I did buy this book for the library based on the comparisons to Miriam Toews, and the fact that the author is local to our province, but I could not get into it. I wanted to like it, but I just did not care. I DNFed at around 30%.
I know it is the author's adult debut, but it felt more YA, and was just kind of all over the place. I tried to read it over holidays when I had time to dedicate to it, but I just got bored really fast. Maybe it was just not for me at this time.

An atmospheric and complex book that draws you into Bria's life and story. It is engaging from the start although, it is (as could be expected from the subject matter) a difficult read at times albeit with some dark humor. I am interested to see the author's other work. (Copy received via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review)

Thank you for the ARC. This is an interesting read, it's quite depressing but I feel it shows the harsh reality of addition. There is some dark humour with is a welcome relief. I enjoyed this book as made me think however I would say it's more a YA novel than woman's fiction, it was well written and plotted but I wouldn't say it was was brilliant I think it will get lost among the better novels of this nature it's doesn't stand out but nonetheless I compelling read

What's Not Mine hooked me from the beginning and I couldn't put it down until I knew how each storyline resolved. The themes of the story are incredibly dark and that made me even more invested in the characters and their decisions because the stakes felt so high. The author created such a vivid and realistic story, from descriptions of the town to the teenagers and their interactions, everything felt so real.

What's Not Mine is a brilliantly-written exploration of 16-year-old Bria's troubled life. Tense and atmospheric, it delves into the complexities of family relationships, bad choices and drug addiction.
A dark but thoroughly absorbing read where every sentence takes you further into the bleak community of Beauchamp.
I will definitely look out for further books by Nora Decter.

Thanks to NetGalley for a free e-copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.

'What's Not Mine' is a wonderfully written exploration of life's complexities, expertly negotiating themes of inheritance, addiction, and survival. The story develops against the grim backdrop of Beauchamp, a town plagued by bug waves, a drug epidemic, and the suffocating smoke of forest fires. Bria Powers, the protagonist, is facing the difficult summer of her sixteenth year, which is defined by personal tragedy and a road of self-destruction.

The story succeeds in its profound study of identity in the midst of life's difficulties. Bria's story is an engrossing journey into the shadows of her drug-dealing father's absence and his girlfriend's overdose, which forces her into the care of her aunt Tash and cousin Ains.

The author's work is a compelling mix of tragicomedy and astute observations. The dark comedy in the narrative is beautifully weaved into the fabric of the plot, providing moments of laughter among the grave topics. The author's ability to balance these components adds to the read's captivating nature, reflecting the complexities of human experience with delicacy.

This book piqued my curiosity in a variety of ways. It seemed really atmospheric and was quite well written, so I thoroughly enjoyed the narrative. This one tackles very serious issues, such as addiction, human survival, trust, and love. Bria, the main character, was wonderful, and I felt my heart ache for her throughout the novel. Her issues are firmly founded in her father's addiction, as well as the losses she has suffered throughout her youth.
You could tell she just wanted to be liked and appreciated, but hanging out with the wrong crowd caused her to become a product of her surroundings.

Wow. While not everything Bria went through in this book is inherent to the experience of girlhood (or personhood for that matter) a lot of it was. Some of these experiences you only have during certain periods in that girlhood, so reading this at 30 brought a lot back to me. This book is heavy. A swift kick in the chest. I’m pretty sure I held my breath for the last 50 pages. But finishing it feels as though you’ve been on an important journey. It was hard to watch someone suffering through addiction and spiraling out of control and trying desperately to find a way out and falling down and falling down and falling down. And for that person to be a child was even more harrowing. I personally feel that there can never be enough of these addiction stories told, that there’s a need to constantly humanize addicts. What’s Not Mine accomplished that and so much more. I finished it feeling hopeful.

This wasn’t my usual read but I enjoyed it. The topic was interesting and what Bria goes through as a teenager is crazy. I had to keep reminding myself her age too. Great story about addiction, family, and right & wrong.

Only reason for 4 stars is how jumpy this is - certain parts, I wasn’t sure if it was present or past. I also didn’t love that anything spoken aloud is not in quotes. It blurred the lines of what was internal thought or actually spoken.

Dark with some dark humor thrown in. Kind of depressing but in an interesting way. I wouldn't call it feelgood but definitely is emotional.

The summer Bria turns 16 is a rough one for her. Her mother is out of the picture, her drug-dealing father has disappeared, her stepmom has OD’d (with Bria saving her), her boyfriend is borderline abusive and someone keeps sending Bria dick pics. Although she lives with her loving aunt and three cousins – one of which is her best friend, Ainsley – it is not enough to keep her away from fentanyl, which has recently infiltrated the local drug scene. This is a story of gradual drug abuse and how easy it is to become addicted to drugs, especially opioids. With all she is dealing with, it doesn’t seem so bad that Bria takes an occasional pill to calm herself down. But when she finds herself panicked that her supply is nearly out and realizes how much her life has changed since she has been using, Bria must face the music.

