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You'll Never See Daylight Again
The gritty prison memoir of Michaella McCollum, one half of the infamous 'Peru Two', imprisoned in a Peruvian jail for attempting to smuggle 11kg of cocaine from Peru to Madrid in August 2013.
She was just a regular girl, spending the summer working at a bar in Ibiza, until she was approached by a man who asked her if she'd like to make some quick, easy money...and it would change her life forever. This is the truth of her time in prison, told through her own diaries and letters to her mother, family and friends, recounting tales of vicious guards, psychotic inmates and horrendous prison conditions.
A brilliantly affecting tale of a naïve young girl who starts out in the Ibiza party scene and comes of age in the dark heart of Peru, before finally emerging into the sun a stronger, more confident, mature young woman.
She was just a regular girl, spending the summer working at a bar in Ibiza, until she was approached by a man who asked her if she'd like to make some quick, easy money...and it would change her life forever. This is the truth of her time in prison, told through her own diaries and letters to her mother, family and friends, recounting tales of vicious guards, psychotic inmates and horrendous prison conditions.
A brilliantly affecting tale of a naïve young girl who starts out in the Ibiza party scene and comes of age in the dark heart of Peru, before finally emerging into the sun a stronger, more confident, mature young woman.
384 pages, Paperback
Published October 31, 2019
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 50 reviews
July 9, 2021
Its July 8th, tonight there was a documentary on Michaella, with the pouty lips, hair extensions and filler. This review is totally rewritten from the reading notes it was before. My first impressions of her, changed by the book, were right. She reverted to type. At first I thought Michaella was a party girl. Going out looking good, having fun with any guy she fancied who offered her a good time. Sex, money, drugs, clubs, beaches and sunshine, everything a girl like her could want.
If she hadn't been so greedy (I don't believe she was at all naive, that part of the story I give no credence to at all) and thought she really could smuggle drugs just once for a lot of money, she'd probably be in Ibiza now, dancing all night on ecstacy. I do believe that she was too stupid to realise that people wanting you to carry commercial quantities of drugs might seduce with their great personalities, but all that's going to change when it comes down to business. She got caught, she went to prison. She grew up. So I changed my mind about her. She really did grow up in prison.
She became the elected delegate of her block in Ancon maximum security prison, which she improved with extra amenities like more microwaves and water purifiers. she became manager of the beauty salon which earned her enough to employ a cleaner for her cell, get an illegal phone and pay for warnings when there was going to be a cell search. She also learned to speak Spanish well enough to handle a court.
So there is a mystery. When she was first sent there it was nothing but complaints about the awful conditions, the worst you can imagine, people sleeping on the bare concrete floor. It sort of doesn't go with beauty salons offering manicures and facials.
But maybe it's so. One of the best books I read on prison was Marching Powder: A True Story of Friendship, Cocaine, and South America's Strangest Jail where Thomas McFadden's cell became a weekend guest house that got into Lonely Planet as ''unmissable". Really.
How is Michaella McCollum like Meghan Markle? They both believe they are perfect except for a teeny fault here and there and that it's everyone else's fault and bad publicity by the tabloids that stop people from seeing their very perfection. Did Michaella McCollum have a ghostwriter for this book? Was not Meghan Markle the true source behind the namedghostwriter, Omid Scobie in Finding Freedom: Harry and Meghan and the Making of a Modern Royal Family.
But I was right first time. A party girl. Her self-improvement in prison was purely temporary.
She comes across as common and reminds me of a Z-list Kim Kardashian. If life gives you lemons, you sell them. Be it a sex tape or prison experience or marrying royalty. Anything that can be exploited for money and fame and celebrity status, Kardashian, Markle and Michaela too. She went in for reality tv and has sold her story through books like this, the tabloids and now a documentary.
Michaela does admit to one fault - that, by her own admission, she is very very stupid, despite going to college (I think it was for some beauty course). She thought she would be smuggling drugs from Ibiza to Barcelona, and when told there was a change of plan and she was going to Peru, she thought Peru was in Spain. That is stupid, I would agree. Other than that she never did anything wrong in her entire life according to the book which was obviously written with the idea of a movie in mind.
