Book Review: Out of the Easy by Ruta Sepetys

Title: Out of the Easy
Author: Ruta Sepetys
Series/Standalone: Standalone
Genre: Historical Fiction, Young Adult
Pages: 348
Publisher: Philomel Books
Year Published: 2013
Format: Audiobook

"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 to 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 Woodly, 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.

With characters as captivating as those in her internationally bestselling novel Between Shades of Gray, Ruta Sepetys skillfully creates a rich story of secrets, lies and the haunting reminder that decisions can shape our destiny."

My Rating: 4/5

Last year I had the chance to read another book by Ruta Septys and I loved her ability to transport me to another time completely. This time I decided to borrow an audiobook and was excited when I started it to realize that it takes place in the 50s. It's an interesting time in the lives of people all over the world. After the war and with rights for people beginning to shift, Ruta Sepetys shows the lives of so many different people in one of the most popular holiday destinations of the time.
I loved the characters and the setting. I was fully entertained and interest in the story. The only reason that I knocked off a star, is that I felt this was marketed as a mystery and I just didn't find it that mysterious. There wasn't much of a mystery at all in fact. 
I would recommend this to anyone who loves the time of the setting and is interested in a great audiobook with an amazing narrator.

Thanks for reading,
Sidny