Gail-Agnes Musikavanhu Books In Order

Publication Order of Standalone Novels

Gail-Agnes Musikavanhu
Gail-Agnes Musikavanhu was born in South Africa and grew up in a number of places including Boston, Massachusetts. Besides being South African, she is many other nationalities, like American and British.

Gail-Agnes is a graduate of the University of Cape Town, where she got a BA in English literature and media and film production. She uses these skills to write her stories, watch movies, and pitch media.

Gail-Agnes was an avid reader as a child. She was raised on Cathy Cassidy, Jaqueline Wilson, Meg Cabot, and Kelly McKain (among many others). When she was done reading their latest work, she always wanted to read more. So she began writing her own fun stories for her own entertainment. It was just in college that she decided she should probably finish one or two of her many half finished manuscripts and attempt to be a writer.

In “Ride or Die”, she had a tough time finding songs for every chapter and making sure they got woven properly into the story. To start out, there was just a handful of tunes that she knew she wanted in the story, however once she began going chapter by chapter she realized that she had to keep going. It took her months and months of listening widely and researching to find the right songs for the right moments. Sometimes she would hear the right song in a meme online or in the supermarket. She believes the way that she navigates through the world changed when she began writing this story. She has yet to turn her “music research ear” off.

The book was rather tough to edit because of the soundtrack and the connection missions. It is difficult to start moving things around while there are these pillars to work around. She could not easily scrap or edit the missions or they would mess the sequence of the story up. The songs made it tough to play around with chapters or even add new ones, because she would then have to either remove an essential song or add in a totally new one for new scenes.

There weren’t any pieces of media which directly inspired the challenges or the story, however there was this one crucial piece of media which inspired Loli, the protagonist, which gave way to the novel. She remembers daydreaming scenarios to “Lolita” by Lana Del Rey during high school and thinking how sick a track it would be for a badass femme fatale character.

She wanted to try and write the story in a way that would reward a re-read. There are some things peppered throughout which just make more sense the second time through, and small moments which may be more enjoyable with the knowledge of who X actually is.

“Ride or Die” is the first stand alone novel and was released in 2023. This adrenaline packed joy ride of a debut novel is an ode to Gen Z and chaotic teens, and is perfect for fans of “Baby Driver”, Grace D. Li, and Ebony Ladelle. Ryan Pope and Loli Crawford (best friends) have earned their nickname of the “Bonnie and Clyde of Wooldrige High”. From reckless car surfing in high school to illegal snack swapping back in kindergarten, they’ve been causing trouble in their uptight California town forever. However everybody knows that the mischief begins with Loli; because when it comes to chasing adventure, thrills, and drama, nobody is on her level.

At least not until Loli throws the wildest party that Woolridge has ever seen and she meets X, this unidentified and strange boy in the coat closet, who challenges her to a game that she cannot refuse, one which promises to put her love of danger to the ultimate test.

X and Loli start this anonymous correspondence, exchange increasingly risky missions. Loli’s fun has always been easy and free, however things start spinning out of control while she tries one upping X’s every move. While Loli risks losing it all, including her oldest friend, she is going to face the most dangerous thing of all: falling for somebody that she shouldn’t.

Like the best road trip, this novel is an adventure with friendship at its very core. Gail pens her characters so that you will root for them with mysteries to keep you guessing and a sparkling voice. This is a whip smart twisty and fun mystery with the most loveable protagonist at its center. It’s reminiscent of the much beloved high school cult classic films of the 90s and early 2000s, “Ride or Die” is pure magic, with just a dash of mayhem.

Gail has crafted a character driven and high octane delight. It is the rare book that puts you right on the edge of your seat and not just during the off-road car chases and high-stakes dares, yet also in the quiet moments when a character is waiting for a text back or starts deciding what type of person she is going to become. With its anonymous game of one-upmanship, a cast of self-aware and witty teens, and a complex heroine that is irresistible not despite her flaws but because of them, this fires on all cylinders.

Gail carves out a space of her very own with this breath of fresh air novel that is quite unlike any other novel readers have read before. With its perfectly flawed and witty characters and its exciting plot which keeps you guessing.

What would you do if you were beautiful, young, rich, popular, and smart? Loli believes you should skate right to the edge, take a few risks, maybe almost die, break a bunch of hearts, and return with a story. She did it all so that we don’t have to.

Not only do you find yourself wanting to know who this mysterious figure is, but every heist, prank, and dangerous nighttime escapade fully sweeps you away. Full of riddles, puzzles, and letters this novel is perfect for anybody that likes the idea of pushing ourselves and of meeting somebody that will up the ante. It is all a story that is deeply rooted in trust and friendship.