This book is a little bit strange to review, because I actually liked reading it. But as soon as it was over, all I could think about were the things that I thought could be improved.

The story has an interesting premise - Mallie Williams is assaulted and left for dead. She's in a coma because of a head injury and several months later, it's discovered that she became pregnant by the attacker. A battle goes up over whether to terminate the pregnancy or not - her super religious mother obviously votes for keeping the pregnancy going, while everyone else in Mallie's life knows what her wishes would have been if she could voice them (not wanting to have a baby under these circumstances). The problem with this book is that all of this action happens off the page before the action of the book takes place. I feel like there was a stellar novel with this idea and these characters and their motivations. Instead, McGhee decided to focus on the aftermath of the decision that was made. This didn't even feel like the most relevant part of the story to me.

And then there's the issue with the end. I hated it. It's way too open-ended and it felt extremely rushed (especially given the pacing of the other parts of the novel). I really did love these characters and respected all of their points of view, so I'll give this three stars. But the other blatant missteps by the writer drag my score down considerably.

This reminds me of Chanel Miller's _Know My Name_. In this novel, characters share their stories in learning to cope and move forward. The stories are complex and filled with the need to care and survive.

There are a lot of trigger warnings and heavy material in The Opposite of Fate. I think what I appreciated the most is experiencing Mallie's thought process as she figures out her life after she wakes up. There are no easy answers in anyone's life, but Mallie's is especially complicated. Being in her head as she processed her world was fascinating. She has so many complex issues to work through and so do the people around her. There was so much to think about in this book. It really was great!

The subject matter of this one is so important. This is a story I think should be told. My issue is that it just wasn't executed well. It was tedious just trying to keep up with everyone. I understand that McGhee wanted to give everyone a voice but sometimes you have to pick whose voice is 100% necessary.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read this one, though! I think with some work, this really could be a 5-star read.

I received an ARC of this novel from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Mallie was attacked and left for dead. Her family struggles with making decisions for her during a period of a year and a half in which she languished in a coma. When she awakens, Mallie had to come to terms with both what happened to her and the results of the decisions of her loved ones.

The plot is gripping. I love the book.