Not Guilty in The Insecure Writer's Support Group Book Club

Oct 24, 2019 Beverly McClure rated it it was amazing

Have you ever been accused of something that you didn’t do? How did you prove your innocence? Or did you?
Take a lie, a broken heart, and a mystery and you have a world spinning out of control. In C. Lee McKenzie’s latest novel, NOT GUILTY, Devon Carlyle has a dream. His chances are looking good to make his dream come true, until the unthinkable happens. Instead of the prospects of a basketball scholarship he ends up in Juvenile Hall although he’s innocent. Can he find a way to prove he’s not gui ...more

2 likes · Like · see review

Apr 14, 2020 J. Dorner rated it it was amazing

I liked reading this book. Part of it was difficult because it reminded me of part of my youth (but that's a credit to the author for writing something so evocative). There's a good metaphor about the basketball court and the court of law. As the title suggests, the main character is not guilty. But as the book goes on, despite knowing this, even I started to question if he did it somehow. That's the point of the story, I think. How even if we really believe someone wouldn't do something, we can I liked reading this book. Part of it was difficult because it reminded me of part of my youth (but that's a credit to the author for writing something so evocative). There's a good metaphor about the basketball court and the court of law. As the title suggests, the main character is not guilty. But as the book goes on, despite knowing this, even I started to question if he did it somehow. That's the point of the story, I think. How even if we really believe someone wouldn't do something, we can be tricked into thinking otherwise.

What really fascinated me was the Mia character. Especially when Devon realizes the impact his reputation has had on her. It's easy to feel like you're an island, like your choices don't influence how others see people in your circle (your family, friends, co-workers, community, etc), but that's not true.

A part that really resonated with me was said by a secondary character, Pinky McCloud (I love that name). "Seriously, you're on the different half of the Oceanside High planet, my man -- the Pinky half. This is where all miscreants are punished more severely than the law punishes them and for one heck of a lot longer."

I received a free copy of this book and am leaving an honest review. The author and I are connected on social media and visit each others' blogs occasionally. I would recommend this book to those who enjoy a YA drama or stories about unfair punishments for innocent people. Contemporary YA isn't the genre I read most frequently, but I do enjoy it from time to time. And C. Lee McKenzie is absolutely great at writing these stories! I will read more of her books.

The scene with the Old Coast Highway and Dead Man's Curve had me pause to look those up. It's something that's mentioned in movies, tv shows, and even a song. So while the scene might not pull everyone out, it did for me because my mind was overcome with curiosity. (Not really a bad thing, just an experience.)

The book was realistic fiction. It did, for the most part, have happily-ever-after. There's a little romance, and perhaps a bit of a tear-jerker (depending on your experience). It's maybe somewhat controversial. If you realize that this could happen to you, it becomes a chilling thriller. It's definitely meaningful. There are some diverse characters. And there is a layer of mystery as Devon works to prove his innocence. (I feel he's extremely lucky on how the scene at the farm ended up, because it could have been far worse.)

The title and cover do make sense. There is some cursing in the book. I do wonder, in Chapter Thirty-One, if it's supposed to be a Hershey bar, or if there's really a Hersey with nuts.

I enjoyed the order in which the book was told. Everything made sense and lined up. I could relate to Devon in that I've shared the experience of "being guilty" for everything that happens around me, even if there's no way I could have something to do with it. But, emotionally, I feel like he would have had it worse if he were from a different background. Life definitely wasn't easy for the characters in this book. It does hold several mirrors up to society in that it shows how we judge people once we decide they're guilty, and it shows how far and fast anyone can fall, and there's the mirror of how society will outcast anyone who stands with someone who society has found guilty. That last one is really hard to learn. ...more

2 likes · Like · see review

Oct 24, 2019 Jemi Fraser rated it it was amazing

This book is a powerful and emotional read - one of my favourite YA reads ever.
Devon is a 17-year-old basketball star who has everything going his way ... until he's accused of stabbing a man on a stretch of beach near his home.
Watching Devon go through so many challenges makes for a stressful and emotional ride that had me both in tears and cheering more than once.
Honest, gritty, realistic, and incredibly heartfelt.
These characters and this story will stay with you long after you've finished th ...more

