I won this book in a goodreads first reads giveaway and was asked to leave an honest review. 
 I have to say I was impressed. Right from the beginning with the dedication to all the people who help and rescue animals I knew I was going to like this book. 
 Reliving Toni's high school years was like going back in time for me. Other than the whole being convicted of murder I could have been Toni. The portrayal of how she acted, dressed, and her relationship with her mom- it's all spot on. 
 From the disapproval of the good intentioned boyfriend from the wrong side of the tracks to the goodie two shoes sneaky sister to the sickeningly cruel mean girls this book was just exploding with teen angst and misunderstanding. Toni couldn't have come out on top if she did everything right from the start. 
 I really liked Toni's character. Sure there were times when she felt sorry for herself or just wanted to keep her head down but for the most part she was a bad ass. She really just wanted to live her life and Shauna and her pals never let her do that from high school on. Toni loved her sister Nicole. Toni tried to get Nicole to open up about what was going on with her but Nicole never would. The closer Nicole grows to Shauna and her friends the more distant she gets from Toni. It gets to the point when Toni isn't just worrying about Shauna harassing her but about Nicole tagging along and joining in too. Even when she tries to tell her parents her dad listens and considers what she says but her mom can only see Toni as the problem. 
 It seemed like throughout the book it was a never ending downward spiral of events for Toni. The second she seemed to get her feet under her the rug would get pulled out. 
 The one thing that was good in Toni's life and remained was Ryan. No matter what her parents or Shauna and her friends did Ryan stuck by her side. Even in prison he continued to write. They were one of those epic 90s grunge underdog love stories. You had to just root for them. 
 The different emotions that Toni, Ryan, her family and friends dealt with throughout this book were well described. The entire book was well written and the plot grabbed me and sucked me in. There was also a big twist at the end that I didn't see coming. I'm usually ready for stuff like that but it totally took me by surprise. Even so, it still wasn't the best part of the book. This book was all about the build up. Getting to the end was what was good. The end was almost a bit lack luster. It was a nice twist but once I was done I also felt a bit let down and sorry it was over. 
 Hats off Chevy Stevens! You've surprised me by how good this book was and now I want more.