Actual Rating: 4.5 Stars

“Then he lets out this laugh that’s like a puff of disgust and says something like ‘gotcha’ before the blast of cool air lets me know I’m still here, on the wrong side of the door, having been coaxed in by the surprise of Jacob’s smile.”

“Because this is what happens to girls like me with boys like Jacob. This is what we deserve. And I fall deeper and deeper into the well, away from the sun and the moon, where embers of whatever my voice could have been are immediately starved of air.”



“If I thought it would make any difference, I would scream.”



Izzy doesn’t know where her voice went. Why her lips stay shut when Jacob is near, why she allows his hands to touch her skin. She doesn’t want it to happen, she wants it to stop. But Jacob is dangling shame over her head and Izzy is all too familiar with the tricks of men. How he twists his words and so easily takes her power. To say nothing is almost easier. To just bear the weight of the ugliness and keep moving forward. That’s what her mother does with Daniel, her stepdad. She keeps her mouth shut, her head down, and falls in line. But the loneliness that Izzy’s secrets bring are weighing her down. She can’t talk to her mother, who is just as silenced as she, and her best friend Grace is too preoccupied with her new girlfriend. So Izzy has to deal with it alone. Unless, she can find a way out.

“‘I should go,’ I say, but my words are an echo and his room is a cave with its closed curtains and the bedside lamp suddenly switched off by his swift fingers, which somehow turn to fire in the dark, spreading wild across my body so I can no longer tell which bit of him is where because the whole of Jacob is on me, against me, burning itself into me as my echo presses into what might be his chest but could be his shoulder.

Whatever piece of him is so close to my mouth, it melts my ability to speak, any words I try to summon seeping into a wet patch of nothing on his shirt.”

“I’d disappear if I could, but I can’t.”

I have never highlighted so many quotes in a book, in my life. But the quantity of these highlights, though very large, doesn’t even compare to the quality and punch they pack. Amy Beashel has reached into the heart of so many young girls and women and extracted those feeling of loneliness, fear, regret, shame, self-loathing, anger and sadness. She took the ugliness that we have all felt, and sometimes still feel, and she has screamed it through black ink on thin pieces of paper. This book is powerful. It hurts, it hits an all too familiar nerve, and it leaves an ache in your gut. It is something so many of us have felt, and something so many of us have always been afraid of.

“‘You were gone, Izzy.’

‘No more than you or Jacob or any of your other mates.’

‘Isn’t the same for us though, is it?’”

This isn’t a lighthearted story. It’s about sexual abuse and rape. About domestic abuse, manipulation and control. It’s about a daughter who is going through hell in the confines of a boy’s bedroom, and a mother who suffers in her own home, while her daughter watches. It is pure heartbreak and sorrow, and this author captures it in a way that feels all too real.

“Everything just kind of gives in.

I shouldn’t be here.”

Izzy’s character feels so true and authentic. A girl who knows she doesn’t want the things that are happening to her to be happening, but is unable to speak up. And as the reader follows her into her memories of the party, and into the bedroom of a boy that is blackmailing her, we begin to realize how and why that is. The relationship between her mother and her stepdad is volatile and and confusing, as is her own relationship with her stepfather, Daniel. So many controlling phrases said with smiles, or harsh japes delivered with an upbeat tone. And even a lingering of Daniel’s hand on her back for a second too long, or a look down towards her chest. It is no wonder that Izzy says nothing, because that is exactly what her mother does.

“…and me looking at my thighs in the mirror wondering how all those other girls do it. Fall out of hate with their bodies, I mean.

‘You’re beautiful’, Mum whispers when Daniel leaves the kitchen, but her voice is too much like tissue paper to wrap me up in anything that feels like safety or strength or truth.”

