A great account of a young girl dealing with abusive issues at school as well as at home. The characters were well fleshed out and for Izzy in particular there was a great deal of development throughout the novel.

This is a great story of re-claiming power and the struggles that come along with this. Having the parallel stories with Izzy and her mother help to demonstrate the different ways that women have to deal with this and some of the road bumps that they encounter along the way.

The main reason this wouldn't be able to be adapted for a standard classroom is the strong language and some very upsetting scenes. Would recommend for higher level readers who are more mature.

Due for release in February 2020, I'm pretty convinced that this will be a hit read.
Plunged straight into the life of our main character, Izzy, it takes a while to establish quite what's going on. We see Izzy get drunk at a party and she is threatened by someone in her college who vows to send round an embarrassing picture from the party unless she does what he asks her to. There's no doubt that Izzy would be perfectly in her right to ignore this and call him out - but we see how insidious such attitudes are, when even his mates try to justify his behaviour by calling it 'banter'. As a parent this horrified me, and I am really scared that anyone could ever think such behaviour is okay.
Izzy finds herself in a difficult situation. She fears just what this boy could do, so she goes to his house. He rapes her - no matter what name he gives it - and continues to try and threaten her into doing what he wants her to through her fear of what others will say.
Izzy says nothing. This is totally believable - however much you wish it weren't. Against the backdrop of Izzy's home-life it becomes even more relatable. She sees her once vibrant mother as a shell of herself. Her step-father controls everything and we are, slowly, given details that chronicle a horribly abusive relationship.
Eventually Izzy's mother leaves, and Izzy gets the opportunity to reflect on her experiences and how to move on from them. Some elements of this are easier than others.
There was a lot packed into this read, but I am sure it will strike a chord - in some way - with many readers. Though elements of the story felt resolved far too easily, there were some positive outcomes that did inspire hope.

Stunningly written with important and relevant messages for teens/young people to hear. Izzy is an amazing, fresh and instantly relatable character who I was rooting for from start to finish. The story is heartbreaking and explores traumatic issues with senstive, empathetic writing that's confronting in all the right ways without ever shying away from what needs to be told. I cried a lot, both for Izzy and all those in the world affected by #metoo/domestic abuse/rape culture. The rays of hope in the story are so important and the guts and bravery Izzy displays gave me the biggest lumps in my throat. An important book for young people as well as the people who work alongside them.

I had a hard time when I first started reading this book. It made me mad. Very mad. Mad at Izzy. Mad at Jacob. Mad at Grace. Mad at Steph. Mad at Max. Mad at Daniel. To the point that I thought I wouldn’t be able to finish it. I’m so glad that I stuck with it though. How a book about so many horrible and difficult topics can still be so heartwarming is no easy feat and this book is just that. Even though nothing is told in graphic details, you really feel what these characters go through at the hands of their abusers. It will make you sad. It will make you mad. It will make you want to inflict bodily harm on fictional characters. To see both Izzy and her mom start to get back to the people they were before the abuse got me in all the feels. Thank you NetGalley and Oneworld Publications for providing me with and ARC of this book.

really enjoyed this book! The different topics, although hard to grasp and also dramatized (as seen in the ending) were all very relevant. It totally branched off the stigmas of domestic abuse, rape etc. Izzy was extremely brave and I did love Grace too! Also wish we could've had even more scenes with Harry but that would've taken away the core message.

Thank you :)

In this book we meet Izzy, a girl who's being blackmailed into sleeping with a guy, Jacob from her school while at home she and her mum are domestically and verbally abused by Daniel, Izzy's stepfather and her mum's husband.



Grace is her best friend but spends most of her time now with her girlfriend Nell and makes Izzy jealous of their close bond as she feels pushed out and unwanted.



However as things keep worsening with Jacob and Daniel, her mum one day decides enough is enough and the pair up and leave with dramatic consequences...



This book tackles many girlhood topics and I recommend it for teens to read.



I loved this book Izzy is a body positive hard as nails girl who has to deal with so much life rubbish from loss, rape, consent issues, blackmail, friendship drama and maybe falling in love, Izzy is a teen who raises many issues and tackles them all alongside her rebecoming herself mum, new love interest and with a kicking playlist to boot for ultimate positive vibes, this book was a fantastic debut knocking these topics out of the park, you need to read this book!



Many thanks for the publishers for allowing me to review this book for them!

This book totally took me by surprise and blew me away. A teenage girl gets tangled up in blackmail after the boy who rapes her uses photographs he's taken to control her. I thought this was the main plot point of the book but it actually centres around her and her mother moving to a refuge to escape her abusive stepfather. It's a very well written book and sensitively handles tough issues. A must-read.

I'm so happy I got the chance to read this beautiful book. Amy Beashel writes with pain emotion so raw that you can't put the book down until you see the characters safe and well.
The depictions of the conflicting emotions that arise from domestic violence are honest and unflinching. The portrayle of both toxic and healthy forms of masculinity are informed, clever and complex allowing us as readers to pinpoint exactly what the difference is between someone who wants to protect and someone who wants to control.
The handling of controversial issues such as abortion are pitched perfectly and fairly. The over riding theme of 'my body, my choice' that reappears throughout the novel is wonderful to see and at the end of the book I felt empowered and inspired.
My one tiny criticism is that around the midway point I feel a shift in the narrative voice that at some points feels a touch forced. Izzy's sudden movement from never swearing to frequently swearing for example dosen't feel 100% believable but otherwise I have no other negative comments.
I am confident that only positive outcomes could arise from giving this book to teenagers and I for one will be doing my part in getting it into their hands.