Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. I have to say I’m looking like the minority with this one for my review. I did not enjoy it at all. First, I did not feel there was much of a connection with the love interest. I actually found him to be rather rude and blunt at times rather than this warm guy who gets her to open up. Next, I am fortunate to not be someone who suffered childhood trauma, but that being said, I couldn’t even really understand how this was trauma for her. Yes, medial, procedures that intense would really be imprinting and build who you become and be a huge struggle to get past, but I didn’t see people doing or saying things that were really that cruel. The couple that were shared that were unkind semi-acquaintances didn’t even feel realistic. I felt the mother was not well-written or realistic either. The way she talked almost seemed silly and childish. Other family members just didn’t seem consistent in her flashbacks to now. What is the deal with the sisters? At one point she only mentions one? Also, I didn’t care for the style. It read like a juvenile writing attempt with oversimplified dialogue that lacked any real depth, even with the mother and especially with the love interest. Some of the poetry wasn’t bad, but some of it was very rhymey and sing-song, which isn’t my style. Finally, I just couldn’t bring up any feelings for the girl. I was reading and waiting to see where some real feelings would come into play, things she really needed to escape from, and I just couldn’t see it. I’m in no way saying medical trauma is not trauma. I’m saying I don’t see that past surgery and experience making her who she was in the modern day, and I wasn’t feeling anything for her, including empathy. I was surprised at the praise listed for the book as it has some authors I admire. I read a lot, and I can usually get a good feel for a book and whether it’s going to be popular, and I’m just shocked so many people liked it. FYI it’s clean, I didn’t really see triggering things here, it wasn’t worth the read for me as I struggled to finish it

A story of a young woman, Elizabeth, who lives a fairly quiet life, in a small cabin which is in a small town where she knows only a few people. She prefers it that way. She’s been hurt, both emotionally and physically, by so many others ever since she can remember..

And then a snowstorm changes everything. She ends up walking to her nearest neighbor, a man, Noah, who finds her near freezing and takes her into his home so she can recover. A bond is formed, but Elizabeth still has difficulty trusting, for reasons he is not aware of, but he is determined to show her that she can trust him.

This was such a moving and beautiful story, despite the heartbreak, I found it to be very moving, but also very realistic.

A lovely and very moving story.


Pub Date: 18 Feb 2025

Many thanks for the ARC provided by PENGUIN GROUP Penguin Young Readers Group / Dutton Books for Young Readers

Grant had me not wanting to put the book down. Was anyone going to listen and help? Was she ever going to speak up for her needs? The story flowed well and never felt like it was dragging along. There's a hint of romance but it's not center stage.

I am the Cage follows Elisabeth as she hides in a tiny cabin in a small, isolated town called Fish Creek. All she wanted to be is alone and hide from her memories that hurt too much. But a snowstorm sends her plans spinning. She accepts help from her neighbor Noah, the town’s young sheriff. Elisabeth is forced to show more vulnerability than she’d like and realizes that to escape the darkness of her childhood, she needs to let light in.

This is a beautiful book of trauma and healing and finding out its own-voices makes it even more heart-wrenching. The story in this book is so moving and gripping. I loved that it was told in two timelines of present day and Elisabeth’s childhood. The poetry as well was so stunning. I’ve never personally gone through any intensive surgery or medical processes so reading about Elisabeth’s medical trauma of a procedure inflicted to “fix” her was very visceral and haunting. It’s a lot for any child to go through and the author did an amazing job of conveying the emotion and pain she went through.

Elisabeth’s growth in the novel was so beautiful and realistically paced. She’s rightfully angry and traumatized but getting to read about her slowly coming out of hiding was so lovely. Noah is such a sweetheart and endearing, and their relationship was so sweet. Her mom was a lot and their conversation in the later half was infuriating. I wish we got more of her relationship with her sisters as she got older, but I do appreciate that Elisabeth had her friend as a support system. The ending was really lovely and so heartwarming.

Overall, if you like emotional coming-of-age, own-voices stories, I’d highly recommend trying this one!

Thank you to Penguin Teen CA and Netgalley for the arc in exchange for an honest review!

