre with something more thrilling and fun, Ride or Die is an easy way to do that. While the characters aren't particularly complex, I think that the story speaks for itself and is just a genuinely light and funny read that may make your jaw drop at some points - mine definitely did.

[Nahomis · Rating 2 out of 5]

I was DYING to finish this book. This one stretch for too long and it got kind of boring at times. I really didn't like Loli but Ryan, on the other hand was a ray of sunshine. I would have loved to know more about the characters individually, even Wolf, but everything it's so Loli centered that you didn't get the chance to do that. Didn't help that I didn't like her one bit. 

Maybe I'm just not the demographic for this book. I'm sure a 16 y/o with more patience that me for Naloli's crazy decisions would love it more.

[OnceUponAStorybook · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed this but I would’ve liked this more if Loli wasn’t so insufferable. That girl didn’t think about anyone but herself, literally totaled her best friend car on purpose and didn’t even apologize for it until it was too late. She really pissed me off, her total disregard for everyone who cares about her is just crazy to me. And I didn’t get why being in some sort of danger was so fun for her, there is a difference between being a thrill seeker and whatever the hell she was doing. I liked the way it was wrapped up at the end but I wished that her character was a little more likable 🤷🏾‍♀️

[mk · Rating 3 out of 5]

ARC.
it’s really not bad written, but the story and so many stuff pissed me off. I just couldn’t like the fmc loli and that ending ? too dramatic for me.
I was also a little bit disappointed with the Reveal of X.

Overall it’s a great reading