What do you think?
Rate this book
Cold Girls
Eighteen-year-old Rory Quinn-Morelli doesn’t want to die; she wants refuge from reality for even a minute: the reality where she survived the car crash eight months ago, and her best friend, Liv, didn’t. Yet her exasperating mother won’t believe the Xanax incident was an accident, and her therapist is making it increasingly hard to maintain the detached, impenetrable “cold girl” façade she adopted from Liv. After she unintentionally reconnects with Liv’s parents, Rory must decide: will she keep Liv’s and her secrets inside, or will she finally allow herself to break? And if she breaks, what will she unearth amid the pieces?
352 pages, Paperback
First published August 22, 2023
15 people are currently reading
3697 people want to read
About the author
Maxine Rae
1 book72 followersLambda Literary Award finalist Maxine Rae attended Tulane University, where she was taught and singled out for commendation by two-time National Book Award–winner Jesmyn Ward. Her first novel, COLD GIRLS (2023) has received critical acclaim, earning a Kirkus Stared Review and a spot on their Best Young Adult Books of 2023 list.
While working on Cold Girls, Maxine received feedback and mentorship from National Book Award–finalist Charles Baxter. She later revised and workshopped the manuscript in the selective Novel in a Year program at StoryStudio Chicago, whose artistic director is Pulitzer Prize in Fiction–finalist and Andrew Carnegie Medal–winner Rebecca Makkai. As a young, queer woman from the Chicago area, Maxine has written a debut molded by emotional truth.
While working on Cold Girls, Maxine received feedback and mentorship from National Book Award–finalist Charles Baxter. She later revised and workshopped the manuscript in the selective Novel in a Year program at StoryStudio Chicago, whose artistic director is Pulitzer Prize in Fiction–finalist and Andrew Carnegie Medal–winner Rebecca Makkai. As a young, queer woman from the Chicago area, Maxine has written a debut molded by emotional truth.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 128 reviews
January 19, 2025
"to my sweet roo: i'd give you the sky, but that wouldn't be enough."
reread:
i adore. this book. so much. with literally my whole entire heart. and yes, i was sobbing again. no doubt this will forever stay one of my favorites <3
initial review:
this book absolutely gutted me. i was not expecting to be sobbing as i finished it, and yet here we are.
even though i pretty much knew what was going to happen the whole time and knew exactly what it was all leading up to, it was so easy to fall into the story and get lost along the way. i fell in love with liv and rory's relationship, the time they spent together, all their little moments—everything about them.
this entire book was an experience, devastating and beautiful and magical all at once. it made me want to call my friends and tell them how much i love them, made me want to go out driving and stand with my head out the sunroof, made me want to ride a train blasting music in my headphones. honestly, i want to live the life rory and liv did, before.
i wish i read it slower so that it would have lasted just a little bit longer.
reread:
i adore. this book. so much. with literally my whole entire heart. and yes, i was sobbing again. no doubt this will forever stay one of my favorites <3
initial review:
this book absolutely gutted me. i was not expecting to be sobbing as i finished it, and yet here we are.
even though i pretty much knew what was going to happen the whole time and knew exactly what it was all leading up to, it was so easy to fall into the story and get lost along the way. i fell in love with liv and rory's relationship, the time they spent together, all their little moments—everything about them.
this entire book was an experience, devastating and beautiful and magical all at once. it made me want to call my friends and tell them how much i love them, made me want to go out driving and stand with my head out the sunroof, made me want to ride a train blasting music in my headphones. honestly, i want to live the life rory and liv did, before.
i wish i read it slower so that it would have lasted just a little bit longer.
August 22, 2023
I quite literally had to stop reading and call my best friend and sob on the phone with her.
This is also not a romance in the sense of dating but I think it is a romance in terms of friendship if that makes sense? Idk have you ever been in love with your best friend?! It’s weird and difficult but beautiful and that’s what Rory and Liv have.
There is so much grief but also healing. I found that the the dual timelines really added to the story as you get an excellent picture of Rory and Liv before and after The Worst Night.
This is also not a romance in the sense of dating but I think it is a romance in terms of friendship if that makes sense? Idk have you ever been in love with your best friend?! It’s weird and difficult but beautiful and that’s what Rory and Liv have.
There is so much grief but also healing. I found that the the dual timelines really added to the story as you get an excellent picture of Rory and Liv before and after The Worst Night.
May 29, 2024
Sometimes you read a book that you relate to so much that it feels like it was written for you. This is one of those books. This author really did a great job at capturing the voices of teenage girls. The dialog between the two main characters Rory and Liv was so realistic they felt like real people. I often have difficulty reading stories that jump between timelines, because I tend to get bored with one storyline, however I didn't experience that at all with this book. A must read for anyone who likes YA books. I will be preordering a physical copy.
February 24, 2023
this book was painful in many ways:
1. this is more of a personal opinion, but seeing references to recent pop culture in books makes me cringe so hard. this one is FILLED with them. (the stranger things number tattoo is a big NO??)
2. tackles grief pretty well (cried a lot, ill give it that)
3. the romance is very ... secondary. idk, i went into this read thinking it would be focused on a romantic relationship but it just wasn't. the author either tried to make it SUPER slowburn or the romance just wasn't mutual. to me, this is about two besties n they coincidentally r both gay.
