{ARC} Review: How We Roll by Natasha Friend || FEMALE FRIENDSHIPS 4EVA

Posted on May 29, 2018January 14, 2019 by LaRonda @FlyingPaperbacks

How We Roll

Natasha Friend

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. Jake was once a star football player, but a freak accident—caused by his brother—he loses both of his legs. Quinn and Jake meet and find the confidence to believe in themselves again, and maybe even love.

Publisher: Farrar Straus Girous

Published: June 5th 2018

It’s been a while since I’ve read a book that has genuinely made me happy, let alone a Contemporary I genuinely love to pieces. And I love this book to the moon and back. It was such a quick read, I ended up reading it in 2 hours. I smiled so much and the female friendship and support? *heart eyes all around*

Quinn is hoping for a new start in a new town after an incident at her old school left her without any friends and subjected to bullying. She’s trying to navigate school while keeping her Alopecia a secret.

This is the second book I’ve read with a main character with Alopecia and not knowing too much about it, reading about how Quinn dealt with it was really interesting to see. Her fear of being judged, of the wigs falling off, of what will happen if her new friends find out.

We also have some autism rep with Quinn’s brother Julius. He has rules: eating white food on Wednesdays and foods that start with F on Fridays. Seeing the love Quinn has for him while also showing her insecurities about being pushed aside by her family was so very necessary. It fleshed out these characters and led to some genuinely important conversations.

The friendship was the best part of the story. The female friendship and support. It was the best thing and made me the happiest person. I did have a fear towards the middle with Ivy, a popular girl, being jealous about Quinn hanging out with her ex, Nick, but it was quickly flipped on it’s head and was amazing.

Speaking of Nick, his friendship with Quinn was so nice, They’re just two kids dealing with their disabilities and bonding and having a no-judgement zone. Their conversations about his accident and legs and forgiveness was heartwarming.

Now, don’t come into this thinking there will be a romance, the blurb is misleading. This is about friendship and acceptance.

There is a hint of a possible future romance between Quinn and Nick and I loved all the hints and implications, but nothing really goes in that direction. Again, it’s friendship and support. And I loved every second of it ❤ .