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.

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.

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.

A story of a daughter and mother who what seem to face more bad than good situations in there lives. They do overcome it in the end, I shows a good take on relationships between mothers, daughters friends and all the people who aren’t worth having in your life.

Some trigger warnings apply but it never goes in to over detail, but still makes you understand and add to the story.

A great read of hardships and how to overcome and become.

Good characters, lyrical writing and something worth picking up.

Izzy and her mum have been living a life of trauma. Her mum's husband of 9 years, Daniel, was supposed to be their prince charming, and he certainly comes across that way to everyone else. But behind closed doors there's another story. After years of insidious gaslighting and abuse Izzy and Steph have reached a crossroads; Do they stay and succumb to the numb acceptance of the misogynistic abuse they are subject to from all areas or do they take tentative steps back to themselves and each other.

This is a powerful and emotive tale where the fear and confusion is claustrophobic and leaves you breathless. But it's balanced out with a healthy dose of optimism. Izzy's hope is jarred up and shut away, literally, but eventually comes to fill the sky and offer a way forward.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for giving me sight of an eArc in exchange for an honest review. The Sky is Mine is published in February 2020.

A heart wrenching book a young girl bullied by her ex boyfriend threatening her with private pictures of her .At the same time there is abuse in her household her stepfather terrorizing her& her mother.A book that will surprise an book of reclaiming power.A very interesting book.#netgalley#oneworldpublishing

I am not sure if trigger warnings are truly required for this book since nothing is ever really told in cover-your-ears-graphic details, but I kind of wish I had been warned. So, yeah.

Trigger warnings: sexual abuse, physical abuse, rape, manipulation, abortion

Overall, I appreciate what this story does for the voice of abuse survivors. I like the coming together of the women and the whole "finding your voice" thing.

However, this style was just not my cup of tea. The entire first half of the novel was very cringe worthy. Every single person in the story is the worst version of themselves, which made me angry and uncomfortable, and it ultimately felt unrealistic.

I kind of felt as though the author wanted to explore ALL aspects of abuse, so she included as many different forms as possible, which felt like too much. Seemed thrown together and not fully developed.

The story is 100% predictable, no surprises except for maybe how awfully uncomfortable the beginning of the book is with the manipulated rape stuff.

Also, entirely too many pop culture references.. maybe this was to appeal to a very young teen audience?? But the topics seem more for the older teens, closer to their twenties? Not sure what was going on there.

The experience wasn't totally negative, though. I found myself smiling and almost crying in a couple spots here and there. Relating to these kinds of stories is always difficult.

Overall, I liked the message of the novel, but the characters and style didn't do it for me.

Wow! This book dealt with several teenage issues: bullying, sexual assault, domestic abuse, friendship, family.... I thought these issues were handled well.

This is not what you call a typical feel good book. Yet, I felt hopeful when it ended. And to me, the two most important words when reading a book are "I felt" .. And i felt sad, i felt angry and I felt like I wanted to reach out and hug her.

I want to thank net galley and the publisher for an ARC which did not impact my review.

This book offered insight into some really difficult topics; topics that are not often the central focus of YA stories. However, this book dealt with these stories with grace and insight. It did not shy away from difficulties. I got so mad reading this book (for various reasons), but ended with a feeling of hope.

This debut novel certainly covers quite a few dark topics. I like how Beashel didnt hold back and really helped you understand the characters in her book.

Izzy is our main character and she is going through some tough things. Unfortunately, what we see quite often in the youth of today, she is keeping those things to herself. As the story progresses we see that Izzy begins to take back over her life, and one of her biggest supporters is her mother.

Izzy and her mom endure troubling times together, but also find creative ways to overcome those times.

I feel overall this was a good portrayal of what is happening behind the scenes all over the world today. I appreciated the delicacy in which tough subjects, such as rape culture and domestic abuse, are handled by the author.

As a non UK native, I did struggle with some of the word/phrase choices chosen in the narrative. At times this left me, as a reader, a bit confused and agitated. Once I was able to get a better feel for the writing, the story flowed well.

Thanks NetGalley and Rock The Boat Publishing for the opportunity to read this in advance for an honest opinion. .

The Sky is Mine addresses some important issues surrounding misogyny and female experience. The main protagonist, Izzy, goes through an empowering transformation as she comes through blackmail and abuse and takes control of her life. There’s a brilliant exploration of parent/child relationships, and there are some thought-provoking reflections on the pervasiveness of the patriarchy and how everything connects.

That said, I don’t think there is anything particularly original here – and what is said has been said more eloquently before. The narrative style is very marmite – you’ll either love it or hate it. Sadly, I found it shapeless and overly dramatic. There is no variation in pace or tone, meaning that some poignant revelations and beautiful images were all but lost in the sea of words. There is also a truly unbelievable instance of insta-love, which felt demeaning and out of place in the midst of Izzy’s emotional turmoil.

The Sky is Mine was a little disappointing for me - but mostly because I wanted to love it so much more than I did.

A story of a young woman and her mother who face what they feel to be impossible situations yet overcome in the end. Life, love, hurt, and happiness. Friendship, hardships, and a Jar of Sunshine. There are some situations that might be triggers for some readers, but they are handled well and without too much detail. In the end, The Sky is Mine is a good read of resilience, overcoming, and becoming.

Thank you to NetGalley and the Publisher for allowing me to read an ARC of The Sky is Mine, in exchange for an honest review.

This story started off a little slow for me, but once I got going I really enjoyed it. This book covered so many horrible and difficult topics with grace. And it even ended up heartwarming. This would be a great teenager read.

DNF. This book was impossible for me to read. I think the author may be British/English? Which obviously is not a problem. I just don't understand a lot of the wording. The formatting is also very off. It's all bunched together or broken up weirdly. Otherwise I would have loved to read this.

A great account of a young girl dealing with abusive issues at school as well as at home. The characters were well fleshed out and for Izzy in particular there was a great deal of development throughout the novel.

This is a great story of re-claiming power and the struggles that come along with this. Having the parallel stories with Izzy and her mother help to demonstrate the different ways that women have to deal with this and some of the road bumps that they encounter along the way.

The main reason this wouldn't be able to be adapted for a standard classroom is the strong language and some very upsetting scenes. Would recommend for higher level readers who are more mature.

Due for release in February 2020, I'm pretty convinced that this will be a hit read.
Plunged straight into the life of our main character, Izzy, it takes a while to establish quite what's going on. We see Izzy get drunk at a party and she is threatened by someone in her college who vows to send round an embarrassing picture from the party unless she does what he asks her to. There's no doubt that Izzy would be perfectly in her right to ignore this and call him out - but we see how insidious such attitudes are, when even his mates try to justify his behaviour by calling it 'banter'. As a parent this horrified me, and I am really scared that anyone could ever think such behaviour is okay.
Izzy finds herself in a difficult situation. She fears just what this boy could do, so she goes to his house. He rapes her - no matter what name he gives it - and continues to try and threaten her into doing what he wants her to through her fear of what others will say.
Izzy says nothing. This is totally believable - however much you wish it weren't. Against the backdrop of Izzy's home-life it becomes even more relatable. She sees her once vibrant mother as a shell of herself. Her step-father controls everything and we are, slowly, given details that chronicle a horribly abusive relationship.
Eventually Izzy's mother leaves, and Izzy gets the opportunity to reflect on her experiences and how to move on from them. Some elements of this are easier than others.
There was a lot packed into this read, but I am sure it will strike a chord - in some way - with many readers. Though elements of the story felt resolved far too easily, there were some positive outcomes that did inspire hope.