Who She Is

Faye has to move schools again, she is used to moving around a lot but it doesn’t mean she is happy.

Faye makes friends with Francie and they plan to train for the Boston Marathon, but Faye’s parents ban her from competing as they worry it will make her Epilepsy worse. Faye is undeterred and will do anything to run the Marathon.

Faye keeps having nightmares about being in a dark place and can remember living in a different house where she was looked after by another lady. But is this due to her Epilepsy or are her parents lying to her. Faye is determined to find out the truth.

This book was so interesting, I loved the historical elements, imagine women not being able to officially run the Boston Marathon until 1972, but then it got me thinking even in the 21st century we are still fighting for women’s equality. Now we are fighting for equal pay in the workforce.

I would definitely recommend this book, you can’t help but love Faye as she is so brave and strong and reminds me that if you put you’re mind to it you can conquer most things in life!!

Diane Byington you had me gripped from the start, desperate to find out if Faye gets to find out the truth and has her happy ending after all!! Please don’t make me wait too long for you’re next book.

Thank you to Netgalley for my copy on exchange for a review.

I started this book yesterday and once I got into it, I couldn't put it down until I'd finished--very early this morning. Then I stayed up even longer thinking about it. Faye is a young woman in 1967, trying to plot a future for herself while unraveling the sticky and possibly dangerous threads of her past, which come to her as vague memories, or "spells" as she calls them. Through running she finds a sense of independence and strength that I could only hope would be enough to overcome the obstacles that Ms. Byington reveals slowly and mysteriously throughout the story. In fact these threads are so deftly woven into the story I hesitate to mention any details for fear of revealing too much. Just read it!

This story takes place during the 1960's. It's a tumultuous time. It's a time of harrassment between the blacks and whites. It's a time when Martin Luther King Jr. Is assassinated.
Faye is fifteen going on sixteen. She has been the new girl is a bunch of schools. Her parents travel from town to town, state to state looking for work. Her father works in orchards and fields. Both of her parents are rather harsh. Her only outlet is running and her parents disapprove of this. She will soon face major decisions and discover surprising things about her life.
The characters are remarkable. The storyline is full of twists and turns. You are definitely kept guessing what will happen next.
I was given this book to read and review. These are my thoughts about this book. Strongly recommend!

Who She Is by Diane Byington is a great story about a young teenage girl named Faye that has had her fair share of moves in her life. Moving from place to place means school to school. In the 60’s it was even harder to Deal with the issues of race and where a girls place should be. Her parents were not very nice and the writer made it east to root for Faye and hope that something good was going to happen soon. I love this story and it was very easy to read and read at a fast paced should you choose to. The emotional aspect of this story will make you cry, laugh, and then get angry. All within a few seconds. The big question that needs answered is was Faye’s parents lying to her? You need to read it to find out. What you think is real may not be. Hold on to your seat, this is gonna be a bumpy ride.


Thank you to netgalley as well as the author/publisher for giving me the opportunity to read this book in exchange for my honest review.


5 🌟 out to f 5

Who She Is by Diane Byington subtly twists two stories around one main character, Faye Smith, a sixteen-year-old long distance runner. First there is the story of Faye’s training to run the Boston marathon as an attempt to scape her migrant farm worker background. Second is the underlying story of Faye trying to discover who she is. She has flashbacks and nightmares and can’t figure out what triggers them.

I enjoyed the feminist aspects of this novel with Faye and her best friend training for the Boston marathon at a time when running was considered bad for women’s internal organs. Faye is a determined, strong young woman.

I also liked the glimpses into the Civil Rights movement in the 1960’s. The coach training Faye and her best friend, Francine, is an African American black male. In addition, there was a brief glimpse of the Vietnam War as Francine’s brother joins the Marines and goes to Vietnam.

Though there were many things to like about this novel, I found the depth of emotion simply wasn’t there. Faye had remarkably little reaction to learning her past and to starting a new future with a different family.

I went into this story knowing nothing about the plot. I was intrigued at every turn and thought that Diane Byington wrote a layered and beautifully heartbreaking story of a 16 year old girl with a point of view during a tumultuous time for women and minorities in American history.

Faye knew who she was and want she wanted in life, even if in the end everything she knew was wrong. She was determined, strong, smart and resourceful. As a mother I hope that my daughter will possess many of the characteristics that Faye has. It was refreshing reading a story about a young woman with such determination that nothing would get in her way of accomplishing her goals. I highly recommend this book and think it would be a great addition to any high school curriculum reading list. It contains many important talking points such as women's rights, racism, and abusive relationships in the home that are still valid even though this book is set 50 years ago.

Loved this book from start to finish! Character development for the main characters was very well done and you can’t help but love Faye. I enjoyed her interaction with Francie, Reese and most especially with Jesse. A very unique friendship there. I disliked Sue & Bud from the start and knew there was something “off” about them. This book was very well written and I really enjoyed the story.

