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54th out of 734 books
—
3,975 voters
You Against Me
If someone hurts your sister and you're any kind of man, you seek revenge, right?
If your brother's accused of a terrible crime but says he didn't do it, you defend him, don't you?
When Mikey's sister claims a boy assaulted her, his world begins to fall apart.
When Ellie's brother is charged with the offence, her world begins to unravel.
When Mikey and Ellie meet, two worlds c...more
If your brother's accused of a terrible crime but says he didn't do it, you defend him, don't you?
When Mikey's sister claims a boy assaulted her, his world begins to fall apart.
When Ellie's brother is charged with the offence, her world begins to unravel.
When Mikey and Ellie meet, two worlds c...more
Hardcover, 413 pages
Published
December 2nd 2010
by David Fickling
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“It was strange how words meant something when they came out of your mouth. Inside your head they were safe and silent, but once they were outside, people grabbed hold of them.”
Initial Final Page Thoughts.
Wow, what beautiful ending. And book, actually. Extremely unique, fascinating and honest.
High Points.
Ellie. Mike. Trust. Doubt. Truth. Lies. Perception. Bracing rivers. Baked potatoes. Old cottages. Bunking classes. Cookery. The future. Team Karyn.
Low Points.
Even though I liked the romance be...more
Initial Final Page Thoughts.
Wow, what beautiful ending. And book, actually. Extremely unique, fascinating and honest.
High Points.
Ellie. Mike. Trust. Doubt. Truth. Lies. Perception. Bracing rivers. Baked potatoes. Old cottages. Bunking classes. Cookery. The future. Team Karyn.
Low Points.
Even though I liked the romance be...more
i feel such pressure to write a really great review for this book, because it is so impressive on so many levels, but the post-turkey-day fatigue is strong in me. i will do what i can.
you probably already know what this book is about, because it is really quite popular. so just quickly. to get us all on the same page, i will just reiterate that it is a story bout a rape, from the perspective of the brother of the victim and the sister of the accused, who form a relationship in the busted pieces...more
you probably already know what this book is about, because it is really quite popular. so just quickly. to get us all on the same page, i will just reiterate that it is a story bout a rape, from the perspective of the brother of the victim and the sister of the accused, who form a relationship in the busted pieces...more
52 likes · like · see review
3.5 stars.
You Against Me was one of my most anticipated books of 2011. So much so that I was 100% sure I would give it 5 stars. Jenny Downham's debut Before I Die left me a sobbing mess (I am in a minority here thought, most of my co-readers did not join the cryfest). I expected the same from her second novel. You Against Me was good, just not as good as it could have been.
Let me just say, the plot itself is fantastic. The two main characters in this love story - Mikey and Ellie - have a very co...more
You Against Me was one of my most anticipated books of 2011. So much so that I was 100% sure I would give it 5 stars. Jenny Downham's debut Before I Die left me a sobbing mess (I am in a minority here thought, most of my co-readers did not join the cryfest). I expected the same from her second novel. You Against Me was good, just not as good as it could have been.
Let me just say, the plot itself is fantastic. The two main characters in this love story - Mikey and Ellie - have a very co...more
56 likes · like · see review
Rating: 3.5
I should have written a review for this one awhile back but to be honest I didn't know what to say exactly. It is no doubt a powerful novel and I wanted to make sure I would say the right things... well time has gone by and I still don't know what to say so here goes nothing.
Now for those of you who don't know the premise it's a twisted one. Mikey has a sister named Karyn and Ellie has a brother named Tom. Karyn has accused Tom of raping her. Well Mikey can't stand for that, so to get...more
I should have written a review for this one awhile back but to be honest I didn't know what to say exactly. It is no doubt a powerful novel and I wanted to make sure I would say the right things... well time has gone by and I still don't know what to say so here goes nothing.
Now for those of you who don't know the premise it's a twisted one. Mikey has a sister named Karyn and Ellie has a brother named Tom. Karyn has accused Tom of raping her. Well Mikey can't stand for that, so to get...more
12 likes · like · see review
Most seem to love this book. Isn't it annoying when you're the odd one out? :/
Let's get on to my thoughts, shall we! ;)
When Ellie's brother, Tom, is accused of assaulting a girl, his family is pretty supportive and stand by him. The thing is, they're so busy supporting him that they don't even freaking ask him if he actually did it, I mean, talk about baffling! Meanwhile, Mikey' sister, Karyn, has locked herself in her room ever since they found out what happened to her. Both family's lives are...more
Let's get on to my thoughts, shall we! ;)
When Ellie's brother, Tom, is accused of assaulting a girl, his family is pretty supportive and stand by him. The thing is, they're so busy supporting him that they don't even freaking ask him if he actually did it, I mean, talk about baffling! Meanwhile, Mikey' sister, Karyn, has locked herself in her room ever since they found out what happened to her. Both family's lives are...more
18 likes · like · see review
Jun 03, 2011
ivana18
rated it
5 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
ya-fiction,
favorites
Thank you very much Law school because if it wasn't for you I wouldn't have had trouble sleeping and I wouldn't have read this book as fast as I did, it definitely deserves to be read in one breath.
