She put him in danger, daily, and felt wronged when he was taken away and ultimately given to his father. Danielle’s gritty, emotional, no-holds-barred memoir lays bare the reality of a county lines insider and reveals the truth about life on the frontline of Britain’s biggest drug threat for a generation.

The book was fascinating and I really enjoyed it, and I couldn’t believe the level of trauma she must have endured. Gritty, explosive and darkly emotional, this factual true crime memoir needs as much publicity as it can, to raise awareness of ‘gang’ life and drug crime and I’d happily recommend to any reader who isn’t easily upset or offended.

It definitely needs to be studied by the younger generation, as Danielle's brutal honesty leaves nothing to the imagination. Danielle Marin grew up in London with first generation immigrant parents and was accepted into a local grammar school.

It was amazing and an addictive book, this girl has now changed her life of selling addictive drugs, to writing addictive material. I finished this book in tears, and in awe, wanting to applaud this woman for her strength and the way that she continues to use her experiences to contribute to a justice system which is deeply flawed and not fit for purpose. Despite the dark side to this tale, there is also a lighter side, where Danielle spreads the message that no matter what mistakes are made, there is always a way out, and there can be sunshine after the rain.

A turning point comes when Danielle is arrested and - with the help of a probation officer - she begins to question whether she really is 'top girl' after all. It was hard not to judge Danielle, especially when it came to Lloyd, because that’s when my emotions turned a little bit to anger. Definitely heed the warnings, Danielle Martin pulls no punches, dropping you straight into her world - and I read this one Fast. He keeps talking about how she will soon be 'legal' and makes it out that he is being respectful, but in hindsight, Danielle is keenly aware he had a ticking clock to taking her virginity. There is no sugar coating here and there is no passing the buck, Danielle owns totally what she did.

You hear “stabbing in London”, “shooting possibly gang related” on the news, never knowing why, but this gives you an insight into the murky world that normally we would know nothing about. It was so sad to read about her journey and how often she was failed by the services meant to protect her. She has this boyfriend with stature in the local community, and because she is running with them she is in a gang before she even knows it, and, in gang rivalries whether she likes it or not. By 15, she has been involved in gang violence -including seeing a girl set on fire-, been brutally sexually assaulted, beaten, and yet, somehow, passed all her GCSE's. I really admired the way she turned her back on drug dealing and is now in a fulfilling and rewarding career.You’d normally only encounter these sorts of incidents in fiction novels and just knowing this happened in ‘real life” was enough to make your toes curl. And then of course, she gets pregnant and her and the guy she’s just started seeing are ‘hella’ thrilled to become parents, at 17 with no job or secure place to live. Her mother was a first generation immigrant so this might have been a kick back against what is seen as Western indulgence -apologies if I have read this incorrectly-and therefore she comes across as distant, even though she is home for most of Danielle’s childhood.

Danielle had a safe and happy childhood growing up in West London and looked to have a bright future, but this soon faded as she turned her back on academics for a life of crime and gangs. I genuinely think that this book should be available in comprehensive schools up and down the country. Overall, I highly recommend this book and even though it is a very difficult and intense read I think everyone should read it (CW's taken into consideration). A solid family background and a prized place at a grammar school should have been an opportunity for Danielle to escape the poverty and violence surrounding her on a West London estate but instead it’s just the backdrop to her descent into a very different world. A gritty, emotional, no-holds-barred memoir that lays bare the reality of a county lines insider and reveals the truth about life on the frontline of Britain’s biggest drug threat for a generation.Even when to an outsider it seems patently obvious like she was failed by the authorities, Danielle does not look for excuses and I found it impossible not to empathise with her.