Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for granting me free access to the advanced digital copy of this book.

4.5 stars
I received an ARC from the publisher via NetGalley. Review based on final copy. All opinions are my own.
I originally requested Forgive Me Not with a vague idea of the premise about racial justice and prison reform, but somehow the dystopian elements went over my head. But given the general whiteness of many dystopian works, I’m glad this book exists, exploring how deeply dysfunctional the current systems are now, and that it’s not just a what-if scenario, even if some situations depicted here are somewhat speculative.
I love how the story uses a single family to explore the different flaws in the justice system for non-white people, especially Black people. There’s a lot of nuance, exploring the question of what if the decisions around punishment for offenders was put in the hands of the victims’ families, and would it make for a fairer society, and complicating the issue further by having the victim and perpetrator be from the same family.
Violetta is very well-drawn, and her story shows how extreme and unforgiving the system can be. While there is obviously a debate about the severity of the offense of drunk driving, especially when it does lead to a person’s death, I like how the story shows her navigating her personal guilt and grief over causing her sister’s death, even if she didn’t intend to, and working within the dysfunctional system to gain her family’s forgiveness.
Initially I did wonder about what Vince’s perspective added to the narrative, other than contrasting Violetta’s and showing how the rest of the family picked up the pieces. But as the blurb promises, he ends up dealing with issues of his own with addiction, and ends up on the wrong side of the law because of it, highlighting how often, instead of being able to get help, addicts are punished, and the system makes recidivism much more likely, thus continuing the cycle.
However, in spite of the bleak real-life odds, I appreciate how the story approaches these topics with the gravitas it deserves, while also providing an optimistic, believable ending for the characters to move forward.
This was a deeply moving read, and I’d recommend it to those looking for a nuanced, engaging take on racial issues and the juvenile prison system.

Forgive Me Not posits a fascinating scenario but fails to do anything impactful with its core premise.

Forgive Me Not was a very tough read, although it was very well written. The characters were fleshed out well and it was very easy to empathize with them. I think the cover does a disservice to this book, because it is written in dual POV, and presents like there is only one protagonist.

Wow the idea of trials adventures when in prison is fascinating. I loved how this book really made you think of whether this could be a possibility and if it would work or not.

This was just such an interesting take on justice and a somewhat dystopian take on juvenile detention centers and what justice means and looks like. Told in both Violetta and her brother’s pov, which gave some interesting perspective.

Violetta is a 15 year old girl who is spending her freshman year in juvenile detention for a drunk driving crash that killed her younger sister. This justice system has an option called The Trials where the victims of crimes get to choose tasks for the perpetrators to complete. If they pass The Trials, they are forgiven and can go home with no record; if they fail, they go to a state penitentiary. Letta’s family elects to put her through The Trials, but it leaves Letta wondering how far she’s willing to go for their forgiveness.

The premise of this book is strong, but it’s not quite the “searing indictment of the juvenile justice system” that the synopsis promised. The chapters are fairly long, and a lot of times there isn’t much going on. The story is told in alternating POVs of Letta and her brother, Vince. I wish it would have stayed in Letta’s perspective. She wrestles with her actions while also questioning the system and what it means to be forgiven. Vince’s perspective was not needed, and it only watered down the story. He has entirely different issues going on that would have been better addressed as a stand alone book. If this story had a lot more Letta and a lot less Vince, I would have loved it.

Thanks to NetGalley, Penguin Random House, and Jennifer Baker for this free ARC in exchange for my honest review.

15 year old Violetta decided to drive drunk, leading to the death of her 7 year old sister. She is now incarcerated, awaiting the verdict from her family on whether or not she is forgiven for her crimes or if she will have to face "The Trials" to prove she is worthy of forgiveness.

The concept of this book was so intriguing to me, and thought it was so interesting that the victim's family were the one to decide the fate of the accused. The story is told in dual POV between Violetta and her older brother Vince, which I thought was a great way to show not only how the incarcerated individual was feeling, but also how that affected the family as well. I think my biggest disappointment were the Trials themselves... I was expecting something... darker? It just didn't seem as high stakes as the synopsis made it out to be. It also took quite awhile to get to the Trials as well - I do think that the book was a bit long, for the story being told, but I still enjoyed my time reading it.

Definitely interested in reading more from this author!

This book follows Violetta and her brother Vince in the aftermath of their sisters death. Violetta, or Letta for short, is in juvenile detention because of her role in her sisters death which was that she was driving while drunk with the girl in her car and they were in a car crash.

I loved this book for a number of reasons. One of the main ones is it's exploration of different topics. The book explores the justice system, substance use, grief and forgiveness in a way that is accessible to teenagers while still being impactful.

I loved the characterization and the way I could connect with the characters. Vince, for example, is the oldest child who loves his sisters and family. Not only that but I could see myself in the way he felt the need to keep secrets and maintain this perfect image while not feeling like I have a voice in what happens in relation to our family. And only being a few years older than him I can see where he's coming from 100%. I could feel both his and Letta's frustrations as they navigated this time in their lives where they felt isolated.

I think this is definitely a book that high school aged kids should have access to and be exposed to. It covers I think some of the most important topics that they'll need to learn about in a way they'd be able to understand and I think in a way that will encourage them to go do their own research.

Big thanks to Netgalley for giving me this ARC in exchange for my honest review

This book started out so good and then it just went flat. I started not to care about the characters. The book, to me, droned on and on. We meet violetta in the beginning of the book and one drunken night changes her life. During the course of this book we find out about violetta's punishment and the impact of grief and death on a family. Even though there are not alot of outside characters. Some chapters of the book could have been left out. They seemed as chapter fillers. I did not particularly enjoy this book.

