My Thoughts: Out of the Easy by Ruta Sepetys

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.






I was SO wanted to read this one that I couldn't wait to get my hands on it and used one of my Audible credits and listened to it which I was on a fairly long road trip- it was perfect!

I was incredibly eager to read Ruta Sepetys' second novel Out of the Easy when I first read it's synopsis. I have had a slight obsession with New Orleans and the French Quarter since I was a kid. Take me back to the 1950's and Out of the Easy was high up on my TBR for 2013. Having not read Sepetys' debut novel Between Shades of Gray, I wasn't sure what I was getting into. But I had pretty high expectations, because  Between Shades of Gray was so well received among readers everywhere. Not only that, Out of the Easy was getting rave reviews. Everyone was loving it. And after reading it, I loved it as well.

The audio book is narrated by Lauren Fortgang (who has narrated a number of audio books including Precious and Fragile Things by Megan Hart and other adult romances), and is just under ten hours long. I devoured this one in a couple days in as many sittings. Fortgang does a really good job of narrating this story. Because Out of the Easy takes place in Louisiana, the majority of the characters have southern accents. Fortgang does a good job of conveying the southern twang of the characters but of also making each one unique. None of them came of flat due to narration- which can sometimes happen with audio books. Overall the audio book of Out of the Easy was a great experience and I was very happy with the narration.

The story itself was interesting. While I totally loved it, I spent a good portion of the novel waiting for something to happen- this is in no way a bad thing. What's interesting about Out of the Easy is it is very character driven, and the focus is on the relationships the characters have with one another. There isn't a strong plot. If you like character driven novels you will love this book, but if you are looking for fast paced adventure with a lot of suspense you won't get it. Neither will you get a swoony romance. There is a romance, but it's very subtle and you don't realize what it is until midway through the novel.

The writing in Out of the Easy is flawless. Ruta Sepetys is a beautiful writer. As many who have read Between Shades of Gray have said. Listening to the audio book was such an enjoyable experience which was one hundred percent due to the beauty of the story.

Overall, Out of the Easy was fantastic. I would absolutely recommend it to anyone who really is looking for a well written story. It's just good. I will absolutely be looking to read Between Shades of Gray soon.

~Happy Reading Everyone!