There was nothing normal or loving for poor Scarlett as a young child, from the age of eight she was repeatedly raped by the man that was supposed to love and protect her , her father. As to be expected Scarlett grew up to be a very troubled vulnerable young lady and fell straight into the hands of another deadly predator.
Such a sad story that absolutely broke my heart at times yet I am awed at how brave this lady really is to share her story with others . A very difficult read at times but brilliantly written.

this story is so raw and emotional and was hard to put down, tissues will definitely be needed, stay strong Scarlett and thank you for sharing your story

This is a shocking and heartbreaking story of a woman who endured years of sexual abuse from family and others. She was denied the right of every child to have a childhood,, have fun and be loved. Somehow she managed to survive despite all the trauma she experienced.
An incredible story which some readers may find too distressing .
Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for a free digital copy of the book.

This book was heartbreaking. I cried tears for Scarlett and hoped at every turn of page that an end would soon be insight for Scarlett, away from the abuse and torment that she was subjected to at the hands of her father first and then at the hands of Mike and the gang at whose hands she is further groomed and abused. To think that such atrocities happen, and happened, and to think that so many adults were and are complicit in this abuse is sickening to one's core. While Scarlett despaired at her life and at the trauma she endured she never gave up. This is her story.

Thank you to Netgalley and Mirror books for the arc of this book.

TW (TRIGGER WARNING) This was a 5 star read for me it was a really emotional book to read about what happened in this book, it was well written and quick to read, i would recommend this to anyone who likes reading this style of book about child abuse and how it impacts the child involved i felt really sad for the main girl in this book and how she suffered at the hand of abuse... not for the faint hearted.

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Thankyou for sharing your story, and for championing the voices of others who have suffered the same horrific abuse. I hope that writing this story has helped you. I also hope that with the more light shed on theses issues that they can be prevented for others in future.
You are a warrior and fighter and I have been deeply touched by your story.

I dnf'd this book. It isn't the books fault but since I requested this book I have found out that I can't really read these kind of books. They just pull my mental health down. So I would recommend reading the book if you can handle these topics I just couldn't myself.

A heartbreaking story of a very young girl who was sexually abused by her father from the age of 8 years old and how this leads to further
abuse, bulling and injury on a regular basis. All because she thinks that all men or the same and what is happening to her is normal.

A good read and an insight in to what some people cope with. You need to keep reading hoping for light at the end of the tunnel.

Wow what a heartbreaking and painful book to read about a horrific story of abuse for this poor young girl that even after escaping the abuse of her father like so many others she fell into an abusive relationship and was used as a sex slave in ways we can’t even attempt to understand. When you turn on the news and hear about young women being caught up in these horrific circles of abuse you can’t understand how it can happen but this book shows honestly how easy it is for the abused child to turn to other abusive relationships as they get older. Reading of the strength and determination and the hope that is now in her life and the life of her children was so uplifting because my heart was breaking reading this book.

A harrowing and often difficult read about a woman’s abuse from both her father and other men. This is very frank and honest and highlights issues in both the social and justice system at the time.

Definite trigger warnings with this book.

Thanks to NetGalley for this copy.

This book is probably one of the most horrific types of these books I have ever read, and it is one that will stay with me for a long long time.
Scarlett was groomed by her father from a very young age, and the abuse started at the age of 8. Reading what she went through at the hands of her dad was heartbreaking to read but sadly it didn't stop there.
She met a guy called Ed who she fell in love with, but he was possibly worse than her dad with the treatment she endured at the hands of him.

Although it's a horrific account of her entire life, it's important to read what's going on - especially as an Older Scarlett tells us just how common this is even now.
At the end of each chapter , the Scarlett of today comments offering the old Scarlett advice - it's almost as if she sees her younger self as being someone else.
Honestly a heartbreaking story, but very well written.

The first words that come to mind when I think about what I want to say about Just A Girl are...... horrific, shocking and heartbreaking. But then a moment later and I think.... strength, determination and resilience. This book is the story of Scarlett and the horrendous abuse that she suffered for many years. She was abused in probably every way possible. She grew up being abused so much so that she thought it was normal to be treated like that, she actually expected it! No child asks to be abused, no teenager asks to be abused, and no adult asks to be abused. The fact that it continues to happen in society is sickening and yes, they are incredibly difficult to read. But I personally think it's all to easy for some people to ignore it and pretend that things like this don't happen in their world. So memoirs like this are important to raise awareness of what some people suffer through. But I also think they are important as they show other people who have been or are being abused that there is hope, that things can get better, that they can survive and rise out of the hell that they are in.
I can't imagine having to go through what Scarlett has or how brave she has had to be over the years. She has done a wonderful job with detailing what she went through in a raw and honest way. At the end of each chapter was a section written by Scarlett in the current day where she tells young Scarlett what she wishes she could have been told back then. Her journey from hell to the inspirational woman she is today is amazing.

This book brought out every emotion in me , anger, sadness, disgust and a little happiness . I found It a really hard read and just wanted to hit very on who did Scarlett wrong from her parents, authorities, abusers, friends . It highlights what went on then and is still very much going on today

This is one of the most heartbreaking, yet addictive books I’ve read in a long time. It’s not for the faint hearted. Telling the story of how she is abused by her father and then groomed by a ‘boyfriend’. This is certainly a book I’ll be sharing with my student teachers, as they learn about child protection.

Unfortunately this is a true story. Scarlet has a really tough start to life, abused by her own father from an early age she doesn’t even know how wrong this is. Desperate to be loved and with a distorted view of life Scarlet gets involved with a ‘boyfriend’ who grooms her for more sexual exploitation.
An interesting book but not always a comfortable read.

This is a haunting memoir told with unerring honesty and candour. What Scarlett has endured, at the hands of her father, her boyfriend, her community, extended family and then the family courts and judicial system is quite simply unimaginable. Were this a novel reviewers may say it was too much, too unbelievable but this is Scarlett’s life and a life she has put to incredibly good use by her involvement in The Holly Project providing an enquiry into CSE in Telford and to help other young victims of CSE. Where so many would have, quite forgivably, buckled under the weight of so much trauma Scarlett has fought back, been an excellent mother and now will help all those other ‘little Scarletts’
The more women have the courage to come forward and the more organisations commit to tackling it, we can work towards ridding our towns and cities of sex trafficking and child sexual exploitation.

This book was tough to read, containing detail of child abuse and pornography. But it was very well told, and the emotions of the child were well hidden and at the same time clearly shone through. Another evil person is behind bars - because someone spoke out, and someone else listened and believed.

****Review*****

Truly amazing inspirational story.

Unfortunately there are so many of these stories and I hope one day with enough time and effort there will a drastic change in domestic abuse ect but for now we can only admire the ones who manage to get out.
I read this book in four hours, it spoke to me because I had similar background. The pure emotions within this book is astounding. I would recommend this book to anyone. It truly is inspiring to see such a woman come through with some light still left inside her. Unlike some books she knows you can never fully get over the past abuse be it physically, mentally or emotionally. You can only learn to cope with it, it will always be there but it doesn’t have to be your whole life. You can have love and happiness.
This book will give you hope.
Thank you to Netgalley/Scarlett Jones/Mirror Books for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Heartbreaking book, telling the mental and physical abuse of Scarlett, by her father and boyfriend.
Not a light read by any means, made me cry several times and took me longer to read than most books as I had to mentally prepare myself.
That said, a well told story and an important read for anyone who wants to understand the feelings the abused.

On gosh. This book was a true story which left me shocked and made !e feel for this writer
Well done for managing to put your story into words even if it was shocking to the core.