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Review: The Book of Essie by Meghan MacLean Weir

Title: The Book of Essie
Author: Meghan MacLean Weir
Year Published: 2018


Genre: Adult fiction
Pages: 319
Rating: 4.5 out of 5

Location (my 2019 Google Reading map)USA (Illinois)

FTC Disclosure: I bought this book with my own money

Summary (from the inside flap of the book): Esther Ann Hicks--Essie--is the youngest child on Six for Hicks, a reality television phenomenon. She's grown up in the spotlight, both idolized and despised for her family's fire-and-brimstone brand of faith. When Essie's mother , Celia, discovers that Essie is pregnant, she arranges an emergency meeting with the show's producers Should they sneak Essie out of the country for an abortion? Pass the child off as Celia's? Or try to arrange a marriage--and a ratings-blockbuster wedding? Meanwhile, Essie seeks her salvation in Roarke Richards, a senior at her high school with a secret of his own to protect and Liberty Bell, an infamously conservative reporter. As Essie attempts to ask her self the most difficult of questions: what was the real reason her old sister left home? Who can she trust with the truth about her family? And how much is she willing to sacrifice to win her own freedom?

Review: I have had this book on my TBR shelf for quite some while and am not sure why it took me so long to read it. It isn't the book I was expecting and I really enjoyed it.

Essie is a character that the reader can relate to and feel sorry for; she is young, abused by her family, and feisty enough to do something about it. Roarke is just a good guy and he is getting something out of all of this, too. Some of the characters are just awful and so well done. I hated Essie's family from the start while I liked Liberty and think her role in the plot is important.

I like that there are a number of social issues addressed in this story (I don't want to name them since it would give away the plot) and they are handled well; obvious, clear, and not preachy. All in all I really liked this book and read it in one day.


Challenges for which this counts: none

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