Title: I Am the Cage
Author: Allison Sweet Grant
Genre: YA/Teen
Publisher: Penguin Group, Penguin Young Readers Group/Dutton Books for Young Readers
Pub Date: February 17, 2025
My Rating: 4.Stars
Pages: 305

I was drawn to this story for several one reason was the name Fish Creek, Wisconsin—as I grew up in West Virginia and Fish Creek was as a great area for family picnics and playing in the fresh spring water creek. .

In the blurb we learn ~
Nineteen-year-old Elisabeth has had medical issues since she was eleven, now at nineteen, she doesn’t need anybody and is fine living alone in her small cabin in Fish Creek, Wisconsin—which is beautiful., quiet, isolated. and she can be anonymous.
Her memories have her making sure that no one can ever hurt her again.

Story is told from the POV of Justine Elizabeth Amos – then and now. Then she was Justine and now she Elizabeth.
Now: Elizabeth is happy in her little cabin. She has an ideal job at Mr. Terry Tot’s ‘Treasure Box’ store. The store isn’t very busy as it carries items one can live without but are nice to have -beeswax candles and lavender soap are favorites.

Her cabin is isolated and after living there eight month she finally meets her neighbor Noah Eisenhower Harmon who is the local sheriff. He tells her his brother Jonathan has been after him to meet her. Jonathan is Elizabeth’s landlord. However, Elizabeth doesn’t trust anymore including the police so is fine keeping a distance.
As the story goes back and forth the ’Then’ part of the story has me curious but is very slow.
It finally is cleat what happened to her when she was only eleven and it really was sad.

As Elizabeth continues her isolated all is well until a serious snowstorm hits the area and causes the area to lose power, Since Noah lives down the street he comes to her aid and basically rescues her. Elizabeth has realizes that she needs to accept help.

I 'get' the ending but I want to know more.
I like this author and definitely will read another [author: Allison Sweet Grant] story

Want to thank NetGalley and PENGUIN GROUP, Penguin Readers Group/Dutton Books for Young Readers for this uncorrected eGalley.
Publishing Release Date scheduled for February 17, 2025.

I am the Cage is an excellent book by Allison Sweet Grant. I wasn’t sure what to expect going in but it was fabulous. It was emotional without being insanely sappy. It was clever and I really felt invested in the characters. There was a little bit of romance but it didn’t go over the top. Overall, a great book and a great way to show people healing from their wounds- physical and mental.

I received an ARC copy of this book from NetGalley.

3.95⭐️ I have so many thoughts about this story. (Justine) Elisabeth’s story was emotional, gut-wrenching, and beautiful all at the same time. Her mom was infuriating. (Seriously, most of my annotations are about whether it is possible to throat punch fictional characters.) Noah was endearing and just adorably lovable.

Overall, I really enjoyed the way this novel came together. The inclusion of Elisabeth’s poems gave deeper insight and provided the emotional rawness that I was looking for when I picked this up. I am a little on the fence about the ending, which is why I couldn’t give it a full 4⭐️ rating.

***Small Spoiler***
I hope Elisabeth finds her way back to Noah eventually. I believe she will. I truly do.

The inability for the author to show any substance in this character made the story hard to enjoy. Elisabeth isn’t a person—she’s her trauma. Without any real texture to her, I can’t feel more than sorry for her. I couldn’t find a reason to like this book due to the characterization and the prose itself (the book can do without extremely detailed exposition).

This stunning book was so good, so captivating. A young woman, medically and emotionally traumatized in childhood, moves to a small town to live alone and be dependent on anyone but herself. The weather has other plans for her, and a massive snowstorm brings her closest neighbor into her life. Through the neighbor, and their budding friendship, she discovers that she doesn't always have to stay tucked away, alone and isolated.

Very interesting overall. I wasn’t sure what to think of this going in because of the blurb, but I found it a very interesting discussion of disability and ableism and all the things that sort of lurk in between. I was glad to see that it was a OwnVoices because without it I think it would’ve had a more sinister feel. This is definitely one that will be discussed in book groups and will make you think..

