After by Amy Efaw

Summary: An infant left in the trash to die. A teenage mother who never knew she was pregnant . .


Before That Morning, these were the words most often used to describe straight-A student and star soccer player Devon Davenport: responsible, hardworking, mature. But all that changes when the police find Devon home sick from school as they investigate the case of an abandoned baby. Soon the connection is made—Devon has just given birth; the baby in the trash is hers. After That Morning, there’s only one way to define Devon: attempted murderer.


And yet gifted author Amy Efaw does the impossible— she turns Devon into an empathetic character, a girl who was in such deep denial that she refused to believe she was pregnant. Through airtight writing and fast-paced, gripping storytelling, Ms. Efaw takes the reader on Devon’s unforgettable journey toward clarity, acceptance, and redemption.

My Thoughts: I didn't know what to expect as I dove headfirst into this. The book opens up as Devon is sitting on the couch, her mom comes home, and within minutes the police are there taking Devon away. We learn that she has done the biggest trauma of her life and gave childbirth and threw the baby in the trash. I couldn't imagine what Devon was thinking, she was scared and didn't know what else to do, I think at this age, it would be a horrifying thing to go through and not being able to tell anyone you are even pregnant, would be horrible. I liked how we got to learn how Devon had to go through this circumstance. I especially liked hearing about what her stay in the juvenile center was like. I liked the details of how she had to experience everything. Towards the end, I just wanted the best for Devon. I know she made a mistake, but I didn't want to see her spend the rest of her life in prison, because she seemed like a nice girl (good grades, never got into trouble) and she was being sentenced for the biggest mistake of her life. I felt like the author did go into a lot of detail when I just wanted to know what was going to happen to Devon and I wanted to know NOW. haha. She was a scared teenage girl. I usually don't read books like this, I tend to gravitate more towards Paranormal and Romance but every once in a while its nice to get outside the comfort zone. I won't say much else or I'll give away too many spoilers. Read the book to find out what happens to Devon.

Overall: It started out good, I could have done without some of the law facts (I'm a Criminal Justice major so I know most of them anyways). But overall, it was hard reading about Devon because I felt sorry for her, and only wanted her to be safe.

Cover: I think the cover is cute, I like the way she is standing sideways, but this girl still looks a bit older than a teenager.

What I'd Give It: