As a former "bad girl" I know that females can never escape the double standard. Doing the same thing that guys do gets you slapped with all sorts of labels and none of them good. I really got into reading about this group of fierce, independent young women who aren't willing to let society dictate their behavior, even if perhaps it is to their detriment. Evie seems to have her head on her shoulders. She knows how she is perceived and she also knows to be wary. She's not a naive character. I've never read The Outsiders or watched the movie but I've heard people talk about it multiple times. I think I would prefer to go into this book fresh without the comparisons. I'm a big fan of coming-of-age stories and books that show transformative and nuanced characters, especially when those characters are intelligent females, so I have a feeling that this book is going to be a real winner.