2 likes · Like · see review

Oct 31, 2019 Pat Garcia rated it it was amazing

Shelves: young-adult

Not Guilty introduces you to Devon Carlyle and the unexpected events that change his destiny and his way of thinking forever. Carlyle’s mind is on winning the state championship and maybe becoming the best basketball player ever at his school in his upcoming senior year. His expectations have a sequential order of importance; a basketball scholarship, his best friend, and his new girlfriend, whom he loves dearly.

Leaving the stage of adolescent and moving swiftly toward early adulthood presents ...more

1 like · Like · see review

Oct 25, 2019 Lynda Young rated it it was amazing

Life is exactly as Devon envisioned it with all his plans on track. He has the perfect girlfriend (according to him), the championship and a scholarship. In a blink of an eye, it all falls to pieces when he is accused of assault with a deadly weapon.

The main character has a good energy to him, though I wasn’t sure why he liked his girlfriend so much. I felt for him when nobody believed his innocence. He was tossed about in a turmoil of being wrongly accused and then injustice after injustice pil ...more

1 like · Like · see review

Oct 24, 2019 J.Q. Rose rated it it was amazing

In C. Lee McKenzie’s latest YA novel, Not Guilty, high school basketball star, Devon Carlyle, is a good responsible student planning on attending college, and member of a loving family. This does not describe a young man who would assault a man on the beach with a knife. I thought this was a bit far-fetched for him to be guilty of such a crime. But when all the evidence was presented backed up by an eyewitness, Devon Carlyle was sentenced to 4 months in juvenile detention. Ms. Mckenzie allows re ...more

1 like · Like · see review

Oct 24, 2019 Toi Thomas rated it really liked it

Shelves: children-teen, rated, reviewed, general-fiction, mystery

This book had a very satisfying ending, and for me, that was the deciding factor for how I would rate this book. Being a reader who struggles with YA, this story was a challenge for me, but it was also interesting enough to keep wondering how it would all come together in the end.

I’d like to say that I really felt for the MC and was rooting for him the whole time, but I really wasn’t. I knew he was not guilty, thus the title, but I simply didn’t care much for him until the end. I liked his fami ...more

1 like · Like · see review

Oct 24, 2019 Mary Aalgaard rated it it was amazing

Whether or not he did it, or he didn't, once he was accused, arrested, and questioned, he was convicted by the community. Devon Carlyle was living the average young man's life. He was a star on his high school basketball team, had a nice girlfriend, good friends, and hopes for a bright future, including a basketball scholarship to a college. That all changed when he took a walk along the beach one Fall afternoon after having a fight with his girlfriend. Now, his prints are all over the bloody kn ...more

1 like · Like · see review

Oct 24, 2019 S.A. Larsen rated it it was amazing

Small town politics, grudges, prejudice, and a boy who’s caught in the crosshairs sets this teen mystery ablaze. Having been accused of a crime and knowing her didn’t do it, Devon is sure this whole thing will blow over. But he was dead wrong. The (supposed) crime, the judicial system, and Juvenile Hall gradually increase tension and conflict within Devon and the world he thought he knew. People turn on him and his family. Through vivid descriptions of the world and its characters, an arena of e ...more

1 like · Like · see review

Dec 02, 2019 Susan Swiderski rated it it was amazing

Shelves: heart-wrenching, ya

I don't read a lot of YA books, but I sure am glad I read this one.

Most of us know how horrible it is to be falsely accused of something, and "Not fair!" feelings are particularly well-developed in teenagers, but when high school junior Devon is accused, it isn't just his girl friend accusing him of cheating on her... which she did... and he didn't. No, it's much more than that. He's not only accused of beating and stabbing someone, he's convicted and sent to juvie.