Her fellow drug mule, Melissa, is painted as a truly evil individual whose father is out to exploit the two girls for whatever money he can screw off the tabloids and if the girls risk 15 years instead of under 3 years, so what, he's going to be rich. The two didn't know each other before they went to Peru together, matched up by the drug dealers. There they had a choice, tell lies (which they did despite advice from everyone to plead guilty) to see if they could get a not guilty verdict. Tell the truth (which eventually they had to) and hope to be judged as drug mules, maximum sentence 6 years and 8 months, which in actuality meant serving under 3 years, or if they were unlucky, being charged as part of a drugs cartel, 15 years and no time off.
So Melissa tells her father all the bad stuff, the evil violent guards, the men who nearly rape them at every opportunity, the filthy, cockroach-infested conditions, how badly the prison is run and their own fictionalised version of the truth. (She denies this of course and even accuses Michaella of being the source of the leaks). Mike Reid sells all this to any tabloid that will pay, he's getting rich off his daughter's misery. Of course, this bad publicity angers the Peruvian authorities who are determined to crack down on the girls and gets them put into maximum security.
And poor, poor Michaella what does she do? She changes her bunk, cries and cries and refuses to share her Mars bars with Melissa and ignores her for a while, and then they make up (Michaella does not bear grudges, she's perfect, remember). And Melissa does it all over again, feeds her father information for him to sell and then, true to type, she lies about it.
It's got all the makings of a Hallmark movie minus the romance! Is it true? How much of it is true? Will we ever know? Will we ever care? How long can she spin her rather sordid tale into money, glamour and z-list fame? I didn't watch the documentary. I wrote this.
If she hadn't been so greedy (I don't believe she was at all naive, that part of the story I give no credence to at all) and thought she really could smuggle drugs just once for a lot of money, she'd probably be in Ibiza now, dancing all night on ecstacy. I do believe that she was too stupid to realise that people wanting you to carry commercial quantities of drugs might seduce with their great personalities, but all that's going to change when it comes down to business. She got caught, she went to prison. She grew up. So I changed my mind about her. She really did grow up in prison.
She became the elected delegate of her block in Ancon maximum security prison, which she improved with extra amenities like more microwaves and water purifiers. she became manager of the beauty salon which earned her enough to employ a cleaner for her cell, get an illegal phone and pay for warnings when there was going to be a cell search. She also learned to speak Spanish well enough to handle a court.
So there is a mystery. When she was first sent there it was nothing but complaints about the awful conditions, the worst you can imagine, people sleeping on the bare concrete floor. It sort of doesn't go with beauty salons offering manicures and facials.
But maybe it's so. One of the best books I read on prison was Marching Powder: A True Story of Friendship, Cocaine, and South America's Strangest Jail where Thomas McFadden's cell became a weekend guest house that got into Lonely Planet as ''unmissable". Really.
How is Michaella McCollum like Meghan Markle? They both believe they are perfect except for a teeny fault here and there and that it's everyone else's fault and bad publicity by the tabloids that stop people from seeing their very perfection. Did Michaella McCollum have a ghostwriter for this book? Was not Meghan Markle the true source behind the named
But I was right first time. A party girl. Her self-improvement in prison was purely temporary.
She comes across as common and reminds me of a Z-list Kim Kardashian. If life gives you lemons, you sell them. Be it a sex tape or prison experience or marrying royalty. Anything that can be exploited for money and fame and celebrity status, Kardashian, Markle and Michaela too. She went in for reality tv and has sold her story through books like this, the tabloids and now a documentary.
Michaela does admit to one fault - that, by her own admission, she is very very stupid, despite going to college (I think it was for some beauty course). She thought she would be smuggling drugs from Ibiza to Barcelona, and when told there was a change of plan and she was going to Peru, she thought Peru was in Spain. That is stupid, I would agree. Other than that she never did anything wrong in her entire life according to the book which was obviously written with the idea of a movie in mind.
