I read Find Layla in one sitting. It is a short read, but the subject matter is pretty heavy as it deals with abuse, neglect, and bullying; however, I just couldn't stop reading. It is both heartbreaking and beautiful. I enjoyed Elison's writing style. She also presents this story in a very realistic way. The ending did feel a bit rushed, but it served its purpose and I may have cried a bit.

Thank you to NetGalley, Skyscape, and Meg Elison for providing me a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I went into this one knowing very little, and I was blown away. This is a story where you feel like this can't happen in real life, and then are heart-breaking to remind yourself that that things like this probably happen all the time. But hey, that's life.

Layla is a 14 year old who spends most of her time taking care of her annoying little brother, Andy, and trying to decide why she's best friend with Kristi, who seems to care more about how to get the perfect selfie than anything else. This may sound like a typical teenage girl's life, but trust me - Layla is far from typical. Her home - her biome - is far from happy. The door is broken, so the kids need to come and go via a window, the bathroom sink leaks to the point that the floor is flooded regularly if someone doesn't suction water from the bucket to the bathtub, and mould and mushrooms sprout from everywhere - including Andy's dresser drawers. Their mother is other completely non-functioning or on a cleaning frenzy and screaming at the kids about how they just can't help out. Layla can't even get away from this at school, as kids can be cruel and are ready to comment on her unwashed clothes and hair, her smell or how quickly she eats her lunch. Things seem like they might be getting a little better when Kirsti's mom, Bette, offers to take her shopping for some clothes under the guise of how much she misses shopping with Kirsti; but unfortunately, things begin to spiral out of control.

Elison does an amazing job for making us connect with Layla without feeling flat out pity, one of the few things Layla cannot stand. Having had it be her and Andy against the world for so long, Layla is unsure how to take these kind moments and not keep an eye out for when the rug will be pulled out from under her. Her life is tough, but Layla finds way to take her story and try to find and provide hope to those who have been in her spot.

This is a middle grade book that many people, including this 30-something adult, can enjoy and devour in quick time.

♡Thank you to NetGalley and Skyscape for providing me with an eARC in exchange for an honest review.♡

Woow, this book was so hard to read. It deals with so many heartbreaking situations like abuse, cyberbullying, poorness, etc.

Layla lives in a very unstable home. She is neglected by her mother. She always has to take care of her little brother, Andy. She is just 14. She's just a child. Sometimes life is unfair and Layla knows tha but, that's her life and she has to deal with it.

This novel talks about some real issues that many children live every day. Sometimes we don't see those issues until it's too late. That happens in this book. Until everything got complicated, everyone looked at Layla's issues.

I really loved this story. I liked the way the author shined in real issues. And her handwriting was amazing.
This book is so emotional and real. And for that only reason I'm so happy to had found this amazing story.

SPOILER ALERT (MAYBE)

If I have to be honest, the end was just perfect. So sad, but perfect. Not always we have a fairytale story with a very happy ending. I'm happy for Andy's future life. He deserves it. And I know Layla is gonna reach everything she wants.
Because that's life.

Heartbreaking story of abuse, neglect, and extreme bullying. Layla and her younger brother live in horrible conditions. With a mother who sometimes doesn’t come home for extended periods of time, leaving the kids without food or even electricity sometimes, Layla is forced to take care of her brother and herself. Beautifully written story of hope and survival in the most dire of circumstances. This story is impossible to put even as it makes you cry. Highly recommended.

I have somewhat mixed feeling about this book. Overall it was well written and it dealt with heartbreaking conditions and situations well. However the pacing was off for me. The beginning had very little action while the ending felt rushed and unfinished. I wanted more out of the ending. Also there were some things that seemed off or unrealistic (her mom showing up at school, Bette’s sudden interest, some of the teen interaction). Definitely a worthwhile, and quick, read.

Wow. This book hit me hard. It was incredibly well written and handled the sensitive subject matter. This book is surprisingly heartwarming but also soul destroying, and I really wanted to give Layla a massive hug by the end of it all. I found the way they integrated social media/technology with the narrative, and how Layla's perspective was portrayed made her decisions understandable even when they didn't make objective sense. This book sucked me in and was a refreshing read.

Review by Lisa Pineo

*I received this eARC from Skyscape via NetGalley in return for an honest review.

My ratings: * I hated it ** It was okay *** I liked it **** Really good ***** Great
TW (trigger warnings): family violence, sexual predator, bullying, CPS child removal and foster care, parental neglect, inhabitable living conditions, child endangerment, undiagnosed mental illness

This completely absorbing YA novel by Meg Elison kept me entranced until the realistic (instead of happy) ending. 5 stars

Description from the publisher:
"Underprivileged and keenly self-aware, SoCal fourteen-year-old Layla Bailey isn’t used to being noticed. Except by mean girls who tweet about her ragged appearance. All she wants to do is indulge in her love of science, protect her vulnerable younger brother, and steer clear of her unstable mother.
Then a school competition calls for a biome. Layla chooses her own home, a hostile ecosystem of indoor fungi and secret shame. With a borrowed video camera, she captures it all. The mushrooms growing in her brother’s dresser. The black mold blooming up the apartment walls. The unmentionable things living in the dead fridge. All the inevitable exotic toxins that are Layla’s life. Then the video goes viral.
When Child Protective Services comes to call, Layla loses her family and her home. Defiant, she must face her bullies and friends alike, on her own. Unafraid at last of being seen, Layla accepts the mortifying reality of visibility. Now she has to figure out how to stay whole and stand behind the truth she has shown the world."

