Diagnosed with BPD & Depression, Lexi Archer prefers to continue outpatient treatment. But someone else has other plans.
BlindSided tells the story of Lexi Archer, a twenty-year-old woman, who wakes up in a hospital bed, handcuffed to the rail, and realizes that she doesn't remember what happened the night before.
After being released from the hospital, Lexi is transferred to the Milwaukee County Jail where she's told about her pending charges for first-degree murder.
Intent on proving she's innocent, Lexi places a phone call to her step-sister asking for her help. As Lexi gets closer to the truth, she unravels ugly secrets about her dead mother that will change her life forever.
I'm on Goodreads as an author and a reader. I love reading printed books, but enjoy using my Kindle for late night reading.
When Marguerite Ashton was in her twenties, she took up acting, but soon realized she preferred to work behind the camera, writing crime fiction. A few years later, she married an IT Geek and settled down with her role as wife, mom, and writer. Five kids later, she founded the Crime Writer’s Panel and began working with former law enforcement investigators to create; Criminal Lines Blog, an online library for crime writers who need help with their book research.
She’s a workaholic who hides in her writer’s attic, plotting out her next book and stalking Pinterest for the next avocado recipe.
A member of Sisters in Crime, Marguerite grew up in Colorado, but is now happily living in Wisconsin and playing as much golf as possible. She can be found on Twitter and Facebook.
I received an advance review copy for free and am leaving this review voluntarily. Thank you Marguerite Ashton and Xpresso Book Tours. I'm excited to be a part of this tour.
The synopsis of this book intrigued me, and I am thankful to be part of this tour. I majored in Psychology because I wanted to be a psychologist. Because of my interest in personality disorders I was drawn to Lexi and her mother’s characters. Both diagnosed with borderline personality disorder (BPD)leads to an interesting dynamic between them.
The book opens with Lexi waking up in a hospital handcuffed to the bed. Her aunt Tammy has been murdered and Lexi is the prime suspect. The author does an excellent job of portraying BPD in its true form. Lexi’s mom can be quite cruel to her which makes her death more traumatic for Lexi. Lexi has suffered a tremendous amount of emotional and physical abuse at the hands of those who love her. Consumed by anxiety and depression, Lexi just wants a normal life.
This book reads a lot like a teenager’s diary which makes it a quick read. Though it also contains many triggers. This book is difficult to read at times and won’t be for everyone.
Family secrets, shot gun weddings, betrayal, trauma, unstable family, and jealousy. Marguerite Ashton's Blindsided tells the story of a young girl named Lexi, who's life is turned upside down within months of her 18th birthday.
This novella highlights the impact on a young child's mental development after years of being mentally, emotionally and physically abused by your blood relatives, especially your parents.
The blurb for this novella accurately describes its contents and storyline. But, it is important for the reader to note that the story is being told from the point of view of the main character, Lexi. She starts the story waking up handcuffed in the hospital and is told that a family member is dead and that she is the number one suspect. The next chapters are Lexi reliving the events the lead up to her current situation as she tried to remember what happened the night her relative was killed.
In a way, this novella can be consider a thriller, since we know that Lexi is being charged with murder, but in the end, we find out that she is a victim herself and someone else committed the act.
While brief, this novella underlines the importance of recognizing the signs of an anxiety attack and having a clear understanding of what to do when one is experiencing a mental health crisis. We see Lexi discussing her issues with her school counselor and even considering outpatient mental health services. Also, she employs coping techniques like journaling and stretching/breathing to help manage her anxiety and mental health state.
Ashton does a good job in normalizing Black adolescents seeking help whether from a professional, the police or family.
To fully understand the story of Lexi, one would have to understand the hidden traumas that black families experience often at the hands of other family members. And how, “talking about bad things that happened in the family was forbidden or considered disrespectful." Even with the mentioning of religion by her aunt Tammy is a nod towards the power of the Black church over seeking professional help. Many believe a pastor can help pray away any ailments or issues one may experience. Also, a pastor is more able to keep secrets since "nothing is written down or reported" outside of the meeting.
I do wish the author would have written more. I feel like there could be more to explore in the past of Lexi's mother and aunt with their grandfather. The statements he made to her father may hint towards the root of their mental health issues. I would also like to see more scenes of Lexi at school with her friends or even a couple more visits with the counselor.
All in all, I am happy to have read this novella. It is a storyline that is really seen or told: a young Black girl recognizing her own mental health issues and wanting to get help seeking help but unstable family members try to prevent this out of spite, jealousy, and their own mental health issues. In the case of Lexi, this ended in even more trauma, and leaves her with a long road ahead in recovery.
