Crossing the Line is such an important book to be read by parents, educators and teenagers alike. The narrative follows teenager Erik who is struggling after the death of his dad and living in a single-parent, low income household with his Mum who is struggling to care of her young children and make ends meet. As Erik makes bad decision after bad decision, he becomes increasingly isolated from his family and friends and is drawn into a world of drug dealing and violence.

Through Erik’s experiences, this book draws attention to the push and pull factors that can make teenagers susceptible to grooming by county lines gangs. The author doesn’t shy away from the consequences of this, describing the desperation and terror felt by Erik as he visits trap houses, is forced to “go country” and gets dragged deeper into the tangled web of a county lines gang.

Written in verse, this book was fast-paced and conveyed the risks and emotions in an accessible way for its target audience.

What a beautiful way to share such an important topic. I was engrossed and raced through this in a couple of hours. It was a delight to read and see the complexities of this topic explored so carefully. My work background made this even more poignant, as I have seen the effects before.

A very important book.

I love a novel written in verse and this one is spot on. The pace that you get from reading and writing in verse really enhances the sense that Erik's life, since the death of his dad is dangerously close to spiralling out of control. 

I really liked so many of the characters in this book and was willing for things to turn out OK for them throughout. The book also gives a really good insight into the pressures on young people and the realities of county lines and the lifeline that it can appear to be and can also recommend another great book on this subject, Looked After Boy by Lynda M Brennan.

couldn't sleep last night so started, and finished, Crossing the Line by Tia Fisher, and wow, what a ride! This YA Free Verse novel is pacy and packed with emotions. Erik, a 14-year-old grappling with his dad's death during COVID, takes us on a wild journey. His mum's struggling, so he makes some questionable choices to help out. Fisher's free verse style is on point. It's raw and powerful, letting us feel Erik's fear, frustration and predicament. The pacing keeps you hooked, as you can expect with free verse novels.
The book explores the consequences of Erik's actions, reminding us that life isn't always black and white. It shows us that in desperate times, sometimes we have to call for desperate measures. Crossing the Line is a gripping, emotional read. Get ready for a rollercoaster of feels. Grab a copy and enjoy the ride. Happy reading!

A powerful verse novel, that handles a difficult topic with deft hands. Fisher is able to offer insight into how an ordinary child might find their way into the murky and dangerous world of County Lines. This is a must-read for people working in schools and we are already using this as a 'form reader' with our Year 9 pupils. A very impressive debut, I'll be keen to read whatever Tia Fisher writes next.

THIS is the verse novel that's had me gripped all day.

Crossing The Line is a gripping and brutally honest look at #countylines and the v real threat it poses to vulnerable teens. Technically assured, don't miss this one!

This is a brilliant, edgy and heartbreaking read about County Lines - something I didn't know much about. Tia Fisher's verse feels effortless as though it just rolls off the tongue and the story is only enhanced by the format, making it sharp, succinct and punchy. The narrative felt fully formed, with a tight narrative arc and strong structure and the pace picked as I read like a train gathering steam until I couldn't put it down.
I don't think I've ever felt so much empathy for a character as I did for Erik and I had to keep pinching myself that he was only meant to be in year 9, making him 14 rather than the older teenager I imagined him to be. His story is incredible powerful and explores choices, lack of choices, grief, being a victim of circumstance (and the choices of others), grooming, exploitation and desperation. You could tell it had been meticulously researched and I would recommend it for any secondary classroom. The novel is a powerful tool to raise awareness of county lines and it is an avenue for young people to find hope and help . These texts need to be widely available and talked about.

Thanks to NetGalley and Bonnier for this ARC.
Highly recommend this stunning and powerful YA verse novel. The difficult subject matter of teens being drawn into county lines is sensitively handled and the clever formatting of the verse is an absolute joy. Totally engaged with Erik's story, I raced through this, desperate to know how and if he and his baby sisters would escape. An important read which should have a place in every secondary school library. Five stars.

An important, thought-provoking debut with a standout voice. Tia Fisher tells Erik's story with honesty and compassion.

Wow. Pulls no punches. Distressing YA realism showing the spiral of a bad decision.

This became darker and darker as the story progressed. But in doing so, the reader got see how Erik goes from grieving son to desperate enough for his family to start dealing in drugs and being unable to extricate himself from a very dangerous situation.

This was a very short novel, felt like a Melvin Burgess book at times, and became more brutal and graphic than I was expecting.

Erik has friends, a talent for running, reasons to stick to a path that would keep him out of trouble. But his home life means he now considers himself the man of the house following the death of his dad, and needing money, the 'easy path' presents itself. Though it doesn't take Erik long to work out that it's not easy, not pretty, and not possible to walk away from.

It was a rather upsetting read as a parent, seeing a son taking on the burden and worry of an adult, and then seeing the awful situation he puts himself in.

Erik and his friend, his teacher, are all memorable and visual characters. His world is also all too real and writing the book in verse works very well for the genre and character - it gets across the plot without needing to take time over more. It felt immediate and dark, and I have read many recent books in this style that take you swiftly through a plot with description and depth and losing nothing by taking out the prose.

Powerful, dark and one that hits home. For ages 13 and above.

With thanks to Netgalley for providing a sample reading copy.

Gripping story of Erik’s descent from happy schoolboy to county lines drug runner. It’s pacy and tense and as you keep hoping for Erik to find a way out of his nightmare, the threats and tension builds to a nail biting climax.
Best friend Ravi provides a welcome relief and sense of hope in a life that is spiralling out of control.
Beautifully written, the verse novel format makes it an accessible and enjoyable read for teens - and adults too.

So these days you've only got to say 'verse novel', and you'll already have my interest. I'm a massive advocate of the format, as I have found it greatly appeals to teenage readers. I think it's something about the way that the free verse sounds a lot more like everyday speech than most prose novels do.

Using this very accessible format to package a story like this, which sheds light on a topic that I think many of our young people today could do with understanding better, gets you a book which I would 100% consider essential for any library collection serving this demographic.

This book gives eye opening insight into county lines and the devastating impact it can have on the young people (and their families) who become involved with it. What was especially poignant was seeing how easy it was for the main character to be drawn in but how difficult it was to try and get out.

Out 30th March 2023 - thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

In the ever changing world of working in a School Library as I do, you so often look to books as a way to build a bridge and highlight topics that some young people may not want to discuss/not know how to discuss - such as County Lines.

In this debut release, Tia Fisher expertly uses the free verse form to present Erik's journey. He is endearing, relatable and you can totally see how he slips into making some very bad decisions. It was also a joy to read at the end of the book that the author has worked with specialist national charities to ensure the authenticity of Erik's story.

This should be an essential part of any Secondary and above Library upon its' release. This is an issue that is so widespread that this book needs to be discussed and shared at every opportunity.

What a blooming brilliant YA free verse, I love this format and read it a lot, so when I say this one is up there as one of my favourites, it means go pick this up!

Erik is grieving for his dad, covid has happened, his mum doesn't have a great job and they are struggling for money. His mum has just found out shes pregnant and the father is not interested. He feels alone, he is befriended by two boys at school and starts to make some not great decisions.

Gosh, this book is powerful, I had to put it down a few times because I didn't want to know what happened next, but at the same time I did. I just didn't want it to be bad!

I loved Ravi as a character, his family and his love of old school music, I loved how he supported Erik. I won't say too much more as I don't want to give spoilers, but I highly, highly recommend this one.