Bad Girls

This absolutely broke me. Wonderfully written and full of emotion, Camila Villada truly encapsulated the horrors of the world alongside the beauty of community. Fantastic read.

First: some major trigger warnings here. This book will not be for everyone. There is very little that is particularly graphic, but this book is very raw about topics like rape and sexual violence, physical violence, extreme transphobia, suicide, and murder. Make sure you're in the right headspace if you decide to pick this one up, please.I do not think I'm eloquent to write a coherent review of this novel, so here are a smattering of thoughts:I do not usually prefer my fiction to be told in the first person because it feels too real like I'm reading the author's real experience. But I think it was really important for this to be told in the first person like this for that exact reason-- it feels like the experience of a real person, magical elements and all.The matter of fact way this was told left me sitting there with my eye brows raised and releasing involuntary sighs of frustration and grief for these women. No feelings, no polite sensibilities are spared.I'm now very interested in learning more about the experiences of sex workers. It's such a complicated situation because they are doing what they need to do to survive, but for so many, like Camilla in this story, they are in such a dangerous and precarious situation.This is one in a thousand reasons why I continue to fight so hard for the rights of trans people-- trans people have always existed and will always exist and if we don't support them in living as their true selves, they will be forced to do so in precarious and dangerous ways. I do not want this life our trans children. I want them to experience those glimpses of love we see throughout this novel-- the friendship, the protection of found family, the gentle love of a partner who sees them and accepts them as their true self, parenthood and the love of children they care for.

There’s a sense of real relationships in her writing. You can feel it with all your senses.Excellent heart & soul writing!

I really enjoyed the magical realism aspects of this book entwined with the harsh realities that trans sex workers live. Can't wait to read more from this author.

This story was short and bittersweet, separated into digestible chunks with no defined chapters / or clear focused beginning middle end story arc. What parts were meant to be true and meant to be fantastical were blended together- I would be interested in learning more about the history of the fantastical parts. The end was melancholic but somehow not surprising from what I have read about the lives of transgender prostitutes, yet the stories of the trials and tribulations of this lifestyle open my eyes each time.