Thank you Penguin for this ARC
A great concept and message, but the execution of it fell flat for me.
I did like the characters, and found the story incredibly relatable. I most enjoyed the beginning of the book, all the uncertainty and strife made for many tense scenes.
I really had a hard time with the dual POV. Every time it went to Vince's pov, I just kinda sighed and was hoping it would go back to Violetta's. I know the author is trying to show how the justice system impacts families and those on the outside, but I truly wish we had gotten less of Vince, or ideally just stuck with Violetta's pov. It felt like it didn't add much to the story, and the pacing of it slogged on for me. There were several times I kept "waiting" for something to happen.
I really liked the premise and concept of what the author was trying to show and the point she is trying to make, but the execution of it fell flat for me, and by the end I truly think it is a swing and a miss. By the end of the story there truly isn't a major point made. I do think it would have had a bigger impact and stronger message if Violette [ ended up with an endless trial, or just committed another crime. Because at the end of the day the way the justice system is set up it is set up for people to just end up back in jail, and truly isn't one of rehabilitation. (hide spoiler)] I really thought we were going to learn more about the trials, and have more of a commentary on how minority communities are unfairly and unjustly targeted for such laws but that didn't happen either. There is so much talk about how terrible the Trials are, and how traumatic, and I honestly expected Violette to have to go through something akin to the endurance trial, or just show how what she went through impacted her to reoffend again. Instead she just ends up [ going to therapy. Which yay is a great ending, but also again just doesn't fit the tone and message of the book. (hide spoiler)]
With a story and concept like this the bittersweet ending came off too happy and hopeful for the message it was trying to get across. I'm glad I'm not a blubbering mess after reading this, but it didn't stick in my head and make me keep thinking about it.
I would definitely read others books by Jennifer Baker, and if you're interested in the premise I would say check this one out and see if you like it! But I wouldn't personally say this is a book I would recommend.

Forgive Me Not, tells the story of Violetta a 15-year-old teen incarcerated for one bad decision, on just one day. That decision cost her family more than the life of her sibling, but also the deterioration of their crumbling family structure decreasing her position in the family from one of three to only two, duality. Written in the voices of siblings Violetta and Vince, the story unfolds revealing the roles of perception and empathy. As a juvenile offender, Violetta must seek restitution by participating in The Trials with hopes one day, the lights in her life will be hues of blue as she is forgiven and welcomed back into her family fold. Broken, Forgive Me Not, told in ? Now it’s just her and the white noise that exists between the thoughts in her head and the paper she puts pen to whenever she is close to feeling the big bang crashing.

- thank you to netgalley and the publisher for an arc to review!

- a powerful and raw exploration of the juvenile justice system, and a girl's journey to make amends for her mistakes and start her life again. Baker explores this topic with such nuance, and her characters are raw and emotional, leaving me feeling all the feelings that her main character felt throughout the entire book. a powerful ya book to read.

Thank you Penguin Teen for the e-arc in exchange for an honest review.

I agree with others when they say they found this book to be some a dystopian feel to it but also realistic.
I think our main character Violetta had strong character development. I could do without Vincent's POV, but that just might be me. I enjoy writing that make you feel how the characters are actually feeling and you begin to sympathies with them. Book had a good pace to it I enjoyed.

The best thing about this book will be the conversations it starts for the teens who read it. I loved the ideas it was engaging with and putting out there, but I found the actual execution of the story lacking at times. I wish it wasn't dual POV; I feel like I could have gained a much deeper level of understanding of the characters if it had been narrated solely by Violetta or Vince. I also felt like the story ended really abruptly... the pacing throughout felt really stop-start to me and I wish the ending chapters hadn't felt so rushed. I also wish this had leaned fully into dystopia or been fully contemporary. As it is, it operates in a sort of limbo space that I think can be distracting at times. I would recommend this to teen readers who are looking for books with hard hitting themes, family conflicts, and light dystopian elements.

FORGIVE ME NOT by Jennifer Baker is a much-needed read. I'm surprised at the number of people who refer to it as "dystopian" -- it seems based on current events to me. So many individuals and families, especially those who are not white, go through this lack of justice every day. We need more books like this!

Some of the book isn't as sharp as I'd like it to be, but I will be putting it in my students' hands, especially anyone who talks about writing a story with themes of social justice and/or sibling stories.

This book was okay. The premise was very interesting but it ended up being different from what I expected. The story poses an overall question about justice being put in the hands of victims, and while I liked that as an interesting and thought-provoking idea, parts of the execution left me a little too confused, and some moments I felt needed me to suspend a little too much disbelief. I also didn't connect as much to the characters. It's told from alternating POVs of Violetta and her brother and I just couldn't connect to either of them, but the brother even less so. The plot also seemed to drag out a bit, with very introspective chapters but I got through 40% of the book and it felt like nothing new had happened yet. I will say, I think the overall writing style was good and this story could be a good fit for someone else. It just didn't capture my attention the way I wanted it too, but does still promote some interesting ideas to think about.

I adored the characters in Forgive Me Not - they were realistic and flawed, very believable. Additionally, the story was a compelling tale of redemption and had a clever spin to it as well. A wonderful read!

Forgive me not is about how the system constantly fails families and children who get caught into it. I had no idea this was supposed to be dystopian until later but imo it wasn’t really. This just seemed super realistic to me and not as dsytopian as I thought the trails would be. I wish for more character connections and possibly no dual POV because I don’t know if it was really needed here. I do see why it was added though but I think because of that it made the characters a bit surface level when I know this could’ve gone deeper. Overall, a good read that explored heavy but important topics.

Thank you to Netgalley for an advanced copy of this book!

This was an interesting and compelling tale of redemption that featured flawed and realistic characters, a really clever spin and interesting take on the justice system and the nature of second chances and redemption. I really enjoyed it!