4. liv is described as this very woke and untouchable cool girl with winged eyeliner! but her lines are horrible! all about misandry and white privilege and "tea" and "homeboy". it just felt very artificial, a usual caricature of a queer woc that's mad at the world for oppressing her. the dialogue reminded me of stan twitter 3 years ago.
5. here is how modern teenagers can have fun : drink BEER, smoke weed in an apple (at the same time ofc), jump off roofs & attend concerts where everyone is smelly
6. books abt sapphics being miserable are just old🫠
anyway, i did enjoy how fast-paced the story was and it was pretty easy to read. i also liked how it talked about family. thanks netgalley for the arc!
1. this is more of a personal opinion, but seeing references to recent pop culture in books makes me cringe so hard. this one is FILLED with them. (the stranger things number tattoo is a big NO??)
2. tackles grief pretty well (cried a lot, ill give it that)
3. the romance is very ... secondary. idk, i went into this read thinking it would be focused on a romantic relationship but it just wasn't. the author either tried to make it SUPER slowburn or the romance just wasn't mutual. to me, this is about two besties n they coincidentally r both gay.
4. liv is described as this very woke and untouchable cool girl with winged eyeliner! but her lines are horrible! all about misandry and white privilege and "tea" and "homeboy". it just felt very artificial, a usual caricature of a queer woc that's mad at the world for oppressing her. the dialogue reminded me of stan twitter 3 years ago.
5. here is how modern teenagers can have fun : drink BEER, smoke weed in an apple (at the same time ofc), jump off roofs & attend concerts where everyone is smelly
6. books abt sapphics being miserable are just old🫠
anyway, i did enjoy how fast-paced the story was and it was pretty easy to read. i also liked how it talked about family. thanks netgalley for the arc!
January 18, 2024
╰┈➤ 4 stars
July 11, 2023
Don't mind me crying at 3am because of those last 50 pages.
-
Thank you to Netgalley and North Star Editions for providing me with this ARC!
I think 16-year old me would've really enjoyed this book and felt seen. The 25-year old me still appreciated this story but perhaps in a different way than a teenager would so here's my take on this.
The writing was excellent and I had a hard time putting my phone (I read the ebook) down. It immediately draws the reader in and knows how to keep that attention. The time-skips between past and present was very well balanced and I never got the feeling of getting ripped out of a scene prematurely. It was very well done.
The plot was interesting but nothing ground-breaking. It's sad and depressing but hopeful and does everything it is supposed to. The only thing that did stick out to me were the pop culture references and the context of them. It was at times confusing and made me question which generation exactly this was supposed to represent. There were a lot of mismatched references and context clues like make-up/fashion choices. I could imagine the characters resembling a younger me but the language they use is too modern. I understand that it is hard to get things like that right but it will stand out to younger readers and give us a litte bit of second-hand embarrassment.
That being said, I still found the characters to be believable and act in ways that made sense. I also enjoyed most characters for different reasons - Jem was my favourite though. Imagine a man actually respecting your boundaries and not make things awkward afterwards and fully supporting you. Sigh. This is why fictional guys will always be superior.
The romance took more of a backseat to the overall story which I appreciated. Love is love, no matter what kind it is. That's what mattered and I fully stand behind that message.
To sum it up, I really enjoyed this story. It wasn't perfect but absolutely worth 4 stars. Hope some of you get to read this too and find some comfort in it. My inner teenager definitely did.
-
Thank you to Netgalley and North Star Editions for providing me with this ARC!
I think 16-year old me would've really enjoyed this book and felt seen. The 25-year old me still appreciated this story but perhaps in a different way than a teenager would so here's my take on this.
The writing was excellent and I had a hard time putting my phone (I read the ebook) down. It immediately draws the reader in and knows how to keep that attention. The time-skips between past and present was very well balanced and I never got the feeling of getting ripped out of a scene prematurely. It was very well done.
The plot was interesting but nothing ground-breaking. It's sad and depressing but hopeful and does everything it is supposed to. The only thing that did stick out to me were the pop culture references and the context of them. It was at times confusing and made me question which generation exactly this was supposed to represent. There were a lot of mismatched references and context clues like make-up/fashion choices. I could imagine the characters resembling a younger me but the language they use is too modern. I understand that it is hard to get things like that right but it will stand out to younger readers and give us a litte bit of second-hand embarrassment.
That being said, I still found the characters to be believable and act in ways that made sense. I also enjoyed most characters for different reasons - Jem was my favourite though. Imagine a man actually respecting your boundaries and not make things awkward afterwards and fully supporting you. Sigh. This is why fictional guys will always be superior.
The romance took more of a backseat to the overall story which I appreciated. Love is love, no matter what kind it is. That's what mattered and I fully stand behind that message.
To sum it up, I really enjoyed this story. It wasn't perfect but absolutely worth 4 stars. Hope some of you get to read this too and find some comfort in it. My inner teenager definitely did.
August 24, 2023
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
🎧🎶🚬🍻🌈
Oh my lawd. This had me on an emotional roller coaster. So this book has A LOT of triggers, including teen death, teenage drinking/drugs, attempted suicide, depression, PTSD, and S/A. But if you are okay with all that, and want a book that makes you cry, and is so raw and real, then this is the book for you.
