Summary: A heartbreaking portrait of Bria, a teenage girl slipping into addiction despite loathing what the same drugs have done to her family. In the middle of a heat wave, Bria must deal with a bear that wanders into town, unsolicited dick pics texted from a mystery number, and a creeping dependence on what Bria should hate most of all.

I was a bit confused about the characters at first, but it all fell into place in the end.
Some characters were really unpleasant, but they were well described and fitted well into the story.
The writing style was straightforward to understand but not bad.
The book was rather short but I think this length was perfect for this story.
I listened to the book as an audiobook and it was excellent.
For me, it is therefore a 3.5 out of 5.

The summer Bria Powers turns 16 is marked by darkness. Her hometown of Beauchamp is plagued by waves of insects, wildfires that muddy the skies and fill the air with the constant smell of smoke, and the infiltration of fentanyl into the community's drug stream. It's also the summer Bria goes from saving a life to ruining her own.

At just 15 years old, at the start of the story, Bria is already navigating a harsh reality: her father is in prison for selling drugs, and her mother, an addict, is absent from her life. What's Not Mine is not a light read—it's a raw and, at times, heavy exploration of addiction and the ripple effects it has on families, especially the children left behind.

The novel poses difficult questions: Can anyone escape a cycle of addiction when surrounded by others struggling with the same battles? At what point does such dysfunction become normalized for the children growing up in these circumstances? As a coming-of-age story set against the stark backdrop of addiction, it's both heart-wrenching and thought-provoking. Bria's journey will have you swinging between feeling deep sympathy for her struggles and wanting to shake her into making better choices. It's a sobering reminder of what many teens endure, both today and in the past, as they try to survive amidst chaos.

Billie Baird's narration captures Bria's voice well for the most part, though at times, it felt like the story's emotional weight wasn't fully conveyed. While the audiobook is well-produced, I think this might be a book I would have connected with more in e-book format. That, however, is more a matter of personal preference than a critique of the production.

Thank you to NetGalley and ECW Press Audio for providing me with an audio ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.

This book reminded me of the show Euphoria, but in a slightly tamer way. This book really puts into perspective the challenges that kids today are up against and makes me glad I grew up when I did!!

At 17%, I am throwing in the towel on this book.
Based on the blurb, I was expecting to feel some emotion from this book. The tone of the main character makes it feel like someone is talking AT me. I'm not sure if the author did this intentionally, but I'm finding it elusive and off-putting. It's not showing me to connect to the character. Sorry, but I must move on.

Thank you NetGalley and ECW Press for allowing me early access to the ARC audiobook edition of this book in exchange for my honest opinion.

I enjoyed the story, but I kinda hated all the characters except Ainsley. I know that kids are messed up and this book is a reflection of how drugs and poverty in a community can affect kids, but this was a bit of a bummer for me right now. Maybe at a different time in my life I would have enjoyed it more, but it kinda just made me sad.

Thank you very much to NetGalley & ECW Press Audio for this Advanced Readers Copy in exchange for an honest review!

I gave this book two stars because it really did not hold my attention. While I thought the premise of Bria and her teenage struggle with drug addiction over the summer in a town rife with problems might have been an appealing one, it lacked intrigue and was not executed well.

I felt for Bria, as it seemed she had various hardships that were against her (not self-inflicted hardships), but it was almost as if she felt that because her life was hard, that she could not get out of that rut with some effort (like leaning on Dave more). This contributed to my growing dislike of Bria throughout the storyline.

This book could have been better if it did not jump around as much and did not try to cover as many characters; these really confused the storyline and made it more difficult to follow.

I didn’t get very far into this before it got achieved and do not remember what percentage I was at when I stopped but I remember being engaged by it.

This book had some pretty ugly topics and I get that’s what it was about but I still feel like the main character was just too young to be inflicted with so much. I just hate to think there are so many kids out there going through this same thing. It was good but not upbeat enough for my taste.

🌀Synopsis
Bria’s life is chaotic. After her drug dealing father leaves, she’s staying with her aunt but nothing feels right. Bria ends up loving some sort of double life at her young age. She’s lying to her aunt and sneaking out at night to see an older guy. Her sneaking out just leads her down her fathers path too. She sneaks back to their old house and finds drugs he left there. Once she starts taking them, she can’t stop.

