2.5 rounded up

The main takeaway from the rating is that this book just wasn't for me.

What's Not Mine follows 15 year old Bria Powers through the summer just before she turns 16. A brutal portrayal of how the drug crisis can affect one person, one family, we are shown how Bria has had to grow up through the abandonment and neglect of her parents, the inadequate but well-meaning parental stand-ins, and the coping choices she has made in the past two or so years.

My biggest issue with this book centers on the relationship that Bria is in with a significantly older man. First, I think the massive age difference was extreme; the point could have been made just as well with a smaller age gap-- still gross, but more understandable for why no one steps in. Second, no one steps in! A literal crime is occurring, and at least 3 adults know about it and do nothing to protect this child.

I appreciate how this book wraps up. The last 10% was excellent! The first 90% was hit or miss, and with the strange choice to not use quotation marks, it just wasn't my favorite read.

If you enjoy reading a book that has just as much grittiness as reality, then you might enjoy What's Not Mine!

CWs: drugs, overdose, abandonment, death of an animal, ADULT-MINOR RELATIONSHIP

I really enjoyed this book. It was different than anything else I've read recently. I couldn't put it down! I will keep an eye out for this author's future work!

There are some very topical social issues covered here and the author does so in a way which is starkly confronting. The language used is clever in that it doesn’t exactly normalise challenging things, but almost adds a black comedy to them. I really liked the characters, even when they were pretty awful, because the author breathed life into them so well. A really interesting, different book.

Many thanks to NetGalley and ECW Press for the free e-ARC in exchange for my honest review.

This is a coming of age story about a 16 year old girl, Bria, who lives with her aunt and is involved in the fentanyl crisis. Bria's dad is in jail due to drugs, her step mom od'd, and her mom walked out years ago. Bria is not a likable character. She elicita your sympathy because she is such a mixed-up, broken teen who needs more support than she is getting from those around her. Bria is disorientated and directionless, she spirals out of control and we follow her on this journey. What should have been an idyllic, carefree summer turns into something darker.

For me, the story is more of a YA read and the pacing was slow. Also, it's a depressing read as it should be. This is a character driven novel and Bria is not a trustworthy narrator.

3 stars

I received a copy of this book from #NetGalley. It was not for me. At time the book felt it was going up hill, only to be let down. I would not read this again.

This is my first time reading the author. I really enjoyed What’s Not Mine. The title made me want to read the book and I wasn’t disappointed. I liked the use of first person narrator which really lets you get inside Bria’s head. This was executed very well. I found Bria’s story compelling as she deals with things far beyond her years including her drug-dealer of a father vanishing and his girlfriend’s overdose. I was intrigued by Somebody, the sort of creepy older guy who offers her a clandestine outlet. This is a compelling read. I’d recommend it.

3.5 stars. The summer Bria turns 16 is a rough one for her. Her mother disappeared years ago, her drug-dealing father is in jail, her (sort-of) stepmom has OD’d (with Bria saving her), her boyfriend is borderline abusive and someone keeps sending Bria dick pics. Although she lives with her loving aunt and three cousins – one of which is her best friend, Ainsley – it is not enough to keep her away from fentanyl, which has recently infiltrated the local drug scene. This is a story of gradual drug abuse and how easy it is to become addicted, especially opioids. With all she is dealing with, it doesn’t seem so bad that Bria takes an occasional pill to calm herself down. But when she finds herself panicked that her supply is nearly out and realizes how much her life has changed since she has been using, Bria must face the music.

*Special thanks to NetGalley and ECW Press for this e-arc.*

What a sad, dark tale. There are moments of dark humor and a slightly hopefulness but overall...what a blinding look at the abuses of people in the pursuit of money. What a dark look at addiction.

It’s the summer Bria turns 16. Her mom has disappeared, her dad is off as well. Her step-mom has overdosed and thanks to her quick thinking, Bria has saved her life. She’s staying with her aunt (Tash) and her cousins, particularly Ains who is also her best friend. Ains and Bria work together and look after Ains’ two young siblings during the day, which they enjoy.
Bria is disorientated and directionless, she spirals out of control and we follow her on this journey. What should have been an idyllic, carefree summer turns into something darker.
Easy read, but I struggled a little without speech marks (I like speech marks, without them I get confused!).

I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.
A sad, depressing novel that incorporates some dark humor. The book captures the reality of prescription medication infiltrating our society and the destruction left in its wake. The ending has a more positive vibe than the rest of the story.

4 stars / This review will be posted on goodreads.com today.


A really interesting novel, almost like a journal, about the summer of Bria. Bria is a teen in crisis. Her mother tripped off ages ago leaving Bria with her dad. Now her dad has gone missing and her stand-in stepmom has OD’d. Bria has been sent to live with her aunt Tash and her cousins Ainsley, Emily & Doug. Ainsley and Bria have always been close, as they are fairly close in age. Tash has enlisted the girls to watch the two younger ones for the summer. Bria and Ains care for the kids during the day and work at the Burger Shack at night.

Ainsley and Bria are both looking for a way out of their small town, Beauchamp. The work is important to that goal. Every night when they leave their jobs, they head back home to Tash’s apartment. Ainsley sleeps, but Bria head out to the local bar that her dad’s best friend runs. He tries to keep Bria from drinking, but Bria ingratiates herself to a man, she calls Someboy, and he provides her with drinks. As the summer goes on, Bria is finding more ways to distance herself mentally from the situations in her life. Mostly where is her dad? Who is sending her these anonymous explicit pictures? What is she going to do with her life?