Her fellow drug mule, Melissa, is painted as a truly evil individual whose father is out to exploit the two girls for whatever money he can screw off the tabloids and if the girls risk 15 years instead of under 3 years, so what, he's going to be rich. The two didn't know each other before they went to Peru together, matched up by the drug dealers. There they had a choice, tell lies (which they did despite advice from everyone to plead guilty) to see if they could get a not guilty verdict. Tell the truth (which eventually they had to) and hope to be judged as drug mules, maximum sentence 6 years and 8 months, which in actuality meant serving under 3 years, or if they were unlucky, being charged as part of a drugs cartel, 15 years and no time off.
So Melissa tells her father all the bad stuff, the evil violent guards, the men who nearly rape them at every opportunity, the filthy, cockroach-infested conditions, how badly the prison is run and their own fictionalised version of the truth. (She denies this of course and even accuses Michaella of being the source of the leaks). Mike Reid sells all this to any tabloid that will pay, he's getting rich off his daughter's misery. Of course, this bad publicity angers the Peruvian authorities who are determined to crack down on the girls and gets them put into maximum security.
And poor, poor Michaella what does she do? She changes her bunk, cries and cries and refuses to share her Mars bars with Melissa and ignores her for a while, and then they make up (Michaella does not bear grudges, she's perfect, remember). And Melissa does it all over again, feeds her father information for him to sell and then, true to type, she lies about it.
It's got all the makings of a Hallmark movie minus the romance! Is it true? How much of it is true? Will we ever know? Will we ever care? How long can she spin her rather sordid tale into money, glamour and z-list fame? I didn't watch the documentary. I wrote this.
December 25, 2019
I thought this book was very good. It was a very shocking and insightful read. Even though what Michaella did was wrong she never deserved what she went through in prison. It sometimes felt like a fiction book it was that shocking. I really do wish Michaella all the best for her future. She’s done the time now she should be able to live the rest of her live in peace. It was a great read and I definitely recommend this book.
November 22, 2019
I remember being tuned into every news Chanel and reading in every newspaper that covered this story of two girls being sent to prison for smuggling drugs, one of those girls happened to be Michaella McCollum.
It seemed that somewhere in Michaella's mind that there was no other place that she would rather be is in Ibiza. It felt good for Michaella to earn her some money waitressing and sharing a flat with a friend.
Little did Michaella know that getting herself involved with some guys that were bad news. Following her ordeal it began when she agreed to deliver a package to Barcelona for a guy, she had met and he seemed to her as an alright type of guy, with agreement to deliver a package of drugs, she was more interested in the fact that she would be paid.
But she was tricked and in fact she wasn't really going to Barcelona to deliver a package, but Peru.
There was a daunting experience waiting for Michaella who was found with drugs in her bags and swept swiftly into the Ancon prison the toughest maximum security prison in Peru, that's in the middle of nowhere.
As this advent is firmly behind Michaella she has now decided to tell her side of the story to how she came to have drugs in the first place.
With Michaella McCollum's telling her story, she knows she has learned a lesson here and within this story it is clear that she is trying to reach out to others who maybe asked something very similar to what Michaella was asked to do.
Michaella gives lots of details about her life before she was sent to prison and during her time in prison and then what happened after.
Totally recommend reading You'll Never See Daylight Again.
It seemed that somewhere in Michaella's mind that there was no other place that she would rather be is in Ibiza. It felt good for Michaella to earn her some money waitressing and sharing a flat with a friend.
Little did Michaella know that getting herself involved with some guys that were bad news. Following her ordeal it began when she agreed to deliver a package to Barcelona for a guy, she had met and he seemed to her as an alright type of guy, with agreement to deliver a package of drugs, she was more interested in the fact that she would be paid.
But she was tricked and in fact she wasn't really going to Barcelona to deliver a package, but Peru.
There was a daunting experience waiting for Michaella who was found with drugs in her bags and swept swiftly into the Ancon prison the toughest maximum security prison in Peru, that's in the middle of nowhere.
As this advent is firmly behind Michaella she has now decided to tell her side of the story to how she came to have drugs in the first place.
With Michaella McCollum's telling her story, she knows she has learned a lesson here and within this story it is clear that she is trying to reach out to others who maybe asked something very similar to what Michaella was asked to do.
