Customer Reviews

And It Goes Like This...

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
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What happens when a naïve fifteen-year-old falls in love with a street-wise twenty-year-old? Charlotte-Louise Andrews, shy and without many friends, makes friends with Candace who introduces her to Joaquin Lomax, a handsome, rich drug dealer who immediately falls hard for the young girl. She is equally impressed with him and their affair begins. Charlotte-Louise, known to her friends as Sha Sha, has a drunken mother who pays scant attention to her, even when she spends the nights with Joaquin. In fact, she doesn't even miss her because she is always deep into her bottles. Charlotte-Louise is an excellent student and the one promise she makes to herself is that she will graduate from high school before she gets too distracted and drops out. As with the best of plans, Charlotte-Louise's begin to hit snags. Will she be able to continue until graduation? Will Joaquin realize what a treasure he has?

AND IT GOES LIKE THIS by G. Andi Rhos is an interesting new look at street life from the perspective of an innocent fifteen-year-old. The characters are well-developed and interesting as people in their own right. The book does present tension and some suspense as Joaquin deals drugs and all the evil involved with it. I felt a great deal of empathy for Charlotte-Louise as she paddles through a life she knows nothing about. It is a book worth reading.

Reviewed by Alice Holman

of The RAWSISTAZ Reviewers

And It Goes Like This by G. Andi Rhos is a provocative, fast-paced book that covers three years of Charlotte-Louise Andrews' young, naïve life. Charlotte-Louise is a fifteen- year old girl craving for attention, but when she is raped by a family member she draws further into herself and refuses to let anyone in. Charlotte-Louise feels like an outcast at home and at school; her mother puts alcohol ahead of her only child, and she offers no guidance or love. Charlotte-Louise turns to the streets and hooks up with street savvy Dulce.

Dulce teaches everything Charlotte-Louise needs to know in order to survive her teenage years, and she starts by changing her name to Sha-Sha and giving herself a new look and a job. With a new name, new look, new attitude and drawing attention to herself, Sha-Sha formerly known as Charlotte-Louise has a new take on life, and she wants it all.

Joaquin Lomax is not your average street thug, he was raised in a two family home, went to the best schools, and his older brother taught him the ways of street survival. Now slinging drugs, driving fancy cars and handling more money then he can spend in a lifetime Joaquin stumbles across Sha-Sha, and vows to make her his. Can Sha-Sha deal with this older man who wants to give her the world? Will she know how to play her position as a street wife, or will her naiveness cause more damage than good? Will Joaquins' merciless killings and violence turn Sha-Sha off, or has she been reinvented into a ride-or-die chick?

This was a great read; there were interesting characters with lively personalities, a detailed storyline, and it kept me wanting more. I recommend this book to all urban fiction readers.

Reviewed by: Cheryl H

APOOO BookClub

i love love love this book and i dont know why more people dont know about it, it's a bit different than your averege urban or teen book that's what makes it great but im suprised the author didnt come out with her follow up book i think it was called circling the square or something. maybe this book didnt do as well and that why there's no sequel, such a shame cause i really did want to know what was gonna happen next but anyways good book

I grew up in the projects of Atlanta but purposely isolated myself from the street-life.

"And It Goes Like This" reminds me why.

Charlotte-Louise was too naive to know what she was getting herself into when she met and fell in love with Joaquin.

Joaquin was most unforgettable and the best things about his character was that he was true to himself, respectful to his mother and a provider to his women. G. Andi Rhos takes you on a roller-coaster of a ride that captivates and keeps you in suspense. If you appreciate a good read, this book belongs on your shelf.