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albon's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
«Boys will be boys held accountable». In the last 5% of the book. Well, at least one of them will. Kinda. The consequences aren’t massive. The rest of them will get away with it because they’re also victims of toxic masculinity and it’s actually very sad for them that they can’t break free from the horrible expecations placed on them by society (to… not uphold rape culture).
I’m probably being overly sensitive here, but this book wasn’t what I thought it would be. Maybe if it hadn’t been marketed with the «Boys will be held accountable» tagline and the part in the synopsis about the consequences of Quinn going public about being assaulted (which also doesn’t happen until the very last part of the book), I would have had more realisric expecations. It’s well written and not a bad book, but it just left me feeling a little let down
I’m probably being overly sensitive here, but this book wasn’t what I thought it would be. Maybe if it hadn’t been marketed with the «Boys will be held accountable» tagline and the part in the synopsis about the consequences of Quinn going public about being assaulted (which also doesn’t happen until the very last part of the book), I would have had more realisric expecations. It’s well written and not a bad book, but it just left me feeling a little let down
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual assault, Misogyny, and Rape
Minor: Death of parent
sigrioj's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
jadeevans's review against another edition
challenging
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
kding's review against another edition
- Loveable characters? Yes
3.75
Good but just didn’t grip me. Didn’t enjoy Max’s chapters
suptea's review against another edition
4.0
3,5✨
The message of the book is amazing but i personally found it to be hard to really get into the book.
The message of the book is amazing but i personally found it to be hard to really get into the book.
girlglitch's review against another edition
4.0
The Sharp Edge of Silence is a powerful YA novel about rape culture and surviving sexual abuse.
Main protagonist Q is a fantastic character: vulnerable, resilient and brave. While she is able to accept that she was the victim of rape (and she has a support network who unquestioningly believe her and reassure her that she is in no way to blame for what happened), she struggles to move on. Simply surviving starts to take a huge emotional and physical toll on her. Her story is a thought-provoking examination of how to support victims of sexual assault in a culture that so often refuses to hold the perpetrators accountable. It is not enough to 'believe women', however important a start that may be.
Through the perspectives of the other two main protagonists, Charlotte and Max, Rosenblum explores the ways in which rape culture is embedded into school life, and how we must make a conscious effort to challenge it. You don't need to have been to an elite boarding school like Lycroft Phelps to recognise the social dynamics at play: despite the extreme privilege on display, it still makes for a neat microcosm of the world at large.
There is a fair amount of prose that could have been cut back, and in some respects the plot doesn't really kick in until about halfway through. But I appreciated how Rosenblum creates space for some interesting character development and a nuanced exploration of her subject.
Smart and sensitive, The Sharp Edge of Silence is an important YA read.
*Thank you to Netgalley for the arc in exchange for an honest review*
Main protagonist Q is a fantastic character: vulnerable, resilient and brave. While she is able to accept that she was the victim of rape (and she has a support network who unquestioningly believe her and reassure her that she is in no way to blame for what happened), she struggles to move on. Simply surviving starts to take a huge emotional and physical toll on her. Her story is a thought-provoking examination of how to support victims of sexual assault in a culture that so often refuses to hold the perpetrators accountable. It is not enough to 'believe women', however important a start that may be.
Through the perspectives of the other two main protagonists, Charlotte and Max, Rosenblum explores the ways in which rape culture is embedded into school life, and how we must make a conscious effort to challenge it. You don't need to have been to an elite boarding school like Lycroft Phelps to recognise the social dynamics at play: despite the extreme privilege on display, it still makes for a neat microcosm of the world at large.
There is a fair amount of prose that could have been cut back, and in some respects the plot doesn't really kick in until about halfway through. But I appreciated how Rosenblum creates space for some interesting character development and a nuanced exploration of her subject.
Smart and sensitive, The Sharp Edge of Silence is an important YA read.
*Thank you to Netgalley for the arc in exchange for an honest review*
onepersonbookshow's review against another edition
DNF
I was looking forward to reading this novel; the synopsis and tagline of 'Boys will beboys, held accountable', really drew me in, but ultimately the book fell short of my expectations.
Unfortunately, after getting through 150 pages, I knew this wasn't for me. This YA novel explores an extremely important topic of toxic masculinity while examining themes of rape culture and the “boys will be boys” mentality. But to uncover this discussion you need to get through dialogue-heavy, dense chapters that don't feel gripping or relevant.
The novel is split into 3 perspectives of Quinn “Q” Walsh, Charlotte Foresley, and Max Hannigan-Loeffler, with Q being directly affected by the rape culture within the elite Lycroft Phelps school. She was the character that gripped me most, her inner thoughts were visceral and thought-provoking, and illustrated the pain and disorder that come with being sexually assaulted, while the perpetrator walks free with no consequences for his actions.
However, I did not care for Charlotte and Max, their chapters felt like irrelevant filler and didn't make me care for the characters. In fact, I just wanted to skip their sections entirely, and this was when I knew that I would not finish this book.
What should have been the focus of the book - victims of a misogynistic despicable system, that continues to be perpetrated in all areas of our society - took second place, sandwiched in between chapters of little relevance.
I was looking forward to reading this novel; the synopsis and tagline of 'Boys will be
Unfortunately, after getting through 150 pages, I knew this wasn't for me. This YA novel explores an extremely important topic of toxic masculinity while examining themes of rape culture and the “boys will be boys” mentality. But to uncover this discussion you need to get through dialogue-heavy, dense chapters that don't feel gripping or relevant.
The novel is split into 3 perspectives of Quinn “Q” Walsh, Charlotte Foresley, and Max Hannigan-Loeffler, with Q being directly affected by the rape culture within the elite Lycroft Phelps school. She was the character that gripped me most, her inner thoughts were visceral and thought-provoking, and illustrated the pain and disorder that come with being sexually assaulted, while the perpetrator walks free with no consequences for his actions.
However, I did not care for Charlotte and Max, their chapters felt like irrelevant filler and didn't make me care for the characters. In fact, I just wanted to skip their sections entirely, and this was when I knew that I would not finish this book.
What should have been the focus of the book - victims of a misogynistic despicable system, that continues to be perpetrated in all areas of our society - took second place, sandwiched in between chapters of little relevance.
elchs's review
challenging
dark
emotional
inspiring
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
emmanovella's review against another edition
I just didn't care. I wasn't gripped, wasn't excited to pick up my kindle and read. It wasn't bad, but I couldn't make myself keep going when the book did nothing to pique my interest