Review: The Book of Essie by Meghan MacLean Weir

 Summary from Goodreads:

A debut novel of family, fame, and religion that tells the emotionally stirring, wildly captivating story of the seventeen-year-old daughter of an evangelical preacher, star of the family's hit reality show, and the secret pregnancy that threatens to blow their entire world apart.

Esther Ann Hicks--Essie--is the youngest child on Six for Hicks, a reality television phenomenon. She's grown up in the spotlight, both idolized and despised for her family's fire-and-brimstone brand of faith. When Essie's mother, Celia, discovers that Essie is pregnant, she arranges an emergency meeting with the show's producers: Do they sneak Essie out of the country for an abortion? Do they pass the child off as Celia's? Or do they try to arrange a marriage--and a ratings-blockbuster wedding? Meanwhile, Essie is quietly pairing herself up with Roarke Richards, a senior at her school with a secret of his own to protect. As the newly formed couple attempt to sell their fabricated love story to the media--through exclusive interviews with an infamously conservative reporter named Liberty Bell--Essie finds she has questions of her own: What was the real reason for her older sister leaving home? Who can she trust with the truth about her family? And how much is she willing to sacrifice to win her own freedom? 

Review:



What I Liked:

Plot. I picked this novel because of the intriguing plot. It really pulls the reader in and I did binge read parts of it to find out what would happen next. The novel surprised me because I was expecting something lighter or contemporary but it was a lot darker than I expected. 

Writing Style. For a first time fiction writer this was a well-done novel with great characters. I really liked Weir's writing style and I will be checking out more from her in the future. 

Characters. I felt that Weir did an amazing job creating her characters, the good ones and the bad ones. Roarke Richards came out of nowhere and became my favorite male character of 2018! I loved his point of view so much. Essie's point of view was good as well and had an element of mystery to it throughout the first half of the novel. I also liked the side characters that Weir created.

What I Disliked:

The only issue I had with the novel was the pacing, it made reading go slower than I expected. I believe that it has to do with Liberty, the third point of view because I felt that her chapters dragged compared to the others.  

I recommend checking out this amazing debut, it has well-written characters and an intense plot. 

Rating: 

4.5 Stars Out of 5 Stars