"I'm so sad that I don't know how my heart carries on beating." 
 I have received this book on a read-to-review basis from NetGalley. Thank you to the author, Lisa Heathfield, and the publisher, Electric Monkey, for the opportunity. 
 This was completely traumatic, completely beautiful and completely broke my heart! 
 This is the story of mental and physical child-abuse experienced through the eyes of the victim. June is a girl of mixed race who finds herself in an entirely white family after the tragic, early death of her mother and her father's remarriage. This is a classic tale of the evil stepmother but there was nothing dated about the heartrending and harrowing depiction of her ordeal. 
 June's recounted tales of the tragedy of her young life are intersected with glimpses at her full-grown self and how she is struggling to cope with and to accept her abuse. Primarily, however, this isn't an adult telling a memoir, but is viewed through the child's perspective as she relives her ordeal. It feels real and each moment is made more heartbreaking because of it. 
 I devoured this novel in just two sittings as the beauty of the writing and the poignancy of the tale compelled me to keep going until I discovered the light at the end of the tunnel. This tale wasn't sad in its entirety however. The sadness was alleviated by June's happiness when with her only friend, Bliss. Seeing their relationship progress gave me real joy and a hope for a better ending to her miserable existence. The plot took an unforeseen turn, however, that still gives me chills to think about. 
 This was a strong novel with an even stronger novel and handled a touching subject matter with the grace and beauty it deserved.