This is a well-written book about what it is like to lose your best friend/first crush in a tragic accident that you survived. The story goes between before and after the Worst Night, and you get a feel for Rory and how her friendship evolved with Liv. You get to see how she adjusts to life after the Worst Night and how she copes with her grief.
It is real and emotional, and hard to put down because you want to know how Liv died. You want to know if Rory's questioning sexuality is explored, and how she feels about it all. You want to know if everything works out for her in the end. It's engaging, heartbreaking, and just beautiful.
Thank you to Netgalley and Flux Books for the copy of the ebook. This review is left voluntarily.
🎧🎶🚬🍻🌈
Oh my lawd. This had me on an emotional roller coaster. So this book has A LOT of triggers, including teen death, teenage drinking/drugs, attempted suicide, depression, PTSD, and S/A. But if you are okay with all that, and want a book that makes you cry, and is so raw and real, then this is the book for you.
This is a well-written book about what it is like to lose your best friend/first crush in a tragic accident that you survived. The story goes between before and after the Worst Night, and you get a feel for Rory and how her friendship evolved with Liv. You get to see how she adjusts to life after the Worst Night and how she copes with her grief.
It is real and emotional, and hard to put down because you want to know how Liv died. You want to know if Rory's questioning sexuality is explored, and how she feels about it all. You want to know if everything works out for her in the end. It's engaging, heartbreaking, and just beautiful.
Thank you to Netgalley and Flux Books for the copy of the ebook. This review is left voluntarily.
October 5, 2023
Devoured this one. Cold Girls brought up memories from a past version of myself. It made me want to squeeze my friends and remind them that we are all Garbage girls- I loved the book. I am grateful for the story and the vulnerability. I felt seen. 🩵
January 20, 2025
2025 reads: 13/300
content warnings: car accident resulting in death of a loved one, grief, drug and alcohol use by minors, mental illness
when rory took her mother’s xanax pills, she wasn’t trying to die; she just wanted to escape her reality for a bit. her mother doesn’t believe her, though, and the therapist she sends rory to is making it hard for rory to keep her “cold girl” façade up. when rory accidentally reconnects with her dead best friend liv’s parents, she has to decide whether she’ll keep liv’s secrets to herself or help provide some closure.
i needed a sad read, and this was the perfect choice. for better or worse, this took me back to my early high school years (though rory and i are very different). i loved this book now, as a graduate student, but i know i would’ve loved it back then, too. this book did a wonderful job of depicting mental illness, rocky high school friendships, and, most of all, grief. i definitely got a bit teary-eyed at the end.
i highly recommend this to anyone okay with the content, and i can’t wait for more from maxine rae.
content warnings: car accident resulting in death of a loved one, grief, drug and alcohol use by minors, mental illness
when rory took her mother’s xanax pills, she wasn’t trying to die; she just wanted to escape her reality for a bit. her mother doesn’t believe her, though, and the therapist she sends rory to is making it hard for rory to keep her “cold girl” façade up. when rory accidentally reconnects with her dead best friend liv’s parents, she has to decide whether she’ll keep liv’s secrets to herself or help provide some closure.
i needed a sad read, and this was the perfect choice. for better or worse, this took me back to my early high school years (though rory and i are very different). i loved this book now, as a graduate student, but i know i would’ve loved it back then, too. this book did a wonderful job of depicting mental illness, rocky high school friendships, and, most of all, grief. i definitely got a bit teary-eyed at the end.
i highly recommend this to anyone okay with the content, and i can’t wait for more from maxine rae.
April 12, 2023
4/5
I'm going to be honest I didn't expect to cry.Mostly because I wasn't so interested at the beginning of the book,but it did got my attention later.Even tho I barley can explain what this book was about,I enjoyed it, idk where this book was supposed to go,there were some parts in the book where I thought this was going nowhere.Even so,there were moments when I was reading the dialogue between the characters and was like "who talks like that?",or when they used words like "cool" too much,I swear I felt like I was old and wanted to judge.I wanted a lot more things to happen,they didn't but that doesn't mean it's a bad book, like come on,I had read worse
I'm going to be honest I didn't expect to cry.Mostly because I wasn't so interested at the beginning of the book,but it did got my attention later.Even tho I barley can explain what this book was about,I enjoyed it, idk where this book was supposed to go,there were some parts in the book where I thought this was going nowhere.Even so,there were moments when I was reading the dialogue between the characters and was like "who talks like that?",or when they used words like "cool" too much,I swear I felt like I was old and wanted to judge.I wanted a lot more things to happen,they didn't but that doesn't mean it's a bad book, like come on,I had read worse
December 22, 2023
This book absolutely destroyed me and I loved it so so much ❤️
June 27, 2023
*Thank you, NetGalley for providing an e-arc
Rory doesn’t want to die. She wants an escape from reality. After being in an accident that killed her best friend, Liv, Rory doesn’t know what to do with herself. The story goes back and forth from the past, before the accident, and the months after. The reader watches how the accident unfolded, the pain of grief, and how to live after loss.
