This memoir is written by a young woman who grew up the the foster care system in the US. I certainly hope that the foster care system in Canada is MUCH better then the US system as the US system, in my opinion, is an absolute disgrace for what happened to this girl, her brother and all the rest of the children out there. There were a few good people who did help her but many that didn't listen and didn't seem to care and some absolutely atrocious foster families.

But unlike another memoir I read recently (The Glass Castle) this author seems very bitter at times and not always likeable (believe me...I'm sure she has her reasons for this).

Because of that though I didn't enjoy the book as I did The Glass Castle. ( )

If you want a sad story that has a happy ending you want to read this book. The whole book just sucked you in. I couldn’t stop reading the book. Everything was so described. It feels like you are right there next to her. I couldn’t put this book down it was amazing. AHS/AB

In this book Ashley Rhodes-Courter finds her voice, and not only speaks for herself, but for those who cannot speak for themselves. The book takes you throughout her life, showing you the horrors that she, and others, went through in the foster care system. You may be surprised to find how many people were responsible for her case compared to the number of how many of those people actually made a difference, I know I was.

The three little words in this book were unexpected. In her own words, “Everyone will assume the words are ‘I love you’- but what I actually felt and said that day was far from that.”

I did enjoy reading this book, and would recommend it. ( )

I just can't get into/finish these books that are about sad, abused children. I know it's a big genre for some teens, but I can't absorb them. This one was was written really poorly - a memoir - and I couldn't get past the first few chapters. I think the fact that the author is pretty young (in her early 20s if I recall) adds to the flippant feel to this story that feels as if it should much more somber. ( )

A memoir of a girl who spent ages 3.5 to 12 in foster care, multitude of foster families, most horrific. At 12 she was taken into a family for adoption. With all the distrust she had built up from her past it took some time and a very patient and honest family to win her trust. Because she was smart, and committed she became an advocate for foster children and managed to help bring down the worst foster mother. Written well enough to carry me along the emotional roller coaster ride. ( )