You Against Me by Jenny Downham

You Against Me

Synopsis

If someone hurts your sister and you're any kind of man, you seek revenge, right?

If your brother's accused of a terrible crime but says he didn't do it, you defend him, don't you?

When Mikey's sister claims a boy assaulted her, his world begins to fall apart.

When Ellie's brother is charged with the offence, her world begins to unravel.

When Mikey and Ellie meet, two worlds collide.

This is a brave and unflinching novel from the bestselling author of Before I Die. It's a book about loyalty and the choices that come with it. But above all it's a book about love.

Review:

I haven't read anything else by this author, but I was very interesting in seeing how this story would play out. I was really interested in seeing what happened to both families. Even though it is a bit of a stretch to think the brother and sister of the victim/accused would fall in love, I still enjoyed it. It was really interesting seeing the ramifications of one night on two families.

Mikey is a great brother, though he is a little young to have to be the 'man of the family' and keep his family together. He has a lot on his shoulders, but he does whatever he can to keep him and his family together. His sister was raped one night and he tries to find a way to get revenge for her. In doing so he meets Ellie and then things get more complicated. He has so much anger toward Ellie's brother, but he is drawn to her as well.

Ellie, well she is not the strongest person. She is trying to help her brother, but also is getting eaten up by what really happened. She slowly starts to rebel and falls for Mikey. They are so sweet together, but she doesn't know who he is. Once she finds out they still can't stay away. Eventually she does the right thing, but it is still not easy on her. It seems like she was probably neglected some, but her family is falling apart and doesn't want to face what actually happened.

Together they are great and Mikey really helps Ellie keep it together. I found myself constantly trying to figure out what is going to happen. It is a little he said she said at first, but it is interesting to see what happens with everyone involved. I really liked the open, hopeful ending. Overall I really enjoyed the book.

Rating: ★ ★ ★1/2