The abuse that Izzy’s mother endures through her marriage is easily frustrating as you read. Her timid behavior, the way she says nothing when Daniel talks down to Izzy, or the way she refuses to speak with Izzy when Izzy attempts to reach out to her. It is painful to watch, but unfortunately, it mirrors so many true relationships of how a woman will hold on, even if it’s hurting her. I was angry that her mother would stay and not get Izzy out of that house, or that she wasn’t more observant to how Daniel behaved around around her daughter…but I imagine that is the point, isn’t it? To spark an anger in the reader, because these situations are all too real and and equally emotionally confusing.

And how the behavior of her mother intertwines with how Izzy treats her own relationships and situations is…devastating. There were tears constantly in my eyes and a sickness in my stomach as Izzy describes her despair. Her loneliness and fear, or how she goes along with a boy’s request because she feels she has no other options.

“My chest and my belly turning from chalky mass to scarlet mass in the rush of the water, which, no matter how high I turn the dial on the shower, still can’t shift the stickiness of Jacob’s hands and mouth and his tongue that slicked those words: ‘Relax, Izzy. It’ll be so much better if you just fucking relax.’

Cos those words, they’re as wedged as the earplugs I’ve used on the worst kinds of nights when Daniel’s done what he’s done, and he’s left, and Mum’s crying is as quiet as she can make it, but for all her effort, that sinking weep of hers seeps through the walls like blood on toilet paper.”

But what really stands out to me about this story, is the imperfections and unsavory characteristics. Of how not everything turns out perfectly. Of how some things improve and change, but how the trauma molds these two women. How it shifts their mother daughter relationship and jumbles it up into a ball of confusion and assumptions about how the other had been feeling. The author so beautifully displayed how Izzy saw things from her perspective, and then how her mother saw them and what was going through her head. But even so, the theme of this story is their silence and how they learn to find their voices.

“…she doesn’t even try, just sits there as I work on being a rock, dry and deserted, pulling back the tears and filing my mouth with biscuits so it doesn’t accidentally fill with words.”

There is a romance aspect that comes to Izzy, and to be honest, I wasn’t really sure it was necessary or that I even wanted it to be there. I wanted Izzy to find self-worth and strength on her own or with her mother. And though she does in some ways, the fact that part of it came from a boy sort of…rubs me the wrong way. Izzy’s best friend Grace on the other hand, is everything I wanted and needed. Grace is so sure, so herself…it’s astounding. She is her own body and her own soul, and it was the most beautiful thing to witness, especially as she builds Izzy up and forces her to see her own beauty.

“‘You’re fuckin’ perfect. Look at us,’ she says, dragging me to the mirror, ‘we both are.’”

This book was so sad and beautiful, I am so glad I found it. I always gravitate towards stories like this, but the last few I have read were less than impressive. Thankfully, Amy Beashel has blown me away and made my entire demeanor deflate from sadness. Which I know sounds bad, but I love when a book does this to me. Bravo Amy.

“‘Would you like to talk to me about what happened?’ she asks.

‘Yes,’ I say.

And the word is an expanding universe. Any my voice?

Well, My voice is the goddamn Big Bang.”

Had I started this book backwards, reading the ending and working my way to the beginning.. I would have felt a bit more comfortable in reading this book. There’s such a thing as being a tiny bit kind to your main character and this book definitely did not do so. In the endeavor to explore abuse both domestic, mental and sexual this book takes it a bit too far. Rather than picking one form of abuse and sticking with it with the development of the characters, this book to an alternate route as if trying to force down all the kinds of abuse and fit it all into 200 pages. At one point I really thought “Okay this is way too much” because I can’t imagine any one person dealing with all that the main character dealt with and still coming out semi-unscathed. It felt so unrealistic that had any of this been real.. I wouldn’t have been surprised had that person ended up in a mental asylum.

There’s such a thing as too much pain to put a character through and putting the main character through rape, domestic abuse and a seemingly toxic friendship? It’s way too much and even if the ending was one that I could get through without the skimming that was done for the entirety of the book I still feel that this book could have been better developed.

I wasn't able to finish reading The Sky is Mine. I put it down after about 50 pages as it was far too dark for my liking. I wasn't able to cope with the constant abuse that the main character suffered, and it became too overwhelming too quickly.

