Firstly, I want to say thank you to Rock the Boat publishing for sending me a copy of this book for review I am so grateful for this opportunity.

Trigger warnings for rape, coercive control, domestic violence, teenage pregnancy, revenge porn and abortion. 

I have had my eye on this book for a fair amount of time, it definitely seemed to be a book that I would enjoy reading … I was right! The Sky is Mine did not disappoint me. What I will first say is that if any of the above topics are likely to trigger you please think before you pick up this book it may not be the right time for you. However, I would also like to add and assure you that Amy deals with each of these so wonderfully and delicately in a way that opens the eyes of the reader to the complexity of each of these issues. I deal with a lot of these topics in my work life, I deal with the victims and the perpetrators so I would like to think that I have a fair amount of knowledge on the subject areas. You can tell that Amy has done her research, she does these topics so much justice in so many different ways.

I loved the characters in this book … apart from Daniel and Jacob obviously. I want to punch them. Izzy is such a wonderfully heartbreaking character. I really did feel for her and her mum. I felt the raw relationship between them throughout and I loved watching this grow and develop from being so so broken at the start. I also enjoyed Grace and the diversity that she adds to the story. Daniel and Jacob whilst I really disliked them for obvious reasons, they were also very good characters. The portrayal of them being perpetrators was done so well, I could feel my anger growing as the plot continued and had so many emotions towards them and those also involved.

I really enjoyed the writing style of this book. This is not your typical feel good book in the majority but it is an important book that you need to read. I devoured this in one sitting and literally felt every emotion possible. What really hit me is at the end of the book the details and contact number for Women’s Aid and other organisations are at the back. This is something that we do not see enough in books with triggering content however it is there and so important. I really hope that this book reaches out to somebody who can really relate and they get the help that they need.

I would recommend that everyone picks this book up. You will not regret it!

Izzy is a girl who experiences way more than a 17 year old ever should, the death of a parent, domestic violence, rape, love, friendship. She experiences a complete rollercoaster of emotions that as a reader you experience with her - it is hard not to, as her character is so relatable and vulnerable. I really felt on her side throughout and willed her to get through everything and see things for what they were and people for who they were! The plot was well written, my only qualm would be that Max just seemed to disappear towards the end and he had been mentioned throughout, I suppose that I expected him to have a bigger part in the whole picture, maybe? 

Overall, I really enjoyed the book, the characters and plot were very well written and fit with the YA genre well. I would definitely recommend this book for others to read and would read more by this author.

Haven't been able to download as it has been archived nearly 6 months before release which seems silly. Sadly won't be able to review.

This book is so important. And so beautiful. Heartwrenching. 
The book tackles the theme of rape, domestic violence, friendship and toxic relationships in a very positive and hopeful light. The author has shown a very good coping side of such issues, the harsh truth and reality that seeps deep. 
I loved the easy flow of the writing. It connected two scenes so well. The transition between past and present was a bit difficult to grasp in the beginning though I got used to it later. 
I loved how the author did not go deep into describing the characters by stating details. Instead, she made us readers see the characters through the MCs eyes and understand them. I know, it sounds vague because that's what they always do but it was different in this book. Like, there wasn't any concrete statement of what the other person was wearing or something. It was subtle and creative, I felt. There wasn't much descriptive details but it was still vivid. There writing was highly poetic and that's what I loved. 
Sure, the writing style is new and different, and might be a bit confusing in the beginning but then you get used to it. 
It was so heartbreaking to read Izzy's story, her voice. Her mother's story was equally touching. I loved the hopefulness of this book. It shows that there is light, that they is a way. I cannot really explain in words what the story stands for, what all it manages to throw light on, but it is a book that you all shouldn't miss it on. 
I loved it and would totally recommend!! Thanks to Netgalley for providing me with an e-arc of this book. All views expressed are fully mine.

"Daniel's voice is a can of Coke - I know the rising bubbles are in there but can't be sure how fierce they'll be until he opens the can. It's always tricky to tell how much he's been shaken."

The Sky is Mine follows the teenage protagonist Izzy as she tackles a smattering of very heavy topics for a child of 17. The story opens with Izzy being bullied and sexually harassed by a waste of space at her school named Jacob. Then we come to find out that although school life isn't the best for Izzy, her home life may be even worse. She lives with her mum and her stepfather Daniel, who happens to be a gaslighting and abusive waste of space. To top it all off, Izzy can't really even talk to her bestie Grace about her troubles, as Grace has found a special lady friend and doesn't make time for Izzy like she used to.