Michaella gives lots of details about her life before she was sent to prison and during her time in prison and then what happened after.
Totally recommend reading You'll Never See Daylight Again.
December 28, 2019
Found this very hard to read. At no point does the author seem to take responsibility for her actions, instead it is blamed upon everyone else or played down. The author tells countless lies throughout her jail time and seems to think she is above being in prison despite the crime she has committed. The level of arrogance and entitlement is astonishing. Extremely lucky girls to have only got three years when others have lost their lives for trafficking less drugs than them.
December 1, 2019
Very badly written; childish and unsophisticated writing. I disliked the author and felt no sympathy for her.
November 27, 2019
Mixed feelings about this
Having grown up in Northern Ireland in the same years as the author I feel many of her examples, experiences and comparisons she gives about it being a war zone are slightly exaggerated as although there has without a doubt always been conflict that’s remained from the so called “troubles”, I felt the author was using this as a way to justify her mistakes she’s made which I felt was wrong. Her experiences make a very interesting read and I did find I wanted to keep reading more and more although I’m not sure how I feel about the whole situation now, she seems to point a lot of blame to the media and talks about how she wants to remain out of the spotlight but yet accepts various tv interviews etc and therefore I find it a little hard to believe everything she says.
I felt the author has some level of remorse for her crime however it seemed to come across in the book as though her crime wasn’t as bad as those she spent time with behind bars - complaining that murderers are in the same category as traffickers despite the harsh reality that had she got away with her crime it’s unthinkable the lives that could have ended.
Having grown up in Northern Ireland in the same years as the author I feel many of her examples, experiences and comparisons she gives about it being a war zone are slightly exaggerated as although there has without a doubt always been conflict that’s remained from the so called “troubles”, I felt the author was using this as a way to justify her mistakes she’s made which I felt was wrong. Her experiences make a very interesting read and I did find I wanted to keep reading more and more although I’m not sure how I feel about the whole situation now, she seems to point a lot of blame to the media and talks about how she wants to remain out of the spotlight but yet accepts various tv interviews etc and therefore I find it a little hard to believe everything she says.
I felt the author has some level of remorse for her crime however it seemed to come across in the book as though her crime wasn’t as bad as those she spent time with behind bars - complaining that murderers are in the same category as traffickers despite the harsh reality that had she got away with her crime it’s unthinkable the lives that could have ended.
November 4, 2019
Worth reading.
Silly young woman who learned a hard lesson it's good to hear her honest account instead of the made up media version ..Good luck to her with the rest of the life she nearly lost.
Silly young woman who learned a hard lesson it's good to hear her honest account instead of the made up media version ..Good luck to her with the rest of the life she nearly lost.
April 26, 2020
I really did enjoy this book but I just don’t understand how someone can be so naive.
I am so happy you got your life back and hopefully others can learn from you if they ever get tempted.
Good luck for the future.
I am so happy you got your life back and hopefully others can learn from you if they ever get tempted.
Good luck for the future.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 5, 2020
I enjoyed this book. It was good to hear Michealla's story. However, in her attempt to convince the authorities she was not guilty, she seemed to have convince herself too.
Throughout the book she refused advice no matter how many people told her it was best to plead guilty she went the other way. She somehow found herself appalled at any element of hardship or injustice which is strange considering she was in prision in Peru.
As well as this, it seems both herself and Melissa were horrified at the idea of actually being in prision, even though they were in fact, guilty.
In saying this, it does seem McCollum made use of her time in prision, and she did seem create, pursue and reach many goals she set for herself.
She is not the first person to make a stupid mistake and she won't be the last, she clearly made the best of a bad situation.
Throughout the book she refused advice no matter how many people told her it was best to plead guilty she went the other way. She somehow found herself appalled at any element of hardship or injustice which is strange considering she was in prision in Peru.
As well as this, it seems both herself and Melissa were horrified at the idea of actually being in prision, even though they were in fact, guilty.
In saying this, it does seem McCollum made use of her time in prision, and she did seem create, pursue and reach many goals she set for herself.
She is not the first person to make a stupid mistake and she won't be the last, she clearly made the best of a bad situation.
