One victim.
Four accused.
Who is telling the truth?
Zara Kaleel, one of London's brightest legal minds, shattered the expectations placed on her by her family and forged a brilliant legal career. But her decisions came at a high cost, and now, battling her own demons, she has exchanged her high profile career for a job at a sexual assault center, helping victims who need her the most. Victims like Jodie Wolfe.
When Jodie, a sixteen-year-old girl with facial deformities, accuses four boys in her class of an unthinkable crime, the community is torn apart. After all, these four teenage defendants are from hard-working immigrant families and they all have proven alibis. Even Jodie's best friend doesn't believe her.
But Zara does—and she is determined to fight for Jodie—to find the truth in the face of public outcry. And as issues of sex, race and social justice collide, the most explosive criminal trial of the year builds to a shocking conclusion.
My thoughts:
This was a very intense and sensitive story. It's the story you a young girl. A young girl who has horrible face deformities. Who has been made fun of most of her life. Now in high school she is like any other teenaged young lady. She has hopes and dreams. She has a crush. She has a friend. A best friend. Her whole life is shattered in an instant though. Trusting the wrong person changes her life completely. One crush and her life will never be the same.
Four boys, Amir, Hassan, Farid, and Mohammad, are accused of the unthinkable. Are they guilty? Did they do this horrible thing they are accused of? They will face a jury. One will die. Someone is lying. Is it Jodie or the boys? Did Jodie make it all up because the boy she had the crush on hurt her. Laughed at her. Mocked her. Or did it really happen. Did the four boys lie.
This book is about four young boys and a young girl. All are high school children. All are in the middle of something horrible. Who is guilty and who is innocent. Who lied. Who is telling the truth. This is a very well written, very thought provoking story. A story of innocence lost. At what cost?
This book certainly touches on several subjects. From a horrible, brutal, rape? Possibly. To racism. To brutality. From five students whose lives will honestly never be the same again. Someone is lying but who? Did this really happen? Or is it a fabrication. Are they guilty of assault? Or just innocent boys who are unjustly accused?
This book literally threw me. I thought I had it all figured out. I was so wrong. This is a very emotional story. A very hard one in places. The characters are likable. Even some of the boys. I really like Zara. Jodie, I'm on the fence with her. Just because!! I do feel sorry for her though. She didn't deserve to be treated so horribly from everyone, including her so called best friend or her horrible mother.
Thank you to #NetGalley, #KiaAbdullah, #StMartin'sPress for this ARC. These are my own thoughts about this book.
I had to give this one 5/5 stars. It's well deserved. A must read.
Fantastic review!!
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing.
Thank you so much.
DeleteIt was a very good book.