I could not read this book without thinking about the reality TV show 19 Kids and Counting. No, the protagonist does not have an extensive family, but the exploitation she faced and the motivations of her family are reminiscent of what we now know about the infamous Duggars. While The Book of Essie is a young adult novel, the characters read very young. It may have been Weir’s way of trying to show how the main characters were sheltered, but I thought it detracted from the story as a whole.