This book was an all-nighter, and after I finished it (2:30 AM) I couldn't sleep for at least another hour thinking about it.
One of my first thoughts last night when I finished this book was: Romeo and Juliet meets Crime and Punishment.
This is a YA drama, and it's the best YA books I've read so far....more
This book was an all-nighter, and after I finished it (2:30 AM) I couldn't sleep for at least another hour thinking about it.
One of my first thoughts last night when I finished this book was: Romeo and Juliet meets Crime and Punishment.
This is a YA drama, and it's the best YA books I've read so far....more
20 likes · like · see review
3.5 stars
WARNING: MESSY REVIEW AND A BIT SPOILERY!
Actually, I really don't know what to say. *sigh* This was a compelling and powerful read but after I finished the book, for some unknown reason I don't know what to feel. Actually, I still haven't figured out my overall and final say about this book but I'll give you my initial thoughts while I was reading it.
You Against Me was a novel that discussed a delicate and tricky issue. I may have steered clear of this book after seeing the blurb since...more
WARNING: MESSY REVIEW AND A BIT SPOILERY!
Actually, I really don't know what to say. *sigh* This was a compelling and powerful read but after I finished the book, for some unknown reason I don't know what to feel. Actually, I still haven't figured out my overall and final say about this book but I'll give you my initial thoughts while I was reading it.
You Against Me was a novel that discussed a delicate and tricky issue. I may have steered clear of this book after seeing the blurb since...more
6 likes · like · see review
I had high expectations before I started this book. I can safely say my expectations were pretty much met. The book didn't blow my mind or leave me emotional. (Not to say the book didn't make me feel anything. There were times I was happy and angry and worried.) But for the most part, I had a calm feeling. The setting even felt calming. I liked that.
I thought the author did great with the characters and relationships. They felt realistic and believable. There were times when some of the characte...more
I thought the author did great with the characters and relationships. They felt realistic and believable. There were times when some of the characte...more
18 likes · like · see review
I was immediately drawn to this book once I'd read the blurb, and I'm glad I picked it up, as it was an amazing read. As the book deals with such a tricky theme you would expect the book to be quite depressing and morbid, but its not, it was so full of ambiguity, suspicion and it is very moving, that I just literally couldn't put the book down I was that absorbed. It was a well written book as I enjoyed how it showed contradiciting stories from both families. This book has definately made it to...more
10 likes · like · see review
Reading You Against Me was like listening to a recording on high speed. All the characters' reactions seemed extreme and drastic and I couldn't understand where they were coming from at all. Downham seemed to be trying way too hard to make her characters seem relatable but they ended up seeming stiff and orchestrated instead.
Maybe my life's too sheltered, but I simply couldn't see this story happening in RL. It wasn't brutal enough to be believable and it wasn't normal enough to be realistic ei...more
Maybe my life's too sheltered, but I simply couldn't see this story happening in RL. It wasn't brutal enough to be believable and it wasn't normal enough to be realistic ei...more
This story is about two families affected by the accusation of rape. It doesn't focus on the accused and accuser, but rather on the sister and brother of the two parties.
This story is told from two perspectives: Mikey McKenzie, the older brother of the accuser, Karyn, and Ellie Parker the younger sister of the accused, Tom. The story opens up with Mikey trying to figure out how to make Tom pay for what he's done to his sister. Mikey feels he needs to do something because since the rape, Karyn r...more
This story is told from two perspectives: Mikey McKenzie, the older brother of the accuser, Karyn, and Ellie Parker the younger sister of the accused, Tom. The story opens up with Mikey trying to figure out how to make Tom pay for what he's done to his sister. Mikey feels he needs to do something because since the rape, Karyn r...more
11 likes · like · see review
Honestly I’m not sure how I feel about that book. I can’t say I despised it it would be pushing it and I can’t say I liked it…it would be too nice. When I finished my initial reaction was “Ehhhhh” which for the people who know me means ‘not terrible but could have been so much better’ in Steph’s language.