April 10, 2020
Wasn't convinced by Michaela's recollection of events. Not sure whether she takes any responsibility for what she did - still I consider it a good read.
February 12, 2021
Michaella McCollum, one half of the infamous “Peru Two'', was spending the summer working in Ibiza when she was approached by a man who asked her if she was interested in making some quick and easy money. A few days later her image was broadcasted all over the world as a drug smuggler. This book is Michaella's story about getting caught drug smuggling and the time she spent in Peruvian prison.
The Peru Two was the crime story that gripped the Irish news when I was in my teens, so I was very interested in getting Michaella’s full story. I really enjoyed the book, the story itself is fascinating and it's told in a way that really appeals to someone in my demographic. Michaella provides a lot of details and shows how easy it was for her to fall in with the wrong crowd and into the wrong situation. One issue I did have with the book was that Michaella does portray herself as a bit of an unsung hero and doesn’t seem to have much remorse, but that being said it was an entertaining book that I flew through.
The Peru Two was the crime story that gripped the Irish news when I was in my teens, so I was very interested in getting Michaella’s full story. I really enjoyed the book, the story itself is fascinating and it's told in a way that really appeals to someone in my demographic. Michaella provides a lot of details and shows how easy it was for her to fall in with the wrong crowd and into the wrong situation. One issue I did have with the book was that Michaella does portray herself as a bit of an unsung hero and doesn’t seem to have much remorse, but that being said it was an entertaining book that I flew through.
July 29, 2022
This book should be called 'I'm an idiot, and got what I deserved'. The level of stupidity is almost hilarious.
March 13, 2025
Great read, wild story and a brave girl who overcome a harsh situation. Had a little cry after reading the letter she wrote to her mum while in prison in Peru
February 3, 2021
This book is easily a 5/5 from me!
At first I had ill feelings towards Michaela, she was an outrageous party girl & as far as I was concerned, she knew what she was getting herself into when she agreed to be a drug mule. However, once Michaela had come to her sense (and sobered up!), the realisation of what she had agreed to was something she knew she couldn’t back out of given how dangerous the cartel were.
By the end, I really felt for Michaela - don’t get me wrong, I think she should have served her time in prison, but the treatment she received whilst incarcerated was horrendous thanks to the corrupt Peruvian justice system! It was a real eye opener.
I was glad to see that Michaela turned her life around whilst in prison & educated herself to aid her early release, although I do find it very strange that she has a semi-celebrity status now - she even has a blue tick on Instagram!
All in all, a fascinating read & I would highly recommend!
At first I had ill feelings towards Michaela, she was an outrageous party girl & as far as I was concerned, she knew what she was getting herself into when she agreed to be a drug mule. However, once Michaela had come to her sense (and sobered up!), the realisation of what she had agreed to was something she knew she couldn’t back out of given how dangerous the cartel were.
By the end, I really felt for Michaela - don’t get me wrong, I think she should have served her time in prison, but the treatment she received whilst incarcerated was horrendous thanks to the corrupt Peruvian justice system! It was a real eye opener.
I was glad to see that Michaela turned her life around whilst in prison & educated herself to aid her early release, although I do find it very strange that she has a semi-celebrity status now - she even has a blue tick on Instagram!
All in all, a fascinating read & I would highly recommend!
December 8, 2019
Interesting read
Couldn’t wait to read this, but would like to read Melissa’s version of events. Feels like Michaela has portrayed herself as a bit of a hero, not what I’d expect of a drug mule! Although the prisons were harsh, her story wasn’t as bad as some. But fair p,at for getting out and making a life for herself.
Couldn’t wait to read this, but would like to read Melissa’s version of events. Feels like Michaela has portrayed herself as a bit of a hero, not what I’d expect of a drug mule! Although the prisons were harsh, her story wasn’t as bad as some. But fair p,at for getting out and making a life for herself.
January 15, 2020
I had super high expectations for this book, however unfortunately it fell short. I felt the book was written poorly and hard to follow. I was expecting this to be page turner - but it was predictable. I did think the second half of the book was better than the first. The book also does seem to put a lot of blame on other people, which got a bit repetitive and annoying.
April 30, 2020
Good book but I think it is written a bit far fetched.
