Cher Gatto

This book was extremely intense! From abuse to human trafficking to faked deaths and more, this book had a lot to offer.
Billy believes himself to be Max’s son, yet he struggles with the abuse he suffers from Max. This book holds nothing back in dealing with children sold for sex. Yet Billy is surrounded by people who care for him in the way of his high school principal Dan and his best friend Jersey. Suffering the abuse he did, Billy doubts his own self worth. Yet helping others including an 8-year-old boy he believes to be his brother as well as some girls leads him down a different path than what Max intended.
As I read this book, I felt every emotion Billy experienced as well as those around him. The world-building is incredible. I truly felt I was in the story as I was reading. Never having had a child die, I can not imagine the grief Dan and his wife Kelly must have experienced.
I have to say I would love to see a sequel to this book that explores what happens to Dan, Kelly, Billy, Toby, and Jersey. I think Billy has an incredible future ahead of him being blessed by God with his life and his family.
So if you do not mind reading intense young adult novels that are not all sunshine and rainbows, but are ones that truly exemplify God’s mercy and love for His people, check out this book for yourself.
I received a complimentary copy of this book from CelebrateLit, this in no way influenced my review. All opinions are my own.… (lisätietoja)

This is not an easy feel good kind of book. In fact it is one of the hardest stories I have ever read. It drips with raw emotions and sends readers to a place where evil lurks. There has been news reports and documentaries about human trafficking, but this book goes deeper. It goes to the under belly of darkness and exposes the truth that no one is immune from pain, desperation and a loss of hope.
Billy is a character that I wanted to rescue myself. I wanted to barge in the room, knock Max to the ground and tell Billy he was safe. The author lets us see inside a world where power controls people and their love of money devours their soul. Billy has been beaten all his life but his loyalty to Max is honorable. He knows God but I think he wondered where he was at times. The abuse is constant and savage yet Billy continues to draw strength from inside.
The scenes are graphic at times but is necessary to understand the emotional and physical abuse a person goes through. I have no good words to say about Max. He is an abusive, power hungry person who sees Billy as a way out of situations. I can’t even fathom how a “parent” could sell their child knowing the atmosphere they were placing them in. Max oozes with darkness and has no remorse for the torture he endures Billy to.
I admired Billy and his determination to survive. He is someone who knows that the truth will set him free. His journey is heartbreaking yet I feel it helped him grow closer to God. I don’t want to go into much detail about the story because readers need to experience it for themselves. Billy makes difficult decisions which define his future. There are a few surprises in the story which helped explained the ending. I admire the author for writing a story that not only exposes evil, but shows us that there is hope.
“But nothing-not wicked men or even demons that haunt you-can take you out of God’s hands.”
I received a copy of this book from Celebrate Lit. The review is my own opinion.… (lisätietoja)

This book can be summed up in one word: POWERFUL. This is not a light-hearted, uplifting story. Although there are moments of hope and good, Something I Am Not is filled with pain and with the horrors and torment the depravity of sinful and greedy people inflict on those who can’t defend themselves. Or those who are so starved for affirmation, acknowledgement, or affection from the people in their lives.

While Cher Gatto doesn’t go into gruesome detail of all the abuse Billy suffers at the hands of others in his life, the nuances are there to give readers a pretty good idea of the many forms of abuse extracted on him. And when he loses his places of escape, the oppression deepens.

Gatto’s debut is thought provoking, emotional, and absolutely soul-wrenching.
Sometimes in my comfortable life in my comfortable home, it’s easy to forget about those who don’t have that reality. And that’s something that’s been on my heart and mind these last couple of months for those people who are now at home with no escape from their abusers.

I wish everyone had a Dan or a Jersey in their lives. People who show unconditional acceptance and love no matter your past. I pray God uses me as that person for someone who has been beaten down by the hands, the words, or the actions of others.

Disclosure statement: I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book and was not required to write a positive review. All opinions are my own.… (lisätietoja)