Book Review: Allegedly - Tiffany Jackson

Hello, welcome to my shelf!

Holy Jeez! I don't even know where to start with this one. If you're a fan of We Were Liars , Orange is the New Black , or books with drama and "whodunnit," this is a good choice.

1 star - I loved the back and forth of story and interview/documentation. Sometimes this doesn't work, but this is one of those stories where it was super important for us (as readers) to understand the depth of what was going on. It was interesting to read these excerpts (including one of Mary's crime biography) that were written during and after her initial manslaughter sentence.

2 stars - This book is deep. Not only is race a part of the discussion, but there is a greater discussion about kids in the prison system and kids aging out of the prison system. We find out early on that Mary is pregnant and this adds an entirely new level to an already awful situation. I would be interested in reading this story again through Ted's perspective (Mary's beau), if only to gain a greater perspective on a male poc in the system. But from Mary's perspective, it definitely causes us to think a bit and cringe a whole lot.

3 stars - I love the character type of an unreliable narrator. From the very beginning, we wonder "Did she do it?" which is what everyone else Mary meets has been asking. And while you can relax in knowing that we do discover the truth, the way we get there is what will keep you speeding through the pages. I had my guesses and (view spoiler)

4 star - While I was a a teeny bit unsatisfied with the ending, the set up is definitely there. I was also interested in the other girls though, after reading the book, I can't help but wonder (view spoiler) I do wonder about how so many of the adults were so checked out, but I think that's why adults like Ms. Claire and Ms. Cora were so important. I want to see supportive figures like those in more YA books.

The only reason I didn't give this five stars was because I could feel the hand tip in the "whodunnit" and wasn't that surprised. There were also a few elements that I felt were mentioned and then quickly dropped, not to be entirely resolved. And, while this didn't detract from the story, it did distract me as a reader. That being said, this is still really good. As a YA librarian, I recommend this as an older teen read and I would note a few trigger-worthy moments (mental/physical abuse, implied rape & stories of rape, and implied molestation to name a few.)*

Stay tuned to see what else I put on my shelf!

*Originally puublished for Goodreads.