Okay so. I have a lot of mixed feelings about this book. And I really want to give it 3.5 stars, but Goodreads is still centuries behind on the pickup there, so I'm going with 3. 
 TW: some characters in this book are incredibly racist, homophobic, and fatphobic. They are not portrayed sympathetically, but their language could still be triggering. 
 Stylistically speaking, the writing is solid and I absolutely loved it. It is incredibly addicting and once you get going it is really hard to put down. I'm also a total sucker for an unreliable narrator, so needless to say I was hooked right from the beginning. I binged the majority of this book in 1 or 2 sittings. 
 That said, in terms of what the book is trying to accomplish? It definitely falls short. I think if you read this book and you already /know/ that the social justice system is incredibly racist and ableist and flawed, you'll see that reflected in this book. But if someone who doesn't know that reads this, it is really easy to read it at face value and instead it could end up reinforcing their racist/ableist/etc beliefs. 
 I think the problem is that ALLEGEDLY bites off more than it can chew. The problems in the justice system are incredibly intersection--race, class, mental illness, etc. And the book touches on all of these intersections, but doesn't really make a point to fully deconstruct any of them. 
 I also think the author sacrificed the message of the book for shock value. She admitted in an interview she changed the ending in hopes of making it more memorable. Which it does. But it also undermines a lot of the book, in my opinion. 
 All of this is not to say don't read ALLEGEDLY. I think it is 100% worth reading. It is very well written, and super addictive. Just make sure you go in prepared to do some critical thinking instead of taking it all at face value.