Natasha Friend is a young adult author from upstate New York. After working as a teacher and camp director, she became a full-time writer. Her first book, PERFECT, was published back in 2004. She also wrote LUSH and BOUNCE as well as THE OTHER F-WORD and a few other novels. Her newest contemporary story, HOW WE ROLL, was published in June 2018.

Quinn has been friends with Paige and Tara since she was in elementary school, but she has always been the tomboy of their trio. When she begins losing her hair because of a condition known as alopecia, the eighth grade becomes a terrible place for her where she is relentlessly bullied. Due to her brother’s needs because of his autism spectrum disorder, Quinn and her family move across the country from Colorado to Massachusetts for Julius to attend a new school. This opportunity gives Quinn a chance to reinvent herself and forget her past, and she meets Will, who recently lost his legs in a snowmobile accident.

"HOW WE ROLL was precisely what it was meant to be: inspiring.... [I]t was also effortless to read and tough to put down."

HOW WE ROLL was precisely what it was meant to be: inspiring. While Quinn and Nick were not dealing with typical high school issues, they both were incredibly brave and understandably frustrated with their life. I expected Quinn, who is on the younger side of YA as a high school freshman, to be immature, but her courage surprised me. Overall, Natasha Friend succeeds in representing many issues and being inclusive while not seeming like she is trying too hard. Every hurdle was believable and felt natural, which is not very easy to do as an author. Not only was the novel what I consider the perfect length for a contemporary novel at around 250 pages, it was also effortless to read and tough to put down.

Quinn and Nick were both imperfect but ultimately made an excellent pair. So many great characters continued to present themselves throughout. Quinn’s parents were a favorite, and her relationship with Julius, while a side plot, was super insightful. Every side plot offered more depth to the story and the characters. I always love when great parents are represented. I appreciated that even Nick’s relationships with his family presented a definite arc. I especially enjoyed Nick’s brother Tommy and the growth of their relationship. I found a few parts of HOW WE ROLL to stick out at me as the perfect additions. Quinn’s dad, while very random, always used Latin phrases in his conversations, and as a Latin student, I appreciated it greatly. Quinn also found the Massachusetts accents to be weird, and their discussions were written phonetically, warranting a laugh every few chapters.

I recommend HOW WE ROLL to avid readers of contemporary romance, as well as those who enjoy reading about diverse situations. Anyone looking for a quick, cute and ultimately insightful read should pick up this book.