> Skip to content
  • Published: 25 June 2019
  • ISBN: 9781496715791
  • Imprint: Kensington
  • Format: Paperback
  • Pages: 384
  • RRP: $29.99

Side Chick Nation



Aya de León's Justice Hustlers series has been described as "a rallying cry" (The Washington Post) and praised for its "poetic and savvy descriptions of women's inner and external challenges that are reminiscent of Sister Souljah's or Ntozake Shange's work" (Bitch Magazine). Perfect for readers looking for a feminist twist on the classic heist sotry or urban soap operas by Niobia Bryant and Kiki Swinson, Aya de León's fourth novel, SIDE CHICK NATION, takes place in New York, Florida and Puerto Rico just before and after the hurricane, as the daughter of a Dominican maid and the Nuyorican mastermind behind the Lower East Side Women's Health Clinic's heist squad step out of the shadows and demand to call the shots.

Winner of the Internation Latino Book Award

A Justice Hustlers Novel
 
She’s beautiful, unpredictable—and on the run from dangerous men. But this
ex-side chick is ready to risk everything to help others in trouble . . .
 
Fed up with her married Miami boyfriend, savvy Dulce has no problem stealing his
drug-dealer stash and fleeing to her family in the Caribbean. But when she gets bored in rural Santo Domingo, she escapes on a sugar daddy adventure to Puerto Rico. Her new life is one endless party, until she's caught in Hurricane Maria—and witnesses the brutal collision of colonization and climate change, as well as the international vultures who plunder the tragedy for a financial killing, making shady use of relief funds to devastate the island even more. Broke, traumatized, and stranded, Dulce’s only chance to get back to New York may be a sexy, crusading journalist who’s been pursuing her. But is she hustling him or falling for him?

Meanwhile, New York-based mastermind thief Marisol already has her hands full fleecing a ruthless CEO who’s stealing her family’s land in Puerto Rico, while trying to get her relatives out alive after the hurricane. An extra member in her crew could be game-changing, but she’s wary of Dulce’s unpredictability and reputation for drama. Still, Dulce’s determination to get justice draws Marisol in, along with her formidable Lower East Side Women’s Health Clinic’s heist squad. But their race-against-the-clock plan is soon complicated by powerful men who turn deadly when ex-side chicks step out of the shadows and demand to call the shots . . .

Praise for Aya de León and her novels
 
“Staking out space for women of color in the heist-fiction genre, Aya de León’s smart, sly writing is a knockout.”
—Andi Zeisler, Bitch magazine
 
“This well-written and enjoyable installment in de León’s unique, feminist, urban crime-fiction series . . . infuses satisfying power in both plot and character.”
Booklist on The Boss, STARRED review

  • Published: 25 June 2019
  • ISBN: 9781496715791
  • Imprint: Kensington
  • Format: Paperback
  • Pages: 384
  • RRP: $29.99

Also by Aya de León

See all

Praise for Side Chick Nation

Praise for Aya de León and the Justice Hustlers series

 "Gripping feminist heist fiction about turning the tables on the disaster capitalists in the jaws of climate apocalypse? Improbably and thrillingly, Aya de León has pulled off exactly that with Side Chick Nation. I couldn't put it down."- Naomi Klein, author of The Shock Doctrine on Side Chick Nation

"De León (The Boss, 2017) fits suspense, family drama, a team of very intelligent women, and, yes, romance into this terrific read. De León is a rising star in romantic suspense." - Booklist on The Accidental Mistress

"A passable heist novel with elements of romance and intersectional feminism." - Kirkus Reviews on The Accidental Mistress


"De Leon's series features an empowered collective of strippers and explores issues of intersectional feminism while at the same time crafting intricate crime plots." - Crime Reads on The Accidental Mistress

"[The Boss] offers poetic and savvy descriptions of women's inner and external challenges that are reminiscent of Sister Souljah's or Ntozake Shange's work ... The worst thing about the book is that it ends." -- Bitch Magazine on The Boss

"Pure escapism is what author Aya de León offers here with a story that actually has many separate plots - romance, family drama, a little espionage, and surprisingly righteous feminism - all of them appealing...every reader will be able to find a little of herself there, which makes this a doubly fun novel to enjoy." -- The Miami Times on The Boss

"A lusty tale...a page-turner we can dive into for an escape from poverty, sexism and racism, but also a rallying cry to toss out those systems and rewrite the rules." - The Washington Post on Uptown Thief

"This well-written and enjoyable installment in de León's unique, feminist, urban crime fiction series, Justice Hustlers infuses satisfying power in both plot and character. Readers will embrace this heist story with heart and its hero Tyesha, a smart yet fallible professional and champion for struggling women. León, who is also a poet, social commentator, and head of the Poetry for the People program at UC Berkeley, is a crime writer to watch."- Booklist STARRED REVIEW for The Boss

"An important work of social justice." - Jacobin Magazine on Uptown Thief

"Aya de León is a feminist writer to watch." - Sarai Walker, author of Dietland