Thanks BookishFirst and PenguinTeen for this ARC, these opinions are my own. I was hooked from the first few chapters on BookishFirst! I’ve talked about the concept of this book with multiple people as it fascinates me! Violetta lives in a world where crime and punishment is based off a forgiveness program. When Violetta ends up in the juvenile system for driving under the influence and the death of another she has to face forgiveness. It’s her own family that has to determine forgiveness. If she is given it then she’ll have time served, the family could also decide to not forgive or also make her do the trails. These are a series of tests that are designed to help inmates understand what they’ve done and help them see their errors. When Violetta’s family chooses the trails, can she survive? The books is told from a dual POV with both Violetta’s perspective and her brothers perspective. It was interesting to get both a look at what it was like for Violetta and what it’s like for her family. I’m so intrigued by this kind of system and think there could be a lot of good to it but also it still seems like it would disproportionately affect people of color. Also some of the problems that exist with our current system would still be there. For example if you’re attacked by someone trying to do you harm and you fight back, which leaves your attacker worse off, are you really the criminal in the situation? Also what about people who are just unwilling to forgive out of their own pettiness? Because we all know there would be some of those! I think that’s one of my favorite things about this book is it gives readers so much to ponder and think about! I enjoyed Violetta and her brother Vince’s journeys and the emotional impact of this book! Highly recommend! Excited to read again!