Out of the Easy, by Ruta Sepetys

(3/5 stars)

I always love reading a good historical book, and this one had a special place in my heart because I bought it when I was in New Orleans (the books takes place in NOLA). It promised murder, scandal (the main character's mother is a prostitute), adventure, and all the magic of New Orleans in the 1950s. Out of the Easy was a fun, light read, but I really expected more of it.

What I liked: The setting is perfect. Sepetys captures the sights and sounds of New Orleans like no other, though I might be biased after my recent trip. But to me, it was so cool reading lines like "pulled to a stop on Conti Street" (where I stayed) and "down for the Sugar Bowl" (why I was there), though the visuals Sepetys painted were so well done I could have imagined it regardless. I also really enjoyed the secondary characters that showed up throughout the book. They were energetic and individualistic, and just plain fun. Unless you count the bad guys, who were, you know, bad. I loved Josie's motivation in the story, she was determined and stubborn which I always appreciate from a protagonist. But I have to be honest and say that my favorite characters were the ones that hardly had any time on the page- people like Charlotte and Cokie.

What I didn't like: That leads me to my feelings of Josie. She was straight up annoying at times, and, she was being too stubborn and wouldn't let anyone help her. There was a whole slew of people who cared for that girl, and I feel like she took them for granted. She continued to let her past define her, and wouldn't own up to it and let it mold her. I also didn't like how little the murder was in the plot. I was so excited to read about a murder in the French Quarter because it had so much potential- historical mystery, heck yes! But the murder took a back seat and it didn't even feel like a big deal. Disappointment. I wanted to know more about Cincinnati and his boss (who was mentioned a lot but never made an appearance- weird since he was like a super big deal, it could have added to the story).  And I would have liked to see Josie investigate more since she had such a stake in the murder or whatever.

I promise you, I did enjoy this book. It was just hard to like it so much or even love it when I had higher hopes. It's a fun read, and I didn't ever want to put it down- it definitely had me hooked. There were also some great lines in the book that made me stop and think and feel. If historical fiction is your genre, then I definitely recommend it!

-Annie