After her parents died, Joon had to live in foster home. Aron her foster mother treats her like a slave, abuse her and frequently doesn't let her eat. After years live in misery, she runaway from the house and live on the street. In the street she meet with every kind of people that teach her good and bad things. Can Joon survive her life in the street and get the better life?

Every kids should be happy when they are in their young age. Being love by their family or the people around them and get education in school. It breaks me to know Joon had to live in that tough way. But although life always fails her and bad things happen, she never gives up on anyone. That's what I love about Joon, she has a good heart.

Never be alone is a dark novel about struggle, abuse, and poverty. It had an adult content and suggest for an adult reader only. I love this book because it had a messages and good points. It makes me know more about homeless life and make me feel grateful of everything I have.

<i>The worst poverty is when there is no one in the world who loves you.</i>

Thank you Netgalley for the copy in exchange for the honest review.

This story was so heartbreaking and captivating at the same time. Poor Joon went from a loving happy life to being thrust into a horrible place to live after the passing of her parents. After losing both her parents, Joon is sent to live with a foster family, and enters a long period of severe mental and physical abuse. Her foster mother, Aron, is a monster who enjoys beating starving, and torturing her, and her two foster brothers don’t treat her any better. She suffers abuse and after running away has to learn to be on her own. The author did a wonderful writing this story and keep me captivated and glued to this book.

Joon has always known comfort and love. She had parents that loved her, friends and a nice house. Life couldn't have been any better in her eyes. Then one day everything she has ever known is taken away. Her parents are gone and she's whisked away to a foster home.

The foster home is unlike anything Joon could have prepared herself for. Her foster mother isn't impressed with Joon and one of her foster brothers is looking at her in a way that Joon knows isn't good.

Sensing she has no other option, Joon runs away. Thinking she will be better off on the streets than with the danger inside her foster home. What happens next is Joon's journey through life as a street kid and what it takes to pull yourself out of the gutter.

I would like to thank Netgalley for my copy.
This book is full of emotions and intense, I was hooked from the first page! I loved the main character 'Joon' and I felt so bad for her during her years with her foster family and after.

"Young Joon’s parents died, her foster family is dangerous, homelessness is her only option.
On the streets, Joon finally finds comfort with a group of homeless teenagers. But things are never what they seem, and there is always a price to pay for safety on the streets. NEVER BE ALONE is a story of homelessness but hopefulness, as Joon’s relentless determination eventually helps her find her place in the world and make a difference."

A heart wrenching, emotional rollercoaster of a book! This was my first book by Paige Dearth, so I wasn't sure what to expect. I'm happy to say that I will definitely be reading her other books! Never Be Alone makes you realize that you can't take what you have for granted, it certainly made me appreciate what I have in my life.

Thank to #NetGalley and the publisher for this powerful novel!
Pub Date 21 Mar 2018

This book is intense and heartbreaking . Joon had a great life with her parents until the day they are killed and she is left an orphan . When she is put in foster care and sent to live with a single mother and her two sons , Poor Joon isn't ready for what will happen to her living with these people . The abuse they do her . When she is at her lowest and after Dean the son threatens her . She does the unthinkable and takes to the street to live . Where she finds a group of friends that will help her and keep her safe . But there is one rule on the street NEVER BE ALONE and there is always a price to pay . Will Joon find her place in the world to be happy and safe.
This story will break your heart trust me on that one . The characters are so well written and you will want to wrap Joon up in a warm blanket and hug her tight . She is a tough cookie but she wasn't always that way . At first she could come off as a little naïve but she grows up fast . She is a fighter and doesn't let anything or anyone get in her way . She wants to be somewhere safe and secure where no one would hurt her ever again There are many people that come into Joon's life that help her in ways that keep her safe . Tony and Vincent make an appearance in this book and they help Joon out a lot.
This is a gritty story that will rip out your heart more times then you can count . There are so many twists and turns through out this book . What I truly liked about this story is that is so true and current to what is going on in the world right now This book isn't for the faint of heart . You will cry and your heart will shatter over and over again . I admit I actually had to put the book down a couple of times because my heart just couldn't take it . Like all the authors works the characters are driven to be better and want to do better . So if you want to have your heart ripped out and then have it repaired . This is the book for you . ITS NOT FOR THE FAINT OF HEART THOUGH .

Inside you’ll hate this book. Simply because it brings to light everything that can go wrong in the foster care system. Join goes homeless at age 11, let that sink in, after being thrown into the worst possible home imaginable. Her journey will break your heart. An amazing read.

This book… Totally not what I was anticipating. I never would have chosen to read a book that is so graphic about the abuse of children. With that being said, I did not like this story at all. Not only was it horrifying to read about the abuse, but the fact that the same scenario kept repeating itself over and over throughout the book... it got old. I see where the author was trying to go with this, and they were many lessons to be learned throughout; such as not judging a book by its cover, but I honestly don’t know how to rate a book that shows the most awful side of humanity.

Received this book as an ARC for my honest review.