I had a hard time believing the FMC was only 15. All of the drinking, smoking, pill popping, and sexual encounters she experienced felt like too much for someone so young, but perhaps that’s exactly the point: addiction can happen to anyone, anywhere, at any age.

Regardless, I have to admit the FMC was so unlikeable and selfish (a typical trait of an addict), but I really did feel for her and hate that her youth was stolen from her so early in life. It really makes you think about the real-world opioid epidemic and how many are silently suffering. It’s depressing, and I hate it here.

(Thank you, ECW Press Audio and NetGalley, for the audiobook ARC in exchange for my honest review.)

This reads kids of like an updated Go Ask Alice for today's Gen Z. It's dark and emotional. They describe it as a dark comedy, but I don't get that vibe. It's just dark, in my opinion. It gives an astonishing, but probably accurate, portrayal of what it's like for young people today who get into drugs. As a teacher, this both upset me and made me think about my students who are experiencing a lot of the same things as Bria with unstable home lives. As a book, not a whole lot happens, and it's mostly just Bria talking about her life and her past. If you like a book that's more people-focused rather than action packed, then this would appeal to you.

Wow. That was heavy. This book made me sad. It was an eye-opening look into the trap of addiction and how our circumstances shape who we are and who we become.

Bria is a 15-year old who's dad is in prison for selling drugs and who's mom is an addict and not in the picture. Bria lives with her aunt and cousins and could likely have changed her attitude and outcomes but, as is true in so many adolescent cases, chooses to do otherwise. There were many times in this book where I found myself not liking Bria, and other times when I felt sorry for her.

We watch as addiction takes hold of her and alters her decisions and life path. The ending make me hopeful, but overall it all just made me super sad. That being said, I needed to keep listening to see how everything turned out, so it was an engaging story and very relevant to things going on in our world today and the struggles many teens face.

The audio narration was very good and overall this wasn't a bad book, but it's definitely not a feel-good story. If you're looking for an eye-opening, heart wrenching, coming-of-age read or listen, this one is for you.

Thank you NetGalley and ECW Press Audio for athe ARC audio version of this book in exchange for my honest review.

Nora Decter's WHAT'S NOT MINE is a heartbreaking tale of a young teen girl's summer caught up in a tragic environment of addiction in this coming-of-age/literary fiction in search of survival. It is both absorbing, darkly witty, and funny at times—a powerful and moving tale.

We meet Bria Powers, almost 16. Life in the town of Beauchamp is miserable, depressing, and claustrophobic. It is sweltering with insects and drugs.

Her mother was addicted to drugs and left when Bria was four. Her father is in jail for drug dealing. His girlfriend overdosed on fentanyl.

She lives with Aunt Tash and cousins Ainsley, Emily, and Doug. She and her best friend (cousin), Ains, babysit Ain's younger siblings, and they work at the fast-food Burger Shack at night.

Bria has an escape at night, an older guy named 'Someboy' she hangs with. In addition, she is receiving pornographic images from an anonymous sender via cellphone, which is not Someboy.

Turning 16 for Bria is not exciting as she does not have a life as a normal girl, and her Aunt's live-in boyfriend, Rick, is disgusting. Bria soon turns to pills, alcohol, and drugs and becomes addicted. She is drowning. Can she get help and rehab before it is too late?

WHAT'S NOT MINE explores a town facing environmental and social issues of addiction and how a young girl is caught up in a situation without a lot of control and no way out. It's a sad world with no strong role models. Can she break free?

Beautifully written with lyrical prose, dark and heartbreaking. Your heart goes out to Bria. The author captures the complexities of human experiences and balances them with dark humor. I look forward to reading more by this author.

I listened to the audiobook skillfully narrated by Billie Baird for a spellbinding performance. Written in a diary-journal-like format, I enjoyed Bria's POV, the waterslides, her love of her cousins, and the stunning metaphors. Timely, this story could be ripped from today's headlines.

WHAT'S NOT MINE is for fans of Between Two Trailers by Dana Trent, Educated by Tera Westover, The Women We Burned by Rachel Louise Snyder, and Go Ask Alice by Beatrice Sparks.