This book was heart wrenching + so tender. The language was simple but profound all at the same time. If you read this, be sure to block time off because you’ll likely cry and not want to stop reading. I felt myself in some of these words and I think most of you would too. Simply beautiful but heavy read 🤍

Elizabeth is healing from a childhood medical trauma and moved to a remote town in order to isolate as her mind continues to tell her she doesn’t need anyone and no one is safe. During a snow storm, she is found outside by her neighbor Noah who is the town sheriff. He takes her in and ensures she is safe. They slowly start to spend more time together while Elizabeth tries to hide the fact that she is running from her past. She has shut everyone out, how does she now let someone in?

Thank you NetGalley, the author and Dutton books for this ARC in exchange for an honest review!

I was so excited to see a book that is set in Fish Creek, WI, as Door County is one of my most favorite places. This book heavily deals with flashbacks to Elisabeth/Justine's medical trauma that happened to her when she was younger, set against her current reality as a loner who meets a friend in a snowstorm,.

Thanks to NetGalley and Penguin Group for this eARC in exchange for my honest review.

I received an ARC of this book through Net Galley. I liked the cover, but didn’t read the synopsis. I was surprised when the main character was fitted with an external fixator to fix the length of her bones. I too had an external fixator when I was 15 to keep my femur in place after a hip fusion. The pain and the doctor visits that she goes through brought back so many memories. I absolutely loved this book dealing with allowing the pain of your past to be a part of you, but ultimately not to hinder your growth in life

She really nailed that sense of growing up as a defective, unwanted thing with even the barest illusion of autonomy stripped away - of the isolation and powerlessness that comes from that. But. I can't say I enjoyed the experience.

I didn’t know what I was expecting with this short read, but it had me feeling some type of way. It makes you think about something you may not feel familiar with. It truly brought me out of my comfort zone, but it’s a good thing. It makes us question situations we ever had as children. It’s an emotional state, but a good one.

I am conflicted. The novel’s overall mood and pace were captivating, and I appreciated the vulnerability in Elizabeth’s character and Noah’s easygoing demeanor. However, I’m left uncertain about Elizabeth’s mother. The story leans heavily on telling rather than showing in the flashbacks, which made it hard for me to discern if her actions stemmed from masochism or genuine maternal concern. Since pain is subjective and often breeds resentment, her portrayal felt ambiguous.

The flashback scenes, while essential to understanding Elizabeth’s struggles, often dragged and became repetitive. In contrast, the present-day narrative was a highlight for me. Watching Elizabeth slowly dismantle the emotional walls she built around herself and allow Noah in was a touching journey that felt authentic and earned.

In the end, while some parts of the novel didn’t resonate as strongly, the story’s heart lies in its exploration of vulnerability and connection, and that is where it truly shines. A bittersweet yet hopeful read.

This book was interesting, and I enjoyed the dual timeline. It fell a little flat, and I had a hard time connecting with the characters, but it was an interesting insight into two times in the same character’s life.
——-
Thanks to NetGalley and Penguin Group for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

This was a truly amazing story. It is gut-wrenching, touching , and beautiful . Elisa eth went through a medical trauma when she was 11. Doctors told her she was not normal and needed to be fixed. Her mother went along with this causing Elisabeth mental trauma as well. She ends up alone in a small remote cabin where she feels ok and feels safe. She trusts no one and does not let anyone get close. Then she meets Noah.
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advance copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Elisabeth is living alone in a cabin in Fish Creek, Wisconsin, which is just what she needs.. solitude. When a storm hits she accepts help from her neighbor and begins to show vulnerability, including trauma from her childhood.

A fast paced, dual time line book that I sped through. I really liked the looks back although the medical aspects were very hard to read for me. I was intrigued by the details but felt her pain, as well as betrayal by the medical felt. Her emotions around her mother were complex and harder for me to wrap my mind around. There are moments of beautiful writing in this, including poetry showing depth.

“I put my trauma in the junk drawer and kept it there for a long, long time.”

I Am the Cage comes out 2/18.

2.5 rounded up
I wanted to like this book hut just would not connect with the characters or the story. I kept putting it down and then slogged my wag through. Thanks to Netgalley for the opportunity to read this book