The Sky is Mine was a story I was not sure I was going to make it through. The opening scene was enough to set my stomach rolling and put my mind into emotional overdrive. I am entirely grateful that I read on because this one an absolutely excellent story of hope, courage, and justice for those who have had horrible things done to them. This story is not for the weak of heart. There are a lot of controversial topics and this book needs to be read with an open mind and heart. The Sky is Mine is an emotional roller coaster that is definitely worth riding. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read this captivating book..

Oh wow. This.. this was an astonishing book. When I finished reading it, I was left with this feeling not unlike that of having just gone on three different types of rollercoaster rides. Though I want to clarify and say I’m not equating this book to the typical rollercoaster analogy, I’m just saying how it was just rush of overwhelming feelings.

I wish I could reread and read and reread it all over again. I want to never have read it, pick it up anew, then reread it.

My heart broke a million times over and it healed, broke again, to finally heal.

This book speaks to the truth in so many ways that my head splinters from a headache and my stomach is queasy from words I cannot say.

There are no adequate words to truly appreciate this book in its fullness. I realize this review is not making much sense, it’s just I was absolutely blown away by it.

It’s already on my top favorite list of books for the year and it’s February.

I want to thank Netgalley and One World Publications for a ARC Copy of The Sky ie Mine by Amy Beashel for an honest review.

Isabel is dealing with demons of her own. Not only is she getting black mailed by a guy for sexual favors but she is losing her best friend to somebody else. Isabel also lives in a home she doesnt feel comfortable in because of her stepfather Daniel.

I found this book really powerful in its message. Trigger warnings for rape, domestic violence, abuse and language.

Amy Beashel’s The Sky is Mine deals with several complex and challenging issues. TW: rape, domestic violence

It almost feels like too much for one character to have to cope with in one novel, but the topics are dealt with sensitivity. Additionally, the overall theme of giving agency to female voice is empowering.

Many thanks to NetGalley, the author, and the publisher for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an unbiased review.

I received a free digital copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I really loved Izzy, she felt so relatable and reminded me a lot of myself when I was a teenager. I enjoyed the plot. I wasn't lucky enough to have a good relationship with my own mother, so seeing any issues resolved really helped make this book give me the warm and fuzzies.

Thank you kindly to the author, the publisher, and NetGalley for this review copy.

3.5 stars rounded up to 4.*

The Sky is Mine is a YA novel that I downloaded because of a recommendation I found online for upcoming feminine literature.

It is the story of 15-year-old Izzy. A girl struggling to fit in socially while dealing with an abusive stepfather, her cowering mother, her best friend Grace slipping away from her as she falls in love for the first time, and the fallout from a drunken night where she may or may not have let Jacob Mansfield do things to her in the loo at a party.

Izzy is relatable in all of her insecurities. She isn't a caricature and while she is naive, she is endearing and believable, even as she makes terrible choices. Things come to a head when Izzy's mum finally gets up the strength to leave her stepdad and they have to escape to a Battered Women's Shelter to seek refuge and hide out. But she's not allowed to let anybody know where she has gone and she left Grace in a bad position by leaving when she did, as well as leaving herself up for more humiliation by Jacob who is blackmailing her for sexual favors when she disappeared.

It is a story of mother & daughter, a story of friendship, a story of strength and fortitude, a story of standing up for oneself and it is empowering.

I enjoyed it. Recommended for fans of YA.

*with thanks to NetGalley for the digital ARC in exchange for this honest review.

This book starts out strong and just keeps pulling you in. It does have a few different cases of abuse in it, so that can be hard to read at times. It follows a girl who is growing, learning, and struggling through her teen years with her mom. They have to learn to trust in each other while growing stronger individually. They are growing from their own cases of abuse and learn to talk through it with each other.

I don't feel like there were many slow parts, and the story kept moving right along. Definitely a nice read.