Thanks to ECW Press and NetGalley for a digital advancing reading copy for an honest review.

Blog review posted @
JudithDCollins.com
@JudithDCollins | #JDCMustReadBooks
My Rating: 4 Stars
Pub Date: April 2, 2024
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I love reading CanLit so I was excited to read WHAT’S NOT MINE by Nora Decter and I quite enjoyed reading it earlier this week. The main character, Bria, is sixteen years old and spends the summer working at a burger shop, taking care of her little cousins and spending time with her sorta boyfriend while living with her Aunt and her best friend/cousin. Her narrative voice felt very authentic so it felt like I was reading a YA novel. There’s some heavy stuff in this book as Bria deals with addiction, overdose, and creepy men. I liked the small town setting as everyone seemed to know everyone. I liked the balance with some more humorous and lighthearted moments and the audiobook narrator Billie Baird did a great job. This topic can be difficult to read but I found the storyline very engaging.

The girls we sent away is a very engaging story of Lorraine, a girl who has big plans for her life but very little agency to actually make them come true.

Is a mid century story, a historical fiction story, a southern story, and overall, a sad story about what happens to girls when they are taught nothing but expected to know everything.

After being with a "nice" boy for a while, he asks her to marry him before he goes to college and on his last night with her, he decides to go all the way with her and she let's him, but as you can imagine, things quickly go from bad to worst for her and she ends up at a place for " girls like her".

This story is very much of its time, and even though it is a story we have heard before, it was very well written, and it had me captivated for the whole book.

If you like coming of age stories, women's stories, mid-century stories, this one is the one for you.

I listened to the audiobook and the narrator was fabulous! The story was interesting but some of it felt a bit disjointed in the way it was told. I would definitely read another by the author.

What's Not Mine by Nora Decter takes us through the summer of for Bria Powers. Bria tells about her trauma, struggle with addiction, her family dynamics, all while trying to be a teenager.
This book made me emotional and uncomfortable while listening because of his adult Bria's experiences were. This book is a great coming of age story to give the listeners an idea of what growing up is like for some now.
I definitely suggest listening/reading with caution and checking trigger warnings.
Thank you Netgalley and ECW Press Audio for the eALC.

3.5 stars. The summer Bria turns 16 is a rough one for her. Her mother disappeared years ago, her drug-dealing father is in jail, her (sort-of) stepmom has OD’d (with Bria saving her), her boyfriend is borderline abusive and someone keeps sending Bria dick pics. Although she lives with her loving aunt and three cousins – one of which is her best friend, Ainsley – it is not enough to keep her away from fentanyl, which has recently infiltrated the local drug scene. This is a story of gradual drug abuse and how easy it is to become addicted, especially opioids. With all she is dealing with, it doesn’t seem so bad that Bria takes an occasional pill to calm herself down. But when she finds herself panicked that her supply is nearly out and realizes how much her life has changed since she has been using, Bria must face the music.
Billie Baird does an excellent job of bringing Bria to life.

*Special thanks to NetGalley and ECW Press Audio for this e-arc.*

An insightful look at the opioid epidemic told from the POV of a young Canadian teen who finds herself addicted. Moving, heartfelt and oh so relevant! This was great on audio and I look forward to reading more from this new to me Canadian author! Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an early audio copy in exchange for my honest review!

A coming of age novel following Bria as she tries to find her place in life.

Living with her aunt, as her mother recovers from addiction and her father serves a prison sentence, Bria falls under the spell of Some Boy Aka Brian. While she initially finds the relationship exciting, a chance meeting with bear, serves to show her what and who really matters.

Touching on cyber stalking and drug abuse, What's Not Mine evokes all the confusion and uncertainty of being a young adult.

What's Not Mine by Nora Decter explores the dark complexities of family, addiction, and survival against the backdrop of a small town devasted by the opioid epidemic. We follow 16-year-old Bria, the protagonist, on her journey through a tumultuous summer and witness her descent into dangerous behavior. The narrative is fast-paced and unfolds naturally, especially in its audiobook format. I would recommend this book to fans of Barbara Kingsolver's Demon Copperhead.