I liked the idea of this story. The idea of losing one of the most important people in your life and learning to move. Instead, this story focuses on Rory isolating herself and self-destructing. Everything from the characters to the story's bare bones just didn’t resonate with me. There are also quite a few issues within the writing that should have been fixed before this book was published (these are included in the con area).
This book is sad, and it ends that way. I am not a big fan of sad books. I like books with a happy ending, certainly when it comes to books with queer characters. The sheer sadness of this book does impact my rating, so if you like sad books, you may enjoy this book more than I did.
Pros
- A realistic look at loss. Healing is hard, and progress isn’t linear.
Cons
- Liv, the dead best friend, has a Stranger Things tattoo. The tattoo is numbers on her wrist. This tattoo is completely insensitive as it resembles tattoos given to those in Nazi concentration camps. This could have easily been taken out of the book or rewritten.
- Liv is depicted as a manic pixie dream girl. She is so different and cool. She doesn’t care what anyone thinks, is teaching herself multiple languages, and has no issue breaking the rules. The character just feels like everything “cool” even when it makes no sense.
- Liv is the epitome of white feminism. Liv has these “woke” takes throughout the story, but they are incredibly surface-level, and no one ever questions her.
- The teenagers in the book aren’t written well. They are the idea of what a teenager is without any of the nuances.
- The writing can be clunky at times, and the pacing is all over the place.
Rory doesn’t want to die. She wants an escape from reality. After being in an accident that killed her best friend, Liv, Rory doesn’t know what to do with herself. The story goes back and forth from the past, before the accident, and the months after. The reader watches how the accident unfolded, the pain of grief, and how to live after loss.
I liked the idea of this story. The idea of losing one of the most important people in your life and learning to move. Instead, this story focuses on Rory isolating herself and self-destructing. Everything from the characters to the story's bare bones just didn’t resonate with me. There are also quite a few issues within the writing that should have been fixed before this book was published (these are included in the con area).
This book is sad, and it ends that way. I am not a big fan of sad books. I like books with a happy ending, certainly when it comes to books with queer characters. The sheer sadness of this book does impact my rating, so if you like sad books, you may enjoy this book more than I did.
Pros
- A realistic look at loss. Healing is hard, and progress isn’t linear.
Cons
- Liv, the dead best friend, has a Stranger Things tattoo. The tattoo is numbers on her wrist. This tattoo is completely insensitive as it resembles tattoos given to those in Nazi concentration camps. This could have easily been taken out of the book or rewritten.
- Liv is depicted as a manic pixie dream girl. She is so different and cool. She doesn’t care what anyone thinks, is teaching herself multiple languages, and has no issue breaking the rules. The character just feels like everything “cool” even when it makes no sense.
- Liv is the epitome of white feminism. Liv has these “woke” takes throughout the story, but they are incredibly surface-level, and no one ever questions her.
- The teenagers in the book aren’t written well. They are the idea of what a teenager is without any of the nuances.
- The writing can be clunky at times, and the pacing is all over the place.
December 8, 2023
This book had me sobbing in my classroom at 6:18 pm on a Thursday. Anyone who has ever known a teenage girl will know how real this story and these characters are. Anyone who has ever loved and lost anyone else will know how real the feelings are. A masterful debut from an author I can't wait to read more of!
September 14, 2024
Oof this was good. 4.5 stars.
April 10, 2023
3.8/5
Cold Girls by Maxine Rae follows Rory before and after the day of her best friend's death. This book is about grief and finding the strength to heal.
I picked this up because I heard that it is sapphic and sad, but if you're thinking of reading for the romance, don't. It is not a romance book, and the romance is pretty much nonexistent. The "sad" part however, is true, especially if you're able to relate to the characters and their struggles.
Overall, I liked this book. It was well written, with developed characters and relationships, as well as realistic portrayal of grief and ptsd. I also liked the way the story was told through split timeline, and with not all the After parts being in order. I don't always like this in books, but here the author really managed to pull it off and I cannot imagine the story being told in any other way.
While the characters are well written and certainly relatable for some, I found them pretty unlikeable and wasn't really able to connect with any of them. The MC didn't treat her friend from the beginning of the book nearly as well as he deserved, and basically abandoned him for her new best friend, or, should I say, a person she idolised. This friendship felt a lot more like an obsession, and was pretty toxic, and annoying at times because of the dialogue and the insane amount of pop culture references.
None of the characters felt like Gen Z, but more of millennials trying to sound and act like gen z and failing miserably. This book could have easily been set sometime earlier than 2018-19 (which I assume is the case because of the amount of times Stranger Things S2 has been mentioned. Also, a ST number wrist tattoo is NOT it..) and it would be a lot more realistic.
I want to thank Flux Books and NetGalley for an early copy of this book, all opinions are my own.
Cold Girls by Maxine Rae follows Rory before and after the day of her best friend's death. This book is about grief and finding the strength to heal.
I picked this up because I heard that it is sapphic and sad, but if you're thinking of reading for the romance, don't. It is not a romance book, and the romance is pretty much nonexistent. The "sad" part however, is true, especially if you're able to relate to the characters and their struggles.
Overall, I liked this book. It was well written, with developed characters and relationships, as well as realistic portrayal of grief and ptsd. I also liked the way the story was told through split timeline, and with not all the After parts being in order. I don't always like this in books, but here the author really managed to pull it off and I cannot imagine the story being told in any other way.
