(I received a copy of this book in exchange for a fair and honest review.)
Emily Koll is one of the best-known
teenagers in the UK. She’s not a pop star, though, or an actress. Not even an
Olympic hopeful. No, Emily is famous because of a crime she committed. As a
result of this crime, she’s also stuck in Archway Young Offenders Institution,
awaiting trial for taking revenge on the girl who ruined her life by stabbing
her father. How did she get here? Read her journal and find out…
Tanya Byrne has created one of the most
compelling narrators in recent YA fiction here. I want to say that, obviously,
I didn’t actually like Emily – but I’d be lying. Despite her crime, and even
though the way she insinuated herself into Juliet’s life in order to get
revenge was awful to read about, her actions were completely understandable and I started to really feel sympathetic towards her.
That’s not to say they were defensible, of course – I’m not planning on
nominating her for teen role model of the year or anything – but Byrne did a
fantastic job of making her a really well-rounded character. The other members
of the central trio, Juliet herself and love interest Sid, are also very good.
Byrne has a great writing style and
captures the weary, cynical voice of Emily perfectly in this novel. She paces
the book really well and it’s a definite page-turner; I was desperate to find
out exactly what Emily had done to Juliet. It’s also very hard-hitting, dealing
with tough issues, and the ending is staggering.
I was certainly impressed by this debut,
and will definitely be looking out for Tanya Byrne’s books in the future! Check
back tomorrow for an interview she was kind enough to give me, by the way.
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