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Me Inside
Me Inside is a-true-to-life story with a broad appeal. It's a family drama, speckled with just a touch of romance/coming out (but not angst-y) of mystery/intrigue.
It begins when Jeannie Baker’s mother abandons her at a very young age, which turns out to be the best thing that ever happened to her. She’s left alone with a father who provides a good childhood for her, with all the things she needs, from blue jeans that fit, to a hot breakfast, and to the steady and dependable life she’s never had. Then when Jeannie is fifteen years old, a high school basketball star, with good friends and a happy future, her father is murdered…
It begins when Jeannie Baker’s mother abandons her at a very young age, which turns out to be the best thing that ever happened to her. She’s left alone with a father who provides a good childhood for her, with all the things she needs, from blue jeans that fit, to a hot breakfast, and to the steady and dependable life she’s never had. Then when Jeannie is fifteen years old, a high school basketball star, with good friends and a happy future, her father is murdered…
288 pages, Kindle Edition
Published September 1, 2020
9 people are currently reading
31 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews
September 9, 2020
This was a well written book that I very much enjoyed. It was about growing up and overcoming a difficult childhood. It was also about coming out and learning who you were. You got to know the characters well, including the secondary characters. There were twists and turns and mystery and intrigue. It kept me wanting to read more and more. I haven't read this author's work before but after reading this one I will have to check out her other work.
March 29, 2023
A really good book, beautifully written. With a good story that flowed along. Loved the characters and the ambiance built up during the book. Part mystery, part romance, really just a cracking story. Recommended.
March 5, 2022
Whether you are 14 or 40 this book is enjoyable. I wasn’t sure at first if I would like this book. I am a 40 year old trans man and I was afraid I wouldn’t relate. However, the author does such a great job of describing the characters that you can’t help but feel like you know and like them. The mystery intrigued me enough to keep me reading late into the night. I would highly recommend this book to anyone, but especially members of the LGBTQI community.
March 15, 2023
Wild, Wicked and Wonderful!
This book was mentioned on another writers email as a book she recommended. Interesting story plot, so I went for it. I am glad I did. It was really good. The method of storytelling was so different but so captivating. Jeannie and Ruthie as best friends coming in to their own kept this story going. But really Grandma and Joyce was the glue that held everything together. Jeannie’s story starts out on the day her father was murdered. She goes over the events of the day and her life so far. She is fifteen. Her father was in prison and came home when she was ten. Shortly after her mother just up and left them. For five years it was her and her father. Now it’s just her. She has to stay with her Grandma, who is a lesbian, as they are worried that whoever did this wasn’t finished. As Jeannie is recalling the story in detail as it is happening, her life is changing and she doesn’t know who she is without her father. It is so well written and has you hooked up until the last exciting chapter. So good!
This book was mentioned on another writers email as a book she recommended. Interesting story plot, so I went for it. I am glad I did. It was really good. The method of storytelling was so different but so captivating. Jeannie and Ruthie as best friends coming in to their own kept this story going. But really Grandma and Joyce was the glue that held everything together. Jeannie’s story starts out on the day her father was murdered. She goes over the events of the day and her life so far. She is fifteen. Her father was in prison and came home when she was ten. Shortly after her mother just up and left them. For five years it was her and her father. Now it’s just her. She has to stay with her Grandma, who is a lesbian, as they are worried that whoever did this wasn’t finished. As Jeannie is recalling the story in detail as it is happening, her life is changing and she doesn’t know who she is without her father. It is so well written and has you hooked up until the last exciting chapter. So good!
January 8, 2021
15 year old Jeannie's life is turned upside down when her father is murdered. He had been her only parent after her mother left them when her father returned from prison. Now homeless, Jeannie is forced to go live with her grandmother, a lesbian, who she's never been close to. She's also determined to find her father's killer.
Part mystery, part romance, this is a decent book, especially as it explores the issue of class. But it's biggest problem is in pacing. The first half is smooth and rich in details, then there is a chapter that begins with a recap, speeding things up, before it slows down again. It felt a bit disorienting.
