SYNOPSIS

Jessie Sasser comes from a long line of North Carolinians who make moonshine for a living. Even though she doesn’t approve of the family business—especially since an accident at the stills killed her mother—she has no choice but to help her father and brother keep the operation running. But she’s conflicted, and it’s starting to wear on her. She projects the powerlessness she feels onto food, and often goes on starvation “protests” followed by food binges and then guilt purges.

Eventually Jessie decides enough is enough, and she sets out to destroy her family’s stills. But her plan doesn’t work out exactly as she hoped, and suddenly she finds herself in the middle of a turf war. Now her loyalties are really tested, and she has to decide, not only whose side she’s on, but also if she’s brave enough to know the truth about her family’s past.

MY THOUGHTS

I didn’t realize this book is more YA than adult fiction. It’s written well—the story is interesting and it flows. Jessie is sympathetic, albeit one-dimensional, but engaging. I thought the eating disorder angle was unique and unexpected, and I was glad to see some attention paid to such a touchy subject.

Unfortunately, though, because the book is geared toward the younger crowd, I still found it a bit boring and safe—which is to be expected and certainly isn’t the book’s fault. When I finished, I promptly handed it over to my ten-year old and he loved it. So it’s a great story for the right crowd. 🙂

Thank you to Amazon Vine and Kensington Publishing for the ARC!

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