[ARC Review] It Wasn't Me

📚 It Wasn't Me by Jay Word

⭐ Rating: ★★★★☆ (4/5)

🏹 Genre: Crime, psychological thriller

🎯 For fans of: Fictional stories that read like true crime, determined character

🔎 Synopsis --

It Wasn’t Me, a novella. Shane was let down, neglected, and abused by everyone in his life. Besides his grandparents, he really had nobody there for him. Whilst serving twelve months in a secure home for a crime he didn’t commit, he suffers yet more abuse.

Shane can't take anymore, and he commits suicide in the police station after his hasty confession; he had killed his mother, half-sister, and her father. 

DI Campbell is determined to get justice for Shane, too. He was a victim before he became a murderer and the men who’d abused him were powerful and privileged. Nothing and nobody will prevent Campbell from bringing those men to justice. 

(Synopsis taken from author's website https://www.jaywordauthor.com/product/16619612/it-wasn-t-me-a-novella-paperback-edition)

I feel like I cannot review this book like my other reviews. I can't say that I enjoyed the book because who would be happy reading a horrific story about a boy who has gone through unspeakable abuse? I cannot say that I liked the storyline, as that would be a sadistic thing to say.

One thing I can say is that this book made me think and reflect on the dark corners of abuse and neglect that are still occurring in today's society.

This book shows the grim realities of child abuse, neglect, and the tragic outcomes that can ensue when cries for help go unheard. Reading this story has increased my awareness of abuse in this society. Child abuse and trauma used to be such an obscure thing to me. It was something that always seemed dramatised and hard to comprehend, because why would a child be abused by their own parents? Usually, when child abuse is mentioned in television shows, books or newspapers, the main focus is on the child's physical state -- like what kinds of injuries they endured, etc. This book really went in-depth into the emotional turmoil and confusion that a child suffering from child abuse experiences.

The aspect I liked most about this book is the different points of view. Usually, books with many perspectives tend to make the entire story hard to understand. However, I felt that I was able to follow the story perfectly well. The reason why I liked this is that I was able to understand the situation from everyone's perspective. I understood Lorraine's vulnerability and the desperate need to prove herself. I felt DI Campbell's determination. I recognised Shane's grandparents' confusion. I experienced Shane's anguish. And most importantly, I was able to see Terrence's intentions and actions, which made me sick to my stomach. Being able to see the culprit's angle makes the story a lot more believable. Earlier on, I mentioned that stories about abuse often seemed obscure and hard to understand to me. This is because I only viewed the situation as a whole and never from the perspective of the perpetrator. Reading Terrance's point of view made everything seem so real -- scarily so.

Overall, I feel that this book has deepened my understanding of the horrors of abuse in today's society. It definitely moved me as well as scared me.

Would I recommend this?

Definitely.

Thank you all for reading this review. Be sure to order your own copy of It Wasn't Me from this link https://www.jaywordauthor.com/product/16619612/it-wasn-t-me-a-novella-paperback-edition

Congratulations @jay.word.author on writing this stunning novella!

Lastly, I would like to thank @bookwormbookspr, for giving me this wonderful opportunity to read and review this book.