Wanda Lauren Taylor

Based on a true story, Ride or Die depicts the life of a 15-year-old teen from Canada who was kidnapped, abused, and forced to work in the sex trade industry. While this book could have served as an effective means to bring light to a serious issue, I think this story missed the mark.

First, the plot development and the writing left a lot to be desired. For this book to be based on real-life events there were several parts of the plot that just didn't ring true. First, when Kanika's best friend Panama disappeared, Kanika keeps pertinent information about the unsavory characters that she last saw her friend with from the police and Panama's family. The flow of the writing was off and it read like a bunch of random chapters put together. On top of that, Kanika is not a very likeable character. She's completely selfish and self-absorbed. She completely forgot all about Panama when a boy takes interest in her. I also found it very hard to believe that 2 teenagers who just underwent the horrific ordeal like Kamika and Panama would then decide to go off on their own after their respective escape and rescues

This book could serve as an excellent cautionary tale or a teachable moment for young girls with a little more fleshing out and plot development.… (meer)