The premise of this book reminds me of the Duggars, aka the show: 19 Kids and Counting. The parents in the show have a lot of children and super religious and was rocked with a scandal a few years ago.
The Book of Essie is about a girl named Esther whose parents are highly religious and have their own television show. She has multiple siblings. One has disappeared from the lime light and does not want anything to do with her family.
The book starts out with Esther finding out she is pregnant and on her 18th birthday, her parents hold a counsel off cameras on what to do about Esther’s “condition.” It is decided Esther must get married to a boy that she barely knows.
As she gets to know this boy, she works along side a reporter to expose a secret her family harbors and turns a blind eye. She worries if it will hurt her in the long run with her baby or will it hurt her family and friends even more?
The Book of Essie is a page turner and it becomes so gripping and hard to put down due to the drama as well as the warped family views her family shares. What is right? What is wrong? What should you share with the world or turn a blind eye to? Essie definitely grows throughout this book and has a voice that stands out from the other characters in the book. I highly recommend this book.