Izzy struggles with abuse both at home and at school. Unfortunately, her best friend and support is blinded by love lately and doesn't see what Izzy is going through. Izzy and her mom try to escape from her controlling stepfather and hope to find peace and a new life somewhere else.

I received this ARC through Netgalley.com in exchange for an honest review. Thank you to Netgalley.com, to Oneworld Publications, and to Amy Beashel for this opportunity.

This book was hard to get through, but it is extremely important. Honestly, the first few chapters were hard. It was brutal, and gruesome to read about rape in a way that made the victim feel like it was her fault. Basically, sex with partial consent due to bullying/threatening. TW: Rape, bullying, domestic violence - a bit graphical.

Jacob, Izzy's classmate, has been threatening her with photos taken inappropriately at a party they were at. This leads to her agreeing to go over to his place so he would keep the photos a secret. Meanwhile, her best friend is spending too much time with her girlfriend which makes Izzy feel more lonely. At the same time, her stepdad is a monster in a George Clooney disguise. Soon Izzy finds that the spiral is out of control. Coming out of it seems almost impossible to her.

Like I said, it was difficult in the start, and Izzy's character was a bit intimidating. We don't get to know much about her at first except that she's being raped and that she thinks it's her fault. The slow growth eventually blows to an exceptionally beautiful character development, unexpected twists and some lovely bonding. Izzy was easy to sympathise, but not that easy to love. She is constantly pissed at her Mom for not standing up for her. She's always jealous of her best friend's girlfriend for stealing their time together. And the one boy who actually decided to help her about the Jacob issue, she pushes him away and barely acknowledges his effort. But all these little flaws helped make her a very realistic person by the end. The author tries to show us that it was okay to have insecurities, that having strong emotions is normal. Also, it's been a long time since I've read about such strong friendship as Grace and Izzy's. I loved how verbal they were, how open about their feelings. The relationship with her Mom was complicated, but touching and profound. Harry though, his character stole the show even with the short time he was introduced for.

All in all, I think this book is a must read for all. Girls, you get to learn about victim-shaming, and boys, you gotta understand proper consent. Such a beautiful debut for Amy Beashel.

The struggle of women arouses our empathy because they are fighting against violence common today. Even after opening their eyes, even after saying no, we know that nothing is settled. There will always be problems. There will always be someone to say "But? But yet, you would not think he was like that! He was so nice!"A part of us is frustrated because we are outraged that the burden of proof is on the victim's charge.

But the story does not focus on it. It chooses to be optimistic. To show us that the simple fact of not accepting things and simply oppose to it is already a huge step in itself. It shows us that the result, even if it is hard, is a struggle to be waged surrounded by a comprehensive environment. Finally, the hard part is really the intellectual progression that should be in the victims' mind.

The sky is mine is an invitation to reflect. It is a tribute to all those women who have taken or will take the floor one day and reject violence. It is an invitation to come forward and report when you witness an unspeakable act.

Silence is a killer. Silence can be death. Telling your truth is what sets you free. This book about 17 year old Izzy is all about how keeping quiet hurts more than telling the truth.

The Sky Is Mine by Amy Beashel was a difficult book to go through from the very start. I admire Amy's courage to dig deep through this tough subject.

A lot of parts of this book were heartwrenching. I wanted to save Izzy so many times that I had to sit up and remind myself that she's a fictional character. It got me into a whirlwind, thinking of anyone going through these difficult and heartbreaking issues on their own. And when nobody can save them at first that they have to stand up and save themselves at last which is the ultimate power move to take back control of life again.

This book was incredibly discomforting to read but completely offers a raw description of the character's struggles in a transparent feel, that put every single behavior to anyone going through a similar thing into perspective.

Izzy finding her voice was my favorite part, I loved the way the author ended it. It was a healthy hope for me to finish this book as a reader and a great reminder that no matter what we go through in this life that it never lasts, that we can heal despite how deep the downfalls.

