I received this book for free from Publisher in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

Winona has been starving for life in the seemingly perfect home that she shares with her seemingly perfect father, celebrity weatherman Stormy Olsen. No one knows that he locks the pantry door to control her eating and leaves bruises where no one can see them.

Lucille has been suffocating beneath the needs of her mother and her drug-dealing brother, wondering if there’s more out there for her than disappearing waitress tips and a lifetime of barely getting by.

One harrowing night, Winona and Lucille realize they can’t wait until graduation to start their new lives. They need out. Now. One hour later, they’re armed with a plan that will take them from their small Michigan town to Chicago.

All they need is three grand, fast. And really, a stolen convertible can’t hurt.

Chased by the oppression, toxicity, and powerlessness that has held them down, Winona and Lucille must reclaim their strength if they are going to make their daring escape—and get away with it.

Short and Sweet

Winona and Lucille just have to make it graduation and then they can leave everything behind and start fresh in Chicago. On the outside it seems like Winona lives the perfect life with her weather man father Stormy Olsen, but nobody knows that he tries to control her eating and leaves her with bruises where no one can find them. Lucille lives with her mother and her drug dealing older brother, wondering if there’s more to life than the one she’s living. But one night both girls realize they can’t wait until graduation anymore and have to leave now, all they need is some money and a car to get them to Las Vegas.

Characters

Winona: Winona has dealt with a lot. Her father is a ticking time bomb and one wrong move could set him off. I felt bad for Winona she never knew what kind of mood her father would be in. Winona is a sweetheart and she’s fragile but in the end I think she’s had enough of the way people have been treating her and she finally takes charge of her life.

Lucille: Lucille is as tough as nails. She has a difficult life both girls do but in different ways. Lucille deals with her drug dealing brother and working her butt off as a waitress. Her mother relies on Lucille and that’s another added pressure to her life. All Lucille wants is to know that she could have a better life than the one where she’s struggling to get by.

Romance

Winona and Silas: Well this was a fling and it was short lived. I had a bad feeling about Silas and in the end I was right but I’m glad the girls found him and made things right… in a way.

My Thoughts

~ I liked Lucille and Winona’s friendship. They met outside of a police station and have been friends ever since. Lucille is like Winona’s protector and she’s always looking out for her and making sure she’s okay, in the end I think Winona is more stable when Lucille is around.

~ These girls risked it all when they left. Winona stole a car, Lucille took her brothers stash, and now they have Stormy looking for them and a drug dealer. It’s crazy how things play out.

~ I honestly think Winona and Lucille are brave and courageous. They basically winged their whole trip and just hoped that things would work out.

~ I liked their cross country trip, it wasn’t a breeze it came with hardships the whole time. I had a feeling something would happen to the girls and it did and I felt bad for them but they dealt with it like it was nothing.

~ Winona and Lucille make a dynamic duo and they don’t care what anyone thinks about them. They keep each other happy, they share real conversations, and always make each other laugh, and I’m glad they found each other at the police station.

~ I also liked the chapter titles, which gave an insight on how much money the girls had.

~ The ending was kind of sad but it was nice knowing the Winona and Lucille had each other.

Overall

I enjoyed reading Hello Girls, its not too long of a book so I breezed through it. I do think there are some flaws but they’re minor. I did like how the girls stuck together and Lucille was an amazing friend. If you want to read a book about friends who go cross country to leave their troubles and the awful men in their lives behind then this is the book for you!