While the characters are well written and certainly relatable for some, I found them pretty unlikeable and wasn't really able to connect with any of them. The MC didn't treat her friend from the beginning of the book nearly as well as he deserved, and basically abandoned him for her new best friend, or, should I say, a person she idolised. This friendship felt a lot more like an obsession, and was pretty toxic, and annoying at times because of the dialogue and the insane amount of pop culture references.
None of the characters felt like Gen Z, but more of millennials trying to sound and act like gen z and failing miserably. This book could have easily been set sometime earlier than 2018-19 (which I assume is the case because of the amount of times Stranger Things S2 has been mentioned. Also, a ST number wrist tattoo is NOT it..) and it would be a lot more realistic.
I want to thank Flux Books and NetGalley for an early copy of this book, all opinions are my own.
August 26, 2023
Thank you Netgalley for giving me a free ARC.
Cold Girls by Maxine Rae.
4.5/5 stars.
This is a story about how a young girl struggles to fit in with the people around her, all to realize her true potential when the right person enters her life. When Liv comes along, our main character, Rory, embarks on a journey full of discoveries, of love and identity. She finally found her person, her soulmate and true friend. Until one night, everything is taken away from her, in the blink of an eye. Now Rory feels more alone and displaced in this world than she ever did before. Will she ever find her way back to herself?
If you want a fast-paced, queer contemporary novel with lovable characters, this is it. I loved this story. I found that I could relate to a lot of the ways Rory dealt with trauma and pain. Maxine Rae did a great job capturing the way trauma affects the body and the way we function in everyday life. The only reason I didn’t give this 5 stars, is because of how she wrote a lot of the dialogue. Rae used the word “like” way too much, which broke the flow for me and would in some cases downplay the emotions of a scene. Other than that, the story is deep, honest and raw. I highly recommend you read this. The book is finally out, so go check it out!
“She knows that I took up less space, that I had fewer words. That there was less of me to lose. If I died, the hole in the world could be stitched up fast. Nothing like the gaping trench she left. It should have been me.”
Cold Girls by Maxine Rae.
4.5/5 stars.
This is a story about how a young girl struggles to fit in with the people around her, all to realize her true potential when the right person enters her life. When Liv comes along, our main character, Rory, embarks on a journey full of discoveries, of love and identity. She finally found her person, her soulmate and true friend. Until one night, everything is taken away from her, in the blink of an eye. Now Rory feels more alone and displaced in this world than she ever did before. Will she ever find her way back to herself?
If you want a fast-paced, queer contemporary novel with lovable characters, this is it. I loved this story. I found that I could relate to a lot of the ways Rory dealt with trauma and pain. Maxine Rae did a great job capturing the way trauma affects the body and the way we function in everyday life. The only reason I didn’t give this 5 stars, is because of how she wrote a lot of the dialogue. Rae used the word “like” way too much, which broke the flow for me and would in some cases downplay the emotions of a scene. Other than that, the story is deep, honest and raw. I highly recommend you read this. The book is finally out, so go check it out!
“She knows that I took up less space, that I had fewer words. That there was less of me to lose. If I died, the hole in the world could be stitched up fast. Nothing like the gaping trench she left. It should have been me.”
December 15, 2023
Una historia juvenil que trata muy bien el tema del duelo y la familia. Se lee rápido y a pesar de los temas pesados que toca se hace ligero de leer.
Lo malo es que lo leí esperando un romance safico y a pesar de que las protagonistas son ambas queer no existe un romance entre ellas.
ENG:
"Cold Girls" tells a youthful story that handles the themes of grief and family relationships very well. It's a sensitive tale about a girl, Rory, who loses her best friend and must confront the guilt consuming her in order to move forward with her life. The book is a quick read, and despite addressing heavy themes, it feels light due to its straightforward narration and relatable nature.
The downside of this story, in my opinion, is that I read it expecting a sapphic romance, perhaps influenced by the synopsis and cover. Despite both protagonists being queer, there is no romantic involvement between them. Instead, the focus is on the friendship, with hints that there might be feelings beyond friendship, especially on one side, but it's not the central theme.
Thanks to NetGalley for providing me with a copy in exchange for an honest review.
Lo malo es que lo leí esperando un romance safico y a pesar de que las protagonistas son ambas queer no existe un romance entre ellas.
ENG:
"Cold Girls" tells a youthful story that handles the themes of grief and family relationships very well. It's a sensitive tale about a girl, Rory, who loses her best friend and must confront the guilt consuming her in order to move forward with her life. The book is a quick read, and despite addressing heavy themes, it feels light due to its straightforward narration and relatable nature.
The downside of this story, in my opinion, is that I read it expecting a sapphic romance, perhaps influenced by the synopsis and cover. Despite both protagonists being queer, there is no romantic involvement between them. Instead, the focus is on the friendship, with hints that there might be feelings beyond friendship, especially on one side, but it's not the central theme.
Thanks to NetGalley for providing me with a copy in exchange for an honest review.
April 21, 2023
DNF
I am really confused who the target audience is for this book.
The writing is middle grade but the subject matter and vocabulary is unnecessarily "older". I typically wouldn't recommend a book to 7th-8th graders where the mom casually calls her teenager "motherf*cker" or the kids talk about "f*ckboys with inch-long dicks" but I don't think older teenagers who read novels this long would enjoy the writing style.
