Review: You Against Me by Jenny Downham

You Against Me

by Jenny Downham

If someone hurts your sister and you're any kind of man, you seek revenge, right? If your brother's been accused of a terrible crime and you're the main witness, then you banish all doubt and defend him. Isn't that what families do? When Mikey's sister claims a boy assaulted her at a party, his world of work and girls begins to fall apart. When Ellie's brother is charged with the crime, but says he didn't do it, her world of revision, exams and fitting in at a new school begins to unravel. When Mikey and Ellie meet, two worlds collide. Brave and unflinching, this is a novel of extraordinary skillfulness and almost unbearable tension. It's a book about loyalty and the choices that come with it. But above all it's a book about love - for one's family and for another.

"It was strange how words meant something when they came out of your mouth. Inside your head they were safe and silent, but once they were outside, people grabbed hold of them."

This has to be one of the best books I've read. The characters were so real. Even the characters that I maybe shouldn't have like, I still liked, the character that was innocent I thought was guilty and the guilty character I thought was innocent. I was hoping for the best out come from all the characters, even the guilty one. The romance plays a big part of the book, but it's not cheesy or annoying, and it's not all there is to the book. It's beautiful and it's what makes Ellie decide to do the right thing. Despite it being over 400 pages, It didn't drag and It was never boring. When I got to the end I just wanted more. The ending was satisfying, but you don't get all the answers you probably want. RECOMMEND! Great read!