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3.48 AVERAGE
3.48 AVERAGE
My thoughts about this...
The main character try to emphasize that she is not a bully. But after all the conversation and the screenshots. I believe that she created a bullying 'environment' and she is the bully herself.She did not try to stand up or stop all the bullying for a friend that she know for quite long. And what makes it more sad is, she takes everything as a jokes as her life is going well.
The author might want us to see from the main character point of view and want us to be in her shoes. The end is kind of shocking as she discovered unexpected things about everything. Still, I believe she only feel the remorse because she got caught.
This book giving a perspectives of how bullying especially cyber bullying affects some people. And how sometimes people did not realized how their actions can drive people to do unthinkable things.
The main character try to emphasize that she is not a bully. But after all the conversation and the screenshots. I believe that she created a bullying 'environment' and she is the bully herself.She did not try to stand up or stop all the bullying for a friend that she know for quite long. And what makes it more sad is, she takes everything as a jokes as her life is going well.
The author might want us to see from the main character point of view and want us to be in her shoes. The end is kind of shocking as she discovered unexpected things about everything. Still, I believe she only feel the remorse because she got caught.
This book giving a perspectives of how bullying especially cyber bullying affects some people. And how sometimes people did not realized how their actions can drive people to do unthinkable things.
I wanted to love this book, I really did. Honestly, I hated the protagonist until the last few pages. She’s a bully, but she can’t see that. She can’t see that she’s really done anything wrong until the very end of this book! Just because you didn’t hand someone the gun, buy someone the rope, or pour the pills down the throat of someone that takes their life doesn’t mean that you didn’t add to their pain. Don’t make excuses for your bullying, don’t sit idly by, don’t be like the main character in this book!
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
So I picked this book up as I'm trying to go through my tbr, and funnily enough this came up as the chosen book by the random number generator. Unfortunately this didn't work out for me.
This is a super easy and fast read (I nearly finished it in one sitting), but it lacks the depth I feel needs to be there for a book dealing with cyberbullying, homophobia, and suicide. I really appreciate the message, and it was interesting reading from the bully's perspective, but it seemed almost pointless due to the fact that the main character never actually comes to the realisation what they did was wrong. Because of that she was pretty annoying to read from, but she is 16 years old, so I guess it's understandable, maybe? I think if I read this back in 2016 when I first came across it, I'd probably like it better.
I also wasn't a fan of the dialogue in general. So many of Andy's parts made me genuinely cringe, and that doesn't often happen with me even with bad dialogue.
Though the pacing was really well done. We only see 24 hours, yet it doesn't go by too fast or too slowly.
This is a super easy and fast read (I nearly finished it in one sitting), but it lacks the depth I feel needs to be there for a book dealing with cyberbullying, homophobia, and suicide. I really appreciate the message, and it was interesting reading from the bully's perspective, but it seemed almost pointless due to the fact that the main character never actually comes to the realisation what they did was wrong. Because of that she was pretty annoying to read from, but she is 16 years old, so I guess it's understandable, maybe? I think if I read this back in 2016 when I first came across it, I'd probably like it better.
I also wasn't a fan of the dialogue in general. So many of Andy's parts made me genuinely cringe, and that doesn't often happen with me even with bad dialogue.
Though the pacing was really well done. We only see 24 hours, yet it doesn't go by too fast or too slowly.
It was more like a 3.8
I don't know how i feel about the main character, i really like the plot, The plot was the best part of this book. Reading from the perspective of a Bully is different, and it made me look for her reasons. And just i want to add that you cannot combat bullying with bullying.
I don't know how i feel about the main character, i really like the plot, The plot was the best part of this book. Reading from the perspective of a Bully is different, and it made me look for her reasons. And just i want to add that you cannot combat bullying with bullying.
Tori was your typical popular athletic girl, but now she is on trial for killing one of her classmates. This classmate committed suicide because Tori and her friends constantly bullied and cyberbullied him. Tori firmly stands by the fact that her classmate's death is in no way her fault. Until, the night before her trial, receives a phone call from a random caller. The person on the other end is contemplating suicide and Tori is the only thing between his life and death. This interaction forces Tori to take a hard look at her past actions.
This is an interesting portrayal of a bullying from the bully' viewpoint. This wasn't my favorite of the genre, but it is a pretty standard example of a bully's book. Tori is dense to the point of being ridiculous, but the other characters help.
This is an interesting portrayal of a bullying from the bully' viewpoint. This wasn't my favorite of the genre, but it is a pretty standard example of a bully's book. Tori is dense to the point of being ridiculous, but the other characters help.
Blog review to come but a very important story to read. Specially for kids and bullies
Tom Leveen has done it again. His books are emotional and raw, in a good way. This book will grab you and keep you engrossed from the first page until the last. Highly, Highly Recommended.
Note for the parents/teachers out there: This book deals with suicide, suicidal thoughts, and bullying. I'd keep this one out of elementary schools but high schools are fine. If your personal children are in middle school it's your call but I'd be ready to have some real conversations with middle school readers.
Note for the parents/teachers out there: This book deals with suicide, suicidal thoughts, and bullying. I'd keep this one out of elementary schools but high schools are fine. If your personal children are in middle school it's your call but I'd be ready to have some real conversations with middle school readers.
Having depression and having been a victim of bullying even until recently, I appreciated the theme in this book and the message shared.