Also, no more "not like other girls" thing please. We are past the era of writing protagonists who judge other girls for being "girly".
Finally, not only is there an abundance of pop culture references (which I particularly dislike but others might enjoy), but the references are to things kids in high school right now do not use / understand. Yes, I checked
Thank you NetGalley and North Star Editions for the opportunity to read an ARC.
I am really confused who the target audience is for this book.
The writing is middle grade but the subject matter and vocabulary is unnecessarily "older". I typically wouldn't recommend a book to 7th-8th graders where the mom casually calls her teenager "motherf*cker" or the kids talk about "f*ckboys with inch-long dicks" but I don't think older teenagers who read novels this long would enjoy the writing style.
Also, no more "not like other girls" thing please. We are past the era of writing protagonists who judge other girls for being "girly".
Finally, not only is there an abundance of pop culture references (which I particularly dislike but others might enjoy), but the references are to things kids in high school right now do not use / understand. Yes, I checked
Thank you NetGalley and North Star Editions for the opportunity to read an ARC.
July 12, 2023
Wow this book was so incredibly sad.
Thanks to the publisher and netgalley for an e arc.
Rory has a Before. And an After. Before the accident, before Liv died, before Rory took too many sleeping pills... When she was something with someone. Now Rory has to find a way to continue living in the After.
I loved the back and forth between before and after...how we got glimpses into the past and the memories. The relationship between Rory and Liv is so good. Best friends. Soul mates. Each other's person. It is all so incredibly sad.
Rory's arc is really good and I loved all the characters. If you want a book that makes you cry pick this one up.
CW: death, self-harm, panic attacks, PTSD, car accident, alcohol, drugs, assault
Thanks to the publisher and netgalley for an e arc.
Rory has a Before. And an After. Before the accident, before Liv died, before Rory took too many sleeping pills... When she was something with someone. Now Rory has to find a way to continue living in the After.
I loved the back and forth between before and after...how we got glimpses into the past and the memories. The relationship between Rory and Liv is so good. Best friends. Soul mates. Each other's person. It is all so incredibly sad.
Rory's arc is really good and I loved all the characters. If you want a book that makes you cry pick this one up.
CW: death, self-harm, panic attacks, PTSD, car accident, alcohol, drugs, assault
May 4, 2023
DNF at 33%. This is completely my fault for requesting a book about death and grief. I thought I could handle it but it was incredibly emotional. The writing is fantastic and the plot is something that I usually gravitate toward and love. I think I would have loved this book too. In fact, I did love what I read. I got really emotionally attached to the characters immediately and I needed to quit for my own mental health. I really want to revisit it someday though!
January 20, 2024
I couldn’t put this book down. Reading this book felt like talking to an old friend - the story is intimate and close to the heart. Maxine Rae captures the essence of first love and finding your person… and then grappling with the hole left after losing them. Rory’s coming of age journey of self discovery and healing by remembering her best friend is told beautifully and punctuated with great music. A story to be shared far and wide!
December 5, 2023
this book has to be emotionally hard to get through when you know the feeling of having a platonic soulmate, it goes through the beauties of it and the hardships of it. it goes through finding sexuality through a relationship that was supposed to be friendly but instead turned to a beautiful platonic and romantic relationship. the ending of this book is an emotional roller coaster and actually made me shed a couple of tears. 10/10 for sure.
June 25, 2023
Rae has written a truly wonderful yet heartbreaking treatise on survivor's guilt.
I won't lie. It was a difficult read. But only in the sense that the story hits so many emotional levels that it was a cathartic experience. That may not be for everyone.
Thank you to North Star Editions, Flux, and NetGalley for providing an eARC for an honest review.
I won't lie. It was a difficult read. But only in the sense that the story hits so many emotional levels that it was a cathartic experience. That may not be for everyone.
Thank you to North Star Editions, Flux, and NetGalley for providing an eARC for an honest review.
September 1, 2023
I loved this book and felt so seen. Impressive debut, I will be following Rae’s career for sure. Review to come.
March 11, 2024
So incredibly heartbreaking ugh
August 27, 2023
Loved this story of friendship, finding yourself, and healing through trauma. Made me laugh and cry! I’ve been recommending it to all my friends.
July 2, 2023
Actual rating: 4.5
Thanks to Netgalley and North Star Editions for providing me with an early copy in exchange for an honest review.
“My whole body is made up of apologies, thought. Apologies for getting in the way, for taking too long, for not responding.”
Right away I would say this is a perfect read for anyone who is a fan of We Are Okay by Nina LaCour and The Meaning of Birds by Jaye Robin Brown (although I have to say I loved this one a lot more).
Eighteen-year-old Rory is dealing with an aftermath of a car accident which killed her best friend Liv. The book is told in two timelines; one before the accident which lets us know how Rory and Liv became friends and what was happening between them and one after the accident where we see how Rory is dealing with the loss of her friend. This is a book that fully tackles the process of grief and dealing with survivor’s guilt, and it handles both very well.