No Seriously, I don’t know if I went there with too high of an expectation, I read the summary a few months ago and was just dying to read it since then. I expected something like Leaving Parad...more
No Seriously, I don’t know if I went there with too high of an expectation, I read the summary a few months ago and was just dying to read it since then. I expected something like Leaving Parad...more
La storia di una violenza. La storia di un amore. La storia di due famiglie.
Questo è in breve You Against Me, altro non voglio aggiungervi per non rovinarvi la lettura.
Posso dirvi però che non mi sono mai arrabbiata tanto leggendo un libro, avrei voluto prendere a pugni il 90% dei personaggi sin dalla prima pagina.
In particolare ho odiato i genitori dei ragazzi. Sono uno peggio dell'altro, c'è chi lo nasconde meglio ma alla fine sotto sotto sono tutti uguali; negano di avere problemi e a risenti...more
Questo è in breve You Against Me, altro non voglio aggiungervi per non rovinarvi la lettura.
Posso dirvi però che non mi sono mai arrabbiata tanto leggendo un libro, avrei voluto prendere a pugni il 90% dei personaggi sin dalla prima pagina.
In particolare ho odiato i genitori dei ragazzi. Sono uno peggio dell'altro, c'è chi lo nasconde meglio ma alla fine sotto sotto sono tutti uguali; negano di avere problemi e a risenti...more
This was a very gritty story. The teens drink, smoke, do drugs and have sex. It's definitely not pretty but it certainly is real.
I was so torn for both the siblings in this story, the brother obviously wants vengeance for what happened to his sister, and the sister on the opposite side can't believe the brother who has always been there growing up and looking out for her could do something so terrible.
I always love when a story is told form both POV's and especially in this where we see how two...more
I was so torn for both the siblings in this story, the brother obviously wants vengeance for what happened to his sister, and the sister on the opposite side can't believe the brother who has always been there growing up and looking out for her could do something so terrible.
I always love when a story is told form both POV's and especially in this where we see how two...more
4 likes · like · see review
Warning: Possible spoilers, but not really. Also, kind of a long rant and full of complaints – continue if you'r contemplating on reading this. Otherwise, you might want to skip this review.
***
Initially, I was intrigued and instantly drawn to the premise, because rape was being explored through the eyes of the victim's brother and the perpetrator's sister. Further, issues of loyalty, revenge, forbidden- Romeo & Juliet type love, etc. were brought up. However, these themes were never fully fl...more
***
Initially, I was intrigued and instantly drawn to the premise, because rape was being explored through the eyes of the victim's brother and the perpetrator's sister. Further, issues of loyalty, revenge, forbidden- Romeo & Juliet type love, etc. were brought up. However, these themes were never fully fl...more
5 likes · like · see review
If I'm honest, this book is probably more of a 3.5/5 for me, but it definitely doesn't deserve to be dropped to a 3.
Downham's writing is superb. I hated Before I Die, but You Against Me is a lot more basic, stripped down, interesting and realistic. There's no florid language to draw an artificial reaction out of you; this is two characters and a situation. This is gritty, heartfelt and honest. The characters are lovingly drawn and flawed, but relatable. The ending is a great balance between hope...more
Downham's writing is superb. I hated Before I Die, but You Against Me is a lot more basic, stripped down, interesting and realistic. There's no florid language to draw an artificial reaction out of you; this is two characters and a situation. This is gritty, heartfelt and honest. The characters are lovingly drawn and flawed, but relatable. The ending is a great balance between hope...more
Jan 31, 2012
Miss
rated it
5 of 5 stars
Recommended to Miss by:
ivana18
Shelves:
contemporary,
realistic,
real-problem,
young-adult,
bad-boy,
disturbing,
heavy-stuff,
made-me-cry,
taboo,
rape
Two families. One well off. The other is disfunctional. A son accused of rape. Daughter accused to be a slut. Both families want to protect their children. Life for everyone is messy. Very messy. Everyone is angry. Everyone must choose between self-preservation and sacrifice...
I really liked this book. It definitely makes you think about people in those situations. Also, it makes you wonder about what you might want to do if it were you.
I really liked this book. It definitely makes you think about people in those situations. Also, it makes you wonder about what you might want to do if it were you.
4 likes · like · see review
3,5 stars
Sometimes, if you want something badly enough, you can make it happen. If you miss someone so desperately that it wrecks your insides, you say their name over and over until you conjure them. It's called sympathetic magic and you just have to believe in it to make it work.
What can i say about this story that hasn't already been said?
Well, it develops itself around what i imagine to be, a difficult theme to write about: Rape.
The main characters got to know one another because one is the...more
Sometimes, if you want something badly enough, you can make it happen. If you miss someone so desperately that it wrecks your insides, you say their name over and over until you conjure them. It's called sympathetic magic and you just have to believe in it to make it work.
