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“Round these ends, it’s hard to hold on to your dreams. Life’s a constant hustle for Mo. Her mum’s boyfriend Lloyd is just another man who likes to beat down women; the South Crong streets are fraught with hazards and nasty G’s; and when it comes to matters of the heart, she’s still hung up on Sam. No wonder she’s vexed so much of the time. Thank god she has her sisters, Elaine and Naomi, on her side: if one of them falls then they all fall.
“But when badness goes down and a life is left hanging in the balance, Mo has to face her hot urge for revenge and she might end up losing more than she wins.”
Following the path of three 15 year old girls, Naomi, Elaine and Mo, Straight Outta Crongton is a heart wrenching story of betrayal and revenge set in a run-down council neighbourhood.
Through the 300+ pages, the book is not an easy read. Although the main character of Mo kept the storyline and my interest alive, the ending of the book left me feeling that many questions were left seriously unanswered. While there is not enough going for a follow-on book, in some ways an epilogue would be appropriate to round off on what happens to the characters.
While I would not recommend this book for younger teenagers as there is some very extreme language, it does not cover any sensitive topics that could affect older readers.