February 13, 2021
A hard read in places. Spolier alert!
Such a hard eye opening read, into how one naive and silly mistake can totally change someone's life. Michaella is such an inspiring person, the way she fought on and even learned Spanish to survive in some of the most appalling places and situations she did,are beyond my imagination. She learnt from her mistake of being trusting and came out a stronger person. Honestly she astounded me through out her journey in a foreign legal system. She was so determined not to let them break her and won her early freedom. It must have been extremely hard at times to be positive and continue to fight on when it would have been easier to give in. Her courage is immense. I praise her for how far she's come in life. And for her achievements during her time in prison and since her release. I wish her luck in everything she does in future.
Such a hard eye opening read, into how one naive and silly mistake can totally change someone's life. Michaella is such an inspiring person, the way she fought on and even learned Spanish to survive in some of the most appalling places and situations she did,are beyond my imagination. She learnt from her mistake of being trusting and came out a stronger person. Honestly she astounded me through out her journey in a foreign legal system. She was so determined not to let them break her and won her early freedom. It must have been extremely hard at times to be positive and continue to fight on when it would have been easier to give in. Her courage is immense. I praise her for how far she's come in life. And for her achievements during her time in prison and since her release. I wish her luck in everything she does in future.
August 31, 2020
My teenager overheard me listening to this book and insisted we listen together. Be warned, it has descriptions of older women hiding whole phone chargers internally and of female inmates "enjoying" each other publicly on a work table, so may not be an ideal pick in some family book clubs! After we finished, we searched the internet for more info and found an interview with Piers Morgan bulldozing Michaella and basically saying she had better be a better mother than she is a drug smuggler 🙄 My daughter kept shouting "let her speak!", just like I have over the years. So now not only am I confident my daughter won't be tempted to smuggle over £1,000,000 of drugs into Peru, but she also thinks Piers Morgan is an egotistical, patriarchal d!ck! And that is why this book gets 4 stars 👍🏽
September 15, 2021
I didn't think I'd end up sympathetic toward this party girl who flew to Ibiza from her native Ireland seeking sun, fun and drugs.
However, after being sweet-talked into carrying a consignment of cocaine, she ended up in maximum security in Peru and ... made the best of it. Learning the language (Spanish), setting up a beauty salon within the walls of the prison and navigating the barter and bribe system of prison life.
Did I end up liking her? No, not really, but I respect the fact she lasted 3+ years in a foreign gaol and didn't lose her mind. Her experiences have no doubt changed her as a person, hopefully for the better.
A decent read, possibly ghost-written, but easy to get through.
However, after being sweet-talked into carrying a consignment of cocaine, she ended up in maximum security in Peru and ... made the best of it. Learning the language (Spanish), setting up a beauty salon within the walls of the prison and navigating the barter and bribe system of prison life.
Did I end up liking her? No, not really, but I respect the fact she lasted 3+ years in a foreign gaol and didn't lose her mind. Her experiences have no doubt changed her as a person, hopefully for the better.
A decent read, possibly ghost-written, but easy to get through.
May 14, 2020
I read this to find out more about the “Peru Two” and their experiences in the Peruvian justice system.
The corruption and the day to day life In prison is certainly shocking to read.
However, Michaella was at best a recreational drug user from her early teens and she did not seem to join the dots between being a user and facilitating the misery of others by agreeing to be a mule.
Obviously she is full of remorse for her family, but it never really came across that she understood that her supposed easy route to cash would harm many other people, even kill them. So her distaste for prison dealers made me raise an eyebrow...
I admire her strength to survive such a harrowing experience and wish her all the best for the future with her sons.
The corruption and the day to day life In prison is certainly shocking to read.
However, Michaella was at best a recreational drug user from her early teens and she did not seem to join the dots between being a user and facilitating the misery of others by agreeing to be a mule.
Obviously she is full of remorse for her family, but it never really came across that she understood that her supposed easy route to cash would harm many other people, even kill them. So her distaste for prison dealers made me raise an eyebrow...
I admire her strength to survive such a harrowing experience and wish her all the best for the future with her sons.
