I got an ARC of this book.

I try and grab everything in this series since it usually is a wonderful match for the kids I work with in the prison system. This is the first book were I haven't like it. This is also probably the highest reading level I have seen from this publisher. 

The main character was so unlikable to the extent that I just didn't care. I didn't dislike him enough to want him caught. I didn't like him enough to want him to get away with it. Instead I found myself drifting off from the story. This story didn't hold my attention at all. Normally YA books and especially ones by this company, I can read quickly without any issues. They are like my comfort books. Instead this book dragged on forever. 

So with how I feel about it I wouldn't want to put this in the hands of the kids I work with. The kids have a very small library that is made of donations. These are the only books they have access to while they are in the jail. So I am not going to inflict a book on them that I just didn't like. 

The kids would identify with the bad behavior and selfish thoughts of Angelo, but like me they wouldn't understand why he suddenly turned it all around. They have generally all been arrested multiple times before I see them. They will think he is stupid and they won't get the messages that this book is trying to convey. 

The ending felt incredibly weak. There was no real motivation for Angelo to change so drastically and so quickly. None of the pressure that he was under (which btw didn't feel like pressure either) was consistent throughout the book. There was no real reason he did what he did. So why did he change? I need a reason for someone to give up all of their friends. He forgave his mother so quickly. I need a reason why he suddenly had this HUGE change of heart. He is still a teenage boy, they aren't known for big emotional realizations about motivations of mothers. So this book just didn't work for me. It wasn't a terrible book, but it isn't one I would recommend.

The author did an excellent job of making me hate the main character Angelo. This kid comes from the Philippines to live with his mother who is a maid and has sacrificed for her son.

The author portrayed him as an ungrateful brat and he did a great job because I highly disliked him. He immediately falls into a gang and thinks nothing of stealing, even from his mother's employer.

I am not sure I buy that this kid has any type of conscience, except what is happening to him in his own little world, so I was hoping he would really get caught and have to pay the price of being so clueless. This is where the story was a bit of a letdown for me, Angelo is basically horrible throughout the story and we are supposed to buy that its because he is "sad" and "scared" yeah,,,,,,,not so much.

Up until about 80% of this story, I loved, the ending was not as great.

Still, a compelling read that could easily happen. The book is well written and I wanted to keep reading to find out more. The Angelo is well fleshed out and the mother's character is pretty good, which is something as these books are so short.

Overall, I give this a 4 stars for the beginning and a 3 stars for the ending.