Review Detail

Sidney Shaw has a terrible home life. Her former best friend now torments her. She covers up the pain by pushing people away. She also cuts herself.
Sidney does everything she can to protect her little brothers. When that means Sidney strikes a boy who was bullying her brother at school, there are consequences. She now has to start group therapy with one of her school's popular girls, Adriana.
First off, this book has some big trigger points. For example self-mutilation, eating disorders, sexual abuse. Each of this things are important topics that affect many teens today.
I thought that the author handled each of those topics well. They were each approach slowly and were woven into the tapestry of the storyline. This took away some of the shock factor that these trigger points could have invoked.
Sidney as a character was very complex and relatable but very human. She did everything she could to fix things for herself and her family but often came up short. My favorite character was Lucas. He pulled Sidney out of her shell and helped her see the light at the end of the tunnel. I did like Adriana but I felt like maybe the insta-friendship between her and Sidney was a little forced. Sidney's dad was the villain of the story. He wasn't totally evil and Sidney did see some positive things in him. Sidney's mother, however, had no redeeming qualities what so ever. I would have liked to see a little more of her when she wasn't totally out of it.
'Beneath the Skin' delved into some important topics but is an important read. I look forward to more of Kyla Stones