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by Rebecca Barrow
Rebecca Barrow's bright, honest debut novel about chance, choice, and unconditional love is a heartfelt testament to creating the future you truly want, one puzzle piece at a time.
There's a box in the back of Audrey's closet that she rarely thinks about.
Inside is a letter, seventeen years old, from a mother she's never met, handed to her by the woman she's called Mom her whole life. Being adopted, though, is just one piece in the puzzle of Audrey's life - the picture painstakingly put together by Audrey herself, full of all the people and pursuits that make her who she is.
But when Audrey realizes that she's pregnant, she feels something - a tightly sealed box in the closet corners of her heart - crack open, spilling her dormant fears and unanswered questions all over the life she loves.
Almost two decades ago, a girl in Audrey's situation made a choice, one that started Audrey's entire story. Now Audrey is paralyzed by her own what-ifs and terrified by the distance she feels growing between her and her best friend Rose. Down every possible path is a different unfamiliar version of her life, and as she weighs the options in her mind, she starts to wonder - what does it even mean to be Audrey Spencer?
"Starred Review. This compelling, closely observed debut charts its appealing characters' difficult journey with clarity and honesty." - Kirkus
"Grades 9 and up. The birth mother's role is superficial, but otherwise this is a good read for realistic fiction fans who enjoy YA with complicated relationships. A strong choice for large YA collections." - School Library Journal
"Audrey's emotions swing wildly; she candidly portrays the all-consuming and delicate nature of her situation and the choice she faces. Debut author Barrow opts for realism over a scared-straight approach to teen pregnancy, which readers will appreciate." - Publishers Weekly
"It's unfair to call this simply a book about teen pregnancy... Barrow has crafted soulful, complex characters who will resonate with readers who've had to contemplate the weight of their decisions upon their futures and themselves." - Booklist
"In both its humor and in its aching, You Don't Know Me but I Know You is the most honest book I've read in ages." - Emery Lord, author of The Start of Me and You and When We Collided
"Both relentlessly honest and relentlessly hopeful, You Don't Know Me but I Know You stands out as a book that cares profoundly about the power of friendship and the thrill of getting to know yourself. Above all else, it's a testament to the bravery, brightness, and beauty of teenaged girls." - Corey Ann Haydu, author of OCD Love Story and Life by Committee
"You Don't Know Me but I Know You is a heartfelt, powerful examination of family: the one we're born to, the one we choose, and the one that chooses us. Rebecca Barrow's novel feels all at once heartbreaking, hopeful, and true." - Janet McNally, author of Girls in the Moon
"Honest, nuanced, and achingly authentic, You Don't Know Me but I Know You is both sensitive and unflinching in its portrayal of life-shattering choices and their aftermaths. It's populated with strong female friendships that feel more like a sisterhood." - Laurie Elizabeth Flynn, author of Firsts
This information about You Don't Know Me but I Know You was first featured
in "The BookBrowse Review" - BookBrowse's membership magazine, and in our weekly "Publishing This Week" newsletter. Publication information is for the USA, and (unless stated otherwise) represents the first print edition. The reviews are necessarily limited to those that were available to us ahead of publication. If you are the publisher or author and feel that they do not properly reflect the range of media opinion now available, send us a message with the mainstream reviews that you would like to see added.
Any "Author Information" displayed below reflects the author's biography at the time this particular book was published.
Rebecca Barrow writes stories about girls and all the wonders they can be. A lipstick obsessive with the ability to quote the entirety of Mean Girls, she lives in England, where it rains a considerable amount more than in the fictional worlds of her characters. She collects tattoos, cats, and more books than she could ever possibly read. You Don't Know Me but I Know You is her first novel.
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