Disclaimer: I was given a free advance copy from NetGalley in return for my honest review.

This book was very different than I thought it would be but it was really good. This book talks about issues that aren't usually discussed in books. Our main character Faye lives in a small town and her parents are very strict. Her parents try to keep her close and try to make her life free of stress and physical strain as possible. They do this because Faith has epilepsy and they don't want the strain to trigger any seizures. When they move and Fae becomes friends with the girl next door the two decide to throw caution to the wind and train for the Boston Marathon even though women at this time are not permitted to join. The more Faye runs the more she discovers hidden secrets about the life she thought she knew. With the mystery of who Faye really is being slowly unraveled before her I couldn't help but try to solve the mystery with her. I really enjoyed this book and I liked how it was about friendship and family and there was no real romantic relationships in it. You don't see that too often anymore. I found the main character Faye really likable and I really wanted her to succeed even though some of the odds were stacked against her. Really good book and it was a lot deeper and more complex than I originally thought but the writing in it was very nice and easy to understand. This book takes tough, mysterious situations and makes them nice and easy and hides them behind the simpler story of running, but behind that you get death, family secrets, and deception. What I thought was going to be a book about illness turned into something more interesting that I could have imagined. Great read and I'm so glad I got the chance to read it I think that this book will be a big hit with lots of readers because of the vast subjects
that it covers, such as racism, family secrets, alcoholism etc. Check this one out you wont be disappointed.
While I loved the book through the whole thing the ending was nothing I expected or could have ever seen
coming. Everyone young and old should read this book you wont be disappointed. I also feel that it will be
one of those books that lives on through generations and will stay with the reader long after the last
page has turned. Great book I loved it!

Wonderful and uplifting story. Without giving away any spoilers, its about Boston Marathon ans the power of perseverance. Forbidden to run due to her epilepsy and no women competing, Faye is determined to lift herself out of poverty and prove everyone wrong. Great!!.

Faye is an incredibly cute and lovable character. One of those people you just root for and instantly want them to have an amazing life.

A story of faith, hard work, determination, perseverance, persistence. A great historical fiction read.

*Thanks to NetGalley and Red Adept Publishing for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review.* Faye Smith's family are constantly on the move. Itinerant farm labourers, they never stay in one place for any length of time. Faye has learnt not make close friends at any of the new schools she attends. However, something happens when her family move to the Floridian town of Valencia. Francie won't take no for an answer and soon the two teenage girls are training together, with the hope of running in the Boston Marathon. The book starts in 1967 and, at this time, only males are allowed to run in the marathon. However, the girls are determined to race. What really struck me about the book was this - my mother was in high school in the 1960s. She lived through her childhood, adolescence and early adulthood being told what females couldn't do. Yet, she went on to have two daughters who believe in shattering glass ceilings. This book made me reflect on how far we have come, but also how far we still have to go.

Interesting, gripping book set in 1960’s American during a time that was not easy. Thank you to both netgalley and Book Go Social for giving me the opportunity to read ’Who She Is’ in exchange for my honest and unbiased review.

This was an emotional, but good read. For most of the story I was fighting for Faye, hoping that she would get out of the relentless hold of her parents Sue and Bud but I also knew she was under sixteen, had led a very restricted lifestyle and to rebel and break away was going to be hard if not impossible.

Moving every few months, no roots, a father who seemed over powering and a mother who was a coward Faye never had it easy. Her passion for running should not have got such a lot of opposition from her parents. She did not ask for money for the sport, it had the support of the school, she was so good at it that she could possibly get into college so why were the parents so anti running. Was it just because they thought it was not their social level to go to college, or is it that they just wanted another wage earner in the family. Or was it something a bit more.

Unravelling the story was a good one. Only revealed half way through that things are not exactly as they seemed for this family it goes one step at a time with fortunately a happy ending for Faye.

I know I've been reading a lot of books lately and posting reports on them, but I hope you still remember that I'm also a runner. I know I should be running more than I do since it's officially running season here in Florida, but due to some family issues I've been unable to get out as often as I'd like.  Even my running pup, Brodie is a bit restless about it. Anyway, when I saw the cover of today's book, Who She Is by Diane Byington, I was interested.  Then, when I read the description of the book I knew it was one I'd love to read.  Fortunately, thanks to my book blogging relationship with NetGalley I was provided with an advanced reader digital copy of the book.

Let me start out by saying this: I was blown away with the fact that this is a debut novel. I am impressed with Ms. Byington's writing and I felt like the book was written by a seasoned author.