What can i say about this story that hasn't already been said?
Well, it develops itself around what i imagine to be, a difficult theme to write about: Rape.
The main characters got to know one another because one is the...more
1 like · like · see review
3.5 stars
When I was at the beach as a kid, I used to regularly do this thing where I would swim out as far as I could, just to see how much distance I could cover. I’d swim until my arms got tired, then stop to catch my breath before turning around. I never stopped doing it, but I’d be lying if I said that every single time, I didn’t experience a second of sheer panic when realized I was just suspended there, well and truly out of my depth.
I feel a little like that trying to write this review. (...more
When I was at the beach as a kid, I used to regularly do this thing where I would swim out as far as I could, just to see how much distance I could cover. I’d swim until my arms got tired, then stop to catch my breath before turning around. I never stopped doing it, but I’d be lying if I said that every single time, I didn’t experience a second of sheer panic when realized I was just suspended there, well and truly out of my depth.
I feel a little like that trying to write this review. (...more
23 likes · like · see review
Fifteen-year old Karyn McKenzie has accused Tom Parker of rape, and her older brother Mickey is determined to get revenge on her behalf. Ellie Parker, Tom's younger sister, wants to believe in her loving brother's innocence and bravely defends her family. What these two protective siblings do not expect is to fall in love with the enemy.
This story, told from alternating perspectives of Mickey and Ellie, has a minor echo of Romeo & Juliet, as Ellie is slightly younger than Mickey and from a...more
This story, told from alternating perspectives of Mickey and Ellie, has a minor echo of Romeo & Juliet, as Ellie is slightly younger than Mickey and from a...more
Jenny Downham is brave, I have to admit that. The plot of You Against Me is so full of tension and hurt that's impossible not to be drawn by it when you start reading it. To talk about rape in your book requires sensibility and a big amount of realism, otherwise the whole thing will just sound fake. In that point, the author made an excellent work. It's obvious since the begginning how both families are suffering from what happened.
But the mystery of it all is, what happened? Mikey's sister see...more
But the mystery of it all is, what happened? Mikey's sister see...more
I'm not going to lie, I had high expectations for this book after reading Before I Die. I couldn't help but think it was going to be a bit of let down. However, Downham suceeded in proving me very very wrong.
This will only be a short review. I can't quite put into words all of my feelings about this book. I managed to read it in less than 2 days because I was forever wondering what was going to happen next. The storyline was compelling and I felt a whole range of emotions when reading this book...more
This will only be a short review. I can't quite put into words all of my feelings about this book. I managed to read it in less than 2 days because I was forever wondering what was going to happen next. The storyline was compelling and I felt a whole range of emotions when reading this book...more
This book is just simply amazing! I read it in a couple of hours, nonstop and this book keeps you hooked, with your eyes glued to the pages! This is the first book I have read by Ms. Downham, but I have heard about her other book; Before I Die and I will definitely be checking out that soon!
Honestly, I LOVED Mikey and how sweet and protective of his sister he was...and then he meets Ellie. And everything changes. I thought Mikey had so many responisibilties and it made me feel so sorry for him....more
Honestly, I LOVED Mikey and how sweet and protective of his sister he was...and then he meets Ellie. And everything changes. I thought Mikey had so many responisibilties and it made me feel so sorry for him....more
Feb 16, 2012
Lauren (Lauren Reads YA)
rated it
4 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
Fans of Forbidden by Tabitha Suzuma and other dark YA contemporary
Check out my book blog for more reviews!
You Against Me is a intriguing, brilliantly written novel by the author of Before I Die. The cover makes it look like a love story, which it is not. Well, not just a love story. (The love story is good though. I need to stop saying ‘love story’ now. Okay.) It’s a story about relationships, not just between lovers, but between family members and friends too. It’s about loyalty, the truth, bravery, and how far we would go to protect the people we love.
I bou...more
You Against Me is a intriguing, brilliantly written novel by the author of Before I Die. The cover makes it look like a love story, which it is not. Well, not just a love story. (The love story is good though. I need to stop saying ‘love story’ now. Okay.) It’s a story about relationships, not just between lovers, but between family members and friends too. It’s about loyalty, the truth, bravery, and how far we would go to protect the people we love.
I bou...more
5 likes · like · see review
I wanted to read this book from the moment I heard about it.. But, while waiting for it to be published, I read Before I Die first (and I didn't really liked it) so I didn't know if to read "You Against Me" after all, no matter how many good reviews I've seen.
But.. yesterday I gave it a try and now I can't stop wondering why in the world didn't I read it earlier?
