A review by jamiee_f
Allegedly by Tiffany D. Jackson

challenging dark mysterious tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

Holy shit. I just finished this book and...wow what a twisted story! What a web of trauma and neglect that highlights how the system works to keep people oppressed, while simultaneously having several very sick people at the center of everything! Oh my god!

From the beginning
I was sympathetic to Mary, and I was rooting for her as she worked with Miss Cora and Clara, as she splintered from Ted, as she fought for her baby. But then to have that turned on its head at the very last moment, with the reveal that Mary DID give the baby some of her pills! Jaw dropping. But even with that revelation, the author has done such a masterful job of creating this world that I understood why 9 year old Mary would make that choice and how things ended up as they did. Dealing with her mother, finding her brother, fending off Ray and then seeing him die, all of these things shaped her. 

While the novel ends with a note of hope as Mary goes to the new facility, it also ends with impending doom. Mary says her baby will never cry and will be good so she can prove what a good mother she is....the reader knows that's not likely to happen, and we're worried for that baby!! The ending encapsulates the story.
Hope mixed with hopelessness, independence clashing with fate, and circumstances beating down against people at every turn. A stunning debut novel, I can't wait to read more. 

The audiobook narrator was also excellent!
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