Reviews with content warning for Bullying - Speak

thinking about how i read this book in 8th grade on a direct recommendation from my english teacher?? like i don't really regret it, even now i still find it pretty good, but also i was almost the same age as the protagonist is when i read this for the first time and i think that might have altered my brain chemistry in some way that probably wasn't very great

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phantasmfiend's review against another edition

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challenging emotional hopeful informative reflective sad tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes

4.0

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maurice_greenware's review against another edition

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dark emotional informative sad tense

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No

2.5

I would be a pretty good book if the main character wasn't so misogynistic throughout the book! I can see how this book would have helped people who've been sexually assaulted, and I applaud the author for creating a book that has helped people with their trauma. I feel like if I had read this book a couple years ago, when I was just getting out of an abusive relationship, it would've really helped me understand what I had been through. so props to the author for sure, I just personally didn't like the writing a lot .

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laheath's review against another edition

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emotional inspiring medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

Excellent portrayal of a young girl dealing with being raped at a party before the beginning of high school. She almost completely stops talking to anyone and loses most of her friends due to a misunderstanding about why she called the cops at the party. It's a long time before she tells anyone what truly happened. Her art class and teacher help to save her as she learns how to express herself for an assignment. She also slowly regains her voice to protect future victims and to defend herself.
The faculty members represent a full range of support, or lack of, found in high school. I would have liked more resolution with the parents though. Told in first person, her emotions, her feelings of isolation and her feelings of fear at each future encounter with her rapist at school are often raw as reflected in the words and in the writing style. Nothing in the narrative dates the material so it remains timely. The afterword by this author and by author Jason Reynolds is a must-read.

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antidietleah's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional sad 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? It's complicated

3.75

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tahdens's review against another edition

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dark emotional hopeful 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? It's complicated

4.0

I read this when I was a kid, and as an attempt to somehow reach that part of me that I genuinely don't remember, I have decided to pick up some books I read as a kid.

This book is dark. I don't think I realized how dark it was when I first read it. But the way the trauma manifested in Melinda was palpable and I ached for her and her pain. And I really enjoyed the art therapy process throughout the year.

The ending felt a bit rushed. She was miserable, and then all of the sudden, she was recovering with no catalyst. I don't want to say that trauma can only be overcome with help and therapy or whatever, and maybe all she needed was to admit to herself that it happened and that she was a victim? Or with the oncoming warm weather she no longer had seasonal depression? But still, it felt like the author was running out time (since the book took place over the school year) and decided, yeah, it's time she get over it.

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elizabethlovesbooks's review against another edition

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emotional hopeful inspiring sad medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

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