Ruta Sepetys writes young adult historical fiction. I normally do not care for YA, but I've found that her books work well as crossovers to adult fiction. OUT OF THE EASY, however, although excellent for young adults, does not come across to me as adult.

Josie is 17 years old in 1950 New Orleans, "the easy." As the daughter of a dishonest prostitute, she has been living on her own for years now in a city where she does not belong. She wants out.

So she dreams of going away to college in Massachusetts, and she does everything she can to make it really happen. Most of OUT OF THE EASY is about how she does that.

It's a storyline for young adults. And the situations Josie finds herself in would appeal to young adults. This adult found them predictable, sometimes even silly.