Otherwise a decent read.
Part mystery, part romance, this is a decent book, especially as it explores the issue of class. But it's biggest problem is in pacing. The first half is smooth and rich in details, then there is a chapter that begins with a recap, speeding things up, before it slows down again. It felt a bit disorienting.
Otherwise a decent read.
February 22, 2021
**No spoilers about the ending but I do describe the plot**
Miller’s latest novel Me Inside begins when Jeannie Baker’s father gets out of prison for bank robbery. She believes her family will finally return to normal. However, the very next day, while Jeannie and her father are gone, her mother packs up and leaves. The woman pilfers every bit of cash in the house, including the money Jeannie made collecting cans, and is even petty enough to take the leftover cake from her father’s welcome home party.
Her ex-felon father turns out to be an improvement over her vindictive mother, and they settle into a routine. For the next five years he works and raises Jeannie. Then one night she hears him talking heatedly with a stranger, he leaves, and is found murdered.
Jeannie navigates her grief and the seismic shifts in her life. Now 15, she is taken in by her paternal grandmother, a pragmatic and resilient woman whose name she shares. Grandma, who once was married and had two children, is a lesbian who came out and made a life for herself during a less accepting era.
Jeannie decides she’s going to investigate her father’s murder with the help of Ruthie, her friend since kindergarten. As they dig deeper into his past, the story grows more ominous when we learn the money from the bank robbery was never recovered, and it appears that someone dangerous believes Jeannie may be the key to recovering the fortune. This novel, like the rest of Miller’s work is a well-structured and fast-paced read.
Miller’s novel works on two levels. While it is meant for young adult readers, it will also resonate with adults who have experienced the complicated grief of losing loved ones who made bad choices and have hurt them. Jeannie’s mother returns for the funeral and tries to explain herself and it gives Jeannie a chance to vent her anger in a satisfying scene.
We see two types of adults in this story: those who stay and take responsibility when tough stuff happens and those who run from it. We also get a realistic depiction of the aftermath of trauma borne by those who get left behind. Nobody’s perfect, and everyone in this novel has made mistakes and suffers the consequences.
The story presents readers with modern themes that doesn’t pull any punches. A recurring element in the book is that when birth mothers fail their children, others step in as surrogates to provide support and love.
Despite some of the heavy subject matter, the book is full of dark humor as Jeannie isn’t shy about expressing herself. She describes the funeral director as “a shark-jawed, everyday jackass” and claims “the morgue had a better atmosphere” than his funeral home. She also takes her coffee black, a habit she picked up from her father, and grudgingly decides to quit smoking in order to be a better athlete.
The Me Inside is both Jeannie’s growing awareness of her sexual identity, and her developing maturity that helps her to let down her guard and trust the people around her after so many losses and betrayals.
Miller has written a contemporary coming-of-age novel that has tension, humor, and heart. This book is identified as the first in a planned series to feature Jeannie Baker, and the reader will certainly look forward to meeting her again to see how she overcomes her struggles and thrives.
Miller’s latest novel Me Inside begins when Jeannie Baker’s father gets out of prison for bank robbery. She believes her family will finally return to normal. However, the very next day, while Jeannie and her father are gone, her mother packs up and leaves. The woman pilfers every bit of cash in the house, including the money Jeannie made collecting cans, and is even petty enough to take the leftover cake from her father’s welcome home party.
Her ex-felon father turns out to be an improvement over her vindictive mother, and they settle into a routine. For the next five years he works and raises Jeannie. Then one night she hears him talking heatedly with a stranger, he leaves, and is found murdered.
Jeannie navigates her grief and the seismic shifts in her life. Now 15, she is taken in by her paternal grandmother, a pragmatic and resilient woman whose name she shares. Grandma, who once was married and had two children, is a lesbian who came out and made a life for herself during a less accepting era.
