The Sky is Mine – Amy Beashel

Thank you to the publisher, Rock the Boat, for gifting me a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

In a house used to sweeping problems under the carpet, seventeen-year-old Izzy feels silenced. When her safety grows uncertain, Izzy knows three things are for sure. She knows not to tell her mum that Jacob Mansfield has been threatening to spread those kind of pictures around college. She also knows to keep quiet about the grief she is feeling after being abandoned by her best friend Grace. Also, seeing her mum conceal the truth about her stepdad’s control. Izzy also knows not to mention how her stomach churns every time he enters the room. When the flimsy fabric of their lives starts to unravel, Izzy and her mum must find their way out of the silence and use the power in their voices to rediscover the truth.

This book is incredibly important, heart-breaking and extremely beautiful. I did not know what to expect when going into this book. Whilst at YALC I saw this book and read just a little bit about it before I was lucky enough to win a proof copy of the book. All I knew was that it was a debut novel that would likely pull of my heart-strings.

This book tackles some important themes of rape, domestic violence, friendship, manipulation and abortion amongst other topics. Please be aware of these before reading. This book tackles these topics in an excellent way and doesn’t jar the writing and the story in anyway.

For a debut novel, Amy Beashel captured my attention fully and made me excited to see what she does next. The three female main characters, Izzy, her mum and her best friend Grace are all seen growing throughout the novel and it is beautiful to read. The writing style is also rather different but intriguing. I’d love to see where this writing style can take Amy’s books in the future.

Overall, this book is heart-warming, heart-wrenching and hopeful. It is an excellent debut novel that I throughly enjoyed. I cannot wait to see what else Amy Beashel has to offer. If you are looking for a heart-wrenching and raw contemporary, then this is the one for you.