I would like to start off my review by saying thank you to Netgalley and Criminal Lines Publishing for giving me an ARC of this book, in exchange for a review.
When I first read the synopsis of BlindSided, by Marguerite Ashton, I was very excited. It sounded like it was going to be a thrilling read, one that would grab my attention from the start; a page turner. Unfortunately, once I began reading it, my thoughts changed early on in the book. The first chapter of the book set the story up for success. However, I was deeply disappointed when I continued to read the story. It began to feel like it was all over the place. There were unnecessary grammar errors. Overall, it was a very confusing. It was a book I was truly excited about. So, I was very disappointed to say the least.
Due to the numerous grammar issues sprinkled throughout the book, I would not recommend it to others.

I've been busy recently and had less time to read, but now I've started reading g again, I chose this novella thinking it would boost me back into the swing of things. But unfortunately, it wasn't right for me. A bit bland in places and predictable. This had potential and sounded good, but alas, not one I'd persue again.

Have you ever read a book that has left you thinking once you have finished, what the heck did I just read? As someone who is a voracious and a big reader, I read a lot of books and more often than not I do fully understand what is happening but then you get a book that something feels off, and to be honest, you don't know how to explain what you have just read or put it into words that resemble something readable. That's how I felt with Blindsided, I felt Blindsided myself as this was a quick read but even as I finished - I sat there and was like how am I going to write this review? So, I am going to try and write what I can for you. This book starts with Lexi Archer waking up in a hospital bed and she is handcuffed. It turns out that her Aunt Tammy has been murdered and Lexi is the prime suspect. The book then jumps to Lexi being diagnosed with BPD aka borderline personality disorder and PTSD from childhood trauma. We learn that despite her mother being a psychologist, she too suffered from BPD and was quite cruel towards Lexi, especially after her parent's divorce. Lexi was used as a pawn until her mother died and she went to live with her Aunt Tammy who turned out to be even worse than Lexi's mother. All this abuse - physical and mental built up and Lexi snaps and this is Lexi's story from her cell. We also catch glimpses at the end about a cousin Boston Archer who was on the right track and has gone downhill as well - something to do with drugs - I think. As I told you, I got so confused reading this book due to it as a whole feeling too disjointed for me. If you love a strong clear direct plot/storyline like me - then this isn't the read for you as trust me it will leave you feeling even more confused than you were when you started this book. As readers, we win some and we lose some.

I just got to the end of this short novella, and then went back to the blurb, and read it again. The blurb reads like a psychological thriller, but this book is something else. Some part of the story described in the blurb does not happen at all...

The premise of Blindsided by Marguerite Ashton is so interesting, so I was excited to read this book. Unfortunately, there are so many areas where this book needs work that I strongly disliked it to the extent that I'm giving this book 1 star, which is something that I never do. An initial issue was that there are many spelling and grammatical errors. Poor editing is an immediate "no" for me and usually an automatic DNF because if someone can't bother to fix spelling and grammar wrros,then why should I torture myself trying to read it...however, I pushed through and tried to keep reading. This story is all over the place, which I initially thought was due to the MC's mental health but I came to realize that it is just poorly written. The characters are poorly developed and the storyline isn't well-written so it makes reading the story frustrating. I believe that if this book is repaired, then it has potential to be a good read.

Family secrets, shot gun weddings, betrayal, trauma, unstable family, and jealousy. Marguerite Ashton's Blindsided tells the story of a young girl named Lexi, who's life is turned upside down within months of her 18th birthday.

This novella highlights the impact on a young child's mental development after years of being mentally, emotionally and physically abused by your blood relatives, especially your parents.

The blurb for this novella accurately describes its contents and storyline. But, it is important for the reader to note that the story is being told from the point of view of the main character, Lexi. She starts the story waking up handcuffed in the hospital and is told that a family member is dead and that she is the number one suspect.
The next chapters are Lexi reliving the events the lead up to her current situation as she tried to remember what happened the night her relative was killed.

In a way, this novella can be consider a thriller, since we know that Lexi is being charged with murder, but in the end, we find out that she is a victim herself and someone else committed the act.

While brief, this novella underlines the importance of recognizing the signs of an anxiety attack and having a clear understanding of what to do when one is experiencing a mental health crisis. We see Lexi discussing her issues with her school counselor and even considering outpatient mental health services. Also, she employs coping techniques like journaling and stretching/breathing to help manage her anxiety and mental health state.

Ashton does a good job in normalizing Black adolescents seeking help whether from a professional, the police or family.

