Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me to review this book.

Nat is being expelled from school. He's lost his chance at scholarships for basketball after hitting a teacher he found attacking a female student. She begs him not to tell, but he doesn't. But why?

I liked how this book touched on some tough subjects, but did so in a way that was not preachy or biased. The characters are developed well and likeable. I loved seeing how the relationship developed between Nat and Molly as they work through their traumas. They learned from one another and grew, which is what good characters do.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read this ARC. This honest review was based off my experience reading an ARC, which in no way biased me.

I give this book a solid 3.5/5 stars.

The book starts with you learning that Nat was facing being expelled for standing up for what was right, a teacher attempting to assault a female student and then hitting him. The female student asks him to not say anything, so he doesn't. And now his whole life is on the line. You watch both characters develop and work through their own traumas and hard times together.

My favorite quote which spoke a lot to me about this story was "To them, my whole life is wrong. Don't you get that?"

This book was good and I really like how it touched on some really important and sometimes hard to address problems in today's world. And how some people take a while to understand other's issues. Also living in Virginia for a while I was pleased to have it set in Virginia. I also liked Molly's character. She was very likeable. I also liked Nat, not as much as Molly's character, but he was very likeable. You could see them learning from one another and growing together as well and that was very nice to watch. That being said, I did have some issues. I feel like the ending was a little rushed. The first half of the book was slow in developing the story. Which I felt like could have been done with maybe starting the book during the incident and then do a fast-forward after that. It did take me a while to read because the start was so slow I didn't want to keep reading. That being said, I still enjoyed the book! The ending was well worth the wait. I also love the "a while later" at the end!

I really liked this. It was well written and was a lot more thought provoking than I expected. This book really needs to be discussed so I hope some of my bookish friends read this too!

I received an ARC from netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
TW: sexual assault, mental health

Nat Reams is facing expulsion from school, ruining his basketball prospects and plans for the future. He could lessen the blow by telling the truth about what happened but two words stop him: Please don't.

An amazing story about doing the right thing, I loved this tale of Nat trying to makes things better for Molly, an undocumented student, and her family. Through him, the reader gets a glimpse into the life of undocumented workers. Easily thrown away by companies, broken families, and stuck in a grey zone where crimes committed against them will go unreported for fear of deportation. It doesn't feel preachy as it tells its story, with little vignettes showing how Molly lives in this country, while Nat learns to release the past, and move towards the future.

*Thank you NetGalley for an ARC copy of this book*

Nat’s life changes forever the day he walks in on one of his teachers forcing himself on fellow classmate, Molly. After punching the teacher in the face, Nat quickly finds himself expelled and his college basketball scholarship revoked. Why doesn’t he defend himself, and in so doing, get the teacher fired? Because Molly, an undocumented immigrant, asks Nat not to.

Thank you @netgalley for this eARC,. I’m happy to say that this book had everything I want in a YA book—awesome, relatable characters, lots of action and dialogue, and a swoony romance. Nat is extremely crush worthy #justsayin 💕

It packed a punch by tackling serious issues including immigration, mental health, and sexual harassment, alongside a big dose of poverty. These smart and talented characters remind us that ability is more widely spread than opportunity.

My one thing—the ending might have been a bit too easy and maybe a bit too fast. But hey, this is fiction and, damn it, we want hopeful, happy endings, so I can’t complain too much! Overall, this was a great read. I will look out for more from this author.

“Please Don’t” by S.A. Fanning is a touching novel that is centered around two teenagers who are struggling in their own unique way, while living in very different life situations. When their struggles collide, they are forced to reckon with that no matter how different they are from one another, at heart they have the same desires.

In “Please Don’t” there may only be one bad person. S.A. Fanning focuses less on the bad and instead on the injustices we all face in our life, in the systems that bring us to where we are.

S.A. Fanning has written a truly poignant novel about the intricacies of right vs. wrong, of friendship and love, sticking up for what you believe in, and the need to find a place to call home.