This novella is highly recommended, it is heartbreaking from the moment you start it. The whole story drags you in and you want to know how it ends for those 2 boys. The story will let you feel different emotions. The characters are well built. The authors did a great job on this novella and I will keep an eye out for them! So that is why this book gets a well deserved 5 points!This is a ARC from the publisher via Netgalley, which I got for an honest review.

Wow...what a great coming-of-age tale. Gritty suspense that fully satisfied. Fantastic job, James and Mark.

Two authors, writing seamlessly together, produced a coming of age novella that cracked my heart.Matthew and Jacob just want to get away from their abusive father. Trying to put aside enough money to get to California where their mom is now living, there isn't much Jacob won't do. He's the oldest and he can't stand to see his little brother abused and beaten-not one more time. On top of all this, Jacob also has to deal with the local bully. Will Jacob and Matthew get away? Will they be able to f...

I really enjoyed this coming of age tale that involved two brothers and the situation that was plaguing their life. A harrowing tale with a bittersweet ending. I love stories like this because they make you feel, even though reading about abuse and neglect is hard. The authors did a great job on this one. Definitely recommend. Only issue I had was that I wished it to be longer.

In The Scrape is a novella that made me feel as if my giant beast of a cat were sitting atop my chest trying his best to stop my heart from beating the entire time I was reading. Not too many books do that to me but put two sweet kids in peril and that’ll do the trick, I guess! This one is a nail-biter and I was incredibly worried for these kids during the entire story. That’s some kind of knock-out writing. I’m glad I’m finished so I can breathe again.Set in the 80’s, Jacob and Matthew are two

IN THE SCRAPE is a novella by James Newman and Mark Streensland. While I'm familiar with Newman's work, I wasn't as sure about Streenslands's style, and how the two would merge together. After reading this story, I can honestly say that I couldn't tell you where one author stopped and the other began.This novella had a strong "coming-of-age" theme wound around an emotional rollercoaster of events. The two boys, thirteen year-old Jake and nine year-old Matthew, were completely real to me, in all

Loved it. Honesty? I didn't want to go 5, solely because I have been a 5 star factory here lately. I tried to think of something about this book that would keep it from being a 5. I came up with nothing. I kind of figured out where we were going with this story early on, but the way it was written - when that moment happened ( and I was right ) I was still shocked and surprised? What do you call that? Misdirection? Sleight of hand? The big reveal, climax for me was just like that. I knew it was

The story of two young brothers trying to escape an abusive and neglectful father to get to the mother that left them years before. Couldn't help but feel badly for the boys. (view spoiler)[ I did have a good idea of the mother's fate early on but that didn't change me wanting to read on to see if I was correct and to see what happened to the brothers (hide spoiler)] Not a happy tale but well written and well worth reading.

4.0 StarsThis was an absolutely gripping novella that first pulled on my heart strings and then got my blood pumping.This story started out as a dark, slow burning, coming of age story. I immediately felt an emotional connection to the protagonist and his younger brother, who were both very likeable and well developed. Personally, I find stories of parental abuse particularly interesting and was pulled into this harrowing tale. However the focus of the story changed significantly in the second h...

Jake and his younger brother have a plan. They are walking the neighbors pets and doing everything they can to make it come true. What's the plan? To get away from their abusive father and head to California to live with their mom. She left years ago to get away from butthole dad.The boys also have to deal with a group of bullies. There is a lot in this short book and it's done very well. There is one scene in which the dad ends up punishing the younger brother harder just because he knew it

4.5 starsBrothers Jake and Matthew Bradersen, aged thirteen and nine, respectively, are determined to save enough money to flee from their abusive alcoholic father. They intend to travel to California to find their mother, who, according to their father, abandoned them years back. The opportunity to run away finally presents itself during a weekend hunting trip. Matthew is sure that his plan will work. Unfortunately, there’s no way he could account for those who have followed them, intent upon s...

In The Scrape is a fast paced novella easily consumable in a single sitting. The story is engaging and draws the reader in with it's well defined characters and heartfelt domestic struggle involving two young brothers forced to live in an adult world driven by violence and blanketed in despair. Jacob and Matthew live with the knowledge that their absentee mother didn't want them and their father doesn't care for them. Then there's the group of bullies at school who torment the two, leaving mouth...

Wow. I read this book in a single sitting last night and I'm shocked it only has two reviews over here so far. I'll have a full review on Ink Heist soon but wanted to put a couple of pennies in here too. In the Scrape absolutely owned me cover to cover. It was a book I picked up intending merely to peruse the first few pages and ended up reading the entire thing in two or three extremely short hours. Amazing storytelling, perfect characters presented with just the right amount of backstory, and

Fact: It's part of our human DNA to tell each other stories. I can't exactly tell you why we do this and all the purposes storytelling serves but I do know that our stories act as little bridges spanning the spaces between the storyteller's heart and the hearts of the ones who hear it.James Newman and Mark Steensland somehow and in some way, collaborated on a coming-of-age story that will forever stay nestled in my reader's heart. I will draw on it over and over again in my recommendations to ot...

James Newman and Mark Steensland nail this emotionally charged, coming of age novella. These guys are good. Seriously, good.Jake and Matthew are only kids, but they can already see that they will need to do something about their current situation, or they may not make it to adulthood. Blinded by a dream of a perfect life out in California, they set a plan in motion that will change their lives forever.The writing here is crisp and lean, with powerful layers of feeling that grow in intensity as t...

This was an engrossing, heart-wrenching coming-of-age story that grabbed me from the get-go. I read it all in one sitting and will definitely re-read it again soon. I'm always a little skeptical when two authors team up, but in this one Newman's and Steensland's writing styles fuse together so well you can't tell where one starts and the other ends. The story flows seamlessly. The plot plays out perfectly. I loved it and highly recommend it.

If it’s one thing James Newman knows how to do, it’s write an engaging coming-of-age tale. MIDNIGHT RAIN and ODD MAN OUT are as required a readings as is BOY’S LIFE when it comes to COA. With IN THE SCRAPE, I think him and Steensland have reached new heights. IN THE SCRAPE is as raw, gritty, and disturbing as ODD MAN OUT, but also has the rollercoaster journey paved with danger and pitfalls like MIDNIGHT RAIN. Brothers Jake and Matthew live with their abusive, alcoholic father after their mother...

Synopsis/blurb......Most kids dream about a new bike, a pair of top-dollar sneakers endorsed by their favorite athlete, or that totally awesome video game everyone’s raving about. But thirteen-year-old Jake and his little brother Matthew want nothing more than to escape from their abusive father. As soon as possible, they plan to run away to California, where they will reunite with their mother and live happily ever after. It won’t be easy, though. After a scuffle with a local bully puts Jake’s

Two young brothers formulate a daring plan to escape from the cruel attentions of their abusive father, and find their long lost mother.The best laid plans of mice and boys...because their father isn't the only threat standing in their way.A poignant, heartbreaking coming of age novella, IN THE SCRAPE delivers on an emotionally visceral level.....from the power of love, to the chains that abuse forge, to the strength that comes when one pushes the innocent to their limits...and then over those l...

Two brothers trying to survive their abusive father. All they want is to escape to California where their mother is. Jake decides a hunting trip will be the perfect time to get away. Well, nothing ever goes to plan does it? This is a short read at just 108 pages but the story James Newman and Mark Steensland fit in those pages is great. I felt so bad for Jake. I'm the big sister so i can relate to being brave for your siblings and wanting to protect them. The hunting trip was a surprise i didn't...