You’re No Better Review

Special thanks to NetGalley and Peachtree Publishers | Peachtree Teen for the ARC copy they provided.

I am truly grateful for the ARC, more than I can say. I have had the pleasure of reading all of Andrew Joseph White’s books, and none disappoint. Each just leaves me coming back for more, book after book. You’re No Better is no exception.

While I’m not a rabid true crime fanatic, I won’t lie and say the grim details don’t compel me, on occasion. Somehow, knowing we, ourselves, people, are the worst and truest monsters is as comforting as it is horrifying. It’s a disparity that crawls through the darkest parts of my animal brain, so when I realized the backdrop of White’s latest work, I was intrigued and instantly pounced on the NetGalley listing for You’re No Better.

And this book ripped a hole right through me in all the best possible ways. White always includes a warning section at the beginnings of his books, and I appreciate this, as all of White’s books have cut like knives and scratched at my mind hard enough to make me wince. You’re No Better is no different.

This book has left me hissing in the dark at the injustices and cruelties of adults that should have known better and should have CARED about the children in their lives for several nights consecutively. The way we as people injure each other is a main theme of this book because without it, how could the theme of how we as people come together and heal each other come through?

This book is a juxtaposition that will set your teeth on edge and make you whiteknuckle your cozy blanket in the post-sunset dark, as you flip pages.

The horror is not a bioweapon, slowly re-writing DNA, or societal constructs used to control, or even the sharp edges of a decades-long family feud. It’s simply the way we hurt each other. The ways we know to hurt each other best when we know each other well.

Ultimately, Andrew Joseph White writes like no other. He has a talent for making the fantastical feel like reality. And this book will leave you bleeding on its grisly points, if you’re not careful.

But, if you’re willing to read it to the end, You’re No Better will remind you things CAN get better. They can get better soon.

Give this a read, if you dare. You just might shed a few tears and come away with a new gratitude for friends met along the way.