Review Detail

This book was much more than I expected.

I was looking for a couple of books to replace watching TV at night. So I wanted something easy to read, somewhat light, and fast paced.

I flipped through Juvie and the writing style flowed right off the page into my imagination. The cover art didn't send me running, so I grabbed it off the shelf and a few nights later read through the book in one sitting.

Wow. This girl goes through life, doing the right things, she's smart, protective of her family...there's no reason she should end up in Juvie. As the story flips between her present day self in Juvie and her flashbacks to how she got there, I realized that leaving life up to chance is scary.

It all starts when she covers for her sister at a party. As things go from not-so-great to worse, Sadie tries to keep her sister out of trouble. But you can't force someone, no matter how much you care about them, to not be an idiot.

Sadie ends up in juvie...it's surreal, scary...the story took me to a place I've never been. Inside juvie, the clock watching, schedule following, head down routine is punctuated by outbursts of violence and confrontation....both by the guards and the other girls. The inmates constantly plot on how to get extra privileges or settle a score. The guards are heavy handed and take away privileges in order to remind the girls who is in charge. The scenes show that you have to be proactive to survive.

In the end, Sadie learns more about herself and how to fight for her place in the world. She learns that having good friends and family who will back her up is important. That's something I know I take for granted...but it's a huge part of getting where you want to be in life.

Since I replaced TV shows for this book, I'll recommend this to fans of Breaking Bad, Gossip Girl, Gilmore Girls, Modern Family, Freaks and Geeks