To fully understand the story of Lexi, one would have to understand the hidden traumas that black families experience often at the hands of other family members. And how, “talking about bad things that happened in the family was forbidden or considered disrespectful." Even with the mentioning of religion by her aunt Tammy is a nod towards the power of the Black church over seeking professional help. Many believe a pastor can help pray away any ailments or issues one may experience. Also, a pastor is more able to keep secrets since "nothing is written down or reported" outside of the meeting.

I do wish the author would have written more. I feel like there could be more to explore in the past of Lexi's mother and aunt with their grandfather. The statements he made to her father may hint towards the root of their mental health issues. I would also like to see more scenes of Lexi at school with her friends or even a couple more visits with the counselor.

All in all, I am happy to have read this novella. It is a storyline that is really seen or told: a young Black girl recognizing her own mental health issues and wanting to get help seeking help but unstable family members try to prevent this out of spite, jealousy, and their own mental health issues. In the case of Lexi, this ended in even more trauma, and leaves her with a long road ahead in recovery.

*I received this e-book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review*

The blurb and the actual novella seem like two different stories. The blurb was concise and hooked me in, while the novella was confusing and riddled with small and fixable errors. It was like reading two completely unrelated things. I struggled to find the novella interesting enough to maintain focus and it was so short.

I really wanted to like this book! I loved the synopsis for it and the first chapter had me really interested, but it sadly fell completely flat for me after that. It was just all over the place and I wasn’t sure, if it was suppose to be because of our mc’s mental state, or if that’s just how it was written. I couldn’t keep the story straight things were constantly changing and not adding up for me. I was really let down by this one.

This book has alot of potential but right now it feels incomplete its confusing and with so many errors it was hard to make out what the author meant for the sentence to say with a good editor this could become a great book!

Much thanks to #netgalley the publisher and author for allowing me to read and review this ARC
All thoughts and opinions are my own

This book was so piecemeal it felt like an outline before writing the story. It jumped around. There was no real plot or climax. The characters had very little development. I’m left not exactly understanding the point of the story. There were many grammatical errors and sentences that were incomplete or incorrect. This writing felt very juvenile and not proof read at all. This one needs more development to become a solid read

Description:
Diagnosed with depression, Lexi Archer prefers to continue outpatient treatment. But someone else has other plans.
BlindSided tells the story of Lexi Archer, an eighteen-year-old woman who wakes up in a hospital bed, handcuffed to the rail, and realizes she doesn't remember what happened the night before.
After being released from the hospital, Lexi's transferred to the Milwaukee County Jail, where she's informed about her pending charges for first-degree murder.
Intent on proving she's innocent, Lexi places a phone call to her stepsister asking for her help. As Lexi gets closer to the truth, she unravels ugly secrets about her dead mother that will change her life forever.


Review:
After reading the description of the book, I really intrigued and excited to see how the story would play out in the pages. To say I was disappointed would be an understatement.
This book was a chore to get through.
I’ve read quite a few ARCs/Unedited Proofs but this goes small grammatical errors and spelling mistakes. It’s repeated broken/choppy/incomplete sentences or sentences that don’t even make any sense at all.
I’ve read plenty of books where characters are written to speak with poor grammar or in broken English, this was not the case.
I would not call this a complete story or book, it’s as if someone took a voice note of themselves giving ideas for the book from a character’s POV. It was such a reoccurring issue, that it completely took away from the story it self.
Religion was also brought up a few times throughout the story but not in a way that made sense or applied to what was going on. It felt as if it was being mentioned, just so that the writer could say “it’s a YA, thriller/mystery, but it has a religious presence to it as well”.
There were instances where it felt as if there was a flash back or time line shift in the story but it wasn’t clearly written and rather confusing.
Doing some digging into the author, the publishing company, and a corresponding blog, it seems to be a self published book available through the author’s website or kindle unlimited.
I think the story has potential, but I would encourage the author to revamp it and work with an editor the second time around.


Examples of incomplete sentences/sentences that don’t make any sense (these were copied directly from the pages and pasted in, I added the quotations):

Loc. 72 of 546
“The continued rapid heartbeat and there’s I do can slow it down.”

Loc. 93 of 546
“We lived on the border where all of the daily disturbances in the neighborhood which often turned into a crime”

Loc. 128 of 546
“I’d like to think it had to do the heavy lake effect storms that caused the damage.”

I just got to the end of this short novella, and then went back to the blurb, and read it again. The blurb reads like a psychological thriller, but this book is something else. Some part of the story described in the blurb does not happen at all...

The author's note explains that the book is inspired by her own experiences with mental health issues, and it does feel like reading a personal diary. The story itself has potential and it kept me reading in the first half of the book, but it went nowhere in the end. This is like a first sketch of a story the author makes to herself before starting to elaborate a proper novel.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Criminal Lines Publishing for an Advance Review Copy.