Joon looses her parents at a young age and she is forced into foster care. Aron is her new step mom along with 2 new step brothers. This book was a huge reminder of the book "The Boy Called It" when it came to the abuse that Joon was put through from the foster mom. The rest of the book was pretty much her life on the streets. I am sure that there are many children on the streets that this applies to but unfortunately the author made me not care about any of it. It wasn't written well, it wasn't engaging for about 98% of it. I hope that the author did not live life this way. There are more books in this "series" and I haven't made up my mind on if I want to continue to read them because this one was so disjointed and not connected. I hope the author was able to pull it together in future books.

Thank you to the publishers for letting me read this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

The one word I can say to sum up this book is wow. Joon showed such courage and tenacity giving the situation she was put in.

This book will definitely remain with you after reading and give you a new perception on life in general. As sad as it was to read, this is well worth it.

Trigger warnings needed for some. Bleakness, sad and depressing content included. I couldn't connect with this book, it just hurt and that pain went on and on for so long. I didn't care for the resolution/ending. For me, it was lacking. I have known folks who have been through worse, yes, but still, this book didn't go as I had hoped it would go.

My copy came from Net Galley. My thoughts and opinions are my own. This review is left of my own free will.

I couldn't stop reading this book. It is hard to read and yet I needed to know how it all turned out for Joon. She has been thrown into a hard life but the way she handles herself gives her strength and optimism for her life. The people she met and formed relationships with made her someone special. You will not be disappointed.

Heartbreaking about fighting against all odds. The reality of each life was harsh and in your face. It seemed to drag a bit but most was relevant

Thank you to netgalley and the author for the chance to read this book.
Never be alone follows joon a 8 year old orphan who was put in foster care after the death of her parents. Her foster mom was a evil sick woman who did unimaginable acts to Joon. When the worse was to come joon new she had to leave. On the streets alone she met many people and lost so many as well that had touched her soul. Joon still kept pushing on and through the help of friends who became her family, I believe Joon will be ok. This book has rocked me to the core but reminded me in life you just never know and a reminder that tomorrow is never promised. Joon whole being pushed down over and over she yet again got up and kept going. I believe everything will be ok for Joon, finally.

What first drew me to the book was the cover, mainly that the child on it looked almost identical to a friend of mines.
But then I read the synopsis and I was intrigued. Sadly I struggled through this book, the writing did not flow for me and it made it hard to immerse myself into the book.
I liked the idea of it, it reminded me a lot of the book A Child Called IT, and those types of books always pull at my heart.

A gripping thriller about a little girl, Joon, who goes through foster homes with a sinister feel. Definitely a good book! Review and link to come. Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for the opportunity to read this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Never have I had a book bring me to absolute tears but this one did. I actually had to put it down and walk away from it because I was just a mess. I also had a range of emotions throughout the entire book which is fantastic because that is what a book is supposed to do. This book gives you a different look or plight of the homeless situation that is taking place in our country, especially with the our children. It also shows that foster care system is sadly short staffed and poorly inspected. We are doing our children a gross misjustice and they are falling in the cracks. They are more than a dollar sign. I could go on and on about this book but I won't, just read it and you will not be disappointed!!! (le

I like the story. I felt invested in the characters as the story progressed; however, the writing style was didactic. The agenda: expose the tragedies in our foster care system as well as every possible traumatic outcome of being homeless. An important social issue message—yet, at times, Joon’s voice was too edifying for my taste. The explanations of why she was entitled to feel the way she did ended up taking away from the story because it sounded like a message from the author, not the character (same unauthentic feeling with some of the cursing—too strong and too much).

bookshelves: 2018, netgalley, abuse 


Young Joon's parents died, her foster family is dangerous, homelessness is her only option. ****ARC received from NetGalley for an honest review****
Excuse me while I dry the tears from my eyes. What a heartbreaking story we experience thru Up on and the rest of her homeless friends. The saddest thing for me is that this happens in real life and we just walk by and go on about our lives. We follow Moon through the death of her parents, the hell of her foster family and her years in homelessness. Through it all Joon continues to offer help to all she can and continues to want a better life. She meets friends, allies and despicable people who deserve to be shot. In the end we have hope that she will be able to accomplish what she wants. We also see Tony who we met in Me Death's prior book. I cried so much and said to myself that we never know what life has in store. An awesome book but hard to read at times due to all of the abuse.

First, the cover of this book is amazing. I found it to be an instant draw in choosing the book. As far as the story goes, the writer works hard at presenting a variety of characters for the reader to experience the good souls and the bad that a homeless girl like Joon needs to navigate in order to survive. There are horrible things that happen to this girl right from the start. I'm not one to shy away from such nastiness, but if you are, this book might not be for you.

Unfortunately, I wasn't overly astounded by the story. Don't get me wrong, it was okay, but I didn't necessarily find myself hooked to the point where I needed to know what was going to happen next. There were a number of reasons for this, the first being what I felt was a lack of depth in some of the major players. I don't want to give too much away, but the foster mom is an example. She starts out as being rotten from the start, and she came across as a stereotype bad foster mom without much justification to understand why. Deen was another example.

Once Joon hits the streets, there are a number of characters with greater depth, and a number of harrowing situations to keep the reader interested, but sometimes the dialogue felt too "honest," or on the nose, and those moments drew me out of the story. Some relationships fell together too easily for me, but some developed nicely..

Overall, this was an okay read for me, and I fully recognize that my opinion is just that, an opinion. I want to thank NetGalley for the opportunity to read it.