Title: The Sky is Mine

Author: Amy Beashel

Publisher: Rock the Boat

Release Date: February 6, 2020

My Rating: 5/5

[This book contains material which some readers may find distressing, including discussions of rape, coercive behaviour, domestic violence and abuse.]

The Sky is Mine by Amy Beashel is a heartbreaking yet a significant read which addresses sensitive subjects like rape, sexual harassment and domestic violence. The story mainly focuses on a teenager named Izzy and the abuses she had faced at college by one of her classmates called Jacob and at home by her stepdad.

To be frank, after reading the first few chapters, I got angry with Izzy. I paused reading for a while because I couldn’t get over the resentment I had had on her for doing what Jocab asked her to. But then I realized maybe it was the fear that made her did what she did. The fear of what others would think and how they would see her is what kept her away from speaking up such abuses. Not everyone is bold enough to call out the perpetrators and men like Jacob is taking advantage of that.

I had this deep resentment on Grace for not being there for Izzy. But she is the character who made me realize my own mistake. I was exactly the same as her to my friend. It would take just a call to check on the people we care and who care for us but most of the times we failed to do that. If Grace had listened to Izzy she would have protected her friend from the continuous abuse.

I couldn’t be able to see Izzy as a fictional character. To me, she felt so real that I could feel her pain. I cried for her and in the end, I’m happy for her. For she had at last found the right person who can not only mend the broken pieces of her but can also understand and accept her wholeheartedly. Meeting the right person when we are in the worst phase of our life is the best thing to happen. That one person would make everything right like how Harry like Styles did to Izzy. Together they have my heart and I loved reading their part.

The Sky is Mine is an emotional read for me. I know that this isn’t a story that is relatable to everyone but Izzy is the voice of many victims like her and she needs to be heard. It will take time to get used to Amy’s writing style, but trust me you will love her narrative once the story takes its pace. The Sky is Mine is a must read.

*Thank you Amy Beashel for writing The Sky Is Mine and thank you Rock the Boat for a copy of this book in exchange of an honest review.*

Izzy feels invisible. Trapped under the weight of expectation and censored by shame.

Her mum Steph and best friend Grace have always been there to save her. But with one under the control of her stepfather and the other caught in the throes of new love, Izzy is falling between the cracks.

As threats to her safety grow, Izzy wants to scream. But first she must find her voice.
And if the sky is the limit, then the sky is hers.

Amy Beashel holds a world record as the woman on a space hopper, evidence, perhaps, that when it comes to achieving your dreams, the sky is indeed the limit. Amy has always been a feminist. At fourteen, she and a friend wrote a comedy sketch, I Believe in Women’s Rights, lives they performed to an audience of approximately three under a tree outside the maths and science block at school. One person may actually have laughed. She is passionate about inspiring young women to find their own voice, and previously volunteered for Refuge, a helpline for women experiencing domestic violence. Amy’s time there inspired this book.

Despite swearing she would never have pets or move north of London, Amy Beashel now lives in Shropshire with her husband, two kids and a couple of kittens called Bird and Cat Dooku. She is passionate about inspiring young women to find their own voice. Incidentally, she is also the fastest woman in the world on a space hopper.