I really dug Beashel's writing style. A lot of her phrases and word choices were very clever. It reminded me of Becky Albertalli's style (the author of Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda and Leah on the Offbeat).

"Mum let me take the tiny shampoo and the tiny shower gel from the tiny bathroom, maybe as tiny compensation for not seeing through that tiny hope she'd given me."

I also thought Beashel did a great job of having our three female characters (Izzy, her mom Steph, and her bestie Grace) grow throughout the course of the novel. It wasn't that they started out as weak and unrealistically became badasses by the end. It was more that they started out as unsure and struggling badasses at the beginning and grew to learn to let their badass flags proudly fly by the end.

The downfall of this book to me is that Beashel tried to cram waaaay too many very heavy topics into one small book. Although I already mentioned bullying, sexual abuse, and gaslighting, there is also teenage pregnancy, rape, abortion, and physical abuse. I believe this book would have been much more powerful if Beashel had more thoroughly tackled a smaller subset of these issues instead of skimming the surface of all of them.

I can’t believe this book is a debut - amazing!
This book covers some really deep subjects including rape & domestic violence but handled them very delicately. 

I loved the parent/child relationship and how it really showed how easy it is to be influenced by the behaviour of those around us!

First of all, this book just blew my mind. The Sky is Mine truly took me by surprise because, quite frankly, I did not think I would love it as much as I did. The plot was so beautifully raw and it touched on very crucial issues such as domestic abuse and rape. I honestly thought it would be difficult to speak about these topics in a teen fiction novel but Beashel's writing made it possible. She really took on all of the characters perspectives individually and made it so emotionally relatable to myself as a reader. I would recommend this to anyone wanting to read a contemporary novel that is heart-breaking but also powerful and uplifting.

I DNF'd this book about 50 pages in. Although I have no doubt this will be a brilliant book and shine some light on some really important and hard hitting topics, unfortunately, I am unable to continue with the book, because of those topics.

I wasn't sure if I'd like this book or not as I don't normally read YA, but it was interesting.  It had a lot of topics relevant to young people these days and a lot of subjects that are hard to talk about.  There are some triggers about abuse, gaslighting, bulling, and control.  As the story progresses we see Izzy grow, change and thrive given the right circumstances.  Over all a good book and definitely a book that the YA audience should read.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for a copy of this book. 

 This is a powerful book, and it has a lot going on. A lot. Trigger warnings, all over the place. 

 Although this is a raw, emotional book, at times I had a hard time grasping the words. The way it was written took away from the book and the powerful story.

I thoroughly enjoyed the plot of this book and would've given it five stars except that I couldn't get past how it was written. It was really hard to read and understand. I found myself re-reading it a ton of times and really having to wrap my head around what some of the vague references meant. I felt like it could've been written in a more concise way but I feel like the story really overpowers that.

I had trouble with the writing sometimes, but it felt authentic to the narrator. There's a LOT that goes into this book. Teenagers have a lot on their plates but at times, this book read like the author had a list of traumas that she wanted to address. It was successful but probably would've been better split into a couple of books.

I feek this book will be a total hit once released, I am so happy to have had the privilege of reading such a well-written story!  So many different topics are discussed in this novel including bullying, sexual assault, domestic abuse, friendship and family... all crucial topics for the young adult. Going through the ups and downs of adolescence with Izzy, her mom and the other characters was both beautiful and heartbreaking .. a must read!

+++Spoiler Alert+++

There is a lot to handle in this book. Trigger warnings everywhere. And the book is heavy and at times hard to read. But as Izzy begins to gain strength, you can feel all of that heaviness lifting. The Sky is Mine is raw and honest and not for the faint of heart. The end feels like a beginning. This is a powerful read that is well worth your time.

I received this book in exchange for an honest review. I was very excited to read this novel because of its cover, and this is what I think:

Izzy is having a bad time. At home, things are not going well. She and her mother suffer from domestic abuse by her stepfather. At school, a boy named Jacob blackmails her by showing some pictures of her around the school. Izzy finds herself in a difficult situation, but she also knows that everything has its limits. Izzy decides to raise her voice and change the course of events in her life.

