AUTHOR: Jenny Downham
RATING: 3 STARS
PUBLISHED: September 2011 - David Fickling Books
SERIES: No
"If someone hurts your sister and you're any kind of man, you seek revenge, right? If your brother's been accused of a terrible crime and you're the main witness, then you banish all doubt and defend him. Isn't that what families do? When Mikey's sister claims a boy assaulted her at a party, his world of work and girls begins to fall apart. When Ellie's brother is charged with the crime, but says he didn't do it, her world of revision, exams and fitting in at a new school begins to unravel. When Mikey and Ellie meet, two worlds collide. Brave and unflinching, this is a novel of extraordinary skillfulness and almost unbearable tension. It's a book about loyalty and the choices that come with it. But above all it's a book about love - for one's family and for another."
MY REVIEW:
UK author, Jenny Downham, delivers a riveting young adult novel. You Against Me is tale about star-crossed lovers. Ellie’s brother has been arrested for sexually assaulting Mikey’s sister, Karyn. Mikey plans to get revenge by assaulting Tom, Ellie’s brother who may or may not have raped Karyn.
Yeah so it’s takes a second to get all of the players straight. This may help:
Ellie- Tom’s sister. Was at the house when the alleged rape took place.
Ellie- Tom’s sister. Was at the house when the alleged rape took place.
Tom- Ellie’s brother. May or may not have raped Karyn.
Karyn- Mikey’s sister. May or may not have been raped by
Tom.
Mikey- Karyn’s brother. He wants revenge for his sister.
I may have had my expectations a little too high for this
novel. I enjoyed it, but I was expecting a little more from this story, mainly
a stronger connection and more romance between Ellie and Mikey. However,
Downham kept their relationship realistic. If she had made the connection and
relationship a lot stronger it would have affected the integrity of this novel.
So I understand why she wrote it the way she did, but I had my hopes set on a
more heated romance.
I gave You Against Me by
Jenny Downham 3 STARS. I recommend this novel to young adults. Personally, I am
glad I read it once, but it’s not something I would want to read again.
1 comment:
I really liked this book. I was quite surprised to find it was set in England. Nothing in the back cover blurb gives that away. I love all things British, so it was a pleasant surprise.
The story is of two families, one well-off with two parents and two kids. The other one is rather poor and headed by a single mother who drinks too much. Even without the major obstacle of Mikey's sister accusing Ellie's brother of rape, it is highly unlikely that Mikey and Ellie would ever be a couple. But they are instantly attracted to each other and fall in love.
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