Nora O'Malley is a lot of things. A sister. An ex. A secret girlfriend. Kind of crooked, but reformed... somewhat. Nora O'Malley's been a lot of girls. As the daughter of a con-artist who targets criminal men, she grew up her mother's protege. But when mom fell for the mark instead of conning him, Nora pulled the ultimate con: escape.
- Goodreads
Throughout the novel we have a duel timeline, we get flashbacks of Nora's past names and who she was during those times. All she has ever known is how to con men until one of those men turn into her step-father. Raymond is one piece of sh*t, he's a big hot shot in the crime world and all Nora has to do during the hostage situation is name drop to guarantee her survival (as well as a bunch of other bad ass things to ensure the survival of everyone) The men holding up the bank have heard tales of Nora's former life and the rumors surrounding her step-father, who is now in jail with her mother, thanks to Nora's intel to her sister, who works as a PI. They need to keep her alive, as the payout on her head by Raymond is a added bonus to whatever lies in the banks basement. We see during these flashbacks, how each part of Nora's past would influence and help her during the bank heist.
This novel also deals with trauma and the impact it has, medical conditions such as endometriosis is presented during when Iris suffers a painful period during the heist & uses that to her advantage, trauma in the form of Wes and his abusive father & the many men that have come across Nora's path. Sexuality plays a part through our main character who is bisexual which is beautifully represented in this book and various subject matters can be quite intense at times for a YA Thriller. But that's a good thing. It gets people talking.
I instantly loved Iris and Wes, they were both strong characters with backstories of their own. Iris is amazing at how she dealt with finding out about Nora's past and her situation at the bank. I really rooted for these characters to be alive and well at the end of the book. The book is fast paced and keeps you on the edge of your seat. I couldn't stop reading.
Overall, I would have loved to see more present day Iris and Wes as these characters were amazing. We got quite a bit of backstory and how Nora came to be in their lives but I would have loved more Iris and Nora scenes ( I hope we get this in the Netflix adaptation). I loved this book and it will be a reread for me in the future. Its a unique page turner, with all the elements of a good thriller and a look at the family you choose in your life.
*TRIGGER WARNING LIST*
Tess Sharpe included some trigger warnings to watch out for in this book so I will also list them here.
Violence & Abuse: violence related to a bank robbery, violence related to surviving domestic violence, children and teens in peril, surviving psychological & emotional abuse, surviving parental abuse (psychological, emotional and physical), disclosure of being a survivor of childhood sexual abuse in a therapy setting, childhood sexual abuse (off-page), the aftermath of childhood sexual abuse and surviving childhood sexual abuse.
Assault: verbal threats of physical assault, threats of sexual assault, physical assault (physical intimidation, hand to hand fighting, bullying, gunshot and stabbing wounds, arson, fire, explosions, references to dismemberment)
Death: murder
Misc: accidental cannabis ingestion (aka: someone eats a few pot cookies before anyone can alert them as to what’s in it), discussion of menstruation, discussion of reproductive health, choice and justice, references to living with chronic pain, menstrual hemorrhaging and endometriosis, mentions of a car accident that puts passengers in the hospital, discussion of a parent with a gambling addiction.
I gave this 5/5 stars on Good Reads.
HAPPY READING - J
Lovely review!
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