*I received this e-book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review*
Have you ever read a book that has left you thinking once you have finished, what the heck did I just read? As someone who is a voracious and a big reader, I read a lot of books and more often than not I do fully understand what is happening but then you get a book that something feels off, and to be honest, you don't know how to explain what you have just read or put it into words that resemble something readable. That's how I felt with Blindsided, I felt Blindsided myself as this was a quick read but even as I finished - I sat there and was like how am I going to write this review? So, I am going to try and write what I can for you. This book starts with Lexi Archer waking up in a hospital bed and she is handcuffed. It turns out that her Aunt Tammy has been murdered and Lexi is the prime suspect. The book then jumps to Lexi being diagnosed with BPD aka borderline personality disorder and PTSD from childhood trauma. We learn that despite her mother being a psychologist, she too suffered from BPD and was quite cruel towards Lexi, especially after her parent's divorce. Lexi was used as a pawn until her mother died and she went to live with her Aunt Tammy who turned out to be even worse than Lexi's mother. All this abuse - physical and mental built up and Lexi snaps and this is Lexi's story from her cell. We also catch glimpses at the end about a cousin Boston Archer who was on the right track and has gone downhill as well - something to do with drugs - I think. As I told you, I got so confused reading this book due to it as a whole feeling too disjointed for me. If you love a strong clear direct plot/storyline like me - then this isn't the read for you as trust me it will leave you feeling even more confused than you were when you started this book. As readers, we win some and we lose some.
I just read a high school girls journal. Her story is one that many live through, although I have been lucky to not have lived that life. Lexi grew up with parents that fought. When they finally divorced, her mother manipulated her to go against her father. Depression and Borderline Personality Disorder was diagnosed. All Lexi wanted was to live a high schooler’s life.
Lexi is very likable but everyone else in this book let her down. I wanted to take Lexi into my imperfect but safe house and show her what a family should be, how unconditional love works, and give her the high school years that she deserves.
There was nothing easy about this book. Blindsided is a book with many triggers, but it is a real book. This is the life many live. Mental health is a real thing and Lexi is a great example of someone who needed more support than she was offered.
I could not put the book down, although there were times I wanted to, it was a tough read.
Blindsided by Marguerite Ashton felt super raw and personal. It's an important story that weighs heavily with trigger warnings that will shatter you.
My heart broke for Lexi and what she went through at such a young age. Your parents are supposed to be safe, loving and protective. A lot of people let Lexi down.
{Triggers ahead}
🖤 It was a whirlwind of a read, packing in abuse, depression, suicide, anxiety, trauma, death, murder and a shocking twist, all in 70 pages!
🖤 Because of how short of a read it was, plus all the info that was given to us, a lot of areas were left not fully explored. I needed more information to wrap my head around every new direction it took, and connect with the authors characters. Still it felt like an important read and a potential real look into the struggles Black women go through when it comes to fighting for their mental health.
This is a very quick read. It features physical and emotional abuse but there is a happy ending as well. However, I did just want to point out the abuse for anyone who this is a trigger for.
The beginning of this story does grab my attention. Then it flashes back in time to expose everything that lead up to Lexi's current situation. I did not see the ending coming. What Lexi had to deal with did make me sad for her. I am glad that she did have some people on her side that believed her and supported her. While like I said I did feel for Lexi, I never through fully embraced the story. I felt like it was a bit rushed and therefore the suspense never really built up and I did not really get to form any strong emotional connection to the characters. However, this is still a nice, quick read.
I would like to start off my review by saying thank you to Netgalley and Criminal Lines Publishing for giving me an ARC of this book, in exchange for a review. When I first read the synopsis of BlindSided, by Marguerite Ashton, I was very excited. It sounded like it was going to be a thrilling read, one that would grab my attention from the start; a page turner. Unfortunately, once I began reading it, my thoughts changed early on in the book. The first chapter of the book set the story up for success. However, I was deeply disappointed when I continued to read the story. It began to feel like it was all over the place. There were unnecessary grammar errors. Overall, it was a very confusing. It was a book I was truly excited about. So, I was very disappointed to say the least. Due to the numerous grammar issues sprinkled throughout the book, I would not recommend it to others.
I just got to the end of this short novella, and then went back to the blurb, and read it again. The blurb reads like a psychological thriller, but this book is something else. Some part of the story described in the blurb does not happen at all...
The author's note explains that the book is inspired by her own experiences with mental health issues, and it does feel like reading a personal diary. The story itself has potential and it kept me reading in the first half of the book, but it went nowhere in the end. This is like a first sketch of a story the author makes to herself before starting to elaborate a proper novel.
Many thanks to NetGalley and Criminal Lines Publishing for an Advance Review Copy.
Blindsided is a quick novella length story about Lexi. She wakes up in the hospital, handcuffed to the bed with no memory of what happened. She is accused of murdering her aunt. I thought this was an interesting book. It's not really as much of a thriller as the synopsis makes it seem. It is more of a character study of an abused girl on the brink of adulthood and how it drives her depression. It also highlights how all of the adults around her failed her with their abuse, neglect and family secrets. There were a few times when I wasn't too clear on the timeline of events. But these are things that could be fixed in a re-edit. Overall, it is something worth giving a try.
