All Seventeen-year-old Jemma wants now is to be a good mom to her baby daughter, Violet. But when she witnesses a violent crime she'll have to choose between keeping her baby or letting a killer walk free.
Jemma's older brother took her in when she needed to get away from her abusive ex-boyfriend, Razor. One night she needs to go out, just for a few minutes, to get diapers and ice cream. On her way back, she witnesses the drive-by shooting of a kid, Kwame, who lives in the same building. The driver is Razor. Jemma is terrified. If she tells anyone what she saw, they'll know she left her baby alone and she might lose custody. But if she doesn't, Kwame's killer will go free. Razor convinces Jemma to make a deal to save her life, but Jemma isn't sure she can live with the consequences.
The epub edition of this title is fully accessible.
Born and raised in London, Ontario, Jocelyn graduated from York University and has studied writing at St. Lawrence College and the Humber School for Writers. She always wanted to be a writer, and won her first award at age nine, for poems entered in the local Hobby Fair.
Jocelyn now lives in Toronto and on Vancouver Island. Her YA novel,How to Tend a Grave, won the 2012 Gold Medal Moonbeam Award for YA Fiction - Mature Issues.
A simplistic narrative that is a page turner despite some broad characters and flat situations. Probably a good book for reluctant readers though lacking in nuance. Accomplished what it is asked to do.
Jemma has finally escaped from her abusive ex boyfriend razor and is now living with her daughter Violet and her friend Wade. One night she left her baby girl home alone so she could go run to the store around the corner and get some diapers and chocolate ice cream. On her way back home she is a witness to a drive by shooting. She looks at the person in the car and realizes who it is. It’s Razor.
This is an amazing book I really like it. It’s more of a young adult book is what I would say in my opinion.
I only gave this book 3 stars because closer to the ending of the book I felt like it was a “hurry and finish the ending” type of book with less detail and I feel like there could’ve been more at the ending.
This book wasn’t that bad it did have me entertained through out the book until the ending of the book. To me the author of this book was wanting to like hurry and get the book done so at the ending of the book I started loosing interest cause i feel like it was like rushing or like to much information was being said at the end which didn’t make it fun and made it feel like there was a big piece of the book missing which didn’t make it fun in the end. Also why, at every end of the chapter, did she feel guilty. Every end of the chapter she was saying it was her fault and like it didn’t make sense (to me at least) and I felt it was unnecessary. Overall it wasn’t a terrible book 👍🏼
17 yr old Jemma and her daughter, Violet, live with her brother to get away from an old boyfriend, Razor. Going out one night for diapers, she witnesses the drive-by shooting of a young man in her partment bldg, Kwame. The driver of the car was Razor. If she tells what she saw, everyone will kinow she left VIolet alone and she might lose custody. If she doesn't tell, the killer goes free. This is a VERY short book geared to reluctant readers.
I devoured this book in less than an hour. I kind of hated most of the decisions Jemma made, but it made for a fast-paced read. I’m satisfied enough with the ending, but I wanted more justice. Either way, I’m glad I read it!