This book reminded me a lot of Go Ask Alice. Bria is going through a rough time and doesn’t really know who or what she is, or what is expected of her. She has a pretty decent work ethic, but the rest of her life is in shambles. She’s struggling, but doesn’t know how to ask for help. Can Bria get the help she needs before it’s too late? Or will she be another casualty of her family?

I enjoyed it. Written in a diary-like format, we only get Bria’s side of the story, and not the whole story at that. As the novel unfolds we learn more and more about what is really happening in her life and what she’s doing. I found the writing style intriguing. It really captured Bria’s inability to completely face her actions or the consequences. You could really feel Bria’s detachment from reality at times. Other times, you just want to hug her and tell her it’s going to be okay, or smack her back into reality.

A very compelling and interesting read.

Dark gritty look at the life of a 16 year old surrounded by addiction and making bad decisions. Regrettably, I suspect there are more young women like Bria out in the world than there should be. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. This is not a light read but it's one that will linger in the mind.

What's Not Mine by Nora Decter is a recommended coming-of-age novel.

The summer Bria Powers turns 16 she is living with her aunt Tash and bestfriend/cousin Ains because her mother is long gone, her father is in jail for drug-dealing, and his girlfriend she was living with died from an overdose. During the day Bria and Ains babysit Ains’s younger siblings. Then they both go to work at the Burger Shack. After work Bria is personally struggling with drugs, alcohol, a bad relationship with a man she calls Someboy, and trying to find her place in the world. As if that isn't enough, some male is texting her pornographic images.

Bria is not a likable or trustworthy narrator. She will, however, elicit your sympathy because she is such a mixed-up broken teen who needs more support than she is receiving from those around her. She is in a rough situation that would leave many teens struggling. The hot, dry summer and the plethora of insects invading the area help set the desperate tone.

The pace is steady, but slow. There is some dark humor, but I was left mostly feeling depressed by the novel. (It feels like a YA novel, although it is not presented as one.) The novel does succeed in capturing the sad social realites of fentanyl infiltrating the community and the descriptive passages concerning the natural events of the summer are quite well-written. It does have a satisfying ending. Thanks to ECW Press for providing me with an advance reader's copy via NetGalley. My review is voluntary and expresses my honest opinion.

The review will be published on Barnes & Noble, Edelweiss, and Amazon.

Set in the town of Beauchamp (which could easily be any small hockey-crazed town in North America), "What's Not Mine" brings to life the gritty realities of living in a place where the beauty of nature collides with the harshness of life. Think caterpillar threads and mosquitoes in summer, bears rummaging through dumpsters, and seasons defined by either too much cold or too much heat.

The story centers around 16-year-old Bria Powers, whose existence is entangled with the complexities of family – an aunt struggling to hold things together, cousins who look up to her, a boyfriend who's way too old for her, a mother lost to addiction, and a father who deals drugs.

Decter doesn't shy away from the harsh realities of drug abuse in small towns – from fake Percs to Oxys cut with fentanyl, painting a picture of a community grappling with loss and addiction. The narrative doesn't dwell on the darkness; it's also about resilience and finding hope in a family that is both broken and bonded by adversity.

What's Not Mine by Nora Decter is a deeply moving story about growing up and the loss of childhood. Bria is left alone when her father leaves and her stepmother OD's. She's been failed by everyone around her. Because of the way she grew up, she's seen and experienced more than most grown adults.

While during the day, Bria is a typical teen, at night, she lives a second life, trying to survive. Soon, night bleeds into day and starts affecting everyone around Bria.

This is a hard read. Bria is surrounded by terrible things and it's difficult to read. This is a book that needs a reader who isn't scared or affected by drugs and death. It's a fulfilling read, despite all the darkness.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for the opportunity to read and review this book.

A devastating novel of generational trauma, addiction, community, love and redemption. Beautifully written & highly recommended.

What's Not Mine is a brilliantly-written exploration of 16-year-old Bria's troubled life. Tense and atmospheric, it delves into the complexities of family relationships, bad choices and drug addiction.
A dark but thoroughly absorbing read where every sentence takes you further into the bleak community of Beauchamp.

Somehow balances, tragedy and comedy, story of a girl coming of age, surviving addicted parents, against a backdrop of a small town that doesn’t always want what’s best for her. Sweet, sad and funny.

I did buy this book for the library based on the comparisons to Miriam Toews, and the fact that the author is local to our province, but I could not get into it. I wanted to like it, but I just did not care. I DNFed at around 30%.
I know it is the author's adult debut, but it felt more YA, and was just kind of all over the place. I tried to read it over holidays when I had time to dedicate to it, but I just got bored really fast. Maybe it was just not for me at this time.

I am speechless. This is beautifully tragic and uplifting novel, about the addiction to drugs, love, loss, pain, chaos and hope. Bria is girl learning to live a life where she is abandoned and in turn she decides to abandon it. She is a girl we all once knew, we all once were. She was a girl we wished we were and glad we weren't. She is that confused, damaged child that we all want to hug and never let go. She hurts but somehow her pain feels better because at least you know she is still there. That you are still in her orbit.
What's Not Mine, is a deep dive into leaving childhood and lingering on the precipice of the real world. The world that every child is protected from until they have to be pushed out of the nest, over the edge, into reality. This book was so gorgeously written, that it tugs on our very essence. The imagery and metaphors are seamless and lovely. I can not say enough about this book. Completely breathtaking and heart wrenching.