Now I usually don’t read other reviews before I write mine but I’m kind of late with my review and I had to remind myself a bit on what happens, so I read a few and I see the main problems that seem be pointed out is the lack of romance. I understand why that would be disappointing, but I also feel like this book and its synopsis never promises you a sapphic romance in the focus. Like you know from the start one of them dies, you know this will be sad. This is more about having the bittersweet possibility of what could have been if there was more time, and the tragic accident didn’t happen. And personally, I eat that up because I knew what I signed myself up for. I also think this book reflects what teenagers are like today very well. Because yeah, you will say and do cringy things, you will make mistakes, you will be self-centred and angry at the whole world.
The only thing I’m not really a fan of are pop culture references. I just don’t like those and I don’t know why they are still included so much mainly because I feel like they don’t resonate much with those outside of certain country’s culture (like me who doesn’t know what is even being referenced 80% time) and I feel in a few years those will age badly anyway and no one will really know of them which is a disservice for a book that has potential to reach different audience in the long run.
For a debut novel Maxine Rae manages to capture grieving teenager’s experience perfectly and build complex relationship between these teenage girls as well as Rory and her mother. She also doesn’t fail to actually make Rory sound like an actual teenager and not the whole ‘how you're doing fellow kids’ which I feel so many YA novels struggle with. Anyways, great read for depressed girlies!
Thanks to Netgalley and North Star Editions for providing me with an early copy in exchange for an honest review.
“My whole body is made up of apologies, thought. Apologies for getting in the way, for taking too long, for not responding.”
Right away I would say this is a perfect read for anyone who is a fan of We Are Okay by Nina LaCour and The Meaning of Birds by Jaye Robin Brown (although I have to say I loved this one a lot more).
Eighteen-year-old Rory is dealing with an aftermath of a car accident which killed her best friend Liv. The book is told in two timelines; one before the accident which lets us know how Rory and Liv became friends and what was happening between them and one after the accident where we see how Rory is dealing with the loss of her friend. This is a book that fully tackles the process of grief and dealing with survivor’s guilt, and it handles both very well.
Now I usually don’t read other reviews before I write mine but I’m kind of late with my review and I had to remind myself a bit on what happens, so I read a few and I see the main problems that seem be pointed out is the lack of romance. I understand why that would be disappointing, but I also feel like this book and its synopsis never promises you a sapphic romance in the focus. Like you know from the start one of them dies, you know this will be sad. This is more about having the bittersweet possibility of what could have been if there was more time, and the tragic accident didn’t happen. And personally, I eat that up because I knew what I signed myself up for. I also think this book reflects what teenagers are like today very well. Because yeah, you will say and do cringy things, you will make mistakes, you will be self-centred and angry at the whole world.
The only thing I’m not really a fan of are pop culture references. I just don’t like those and I don’t know why they are still included so much mainly because I feel like they don’t resonate much with those outside of certain country’s culture (like me who doesn’t know what is even being referenced 80% time) and I feel in a few years those will age badly anyway and no one will really know of them which is a disservice for a book that has potential to reach different audience in the long run.
For a debut novel Maxine Rae manages to capture grieving teenager’s experience perfectly and build complex relationship between these teenage girls as well as Rory and her mother. She also doesn’t fail to actually make Rory sound like an actual teenager and not the whole ‘how you're doing fellow kids’ which I feel so many YA novels struggle with. Anyways, great read for depressed girlies!
March 30, 2024
Cold Girls is a tender contemporary queer YA novel exploring grief, the growing pains of adolescence and the intense female friendship that queer girls often experience.
I was drawn to this book because I greatly enjoy explorations of death and grief, particularly in YA novels and I also happen to deeply love queer stories! Cold Girls follows Rory, who struggles to deal with the death of her best friend in a car accident that she herself survived. Forced by her mother to go into therapy after the "Xanax incident", Rory has to face her grief and the intense friendship she experienced with Liv.
Overall, I loved the way Maxine Rae captured the intensity of teenage life and particularly those explosive female friendships most sapphic teen girls will have experienced. I also greatly appreciated the way Rory's grief was given space in all its complexity and irrationality.
Unfortunately, I found a lot of the flashback scenes very hard to read because the dialogue was just filled with so many pop culture references, curses, and random little political discussions because Liv has to prove how grown up and complex she is and frankly, I found her whole vibe incredibly annoying! However, I understand that this is also because I am no longer a teen so I might be more sensitive to this kind of "look at me, I am such a cool and aloof teen girl" kind of dialogue in books, but I can imagine that teen readers might roll their eyes at the amount of this kind of language as well. As much as I appreciated the threads of emotional intensity that Maxine Rae was able to weave here, this level of teenage cringe did unfortunately colour my reading experience of Cold Girls and made it a much less enjoyable read than I hoped.
In some ways, I think this could've been almost a sapphic contemporary equivalent to Looking For Alaska! Rory is easily impressed by Liv, so eager to glorify her and bask in her glow, leaving little room for the human complexities of Liv as a whole person. Similarly, it is a book centered around intense teen relationships, the firsts of adolescence and the shattering experience of losing a loved one and being left with more questions than answers.
I was drawn to this book because I greatly enjoy explorations of death and grief, particularly in YA novels and I also happen to deeply love queer stories! Cold Girls follows Rory, who struggles to deal with the death of her best friend in a car accident that she herself survived. Forced by her mother to go into therapy after the "Xanax incident", Rory has to face her grief and the intense friendship she experienced with Liv.