Let me just say, I cannot wait to see what book two has in store. This was dark, suspense-filled, and an absolute page-turner. I was really interested to see how mental illness would play into this. Personally, I thought Ashton handled it really well, and didn't demonize or glamorize it, but gave the reader some insight into what it's like to live with it. The abuse mentioned adds to the story, and isn't thrown in there just to make the story darker. (But please be warned, this may be difficult for some readers). The characters have a lot more depth than I was expecting from a novella, and I was on the edge of my seat wondering what was going to happen next. A great, pretty dark, thriller.
As a major fan of thrillers and YA books, I knew this was going to be a good one! Lexi Archer is such an interesting character, especially when she is facing first-degree murder charges. There were twists and turns in this book that I was not expecting, but I loved every minute of it! Readers will find themselves wrapped up in the mystery that Lexi unravels as she faces the truth.
Marguerite Ashton is definitely a new favorite author and everyone should read her book! Based solely on the synopsis, I just know this will be your next favorite thriller. The book reads at a great pace and will keep you guessing until the end.
I really wanted to like this book! I loved the synopsis for it and the first chapter had me really interested, but it sadly fell completely flat for me after that. It was just all over the place and I wasn’t sure, if it was suppose to be because of our mc’s mental state, or if that’s just how it was written. I couldn’t keep the story straight things were constantly changing and not adding up for me. I was really let down by this one.
The blurb and the actual novella seem like two different stories. The blurb was concise and hooked me in, while the novella was confusing and riddled with small and fixable errors. It was like reading two completely unrelated things. I struggled to find the novella interesting enough to maintain focus and it was so short.
Wow, what a rush this story was. I couldn’t believe the web this character was in. With all the thoughts and feelings from the character as well as my own.. I was on the edge of my seat! I do wish the story was longer though, I wanted more of the backstory and her past as a child.
Blindsided grabbed my attention from the first page and never let go from beginning to end. Once I picked it up I was hooked and I couldn’t turn the pages fast enough as I had to know what was going on. Blindsided kept me in suspense all the way through to the end.
Blindsided tells the story of one young woman’s life as she grew up and how she was treated. Blindsided is Lexi Archer’s story. It tells what she went through as a child with her mother. After the death of her mother, Lexi is sent to live with her aunt. Life does not get any easier for Lexi living with her aunt.
Living with her aunt opens Lexi’s eyes to a brand new world. She learns that everyone has lied to her, her whole life. She learns that the people in her life are not who they said they were.
Lexi’s life is turned upside down when she is arrested for murder and thrown in the county jail. Lexi doesn’t believe that she has killed anyone but she is certain as the details of that night are blurry.
Did Lexi commit murder? Did she do what they are accusing her of? Is Lexi innocent? If so who is the killer? All the answers can be found by reading Blindsided. Grab your copy of Blindsided today for all the answers.
Blindsided pulls you in from the very beginning, rooting for Lexi, making you feel for Lexi in more ways than one. Blindsided will touch your heart in different ways. Some are good and some are not so good. I can’t wait for the next book in The Forgotten Daughter series, Trapped due to be released July 5, 2023.
Content - The story is about Lexi Archer, an eighteen year old girl, who wakes up at the hospital with her handcuffed to the bed rail and realises that she doesn't remember anything about the night before.
After getting discharged from the hospital, Lexi is transferred to the Milwaukee County Jail where she is informed about her pending charges for the first degree murder of her aunt, Tammy.
Did she murdered her aunt? What happened that night? What triggered her to do such a crime?
Read the book to know the truth.
My Views - The book starts with Lexi handcuffed to the hospital bed where she came to know about the death of her aunt, Tammy by her hand. The story starts from there and takes us to the backstory of this whole plot. The story shows us about the hidden traumas and anxieties that a child goes through when the parents go through divorce. Here Lexi is also going through the same situation and even before their divorce, they were verbally abusive with each other which makes Lexi's life very difficult.
Lexi's mother was suffering from identity disorder and depression and Lexi is also suffering from anxiety attack and depression for which she is undergoing counseling and treatment. She wants to finish her high school from her aunty's place after her mother's death but there also she was continuously harassed by her aunty.
The question is raised from there if she has killed her aunty because of this abuse. The narration and storyline is good. The suspense is also intact till the end but the whole story is kind of repetitive which makes the story unnecessarily long. This is a short read but could have been shorter. The cover pic also doesn't go well with the story. The pic conveyed some different story rather than what it actually is.
Spoiler Alert! There is no ending. Ashton gives us a horrific tale that could come right off of the front page. Trauma. Abuse. Isolation. Mental health issues surfacing. Then bam! The story spins and you don’t know which end is up. I’m still trying to figure out fact from trauma.
Anyone who can do that is a must read. Kudos to Aston for Blind Sided.
I received a free copy of this book and I am writing a review without prejudice and voluntarily.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.