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katykelly's review
5.0
Difficult topic, difficult to read. But forcefully impressive and hugely upsetting.
Within a few pages I could see the stunning realism of this story. I thought briefly that this would be a simple tale of a teenage girl getting over a first love. But I was so, so wrong.
Romance, flattery, exhilaration. Manipulation, abuse, obsession. Amelie bares her heart to us, looking back over the first months she spent in London after moving away from her Sheffield home, friends and sweetheart. A talented singer/singwriter, she is almost instantly swept off her feet by the cool Reese, whose constant attentions and protestations of adoration can't fail to make their mark on her. Soon in love, she tells us about what went wrong later.
And it's devastating. Reminding me of Thirteen Reasons Why in some ways, the darkness involved, Bourne takes us about as deep as a YA novel is going to delve, into something honest but brutal. Relationship hell.
I wept reading the second half of this, more than once. It was painful, made me angry, and almost hurt physically to read certain chapters. I would have liked a little resolution as to how certain characters moved on after the end of events, there were questions in my mind. But Bourne did give her story appropriate closure.
WARNING: VERY graphic sexual content, often suggested but some made fairly explicit. Themes incredibly mature and likely to upset.
I would place this on my library shelf in the 'age 14 and above' section. And recommend both young adults and those adults interested in YA fiction to pick this up. It won't be one you forget.
Within a few pages I could see the stunning realism of this story. I thought briefly that this would be a simple tale of a teenage girl getting over a first love. But I was so, so wrong.
Romance, flattery, exhilaration. Manipulation, abuse, obsession. Amelie bares her heart to us, looking back over the first months she spent in London after moving away from her Sheffield home, friends and sweetheart. A talented singer/singwriter, she is almost instantly swept off her feet by the cool Reese, whose constant attentions and protestations of adoration can't fail to make their mark on her. Soon in love, she tells us about what went wrong later.
And it's devastating. Reminding me of Thirteen Reasons Why in some ways, the darkness involved, Bourne takes us about as deep as a YA novel is going to delve, into something honest but brutal. Relationship hell.
I wept reading the second half of this, more than once. It was painful, made me angry, and almost hurt physically to read certain chapters. I would have liked a little resolution as to how certain characters moved on after the end of events, there were questions in my mind. But Bourne did give her story appropriate closure.
WARNING: VERY graphic sexual content, often suggested but some made fairly explicit. Themes incredibly mature and likely to upset.
I would place this on my library shelf in the 'age 14 and above' section. And recommend both young adults and those adults interested in YA fiction to pick this up. It won't be one you forget.
nabigoneaway's review
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
caitlinsyearinbooks's review
dark
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
5.0
Well this book was really not what I was expecting but in a good way! So many hard hitting topics but they were covered so well and with such grace.
I really like the map concept and I think that it was a good way to work through the trauma alongside therapy. I’m glad that Amalie got back to what she loved and with the people she loves, it what she deserved after what she had been through.
I really like the map concept and I think that it was a good way to work through the trauma alongside therapy. I’m glad that Amalie got back to what she loved and with the people she loves, it what she deserved after what she had been through.
anacat_t's review
4.0
4.5 stars!! one of my favorite books from now on. the reason i didn’t give it a 5 stars is because i found some things really unnecessary to be included but overall oh boy…it touched me in such a way. i’m thankful this book exists, i needed this, i needed to feel this close to a character
almondcookies's review
5.0
Why are we still reading Macbeth and Much Ado About Nothing in school when this book exists? Do you know what a healthy relationship looks like? Read this, you might be surprised.
This is by no means an easy book to get through, but it is very relevant and extremely important. If you have any sort of relationship to another human being (which means everyone in the world), I highly recommend you read this. Abusive relationships are not just confined to romantic ones, they exist between parents and children, siblings, friends of 3 months or friends of 30 years, heck, even yourself and your milkman!!
Please, if you're a teen, a young woman, a grown lady, or even a man grown, please, please, read this.
The biggest piece of constructive criticism I have is that I wish Bourne had addressed that the MC was not just raped that one pivotal time, but multiple times.
The incidents where they had sex beforehand and the MC didn't want to do it is already sexual coercion and can be classified as rape. However, owning that word is incredibly difficult, and many will compare their experience to clear cut examples such as Anti Rape Adverts (most of which feature one off violent incidents), and will question 'if it wasn't painful was it still rape?' Yes. Yes it is.
In Places I've Cried, when MC herself thinks of what happened to her, she thinks of that one painful incident and doesn't think about all the other times that weren't violent. Unfortunately that perpetuates the idea that rape must be painful. This is not true. The definition of rape has nothing to do with frequency, pain, etc. It is dependant on if someone was forced, pressured, coerced etc into doing something they don't want to.
This is by no means an easy book to get through, but it is very relevant and extremely important. If you have any sort of relationship to another human being (which means everyone in the world), I highly recommend you read this. Abusive relationships are not just confined to romantic ones, they exist between parents and children, siblings, friends of 3 months or friends of 30 years, heck, even yourself and your milkman!!
Please, if you're a teen, a young woman, a grown lady, or even a man grown, please, please, read this.
Spoiler
The biggest piece of constructive criticism I have is that I wish Bourne had addressed that the MC was not just raped that one pivotal time, but multiple times.
The incidents where they had sex beforehand and the MC didn't want to do it is already sexual coercion and can be classified as rape. However, owning that word is incredibly difficult, and many will compare their experience to clear cut examples such as Anti Rape Adverts (most of which feature one off violent incidents), and will question 'if it wasn't painful was it still rape?' Yes. Yes it is.
In Places I've Cried, when MC herself thinks of what happened to her, she thinks of that one painful incident and doesn't think about all the other times that weren't violent. Unfortunately that perpetuates the idea that rape must be painful. This is not true. The definition of rape has nothing to do with frequency, pain, etc. It is dependant on if someone was forced, pressured, coerced etc into doing something they don't want to.
monet_belle's review
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
juliethebookcat's review
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
safaak's review
dark
emotional
inspiring
reflective
sad
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Emotional abuse