Loose Lips Sink Ships-Katrina LaCroix

Now That's a Brazen Broad..........



Avery Leigh's life is in turmoil after her boyfriend, Carter, breaks up with her, and she determines that by hook or by crook, he will be hers again.  And so begins LaCroix's dark comedic glimpse into the life of a dysfunctional teen aged girl.

From the first, LaCroix writes with unabashed black humor.  Her main character, Avery, is pure malevolence, dealing friends and foes alike her brutal tactics to achieve her goals.  The character works, however, as LaCroix writes a hilarious version of the truly unrepentant bitch.  Avery becomes laugh-out-loud likable throughout the story as the reader discovers the bizarre home environment she must deal with and its effects on her young life.  LaCroix also scores a win - in that Avery, while ultimately remaining a true brazen broad, does grow (just a bit) over the course of her hysterical adventures with her minions....ahem, I mean friends.

Katrina LaCroix's story will not appeal to everyone (maybe not even to most), and this Broad struggles to place it in one genre.  It is assuredly comical, daringly dark, and would probably be best suited in the hands of well grounded women not afraid to laugh at what would happen if the "inner-bitch" were ever loosed upon the world......as long as it never actually happens.  Even though the characters are teens, this book is most certainly NOT for young adult readers.  Likewise, those desiring a tale of redemption, or good triumphing over evil will most likely find Loose Lips Sink Ships a disappointment. Contrarily, Broads who enjoy a chuckle at the (very) dark side of humor will find Loose Lips Sink Ships absolutely brazen.

 ~Moira

Deliciously Dark

Katrina LaCroix's Loose Lips Sink Ships is a story of characters.  Not tremendously plot driven, the main character of Avery Leigh drives the story to often wild places.  I can't remember any other book that included a scene with a female character chasing down her ex-boyfriend to a cheap hotel and rummaging through a hotel room's bathroom garbage to determine if he had been there.  Avery's singlemindedness in getting her boyfriend Carter back is the central idea of the story.  The other subplots involving the rest of the characters all lead back to Avery's story, but add further dimensions of crazy to the world these characters live in.  But make no mistake:  this is the story of one determined teenage girl. 

I enjoyed Loose Lips Sink Ships tremendously in parts.  The scene with Avery tracking down Carter to his job at the pizza place and her interaction with the teenage boy behind the counter is so funny I had to stop reading because the tears were making it impossible to see.  That the ending is significantly less dark than the rest of the story is my only complaint. 

But where does the story reside in the various genres of literature?  Moira and I agree on this that we don't know.  It's definitely humorous, but it may bleed over into chick lit, possibly.  I can say with certainty that this isn't romance, horror, steampunk, thriller, or mystery.  And it's definitely not YA.  This book wouldn't be appropriate for teenagers. 

In the end, Loose Lips Sink Ships is a funny romp through the teenage world of Avery Leigh and the people who suffer through her determination to reunite with her boyfriend.  Over-the-top, often bizarre, but in many parts funny as all hell, the story is worth reading. 






-Alexandria