BOOK TOUR | You Won't Know Her Name by Shanti Hershenson // Review

Hi Everyone!

This is my post during the blog tour for You Won't Know Her Name by Shanti Hershenson. You Won't Know Her Name is written by a fourteen year old author and is based on a true story.

This blog tour is organized by Lola's Blog Tours and the tour runs from 21 February till 6 March. You can see the tour schedule here.

You Won't Know Her Name
By Shanti Hershenson
Genre: Contemporary
Age category: Young Adult
Release Date: July 27, 2021

Blurb:
“I thought they were my best friend…”

There lives a little girl whom you will never know the name of, and for her, a terrible storm is coming. She is going to a new, public middle school knowing no one but her sister, and the horrors are absolutely endless.

But she doesn’t expect what is to come.

In her first few months of school, terrible and unspeakable things begin to happen, that go beyond what is considered “normal”. Finding the courage to get away from the wrong people is a difficult thing, but when a horrific incident occurs, she finds herself running from who she once thought to be friends.

Now lost and alone, The Girl turns to one thing to help her get through her darkest moments. Writing poetry is the one way she can express her anger, and when her school announces that they will be hosting an open-mic night, she knows she has to enter. But entering means that she will have to face her demons, and it could be her worst nightmare…

From a teenaged author, You Won't Know Her Name shines a light on a heartbreaking reality that often goes unspoken about - the issue that is bullying in middle school. From hateful comments to real, shocking violence, this book shares what cannot be ignored.

Links:
- Goodreads
- Bookbub
- Amazon
- B&N
- Kobo

My Review: 

This is my first ever book tour! I was quick to sign up to this once I read the blurb and found out more about the author. Fortunately, I wasn't disappointed!

This was a book I read pretty quickly. In fact, I read it in one morning! I was so engrossed in this character that I couldn't stop! This was sadly relatable and I really connected to this story.  Although what I see at school isn't always as extreme, it follows the same horrifying traits. It is relatively short but it has stayed with me since I read it.

The power of the unnamed narrator is undeniable and possibly one of the best ways I can describe this book is powerful. It holds you until the very last page and I just can't stop thinking about it! There are also so many ideas that I had to take time to reflect on such as how 'it' is considered a normal part of middle school (or secondary school). Bullying shouldn't be a normal part of growing up. I do believe it makes you stronger though and I think that these characters are stronger afterwards, even if a part of them has to be rebuilt first.

Something that shocked me is the level of physical violence. For me, luckily, I have not seen this extreme physical violence, although I have of course seen fights and the like. I loved how words and poetry in particular were really put in the spotlight and it added another layer of love for me because poetry is something I feel passionately about. 

The writing style is in verse, which for a 14 year old author was so impressive! I was going to try and not mention her age, after all, the author's age won't impact my reading experience greatly. However, I did go into this thinking that the writing may be a little off in places but absolutely not! It was well-written and it really proves what teenagers can do! Some of these poems I would want engraved in my brain forever!

I think this is a book you want to go into knowing it is powerful and roughly what it is about but not much more than that. I went into it fairly blind and it made it all the more special!

This is one of those books that I just want to reread right now! Just thinking about it makes me want to read it again and drink it in once more. It's exactly the kind of book I love and I think a lot of you will love it too!

About the Author:
Shanti Hershenson's first two novellas were published when she was in the sixth grade, although her writing journey started long before then. Ever since she could hold a pencil, marker, or crayon, she was creating stories. They started from pictures, mere scribbles, and eventually, turned into captivating tales.

Author links:
- Website
- Twitter
- Instagram
- Tiktok

Giveaway
There is a tour wide giveaway for the blog tour of You Won’t Know Her Name. 5 winners will win a paperback copy of You Won't Know Her name by Shanti Hershenson (US Only).

For a chance to win, enter the rafflecopter below:
a Rafflecopter giveaway

Thank you so much for taking the time to read this post, and I hope I did this book justice. 

Let's chat!

Do you like the sound of this? Have you read it? Have you read any amazing books by younger authors? What are you currently reading?

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