Did I like the main character? No. Did I hate her? No. She was weak and got wrapped up in the bullying. But that doesn't make her innocent. And I was glad that was discussed.
Did I like the main character? No. Did I hate her? No. She was weak and got wrapped up in the bullying. But that doesn't make her innocent. And I was glad that was discussed.
Finished reading: March 30th 2016
“'Because that's what being dead means,' Andy says. 'It's the zenit of 'never'. Never again, never this, never that. You don't come back from never. You can't enjoy never. You just sit there, not existing, not listening to your favorite songs or eating you favorite foods. Never.'”
Spoiler
I've read a few good books about teen suicide and (cyber)bullying in the past (including Tease, Thirteen Reasons Why and Nothing Everything Nothing), so when I first read the blurb of this novel I was immediately interested. Unfortunately cyberbullying is becoming a more urgent problem every day with the internet-focused society we are living in today. Tom Leveen did an excellent job in showing us how something seemingly 'innocent' as a few harsh Facebook comments can make someone vulnerable make the decision to end it all. The main character Tori is the perfect example of someone who didn't see the consequences of her comments, and still thinks she didn't do anything wrong. The random call and the way she is forced to think about suicide and how she might have played a role in the death of the very person that used to be her friend make this read into something truly intriguing. Random has a fast pace, is easy to read and has just enough plot twists to keep you surprised until the end. The characters might not be completely likeable, but they do feel real and show us what can happen if cyberbullying isn't taken seriously. Recommended!
Tori hasn't been herself lately ever since one of her former friends decided to end his life. Kevin and Tori used to be closer, but when Tori became friends with a bunch of popular people she started to act differently. Her new friends don't exactly treat Kevin the right way and slowly Tori starts to join them... And when her new friends start leaving harsh comments about everything Kevin writes on her Facebook page, she doesn't defend him. Feeling desperate to stay popular, she even writes a few nasty comments of her own. Now Tori's Facebook page is evidence in an upcoming trail with national coverage that wants to convict her group for cyberbullying and being the direct cause of Kevin's suicide... Tori doesn't believe she is guilty, but is forced to rethink what happened to him when she receives a random phone call. What seems to be a wrong number turns to be a guy her age that asks her for only one thing: a reason not to kill himself. Tori first thinks he is a fraud, but can she really take the risk and have another possible suicide on her conscience?
Random is a well written and fast-paced read about a subject that is becoming more and more important as the influence of the internet grows. Cyberbullying is probably more common than the 'old-fashioned' bullying known ten years ago, and it is important that the consequences are revealed to the bigger public. Tom Leveen did an excellent job by doing just that in his novel and make us think about how something simple as a few Facebook comments can have a huge impact on someone. I would definitely recommend reading this book if you are interested in the subject.
P.S. Find more of my reviews here.
To start off I have to say that I have never been a fan of books dealing with bullies. I think they are necessary and need to be read, but for me it is just tough. Especially when the book focuses on the bully and their point of view and not the bullied. So going into Random, which is a book about a bully who is being prosecuted for what she did to a boy before he committed suicide, I knew it was going to be a hard read. What I didn't expect was to enjoy it as much as i did.
I think the reason I enjoyed this book so much was Tori, our narrator. I connected with her even though I hated what she did. This was something I never thought could happen in a book like this, but honestly I felt for her, and I think part of that had to do with what was happening to her. i think the fact that Tori was faced with someone else thinking about committing suicide made her rethink what she did and what caused her target to ultimate take his life.
I also liked that Tori actually had character growth, was it enough for me forgive her for what she did, no, it wasn't, but there was enough growth for me see that she was realizing what she was wrong that she would change her behavior in the future. I loved how Tori had to face her demons in ways that no one should ever do, but I felt for her character it was needed. She needed to be thrust into that kind of situation in order for her to understand what the bullied are going through and how it feels to be accountable for someone else life, even if you don't want to be.
The only issue I had was with the end. I wanted more resolution than what I got, but I also felt like there is more to Tori's story and her character would not do I 360 in personality in 300 pages, it takes more than that to change a character completely so it partly felt right. What I did live about the end was the reveal. Now I will not say anything about it because it is supposed to be a surprise, but for me that made the book so much better. It made sense, and I loved the way it effected Tori and how she saw the whole situation. This book was a huge surprise for me, but I loved it.
I think the reason I enjoyed this book so much was Tori, our narrator. I connected with her even though I hated what she did. This was something I never thought could happen in a book like this, but honestly I felt for her, and I think part of that had to do with what was happening to her. i think the fact that Tori was faced with someone else thinking about committing suicide made her rethink what she did and what caused her target to ultimate take his life.
I also liked that Tori actually had character growth, was it enough for me forgive her for what she did, no, it wasn't, but there was enough growth for me see that she was realizing what she was wrong that she would change her behavior in the future. I loved how Tori had to face her demons in ways that no one should ever do, but I felt for her character it was needed. She needed to be thrust into that kind of situation in order for her to understand what the bullied are going through and how it feels to be accountable for someone else life, even if you don't want to be.
The only issue I had was with the end. I wanted more resolution than what I got, but I also felt like there is more to Tori's story and her character would not do I 360 in personality in 300 pages, it takes more than that to change a character completely so it partly felt right. What I did live about the end was the reveal. Now I will not say anything about it because it is supposed to be a surprise, but for me that made the book so much better. It made sense, and I loved the way it effected Tori and how she saw the whole situation. This book was a huge surprise for me, but I loved it.