Intelligent. Athletic. Focused. Mature. Well-liked. Seems like the perfect teenage girl, right? Seems like she has it all going for her, right? Seems like she is exactly the kind of person that you would imagine throwing her own baby in the trash, right?

I bet you’re going, “Wait, what?” But yes, I really did just ask that question, and no, you didn’t read it wrong. Devon, 15, is the main character of this gripping tale, and she has just done exactly that. After by Amy Efaw tells her story of transforming from a seemingly perfect teenager into a potential murderer. The book leads us through the aftermath Devon must deal with for committing this horrendous crime, interspersed with flashbacks of her life while unknowingly being pregnant. As Devon moves into a juvenile detention center, and is faced with multiple charges and possibly life in prison, Efaw is able to do what you may think of now as impossible; make you become attached to and feel for a “cold-hearted” criminal. Amy portrays Devon in such a light that many readers will be convinced she is not a killer; but rather, a young girl who was confused and scared and in denial about her pregnancy.

From beginning to end, After will keep you captivated in thought the whole way through. Efaw, being the amazing author that she is, equally distributes drama throughout; all the while causing deep questions to arise in the readers’ mind that will continue to be pondered long after the book is set down. I guarantee that this book will challenge you, provoke you, change you. And it will not be soon forgotten.