Review: What they Don't Know - Nicole Maggi

Review: What they Don't Know - Nicole Maggi - October 2018

This book caught my attention as if there is one thing that I have always enjoyed reading it is edgy YA fiction. The other reason I think I love these types of books is they helped open my view to the wider world like one of the main characters in this book Mellie - I grew up in a religious family and we never really talked deeply about issues. Despite being a close-knit family, we were very much surface talk, which is why since I moved out of home and with my mum now gone - I only see or hear from Dad once in a while, and even then, it's very much surface conversation, nothing deep. In this book, the format is written in journal entries as their teacher has given them a journal to record their thoughts as part of their final mark in English. Mellie Rivers was a victim of rape and has now learned that she is pregnant, she is scared and doesn't have anyone she can turn with. Especially since the guy is quite prominent in her family's church and to make matters worse as we learn later, he is closer to the family and her inner world. Lise's mother runs the local women's clinic and Lise herself is a justice advocate when she hears Mellie crying, she yearns to help her. During the book, we read as two girls from completely different lives will end up being trusted allies and when Mellie needs help, she gets her miracle in the last person she expected. I liked this book and the interaction between Mellie and Lise. The other thing I loved at the end was that despite Mellie's parents' outcome, her siblings stood by her during her time of need and that she was never really alone during the ordeal. With teen pregnancies a popular issue, #metoo, and now the abortion bill in the US, this book was quite a relevant read to the current times.

Amazon: https://amzn.to/38RJShD