He goes from being a popular ...more

1 like · Like · see review

Oct 28, 2019 Elizabeth Seckman rated it it was amazing

As a licensed social worker and former child advocate, I was impressed with the dimension the author gave to the main character. As in real life, there were plenty of times when Devon (the MC) did things that weren't smart that exacerbated his troubles or failed to ask for help that would have helped get him out of the dilemma he found himself in. But that's real life. Teens don't always do the smartest thing and are often ruled more by emotion than from wisdom. I enjoyed the characters and was ...more

1 like · Like · see review

Oct 27, 2019 Bish Denham rated it it was amazing

Shelves: young-adult

Devon's got it all: the perfect girlfriend, the possibility of a collage basketball scholarship, a caring family, friends. But when he's accused of deadly assault, his whole world is suddenly turned up-side-down and he finds himself in Juvenile Hall, the "good" kid thrown in with a bunch of "bad" kids. Being locked up in an alien environment is scary enough, but when he realizes the profound affect the accusation has on his family, Devon is not only riddled with guilt, he becomes determined to p ...more

1 like · Like · see review

Oct 29, 2019 Diane Burton rated it it was amazing

This story about a young man falsely accused of a crime disturbed me. The author made the situation in juvie so real I had to put down the book. But the story was so well written I had to find out what happened to Devon. My persistence was rewarded. As the story unfolded, the characters became real to me. The situations Devon and his family encountered were equally realistic. Devon's obsession with discovering the true culprit "forced" me to keep reading. I had to know if he would be successful. ...more

1 like · Like · see review

Oct 25, 2019 Juneta Key rated it it was amazing

Small town intrigue, a nonchalant teenager accused of a crime he didn't do life is turned upside down when everyone believes he is guilty. People he thought he could count on fall short forcing him to grow up and face some things many of us don't want to face. Lots of tension, angst, and suspense throughout the tale to keep you reading. It is a mystery with real issues and in some ways a coming of age through hardship. Characters are well developed in a well-told story. ...more

1 like · Like · see review

Feb 07, 2020 Yolanda Renee rated it it was amazing

A young man’s temper gets the best of him and before he can figure out what’s happening, he’s accused of assault, judged, and sent to juvenile hall in C. Lee McKenzie’s latest YA novel. Not Guilty is compelling reading.

Devon Carlyle is a likable young man, but he has a temper. He’s not shy about standing up to those who bully him, but the problem is that when the dust settles, he’s the one who looks like the aggressor, and his reaction does not garner trust.

His attitude adjustment does not come ...more

1 like · Like · see review

Nov 09, 2019 Tara rated it really liked it

A bloody knife with his prints. Wrong place, wrong time, and fits the description. Just like that, Devon's future is over. How can he prove he's not guilty?

Intense emotion and connections grab you from the beginning. One fateful day everything changes for Devon -- the star of the basketball team about to snag a full scholarship to the college of his choice. And it all happens so fast, accused, tried, and convicted of stabbing one of his arch enemies. But he didn't do it, and no one will listen.

A ...more

1 like · Like · see review

Jan 06, 2020 Denise Covey rated it it was amazing

Devon Carlyle is only a kid. It seems everyone is against him. The full force of the law is the toughest to fight, but Devon is nothing if not determined. He doggedly follows the trail to prove his innocence for a crime he didn't commit. An at times heart wrenching tale from an author who has mastered point of view. Writing in the mind of a teenage boy, C. Lee McKenzie brings us angst, life inside a detention center, and an adolescent's search for truth in a world that seems to stymie him at eve ...more

1 like · Like · see review

Oct 25, 2019 Yvonne Ventresca rated it it was amazing

Shelves: young-adult

What seems like a bad day for Devon results in major consequences when he is unjustly convicted in a stabbing. While navigating the social complexities of a juvenile detention center, he forges a bond with his three roommates and gains a new perspective on his angry past. But he and his family suffer from the repercussions of his highly publicized crime even after his release. When the justice system and a private investigator fail to exonerate him, Devon must rely on the perspective he gained d ...more

Like · see review