Out of the Easy by Ruta Sepetys

Out of the Easy by Ruta Sepetys

Review of Out of the Easy

Title & Author:
Out of the Easy by Ruta Sepetys
Publisher:
Philomel
Publication Date:
February 12, 2013
Pages:
348
Source:
ARC from BEA

It’s 1950, and as the French Quarter of New Orleans simmers with secrets, seventeen-year-old Josie Moraine is silently stirring a pot of her own. Known among locals as the daughter of a brothel prostitute, Josie wants more out of life than the Big Easy has to offer. She devises a plan get out, but a mysterious death in the Quarter leaves Josie tangled in an investigation that will challenge her allegiance to her mother, her conscience, and Willie Woodley, the brusque madam on Conti Street.

Josie is caught between the dream of an elite college and a clandestine underworld. New Orleans lures her in her quest for truth, dangling temptation at every turn, and escalating to the ultimate test.

With characters as captivating as those in her internationally bestselling novel Between Shades of Gray, Ruta Sepetys skillfully creates a rich story of secrets, lies, and the haunting reminder that decisions can shape our destiny. – Goodreads

I don’t even know what to say about Out of the Easy by Ruta Sepetys. She blew me away with her first book, Between Shades of Gray, and the beautifully written hits just keep coming with Out of the Easy.

Out of the Easy is one of those timeless books that is relatable at any age. I’m not the daughter of a prostitute, but there were so many elements of Josie’s story that I just really found myself empathizing with her.

And Ruta Sepetys’s writing style is just so well-done. It’s simplistic in a way that’s still so vivid. She knows how to put words together for maximum impact and imagery. It was like I spent all of Out of the Easy watching a movie.

I haven’t had a lot of time to read lately, but I picked up Out of the Easy and read it in one day. I was just sucked into Josie’s depressing yet inspiring story. I had to know what happened to Josie, her mother, to Willie and Cokie, Patrick, Jessie – this amazing cast of characters that she put together, each with their own depth and character.

And all the swoons for Jesse Thierry.

Out of the Easy by Ruta Sepetys didn’t pull the same hardhitting punches as Between Shades of Gray, but definitely isn’t dwarfed in greatness by her debut. Out of the Easy is a bittersweet, gut-wrenching story that left me aching for the characters throughout the story. The ending is perfect. Out of the Easy is such a cinematic, visual story and I highly recommend picking up a finished copy for yourself.

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