Jeannie decides she’s going to investigate her father’s murder with the help of Ruthie, her friend since kindergarten. As they dig deeper into his past, the story grows more ominous when we learn the money from the bank robbery was never recovered, and it appears that someone dangerous believes Jeannie may be the key to recovering the fortune. This novel, like the rest of Miller’s work is a well-structured and fast-paced read.
Miller’s novel works on two levels. While it is meant for young adult readers, it will also resonate with adults who have experienced the complicated grief of losing loved ones who made bad choices and have hurt them. Jeannie’s mother returns for the funeral and tries to explain herself and it gives Jeannie a chance to vent her anger in a satisfying scene.
We see two types of adults in this story: those who stay and take responsibility when tough stuff happens and those who run from it. We also get a realistic depiction of the aftermath of trauma borne by those who get left behind. Nobody’s perfect, and everyone in this novel has made mistakes and suffers the consequences.
The story presents readers with modern themes that doesn’t pull any punches. A recurring element in the book is that when birth mothers fail their children, others step in as surrogates to provide support and love.
Despite some of the heavy subject matter, the book is full of dark humor as Jeannie isn’t shy about expressing herself. She describes the funeral director as “a shark-jawed, everyday jackass” and claims “the morgue had a better atmosphere” than his funeral home. She also takes her coffee black, a habit she picked up from her father, and grudgingly decides to quit smoking in order to be a better athlete.
The Me Inside is both Jeannie’s growing awareness of her sexual identity, and her developing maturity that helps her to let down her guard and trust the people around her after so many losses and betrayals.
Miller has written a contemporary coming-of-age novel that has tension, humor, and heart. This book is identified as the first in a planned series to feature Jeannie Baker, and the reader will certainly look forward to meeting her again to see how she overcomes her struggles and thrives.
May 10, 2021
I thoroughly enjoyed this book. I thought it was unique and included developed, complex LGBTQ+ characters. My only issue was some erratic pacing throughout the novel. Miller tends to speed up insignificant moments and really slow down certain plot points. For me, that change of pace was distracting. Overall, I think this is a fantastic story that tastefully addresses serious, tragic issues that could be faced by some teenagers today.
*****
I received a copy of Me Inside by Martha Miller through OnlineBookClub.org in exchange for my honest review. You can read my full review here.
*****
I received a copy of Me Inside by Martha Miller through OnlineBookClub.org in exchange for my honest review. You can read my full review here.
October 5, 2022
Honestly, I wrote this book. It has gotten a lot of attention. It is a young adult lesbian suspense-romance. A girl 15-16 years old father is murdered. She is forced to live with her grandma who she doesn't like. She and her friend Ruthie start trying to find her father's murderer and the closer they get the more danger she is in. During this time she meets and starts dating Legs, the 6th man on the high school girl's basketball team. A sequel is in the works.
April 14, 2024
Captivating story
Captivating through and through. I always wanted to know either what was going to happen next or what had happened before the start of the book.
The only thing keeping me from giving it five stars is the lack of emotion. The author writes matter-of-fact style which has appeal, too, but I still would prefer the main character - a young girl - to be a bit less blasé about all the terrible things happening.
Captivating through and through. I always wanted to know either what was going to happen next or what had happened before the start of the book.
The only thing keeping me from giving it five stars is the lack of emotion. The author writes matter-of-fact style which has appeal, too, but I still would prefer the main character - a young girl - to be a bit less blasé about all the terrible things happening.
May 17, 2024
This book is simultaneously an artful coming of age story and a vivid picture of grief, love and family. Though it would surely appeal to teen readers, I much enjoyed it as a middle-aged woman, as the characters in the book are endearing and relatable and the narrative is compelling. I look forward to reading the next book in this series, “Torrid Summer.”
September 16, 2024
I found this story slow to get going and lacking a fully fleshed out enough main protagonist to really keep my interest. I had a very hard time forming a picture of her and her shifts in mood and tone were off-putting to me.
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews