I received an ARC of this book via Netgalley and am grateful for the opportunity to read it. I haven't read anything else by this author but was attracted by the synopsis. There is only one other review of this book on GR and at first I was surprised by it's middle of the road rating. I thought the opening was shocking and pulled the reader in quickly. The characters leapt off the page and it was looking like a great read.

However moving through the book there were things that made me think again. I could not make up my mind who this book was aimed at. There were many points where it read like a children's /middle grade book yet it was also,at times sexually explicit with very adult themes. Elizabeth's interactions with others were extreme and included sex / drugs and rock and roll. Yet even those adults who were supposedly protecting her allowed such behaviour to continue.

I felt that i was being asked to suspend disbelief and accept that all these things could happen to one girl and her little brother who was annoyingly addressed as "little dude" and who would maintain oblivion to anything going on around him.

Honestly if i read one more description of a meal, its contents and how it was cooked I will come out screaming. The whole book is positively drowning in unnecessary detail. Teaching algebra whilst in the police station or a judge's office Really!!!!!!! what nonsense

The storyline had some credit but I feel the author didn't know when he had too much of a good thing that sadly became a "come on what else can happen here?

I really think the author did not know how to finish the narrative. Even when the events are over we have an afterword of epic proportions that could have been covered in a couple of pages. The whole book at half the page length might have kept my interest better

When Elizabeth Bauer’s mother is found guilty of a heinous crime and sentenced to a long prison term, teen aged Elizabeth and her younger brother Mikey find themselves in the custody of a very wealthy but emotionally exhausting aunt and uncle who would send them away to boarding school. Elizabeth is determined to escape what is her intended fate and takes herself and her brother on an extended journey to gain her own personal freedom and exonerate the mother she loves and believes to be innocent.

What ensues is a coming of age story where whip smart and savvy Elizabeth hones her survival skills and meets with unexpected kindness and help in her quest. She is a very likable character. Her journey brings her a helpmate who is most unlikely and a friendship that is heartwarming.

The story was way too long which affected my rating. . A little bit of constructive editing on this book would have done wonders for readability. So three stars for I book I liked but didn’t love, with a cast of characters that I was glad to meet between the covers. It’s available to read and you’ll probably enjoy it. My thanks to Bzff books and NetGalley for providing an ARC in exchange for my honest review.