Overall, I loved the way Maxine Rae captured the intensity of teenage life and particularly those explosive female friendships most sapphic teen girls will have experienced. I also greatly appreciated the way Rory's grief was given space in all its complexity and irrationality.
Unfortunately, I found a lot of the flashback scenes very hard to read because the dialogue was just filled with so many pop culture references, curses, and random little political discussions because Liv has to prove how grown up and complex she is and frankly, I found her whole vibe incredibly annoying! However, I understand that this is also because I am no longer a teen so I might be more sensitive to this kind of "look at me, I am such a cool and aloof teen girl" kind of dialogue in books, but I can imagine that teen readers might roll their eyes at the amount of this kind of language as well. As much as I appreciated the threads of emotional intensity that Maxine Rae was able to weave here, this level of teenage cringe did unfortunately colour my reading experience of Cold Girls and made it a much less enjoyable read than I hoped.
In some ways, I think this could've been almost a sapphic contemporary equivalent to Looking For Alaska! Rory is easily impressed by Liv, so eager to glorify her and bask in her glow, leaving little room for the human complexities of Liv as a whole person. Similarly, it is a book centered around intense teen relationships, the firsts of adolescence and the shattering experience of losing a loved one and being left with more questions than answers.
October 15, 2023
I have conflicting thoughts about ‘Cold Girls’. This novel follows Rory through a shifting timeline from when she met Liv to months after Liv’s death. This is a truly devastating novel to read. This, in its core, is about friendship and grief.
Firstly, the positives, I really liked the dual timeline and seeing what Rory and Liv’s relationship was like in the past. This was an absolute roller coaster. It made me super emotional and I actually cried many times. I flew through this book because of how addictive it was.
Now onto what I didn’t like; the whole sad, manic pixie dream girl vibe life had. This wasn’t horrible for me, but if you’re really against that archetype, then you’ll probably be a bit annoyed. Especially with her very surface level takes and stuff. I did like her character most of the time though discusses and lots of the themes she discusses are important. And much more importantly.. the whole strange thing tattoo? Especially after there are lots of people talking about why it’s problematic, adding it is just super unnecessary.
Also, I just wanted to say that this isn’t a romance!!! I went into thinking that this was going to be centered on the romance when it was very secondary. They loved each other a lot and were definitely soulmates, but they didn’t get to explore their romance much at all. I didn’t mind because I love a good friendship, but I just don’t want people to go into this expecting a huge romance.
Firstly, the positives, I really liked the dual timeline and seeing what Rory and Liv’s relationship was like in the past. This was an absolute roller coaster. It made me super emotional and I actually cried many times. I flew through this book because of how addictive it was.
Now onto what I didn’t like; the whole sad, manic pixie dream girl vibe life had. This wasn’t horrible for me, but if you’re really against that archetype, then you’ll probably be a bit annoyed. Especially with her very surface level takes and stuff. I did like her character most of the time though discusses and lots of the themes she discusses are important. And much more importantly.. the whole strange thing tattoo? Especially after there are lots of people talking about why it’s problematic, adding it is just super unnecessary.
Also, I just wanted to say that this isn’t a romance!!! I went into thinking that this was going to be centered on the romance when it was very secondary. They loved each other a lot and were definitely soulmates, but they didn’t get to explore their romance much at all. I didn’t mind because I love a good friendship, but I just don’t want people to go into this expecting a huge romance.
June 22, 2023
thank you so much to for giving me early access to this wonderful book!
i loved this book so much, i rated it 5 stars because i felt a deep connection with the story and legitimately enjoyed my time reading it, even when i was crying throughout a lot of it. to me, the vibes of the book as a whole reminded me of a mix of perks of being a wallflower and looking for alaska but the story was still very unique and didn’t feel like anything i read before. it was also so beautifully written, the word choices of the author, the emphasis on certain words or even the capitalization worked so well for me and added to the experience of being immersed in the book. one thing i really noticed was that the flipping between timelines worked really well and was well done, i often find this hard to follow but in this case it flowed very naturally between “before” and “after”. additionally, the characters were well developed, i felt a connection with all of them, even the ones who only come up a few times. overall i would 100% recommend reading this book, i loved it so much and probably have to buy myself a physical copy so i can have it in my physical collection too haha!
i loved this book so much, i rated it 5 stars because i felt a deep connection with the story and legitimately enjoyed my time reading it, even when i was crying throughout a lot of it. to me, the vibes of the book as a whole reminded me of a mix of perks of being a wallflower and looking for alaska but the story was still very unique and didn’t feel like anything i read before. it was also so beautifully written, the word choices of the author, the emphasis on certain words or even the capitalization worked so well for me and added to the experience of being immersed in the book. one thing i really noticed was that the flipping between timelines worked really well and was well done, i often find this hard to follow but in this case it flowed very naturally between “before” and “after”. additionally, the characters were well developed, i felt a connection with all of them, even the ones who only come up a few times. overall i would 100% recommend reading this book, i loved it so much and probably have to buy myself a physical copy so i can have it in my physical collection too haha!
Displaying 1 - 30 of 128 reviews