When I started reading this book, it seemed complicated because of the British English in which it was written. However, I decided to give it a try and keep reading. The plot covers two complicated issues that are domestic violence and rape, but I felt the author never goes deep into those topics. Although there are phrases that I found touching and positive, the novel did not get me excited.

In the end, it seemed to me that some plot elements were very predictable and resolved too easily. Everything happened precipitously in the ending.

What I liked about the novel was the strength of the protagonist to move forward and not keep silence. I loved the hopeful message that this story conveys, and above all, that people who suffer from those issues should speak out.

DNF: I've had a really rough time reading this book, the voice and the word choices are incredibly hard to follow. There were even some abbreviations thrown in and slang that I didn't recognize. I also thought the flow of the novel was awkward. I thought by the summary of this book that it could've been one of my next favorites but I had a hard time connecting with the characters and the language used.

So captivating, thank you for providing me with an arc of this novel. I was captivated from the first page!

Izzy's world is spiraling out of control and she feels she has no one to lean on. Her friend Grace is caught up with her new girlfriend and her mother is too scared to listen to Izzy's fears about her stepfather David. So when things start to go really badly for her, she has nowhere to turn. David's behavior is getting more erratic and there is nowhere for her to turn.

David is a typical gaslighting abuser, who has ulterior motives in everything he says and does. Things have to be David's way or all hell breaks loose. He's controlling, verbally abusive, and he's starting to act beyond inappropriate with Izzy bordering on sexual abuse. The lingered touches are just the beginning for her.

Izzy's mother is a typical abused wife, in that she doesn't want to rock the boat. She's been at the mercy of David's abuse more times than they can count, so she knows what speaking up can do. Sadly, because she's in this position, it means that Izzy's needs are often ignored in favor of appeasing David. I wanted to hate her mother for her clear neglect of Izzy's emotional needs, but you can't hate a person for being in that situation and doing what they can to get through the day.

As far as Grace, she's not that great of a friend. Some of it is indeed Izzy not sharing what is really going on at home, but a lot of it is Grace being self-involved. I do understand that Izzy has created a bit of a codependence situation with Grace and she doesn't know how to take care of herself. So the friendship feels very one-sided. Grace does earn a shot at redemption as we're nearing the end of the book, and she does it well.

Izzy has such low self-esteem, it stems from years of David's abuse, keeping her down. A person that goes through this isn't going to carry their head tall, and that's so evident in the situations Izzy finds herself in. I loved watching Izzy blossom when she was away from David and she found someone who sees the light that shines deep from within. This is a great book for any reader, sufferers or not will find value in Izzy's situation and the hope that there can be something better in life. Well done.

Be aware for a number of trigger warnings for this book!

A hard hitting read touching up on some very heavy topics. A powerful punch in the gut type of book.

have really mixed feelings about this book. It deals with some really complex and relevant issues that need to be discussed. But I feel like it tries to cover too much for a single book and every one of the issues gets a little short changed as a result.

There's date rape, coercion, psychological and physical domestic abuse, sexting, revenge porn, abortion and more, all wrapped up between the covers of this single novel. All important topics to explore in YA literature, but maybe not all in the same book. 

The central character is Izzy, and as the book begins, she's dealing with the fallout from a party where she got drunk, had sex with a guy she didn't like much who then shared photos of her in a compromising position all over their school. He claims to have more photos and says he'll share them if she doesn't continue to be at his beck and call.

To complicate things further, just getting out of her house is a challenge thanks to the man her mother married a few years back. A man who is both verbally and physically abusive to both Izzy and her mother. He's controlling and has them both so terrified they tend to jump when he says to, just to keep the peace.

And it doesn't help that Izzy's best friend has fallen in love and is far more interested in finding ways to spend time with her girlfriend than in hearing about Izzy's problems.

I thought this book was really well written. Some of the descriptions were beautiful, unusual and really evocative. I just felt like it was trying to cover too much ground, something that became even more apparent as I reached the end of the book and so many different threads needed to be tied up. Compared to the pace in the rest of the book, the ending felt rushed and wasn't as satisfying as I was hoping for as a result.

I think books like this are really important because they can start a conversation about things that are difficult to talk about. I just wish this one had focused on fewer issues because none of them really got enough room to breathe before being crowded out by another, competing issue.

Thanks to NetGalley for letting me read this in advance.