April 3, 2021
As I walked while listening to this I’m sure people were wondering why
I was almost running
Wearing my bitch face
Fit to scream.
Aghhh. I’m not sorry I listened to this but it made me so mad. Yes you could say she was young, innocent and off her head when she agreed to become a drug smuggler. However, she does admit this so why moan so much about conditions in a Peruvian prison. I could see flashes of kindness and someone who was trying to turn their lives around, however, writing a book moaning is not the way to do it in my opinion. I’m sure many families whose loved ones were affected by drugs would prefer to know they’re in this hell hole, alive
I was almost running
Wearing my bitch face
Fit to scream.
Aghhh. I’m not sorry I listened to this but it made me so mad. Yes you could say she was young, innocent and off her head when she agreed to become a drug smuggler. However, she does admit this so why moan so much about conditions in a Peruvian prison. I could see flashes of kindness and someone who was trying to turn their lives around, however, writing a book moaning is not the way to do it in my opinion. I’m sure many families whose loved ones were affected by drugs would prefer to know they’re in this hell hole, alive
July 31, 2020
very well written by Michaela who “sort of” knew she was doing something wrong, paid the price and got herself out of a pretty bad predicament,
her voice is honest whether it”s all true or not and so you can forget you are reading it,
having grown up myself also as a catholic in a uvf ghetto (in Belfast not Dungannon) and many years before Michaela, can relate to her need to escape and not recognizing danger sooner
she was very lucky she got out of prison, and no I dont approve of drug trafficking,
her voice is honest whether it”s all true or not and so you can forget you are reading it,
having grown up myself also as a catholic in a uvf ghetto (in Belfast not Dungannon) and many years before Michaela, can relate to her need to escape and not recognizing danger sooner
she was very lucky she got out of prison, and no I dont approve of drug trafficking,
May 17, 2020
I absolutely loved this book, it was gripping from the offset and I literally couldn’t put it down! I remember this being in the news at the time and always hoped we would be able to hear what really happened from the girls perspective. It really opens your eyes to the injustice of the Peruvian legal system. I am defiantly going to read this again, I found it that interesting!
September 27, 2020
Decent book
I enjoyed this book purely because I had seen the news breaking on tv at the time and I was curious to find out what had happened to both these girls . I would like to find out the Scottish girls account of the events to give a true verdict.
I would still recommend this book to anyone .
I enjoyed this book purely because I had seen the news breaking on tv at the time and I was curious to find out what had happened to both these girls . I would like to find out the Scottish girls account of the events to give a true verdict.
I would still recommend this book to anyone .
June 11, 2025
A surprisingly good listen. The narrator had a gorgeous Irish accent, which definitely helped, and Michealla's story proved quite heartwarming which wasn't expected. A narrative written in first person and with brutal honesty, makes this cautionary tale one which, although quite dark in places, makes for a breezy and light-hearted text. Enjoyed 👍🏻
April 14, 2020
Easily a 5/5, I couldn’t put the book down and will recommend it to everyone and anyone.
It was shocking to hear what Michaella went though and it was clear she made a mistake.
I wish Michaella a life of happiness & equal opportunities.
May 23, 2020
Likes: Insane story of The Peru Two who attempted smuggling drugs, story felt fictiscious at times!
Dislikes: Abrupt ending and long winded at times throughout
Recommend For: Anyone who followed Michaela Michaela McCollum and Melissa Reids cases
Dislikes: Abrupt ending and long winded at times throughout
Recommend For: Anyone who followed Michaela Michaela McCollum and Melissa Reids cases
November 14, 2020
I enjoyed reading this book so much; couldn't put it down. I remember seeing about the girls in the news, and it was interesting to read about the backstory behind what happened. I just wish there had been a bit more about Melissa at the end, and I'd love to read a book from her as well.
June 25, 2021
While I knew the story of the Peru 2 it was interesting to see what the 2 girls went through
The awful prison conditions they lived in no water no food being touched up by even the very guards
I know a lot of people think well they deserved it but you may think different if you read this book
The awful prison conditions they lived in no water no food being touched up by even the very guards
I know a lot of people think well they deserved it but you may think different if you read this book
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