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emilynied's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
This book was interesting - I think it tackled some super important issues like rape culture, the patriarchy and confronted them in a preparatory, elite, high school setting but didn't dig as deep as I was hoping it would. The character choice was intriguing - we get the POVs of Jules, a do-gooder who was once in the "popular crowd" but now chooses to hand out controversial women's health pamphlets during freshman move-in day and tries to normalize tampons by placing them on her desk during class. One the other hand, we have Jamie, the new-kid, fifth year senior trying to make it as a hockey goalie after something mysterious kept him from playing in his previous senior year.
I think the book tried to do a lot of things but ultimately fell a little flat for me, mostly because of pacing. Kiely takes a lot of time to develop the relationships between its main characters but doesn't really leave a lot of time for the plot and the confrontation/exploration of rape culture. The "main event" that the book leads up to happens in the final third of the book, and while Kiely slows it down so the characters can take in what happens, there is like no page count left after that for something major to happen. That was a little disappointing.
I think the book tried to do a lot of things but ultimately fell a little flat for me, mostly because of pacing. Kiely takes a lot of time to develop the relationships between its main characters but doesn't really leave a lot of time for the plot and the confrontation/exploration of rape culture. The "main event" that the book leads up to happens in the final third of the book, and while Kiely slows it down so the characters can take in what happens, there is like no page count left after that for something major to happen. That was a little disappointing.
katykelly's review
3.0
Private school privilege is challenged in a story of feminism and gender.
3.5 stars.
Two narrators take on the telling, of an attempted rape and the aftermath, how it affects both the victim and her friends as well as how the school and other students react.
Jules, from the very first time we meet her, shows us just what we are meant to feel about her - she's handing out 'safe sex' information to students on their first day at the prestigious Fullbrook. She's a 'rebel', she doesn't play by the rules but is worthy, smart and well-intentioned. Her male counterpart is Jamie. He's had to leave his previous public school for reasons undisclosed and managing to attend the private school with a hockey scholarship, and we soon see he doesn't fit in with the typical mindset of the young men who are students there.
I was curious as to where this was heading. Jules and Jamie both are outsiders to the traditions of the school, neither is willing to let things stand, and both are tested as events mean they have to choose between conforming and letting things lie, or standing up and making a stand, fighting back, being heard.
It's a tough one to 'grade', I enjoyed listening to this, the two narrators sounded adolescent enough and they made the pretty mature and intelligent pair sound authentic, but something didn't sit quite right. After considering, I think it was Jamie - he's an outsider, and has a past. It seems that if it wasn't for his own issues then he probably wouldn't notice the problems with Fullbrook. So is it only those outside of the system that would see the flaws?
Jules I liked from the start (and that's not to say I didn't like Jamie too). Her situation is a hard one - she ISN'T raped (it's not a graphic scene), but she is not prepared to keep quiet. When readers see what goes on in the school, it is obvious that something has to be done. But there was the flaw for me, even as I enjoyed it, the conclusion is less than spellbinding, it's a little deflating and I think I said to myself: "Is that it?"
I liked the topic and setting, the distasteful and lurid ideologies of the students and the main pair we are rooting for, but it could have been more.
The audio version is well-narrated by two readers covering Jules and Jamie, making them teenagers you care about. It was the right format for an audiobook, flitting between their points of view fairly sequentially and with lots of narrative thought and speech.
A popular topic at the moment, it unfortunately doesn't stand out as a genre leader, but does add a persepective of its unlikely setting.
With thanks to Nudge Books for providing a sample Audible copy.
3.5 stars.
Two narrators take on the telling, of an attempted rape and the aftermath, how it affects both the victim and her friends as well as how the school and other students react.
Jules, from the very first time we meet her, shows us just what we are meant to feel about her - she's handing out 'safe sex' information to students on their first day at the prestigious Fullbrook. She's a 'rebel', she doesn't play by the rules but is worthy, smart and well-intentioned. Her male counterpart is Jamie. He's had to leave his previous public school for reasons undisclosed and managing to attend the private school with a hockey scholarship, and we soon see he doesn't fit in with the typical mindset of the young men who are students there.