I hate saying I loved this book since it had such heartbreaking issues for children (or anyone) to deal with. What I mean is the writing and subject matter was totally engrossing and I didn't want to put "Find Layla" down until end. There are many trigger warnings at the beginning of this review. This book covers so many things that a neglected, abused, poor young girl living in a home that should have been condemned years ago would deal with. She does this with a “that's life” attitude that you would rarely see in anyone but is still totally believable. She is totally adaptable to her circumstances but also thinks she isn't changeable at all and wouldn't be able to live in any “normal” situation. With the mind of a scientist and shrewdness of someone who's had to fight to live for most of her life, Layla examines her “biome” and details it with unflinching honesty to the reader. She isn't proud of her life but bravely faces hit after hit as the come. Wonderfully fleshed out characters and well-detailed surroundings give this book 5 stars for me. Recommended to anyone who can handle all the hardships and pain the character goes through.

WARNING: This review contains spoilers.

“Find Layla” is a young adult book centered around a teenager named Layla, who is neglected by her mother, and deals with bullying at school and online. Later on in the story, a video that she posts ends up going viral, which results in CPS (Child Protective Services) learning about the situation that she and her younger brother are in at home.

I thought that this story was great. I loved how it shined a light on very serious issues, and while it was a very emotional and heartbreaking book to read, I still loved it.

I read Find Layla in one sitting. It's not an easy read as it deals with topics such as abuse, neglect, and bullying but I just couldn't stop reading and it helps that it is relatively short. It is heart breaking and the ending made me cry. Layla is a strong character but I wish we got a little more. The ending felt a bit rushed and some of the plot didn't make much sense but overall, I really enjoyed this story.

Thanks so much to Netgalley and to the publisher for sending me an electronic copy of this book.

plot: 14-year-old layla lives in an unstable home with her little brother. when someone finally realises that her mother is abusive, their future seems unsure.

4/5🌟: okay this was heartbreaking. it definitely gave me 'the fosters' vibes for a younger audience. i would like to hug and send my love to every kid out there, who's struggling in an abusive home. while this book was super educative, it could be triggering for some. there's a lot of bullying going on in lyla's high school life for not having access to basic hygiene. her relationship with her mother is basically non-existent and their home is full of mold. she has to take care of her brother all alone. the upsetting part is that this mirrors real life for some. that's why i think learning and reading more about children in abusive homes and how they can get help is crucial. i also loved that there was no love story mixed in between, there was no need for that. the only thing i didn't enjoy that much was the focus on social media making lyla famous for something later on in the book. while everything else felt very realistic, this unfortunately stood out negatively to me..

thanks to netgalley i received an early digital access copy in exchange for an honest opinion.

I found this a heartbreaking read, with a strong witty clever character at the core. This was not a light read but a very telling coming of age story with neglect heartbreak and bullying. Overall I really enjoyed this fast paced read and I want to hear more from Layla in the future!

Thank you so much for giving me the opportunity to read this great book

Great book! I really loved the writing style, creativity, and metaphors. This is a really good and quick read.

A. poignant, coming of age story of an intelligent and witty, science geek girl called LAYLA.

Layla is our nerdy quintessential 14 year old. I loved her witty remarks throughout the story. She doesn't know how to do makeup so she says, "she's allergic" to it.
Poor Layla, doesn't have a "HOME SWEET HOME" , she is bitten by poverty and lives in the most horrible and squalid conditions ( reading about it made me feel grateful and blessed for what I have), her father isn't in the picture anymore and the mother is a train wreck of a woman herself. She takes care of her younger brother as the mother isn't really there for them most of the days.

At school she has to deal with MEAN GIRLS who bully and pick on her and at home she has to play the role of an adult. Life can be hard for our young adults but playing MOM and figuring out how to get food on a plate and all that stuff can be quite a task.

This book is fast paced, witty and very sad too. It was a decent read but I wished I liked it more than just "okay". It is great for a beach or an inflight read or even to drive you out of your reading slump.

Where do I even begin? This book is the only book in a long time that made me tear up. Layla was the strongest female character in a book I've ever read about. Her stoicism and strength was inspiring. Her reality was grim and desperate but she was unwavering and thoughtful. It was such an incredible journey to be taken on and I can't thank Meg Elison for writing this masterpiece enough. It was beautiful.

Thanks to the publisher for providing an eARC of Find Layla via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Find Layla's core story and writing are generally well done and I was hooked from beginning to end, but a few things were just so unrealistic that I got pulled out of the story. A lot of the other character's decisions seem to happen at whim and the way the 14 year old characters spoke to each other felt really off. Having 14 year old characters sound 'cooler' and 'smarter' than their age level is something really common in middle grade, but considering the level of swearing in this I doubt it'll be targeted at that audience so it just made the writing occasionally sound really cringy.

The ending is also really really rapid fire. For a story about two kids in a bad home situation I was hoping the reaction of CPS and their foster families would be more highlighted but we spend a lot of time on Layla's random school interactions then speed through that ending which I really thought was a shame. This book is really short and could have definitely benefited by another 30 or so pages

This book is about Layla, a 14 year old girl who loves science and takes care of her 6 year old brother. When I read the synopsis of this book, I was intrigued right away as it was described as a coming of age novel.

I finished this ebook in 2 days because I was gripped by it. Layla, for me is a level head girl who have experienced so much at a young age that she reacts to everything that happens around her with a shrug. “That’s life”, she’ll always say.

The author was able to make me feel everything, all throughout the book, it’s like I’m watching everything firsthand, maybe that’s why I can’t put this book down. It has moments where I smiled and chuckled a bit, but 20% into the end had me shedding tears while reading.

It’s obvious that she’s smart, she approached everything with her head, very objective. She is honest, but doesn’t show her emotions too much. Throughout this book, I was feeling for her.

I breezed through this but the emotions were high. I’m glad I read this.

For all the untold stories, for all the hidden tales, there's this book. It was painful and raw and so important, and I can't wait to share it with all the kids I work with who missed out on love in their lives.