Absolutely amazing. I loved Essie and Roarke. What a story of strength and triumph!

Essie is the youngest child on a reality television show featuring her family's religious life. When Essie realizes that she is pregnant, she manipulates her mother into arranging a marriage to a gay boy from her high school that she barely knows. Everything Essie does, including contacting her sister who ran away years ago, is to secure her freedom from her oppressive family. In order to tell her story, Essie reaches out to Liberty, a journalist with a past just as crazy as Essie's.

My biggest complaint about this book is that the author really tried to tell two stories, Essie's and Liberty's. She had them both unravel at the same pace and reveal at the same pace. The book would have been smoother and more impactful if Liberty's story was told upfront and the book focused on Essie. If this is the Book of Essie, the author should have focused more on her. Overall, I think this book will capture the imagination of teenagers, who will love the reality television aspects.