The Sky is Mine covers some difficult subjects and does it very well. The story is beautiful and heartbreaking, and told almost perfectly with writing that flows really well. The characters are well-developed and well-described.
It's a really good book and it covers important subjects. The only reason I'm not giving it 5 stars is because it didn't grip me as much as I wanted. But that doesn't necessarily mean it's the book's fault, it could just be me.

Izzy Chambers life looks like a perfect picture. Happy family, gorgeous house, but it doesn’t as perfect as it seems. Most of it is just for show. She lives with her mother and controlling stepfather. However, he is not controlling in a way: at what time you need to come home, or that you need to have the best grades. He wants them to be perfect. He wants them to look and behave perfectly. He controls what they eat, wears and how their life needs to look like.

Besides her life at home, her school life isn’t better. Everything started during the house party when she accidentally drunk too much and one of the guys from the class used it. The consequence of this was the humiliating pictures. They were like shadows that followed her every day. The threats started soon after and crashed her in a way there was no coming back from.

She lost herself, she didn’t see a way out of all her problems. Her mom couldn’t let them live like this anymore. She didn’t want them to be scared and threatened their whole lives. She packed all the important things they will need and run away where no one will find them.

My thoughts:

It’s hard to share all my fresh thoughts about the book as I read it three months ago. It’s the second time I write this review. The first one, unfortunately, got lost and cannot be found. I checked every possible thing on my laptop to find it but the only thing I found was the first sentence of the review. Well, I need to share what I remember.

Firstly, I would like to talk about the main character; Izzy. Izzy Chambers has many things to worry about and people around that who don’t see it, just add more to the list. She’s an easy target to break and manipulate and people use it against her. If not her mom, she would be completely devastated at the end. Their escape helped her to recover and made her brave. She met people that showed her that what was happening to her was wrong and she didn’t deserve that. She finally could relax and take a breath and that’s what she needed the most.

Let’s talk about Daniel and Jacob. I don’t know which one of them is worse. Both can be assigned as the worst version of a man nowadays. I was disgusted by them and no villain made me so angry as these two. The worst thing is that this kind of man exists, and they are around us. They act like they will give you the world but later they destroy it. No woman deserves being treated like this.

The book touches the subject people don’t talk a lot about. There are still fights about how much a woman is worth and a lot of men still things that we don’t have as many rights as they have. They still think that we are here to be their toys. It’s still there but as the characters of The Sky is Mine, we need to fight and show them that we are stronger than they think.

I would like to thank NetGalley, Oneworld Publications and Amy Beashel for providing me this amazing book. I’m so disappointed that I lost the review I wrote right after I finished reading the book because it had more details than this one, but I am happy to share this with you and recommend it to everyone. It was an amazing journey.

This heartbreaking story explores Izzy's journey to find the strength to stand up against her various problems.

We start the story in the middle, so it's immediately clear to us how awful Daniel, Izzy's stepfather, actually is. Flashbacks show how he worked his way into their lives, how slimy he was. Iliked Izzy's actual father much more...and yes, I went and looked up DanandCharlie95 singing You are my Sunshine. Who wouldn't?

This book made me laugh in spots, it made me cry, it made me very angry. I seesawed back and forth between agreeing with the way Izzy was treating her mother and being mad at her for it. Basically I was just as confused and emotional as Izzy was, and I think that's the best way to feel about this book.

I found this so hard to rate this book. It brings up some really important issues like rape, domestic abuse, jealousy, bullying, blackmail, abortion but I felt like it was too much crammed in one book.
The book dives right in to what happens to college girl Izzy at a party and the aftermath that follows. She's also dealing with a sleazy stepdad and feels like her best friend is drifting away from her now she's in a relationship. She's struggling big time and struggling to find her voice and speak up about what's going on.
I think I could have rated this higher if it maybe didn't have quite so many topics in and stuck with a few and delved in deeper with those.

Such a captivating read!

Definitely a lot of trigger warnings for this story as it touches on some very heavy and real topics, including rape.

The sky is mine is an incredibly important read that sucks you in from the beginning pages.
I would recommend this story as it showcases a tough female protagonist who endures and perseveres through some beyond terrible events.