Book Review: My Name is Venus Black by Heather Loyd

Disclosure / Disclaimer: I received this book free of charge,from  Random House Publishing,
via Netgalley, for blog review purposes on this blog. No compensation, monetary or in kind, has been received or implied for this post. Nor was I told how to post about it,  all opinions are my own.

And for the younger ser, here's a book that also looks back in time!

Synopsis:

In this riveting, heartfelt debut, a young woman assumes a new name to escape her dark past and find the redemption she desperately seeks.

Venus Black is a straitlaced A student fascinated by the study of astronomy—until the night she commits a shocking crime that tears her family apart and ignites a media firestorm. Venus refuses to talk about what happened or why, except to blame her mother. Adding to the mystery, Venus’s developmentally challenged younger brother, Leo, goes missing.

More than five years later, Venus is released from prison with a suitcase of used clothes, a fake identity, and a determination to escape her painful past. Estranged from her mother, and with her beloved brother still missing, she sets out to make a fresh start in Seattle, skittish and alone. But as new people enter her orbit—including a romantic interest and a young girl who seems like a mirror image of her former lost self—old wounds resurface, and Venus realizes that she can’t find a future while she’s running from her past.

Review:

While not based on actual events, this book reads like it could be, It's an interesting take on not so much the WHY of an event that we read about in the news, but the AFTERMATH. What happens to a family when the ultimate crime hits them- do they bound together or fall apart? But more importantly, WHY? And while the reader begins to imagine, as her jury did, what actually happened between Venus and her step-dad, the truth when it comes out will shock you. The book may be aimed at the YA crowd, but I think it is JUST as important for adults to read. It might cause quite a few adults to re-examine what might be going on in their teen's life, and that is a good thing. The book is an excellent character study (I can't beleive it is Heather's debut novel!!) and you'll find yourself rooting for Venus, and then in turn for Leo, that they each get their happy ever after. 

This new book comes out at the end of the month, but be sure to add it to your book list! It's going to be a hot topic, and I wouldn't be surprised to see a movie version of it in the future, but you need to read the book first!

About the Author:

Heather Lloyd, who has spent many years working as an editor and writing coach, lives with her husband in New York City. My Name Is Venus Black is her first novel.