Who She Is takes place in 1967 and revolves around Faye Smith, a 16-year old girl and her determination to push against the societal expectations of the times binding her.  Her parents, Sue and Bud, kept a very restrictive hold on Faye and didn't want to allow her to pursue her dreams.  Despite this, Faye tries out for the school track team and later learns she has some serious running skills. She and her friend, Francie, decide they are going to run the Boston Marathon. Women weren't officially allowed to run Boston yet, but there were ways to participate. Faye's thinking is that she is going to win the race and be awarded a college scholarship to help her escape her family's poverty. 

Faye keeps having nightmares and seems to remember living in a different house being cared for by another woman. Faye cannot determine whether these nightmares are due to her epilepsy or whether her parents could be lying to her. Faye is determined to find out the truth behind the nightmares.   I loved how everything comes together at the end of Who She Is. The truth comes to light and at the same time, Faye and Francie are able to reach their full potential. 

I was provided with a complimentary electronic advanced reader copy through Net Galley in exchange for my post.  I was not required to post a positive review, but have chosen to do so because this book was great! Thank you!

Good read about being a female in the male world of running that turns into so much more! I would strongly recommend this book to everyone. I received a copy from NetGalley and this is my honest opinion.

Most enjoyable story about two friends,who met their Junior yr.in HS and remained friends thru out their lives.
Most of the story revolves around Faye who has lived a life of many hardships and is a fast moving story and a real page turner.
I Read the book in one sitting & you will too,it's that good.
Unable to say a whole lot about the book or will give the plot away.
Would highly recommend for a quick,light read.
Many thanks to Netgalley and Publisher for allowing me the privilege to Read and give my honest review of " Who She Is"

I loved this book. It had me right from the start and wanting to know what happened. I was totally engrossed and felt emotionally involved with the characters. Highly recommend.

Such a great story about overcoming the ups and downs of life. So glad, I was able to experience this story and discover a new story.

*** ARC provided by Netgalley via the publisher in exchange for an honest review. ***

Faye’s family never stay in one place for very long, they are constantly moving throughout her childhood. However, this time her parents have promised that they will stick around at their new home in Florida until she graduates high school. This allows Faye’s to tentatively made friends with a fellow runner. Faye’s parents disapprove of her running as she has epilepsy and they think that running will trigger her illness, which leaves Faye stuck between her parents and her friend Francie’s desire to entire the Boston Marathon. At the same time, training for her run starts to bring to the surface memories that Faye doesn’t recognise and makes her start to question her entire life.

Definitely a page turner, I enjoyed every minute reading this book and would absolutely recommend. I felt there were two distinct storylines, the ‘mystery’ plus Faye’s determination to compete in the Boston Marathon at a time when women weren’t allowed to enter. Unusually I enjoyed both of these storylines equally and felt the author juggled the themes well.

This was a well-written story about a couple of high school girls from Florida determined to run in the Boston marathon in 1968 before women were allowed to run in it. There is a lot more to the story, but I wouldn't want to spoil anything. Honestly, this book is best if you don't even read the book summary.

I was disappointed that you knew something that was going on very clearly by the half way point of this book, well before the main characters did. I was also disappointed that the adults in the story shrugged off certain things that would be huge red flags for people now-a-days. Were times so different back then that these things would have been ignored? Possibly, but it's difficult to look through today's filter and not expect it to be handled differently.

Otherwise, it was a really good story. I thought the author did a really good job of bringing the social issues of the day into the story, Vietnam, race, and gender issues were all addressed as they applied in 1968.

I thought the ending was a bit long. The author seemed to want to wrap up all loose ends. Fortunately, this wasn't too neat. You get to know what happened to everyone, the good and the bad.

I think this was a really good debut and worth a read for anyone interested in track, historical fiction, or family drama.

Byington tackles a myriad of issues; social issues of the 60s, health issues, bullying, and stigma; she then brings them together in a flawless plot. It's seamless and a wonderful read.

I very much enjoyed this book. It took a tumultuous historical time and manages to weave history in with a human story that is very believable. The characters are rich and in most cases likeable, I wanted to cheer for her running too! I couldn’t find anything I thought missing or lacking and finished it in one sitting because I wanted to hear the end of her story.

"Who She Is" was such a wonderful read, and Diane Byington crafted such wonderful characters that will surely stay with me for a long time.

I found myself rooting for Faye, a teen in the sixties growing up with unstable parents and a passion for running during a time when women weren't encouraged or even allowed to be athletes. Faye's passion for running helps her befriend Francine and leads to an unforgettable adventure.

Overall, a wonderful read!

I wasn't sure what to expect going into this, as it isn't the typical book I read, however the mystery element set out in the blurb intrigued me enough that I knew I needed to pick this up. This is a book that took me a while to get through, not because it was bad but because I wanted to take everything in.

I was completely gripped by this story and was impressed with the writing quality. I was entertained throughout the story and would not hesitate to recommend this book.