I was curious as to where this was heading. Jules and Jamie both are outsiders to the traditions of the school, neither is willing to let things stand, and both are tested as events mean they have to choose between conforming and letting things lie, or standing up and making a stand, fighting back, being heard.
It's a tough one to 'grade', I enjoyed listening to this, the two narrators sounded adolescent enough and they made the pretty mature and intelligent pair sound authentic, but something didn't sit quite right. After considering, I think it was Jamie - he's an outsider, and has a past. It seems that if it wasn't for his own issues then he probably wouldn't notice the problems with Fullbrook. So is it only those outside of the system that would see the flaws?
Jules I liked from the start (and that's not to say I didn't like Jamie too). Her situation is a hard one - she ISN'T raped (it's not a graphic scene), but she is not prepared to keep quiet. When readers see what goes on in the school, it is obvious that something has to be done. But there was the flaw for me, even as I enjoyed it, the conclusion is less than spellbinding, it's a little deflating and I think I said to myself: "Is that it?"
I liked the topic and setting, the distasteful and lurid ideologies of the students and the main pair we are rooting for, but it could have been more.
The audio version is well-narrated by two readers covering Jules and Jamie, making them teenagers you care about. It was the right format for an audiobook, flitting between their points of view fairly sequentially and with lots of narrative thought and speech.
A popular topic at the moment, it unfortunately doesn't stand out as a genre leader, but does add a persepective of its unlikely setting.
With thanks to Nudge Books for providing a sample Audible copy.
wrens_diary's review against another edition
2.0
mid. was weirdly engaged however.. the large font and short chapters allowed me to read the last third of this book in an hour
kvreadsandrecs's review against another edition
4.0
The final image is such a good, good move. Way to go, Brendan!
I liked this book. The characters were great, there was a believable amount of smarm, and it had a pretty realistic ending. Though, as always, I wish it were 50 pages longer.
I liked this book. The characters were great, there was a believable amount of smarm, and it had a pretty realistic ending. Though, as always, I wish it were 50 pages longer.
indigoivee's review against another edition
4.0
Oh my wow. I don’t typically read books written by men, especially if they touch on sexual harassment and feministic topics, but this book was absolutely brilliant. By the alternating point of view between Jules and Jamie, you really get an inside look at how patriarchal and severely unfair the social status at private schools is. Jules experiences these outdated social laws first-hand and takes a stand against them bravely by creating boundaries and asserting herself in a male-dominated society. Jamie on the other hand is tired of living up to the expectations society has placed on him so he does everything he can to prove otherwise. And when these two become friends I swear the world made sense. The way Jules could rely on Jamie without any conditions or even a hint of romantic interest was so genuine and so pure and the way Jamie knew he could count on Jules to be there for him, no strings attached, made the story so much better.
And while a part of me thought they’d get together eventually, I think the fact that they didn’t only go to prove that boys and girls can have platonic relationships but also can depend on each other to step up and be the voices they need when the time comes. This was a perfect example of using white supremacy and masculinity to your advantage and taking what society perceives as presentable and twisting their perception to the real issues at hand.
Perfectly written and honestly captivating. The social hierarchy, the injustice, the true friendship and the alliances really brought this book together in a way I haven’t ever read before. Outstanding.
Favourite quote: “Rumors become stories. Stories become the truth. And we live by the lies we believe.”
And while a part of me thought they’d get together eventually, I think the fact that they didn’t only go to prove that boys and girls can have platonic relationships but also can depend on each other to step up and be the voices they need when the time comes. This was a perfect example of using white supremacy and masculinity to your advantage and taking what society perceives as presentable and twisting their perception to the real issues at hand.
Perfectly written and honestly captivating. The social hierarchy, the injustice, the true friendship and the alliances really brought this book together in a way I haven’t ever read before. Outstanding.
Favourite quote: “Rumors become stories. Stories become the truth. And we live by the lies we believe.”
1madchild's review
2.0
forgot to rate this. that says enough. wanted to love it but it just didnt cut the mustard.
jkn303's review against another edition
2.0
Stereotypical characters, nothing new to say, no redemption ... which may not be realistic but would at least be satisfying.
goodverbsonly's review against another edition
2.0
No BUT, I liked the main character whose name ALREADY escapes me (Jaime ?) and probably could have liked this if I had been able to procure an ebook instead of an audiobook :(