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The Book of Essie
I made a conscious decision not to read this book: I didn't think a novel about a Christian reality tv star sounded like the right book for me. But then I recorded a podcast episode with bookstore owner Annie Jones, and she said she wanted me to read it so we could talk about it, and since I was visiting Annie's store .... I read it. And it GREATLY exceeded my expectations. Seventeen-year-old Esther Anne Hicks is the youngest daughter of an Evangelical family that stars in their own reality show called Six for Hicks. When her appearance-conscious mother discovers Essie is pregnant, it's not a parenting issue. Instead, it's all about the optics. But Essie is determined to finally take control of her own life and find a way out of her high-profile world. For me, this was a perfect beach read.
About the Book
Publisher’s description:
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? Whom can she trust with the truth about her family? And how much is she willing to sacrifice to win her own freedom?
Other books in "Quick Lit June 2018"
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