Out of the Easy

I have always wanted to go to New Orleans. It is now going to be a moral imperative! What a lovely, perfect book. Out of the Easy by Ruta Sepetys is about Josie, the sassy, independent daughter of a prostitute, living in New Orleans in the 1950's. She is looking for a way out and away from her toxic mother. She lives alone above the bookstore where she works with her best friend Patrick. Her other job is cleaning up at the brothel run by the infamous Willie Woodley, her surrogate mother. One day a well to do man comes into the bookstore and sees something in Jo that no one else usually sees. He treats her like she is someone. She pretends he could be her father and becomes determined to get out of New Orleans and make something of herself. Josie meets Charlotte, a young student at Smith and they become fast friends and Jo's dream of attending Smith college begins. When the kind man turns up dead, Josie is embroiled in the murder investigation that is not surprisingly centered around her atrocious mother. This book is filled with the most wonderful characters. Patrick, the best friend with a secret. Cokie, the driver who loves Jo like a daughter. Sadie, the mute cook for the brothel. The prostitutes that work for Willie. And Jesse, the hot, schoolboy, mechanic who knows long before Josie does that they are meant for each other. I can't express how touching this book is. It is the perfect story, it has intrigue, danger, romance and at it's root the message that family isn't about who you are related to. I laughed, I cried, I rooted for Josie, who is no damsel in distress. With that, I hope you find the time to read this sweet little book- no zombies, vampires, or dystopian terrain. Just a little drama in the Big Easy. Happy reading my friends.