You Against Me Review

Title: You Against Me

Author: Jenny Downham

Date of Publication: September 13, 2011

Formats Available: Hardcover, Paperback, E-Book

Synopsis: When Mikey's sister Karyn claims that Tom Parker raped her Mikey wants nothing more than to get revenge. When Ellie's brother Tom is accused of raping Karyn Ellie wants nothing more than to protect and defend her brother. When Mikey meets Ellie he plans using her to get information about her brother so he can plan his revenge, he doesn't expect to fall in love with her. When Ellie learns to Mikey really is she's furious, but the more time she spends with him the more she realizes she can't keep her secrets to herself any longer. Ellie and Mikey both know that their love is doomed to fail, but they can't help but love each other anyway.

My Review:

I rarely read realistic fiction, however when I heard about the plot of You Against Me I decided it was worth a try. After a bit of a slow beginning I started to really enjoy this book, reading almost the entire book in one day. From the characters heartfelt emotions to their devastating heartbreaks I quickly became emotionally attached to both Ellie and Mikey.

You Against Me is a complex story; there's forbidden romance, the questions of what exactly constitutes as rape, and the difficulty of doing what is right even if it means hurting the people you love. Both Mikey and Ellie must make decisions for their siblings, who don't have the option to make their own choices anymore. They both struggle to make the right decisions as their families and friend pull them in different directions.

Mikey and Ellie both grow a lot as characters, neither of them are even remotely the same at the end as they are at the beginning. Gaining respect for each other as well as their families they begin to understand that their family wasn't the only family affected by what happened. As Ellie carries her secret around inside of her she becomes more understanding of everyone else with secrets, the girl who eats alone in the bathroom, the boy with scars on his wrist. As Mikey sees what has happened to his sister he begins to have more respect for women, realizing how terrible what his sister went through really is.

You Against Me is a haunting novel of fear, betrayal, and secrets. You Against Me is the kind of novel you never forget, the kind that opens your eyes to the world and changes your view of the world. A fantastic novel, You Against Me is a story that no one should pass over.

4/5