e-ARC, 368 pages
Release Date: June 31, 2018Published by: HarperTeen
Read from: July 27-30, 2018Stand-aloneSource: Edelweiss (I received a copy of this book from the Edelweiss and the Publisher in exchange for a just and honest review. This did nothing to influence my review.)TW: N/A
For fans of: Contemporary Romance, Contemporary, Coming of Age, Realistic Fiction, Stand-alones, YANo one looking at Morgan Kemper would think she had a secret-at least not one that she’s deeply ashamed of. To everyone she meets, she comes across as sweet, pretty, and put together. But Morgan knows that looks can be deceiving. For over a year, she’s shoplifted countless pieces of clothing and makeup. Each time she tells herself it will be the last, and each time it never is.
But when she’s caught and sentenced to thirty hours of community service, the image Morgan has carefully constructed starts to crumble. She’s determined to complete her punishment without her friends discovering the truth about her sticky fingers, but that’s easier said than done…Especially once she meets Eli, the charming, handsome nephew of the owner of the charity shop where Morgan is volunteering. Soon, Morgan is faced with an impossible decision: continue to conceal the truth or admit that she’s lied to everyone in her life, including the boy she’s falling for.
*MY THOUGHTS*
“You need to see how your actions affect other people,” he goes on. “You have to learn to give back instead of selfishly taking.”13%
Morgan was a good girl. She got good grades, had a part time job, and had a great group of friends. But she has one dirty little secret that she’s been keeping from everyone….She’s been shoplifting. But one day, she’s caught and is sentenced to 30 hours of community service and all the lies she’s kept in the dark are beginning to come to light. But she’s not ready to show them who she really is; she wants to keep them thinking that she’s the good girl they thought she was.
“Sometimes the only way to cope with the unfairness of life is to spread it around.“49%
As a character driven reader, it was hard for me to fall for Morgan. I was not happy with her for most of the book because of what she was doing, but I felt more like a mom being angry with her child lol I loved her, but I was super disappointed in her. Basically I felt the same way her dad did. But Phillips had a great way of giving Morgan a 180. It was impressive to watch her turn from someone to be disappointed in, to someone I was rooting for.
“People are assholes.“59%
I really know I like a book when I go through many different emotions while reading it. And this was one of those books. I swooned from the romance, I got upset with Morgan on countless occasions, and I was sad at some times too when it finally came out what the root of her problem was. This book will send you so many different ways, but trust me, it is worth it.
“Sometimes people are selfish. Sometimes we do things without thinking about the consequences.“73%
The only thing I didn’t care for was the ending. I wanted to know more, to see some of her learning about what she did and why she did it. But it wasn’t in the book. I guess I just wanted to see more of her healing process. I had spent most of the book upset with her and I wanted to see what happened with her to the very end.
“Don’t let those bad decisions define you, because they don’t.“79%
This book sort of fell in my lap, but I’m grateful that it did. I haven’t read any YA with this subject matter before, so this was a very welcome change. It’s definitely something I’m glad to have picked up.
I really enjoyed this book too. I also found myself disappointed in Morgan, but at the same time, really sympathetic towards her. She grew a lot from the experience, and I was happy with the redemption type arc she was given. And I loved both Eli and his aunt so much.