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Review: Heart-Shaped Bruise by Tanya Byrne

Heart Shaped Bruise by Tanya Byrne
Published by Headline



I think of all the things I could have been... a music student, in love, happy.

But then Juliet stabbed my father and shattered everything I thought I knew about myself.

She turned me into someone else, into this hard, angry, miserable girl who did the most terrible things. Things that make people take a step back when I walk into a room.

That's what hurts... that you all think you know who I am. But the one thing Google will never tell you is who I used to be... who I might have become.

But I can tell you. So here we go - I'll be me and you be the stranger on the bus. 


Heart Shaped Bruise is an interesting read

The story follows Emily a girl who is currently residing in a high security mental facility after stabbing a girl she went out of her way to befriend in a twisted way to get under her skin and ruin her life because the girl stabbed Emily's father.

The best thing about this book is getting to know Emily and the reason why she did what she did. She has this warped idea of how to get revenge which is much more complex than simply an eye for an eye idea. She wants to make the other girl suffer and find exactly what is dear to her to know exactly where to hit her hardest.

I did find it hard to relate to emily because her hate and need for revenge was so far gone and the lengths that she was willing to go to were quite extreme and I didn't quite understand that almost blood-thirsty need to hurt the person she thought had hurt her no matter what the cost.

An interesting read which is more YA/Adult crossover than purely YA and ideal for older teens looking to branch towards more adult books.

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