I enjoyed this book, even if, in the end, it read more like a short story to me than a novel. I realize that the author’s intentions were to leave off on a positive note, but addiction is a hard nut to crack and I wanted to see for myself that Bria could come through the other side, especially as some of her negative influences (her dad, for one) would continue to be potentially harmful to her. My problem with the abrupt ending shouldn’t be taken as a criticism, though. I did like the story and found the myriad of characters in it to be well-drawn. The portrayal of drug addiction from the perspective of an at-risk teenage girl was very believably written. All-in-all, it’s a story I will remember and would recommend.

Thanks to NetGalley and ECW Press for providing me with an e-ARC of this title in exchange for my opinion.

'What's Not Mine' is a masterfully crafted exploration of the intricacies of life, deftly navigating themes of inheritance, addiction, and survival. The narrative unfolds against the sinister backdrop of Beauchamp, a town marred by waves of insects, a drug epidemic, and the suffocating haze of forest fires. The protagonist, Bria Powers, faces the tumultuous summer of her sixteenth year, marked by personal tragedy and a journey of self-destruction.

The novel excels in its poignant exploration of identity amidst the chaos of life's challenges. Bria's story is a compelling odyssey through the shadows of her drug-dealing father's disappearance and the overdose of his girlfriend, forcing her into the care of her aunt Tash and cousin Ains. By day, she grapples with mundane responsibilities, but by night, she slips into a clandestine world with Someboy, an enigmatic figure who both captivates and unsettles her.

The author's prose is a striking blend of tragicomedy and keen observations. The narrative's dark humor is expertly woven into the fabric of the story, offering moments of levity amid the weighty themes. The author's ability to balance these elements contributes to the riveting nature of the read, capturing the complexity of human experience with nuance.

This book was really interesting to me in many ways. It felt super atmospheric, and was very well written, which led me to thoroughly enjoy the story. This one definitely covers some heavy topics like addiction, human survival, trust, and love. i loved the main character Bria, and felt my heart aching for her throughout the story. her problems are deeply rooted in her fathers addiction, as well as the losses she’s experienced in her young life.
You could tell that she just wanted to be loved and understood, but falling in with the wrong crowd resulted in her becoming a product of her environment.

Thank you to NetGalley, the publishers, and the author for providing this ARC for me to read and review!

This book was a first hand look at how easy it is to fall into addiction and how accessible drugs are to feed that addiction. This story is told by Bria, she is 15 going on 16 and it follows her throughout the summer as she becomes addicted to drugs. It was an interesting read. Thank you ECW Press and NetGalley for my advanced copy.

I really enjoyed "What's Not Mine" by Nora Decter. There were moments in the book when I had difficulty putting it down! I like how she wrote as if it was a memoir. It was a bit hard to read on my Kindle because it hasn't been formatted yet, but once it's fully published I believe it will be a page-turner for people!

A striking commentary on the ongoing fentanyl crisis, What’s Not Mine is filled with enough teenage angst to make you nostalgic. The book takes place over the summer when Bria Powers turns 16, the narrative webs out to describe her absent father and her addict mother. It employs the found family trope through her cousin Ains and her Aunt Tash, who take her in after her fathers girlfriends, Stephs, overdose. After said overdose, Bria herself becomes addicted to fentanyl. I think where the book falls short of being a five star read is simply, that Nora Decter goes through extensive lengths to flesh out her characters with such realistic traumas but doesn’t provide anything of substance to them. All the characters on the novel are placid.

Bria, as a character, is head strong and very mature of her age and I think this is where my first problem came up. She is 15 throughout the book and turns 16 before its conclusion. However, the content against her age is scary. She is independent through her abandonment from her father and mother, pairing this with her meeting a man who she relies on just left a sour taste in my mouth. Bryan is a character that from the beginning of the book is called ‘Someboy’, I don’t really understand why he had to be 30 years old. Which is only alluded to once in the book, if he had been 20 that would have been equally as weird. Nonetheless, there is scenes in the book that describe them having sex, also just so morally creepy to read. I know it ties into how he takes advantage of her because she is too young to understand but even a 5 year age gap would’ve showed that.

Which indicates another short coming of this book, so much sensitive content such as mentions of suicide and grooming that is half explained, making it seem like a form of aestheticism. The book repeatedly mentions Steph's overdose but when Bria recalls the night we get fragments of this major plot point, that is referred to a good handful of times.

I wanted to get my negatives out of the way first because unfortunately there is more negatives than positives. I could really see myself in Bria, it made me nostalgic. That is where I thoroughly enjoyed her characterisation especially against the backdrop of the writing. Another positive, just the writing was witty, shocking ( I did audibly gasp a couple of times) and it was overall just very enjoyable. Which is why I don’t want to sound too critical, because I did enjoy it and I would recommend it.