It was that good.
The title is perfect - and it doesn't define only the relation between Ellie and Mickey, but also the relation betwee...more
But.. yesterday I gave it a try and now I can't stop wondering why in the world didn't I read it earlier?
It was that good.
The title is perfect - and it doesn't define only the relation between Ellie and Mickey, but also the relation betwee...more
8 likes · like · see review
Parts of this book I absolutely loved, I could completely see scenes, settings and characters in my head and, most of the time, I loved what I saw. I thought that is took a little too long to get started, but it worth it in the end.
I love the fact that Jenny Downham makes all of her characters really human. No one is completely evil, fearless or perfect, it makes them realatable, real and convincing.
For me this book was a borderline 5 stars, but the beginning was just not up to the stardard of t...more
I love the fact that Jenny Downham makes all of her characters really human. No one is completely evil, fearless or perfect, it makes them realatable, real and convincing.
For me this book was a borderline 5 stars, but the beginning was just not up to the stardard of t...more
Mikey's fifteen year old sister, Karyn, claims she was sexually assaulted. Mikey is afraid he will get away with it and wants to take the law into his own hands. Mikey has his hands full though. His mom spends her time in bed or drinking instead of taking care of the kids and house. Mikey works full-time, takes his baby sister, Holly, to school, gets the groceries and checks in on Karyn. Karyn refuses to leave the flat since the incident. She is afraid she will run into him, even though he isn't...more
You Against Me is about two people falling in love who shouldn’t. The reason is that the hero’s sister has accused the heroine’s brother of raping her. Our hero, Mikey lives on the wrong side of the tracks with an absentee mother and younger siblings who look to him to keep it all together. Mikey likes to cook and one day dreams of being a chef. When his younger sister Karyn cries rape, he decided to go after her assailant, Tom. With some of his buddies, he’ll crash the party Tom’s parents are h...more
I don't know, man. Here's the deal.
You can say I'm a bit of a masochist and enjoy the feeling of my heart sinking to the torturous pits of my stomach. I like that feeling I get when these normal people have the unfortunate and questionable privilege of going through things that will ultimately scar them and make them stronger, or so everyone says that's what happens to people with screwed up lives. And in theory, this book should have been more or less ideal- and it was! Don't get me wrong. I l...more
You can say I'm a bit of a masochist and enjoy the feeling of my heart sinking to the torturous pits of my stomach. I like that feeling I get when these normal people have the unfortunate and questionable privilege of going through things that will ultimately scar them and make them stronger, or so everyone says that's what happens to people with screwed up lives. And in theory, this book should have been more or less ideal- and it was! Don't get me wrong. I l...more
Apr 30, 2013
Ian Wood
added it
I don't do stars; a novel is either worthy of reading or it isn't, but I rated this one as worthy on my blog and I and recommend it highly.
This book is a real rip-snorter! Yes, you heard me right and I'll bet no other review has dared to say that about this novel! I was half-way sold after seeing the title! Then came the back-cover blurb, and that first line. There was no hope for me after that. I read some 140 pages the first day, and that's with working full time and running the kids around. O...more
This book is a real rip-snorter! Yes, you heard me right and I'll bet no other review has dared to say that about this novel! I was half-way sold after seeing the title! Then came the back-cover blurb, and that first line. There was no hope for me after that. I read some 140 pages the first day, and that's with working full time and running the kids around. O...more
| topics | posts | views | last activity | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| It's like a roller coaster! | 1 | 24 | Dec 19, 2012 07:48pm | |
| Too...dragging? | 3 | 24 | Nov 19, 2012 10:17am | |
| Realistic Fiction | 1 | 22 | Oct 28, 2012 02:54pm | |
| What's The Name o...: Contemporary YA : Heroine's Brother Raped Hero's Sister [s] | 3 | 60 | Oct 23, 2012 05:30am |
Jenny Downham (born 1964) is a British novelist and an ex-actor. In her first book, Before I Die, the fictional account of the last few months of a sixteen-year-old girl who has been dying of leukemia for 4 years. The book is told in the first person. The book was acclaimed and was short-listed for the 2007 Guardian Award and the 2008 Lancashire Children's Book of the Year, nominated for the 2008...more
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“It was strange how words meant something when they came out of your mouth. Inside your head they were safe and silent, but once they were outside, people grabbed hold of them.”
—
155 people liked it
“Sometimes if you want something badly enough, you can make it happen. If you miss someone so desperately that it wrecks your insides, you say their name over and over until you conjure then. It's called sympathetic magic and you just have to believe in it to make it work.”
—
124 people liked it
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