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, their worlds collide.
A brave and unflinching novel from the bestselling author of Before I Die, about first love, loyalty, betrayal and truth.
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Mikey couldn't believe his life. ONE
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(RHCP Digital, 2 December 2010, 416 pages, ebook, borrowed from @GlasgowLib via @OverDriveLibs)
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Downham's debut novel, Before I Die is the first YA novel I read when it came out years ago. I love it but somehow never bothered to check if the author had written anything else. Shame on me. I really enjoyed this book. I've read other YA books with similar themes such as Asking for It. This book tackles the concept of consent and the author doesn't flinch from big, real-life issues. Karyn says she didn't consent to having sex with Tom. Tom says she was up for it. Everyone at the party knows how drunk and she was and how she was dressed so some people believe her story and some people think she's lying. So who is telling the truth? Ellie lies about what she saw because she doesn't want her brother to get in trouble and what she saw doesn't prove or disprove Karyn's claims so where's the harm? You Against Me is very emotional and hard to read at times. I was disappointed though by the lack of resolution at the end.
