Book Review: Mine by Emily Merrill

*Trigger Warning* This book deals with the topic of domestic abuse.

Goodreads Blurb

Mine by Emily Merrill

Avery and Luke are solid. The love they have is the envy of her friends. So when he joins her at university, she’s pretty sure that life can’t get much better. But something is changing and when Avery makes a new friend in the brilliant writer Beckett, she starts to see a new side to the man she loves. A side that scares her. As their relationship begins to spiral, she’s faced with a life-changing decision.

Should she fight for her boyfriend? Or should she fight for herself?

Review

Don’t be fooled by the cover or blurb of this book. They deceive us by presuming a ‘softer’ story. However, Mine deals with the serious issue of domestic abuse, something that should never be undermined.

Mine begins with the type of abuse that some might find easy to dismiss: “He is only like that because he loves me and wants to spend all our time together” or “he is just having a bad day”. However, it doesn’t take long for Luke’s behaviour to become more intense. I liked how the author played this instance of abuse out. It shows us that abusive relationships aren’t always the immediate physical aggression we see on the TV. It is often more gradual, starting out with a comment here and there. It makes for a heartbreaking journey for Avery.

However, Mine is not just a story about abuse. It is also a story about finding yourself and learning to stand on your own two feet. And it is also a story about friendship. And when those two themes are combined they make for a very emotional yet inspiring story.

I know there are some readers out there that tend to stick to a genre and I guess that Mine could be labelled under the YA genre. However, its story appeals to a much wider audience. The characters in this book may be teenagers but the problems they face, and how they deal with them, are very much dealt with in an adult manner. Don’t let a younger cast of characters turn you off. Believe me, you will be missing out.

I was sent a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

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