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3.54 AVERAGE
3.54 AVERAGE
Um.......this book was brilliantly written from the "mean girls" perceptive for once which was refreshing, we got to hear exactly what Sara really thought, over reactions and all BUT...........
The moral I took away from this is if you say your sorry it doesnt matter that you bullied a girl into killing herself......
Am I being to harsh???? I was expecting a consequence and I didnt get anything! At the end she is nervous because she needs to write a college application essay and is considering using what SHE learnt from Emmas suicide, which she was directly related to causing!
Please tell me if im missing something but.......no!!!! Had I know this brilliantly plotted book was going to end like this im not sure I would have read it!
The moral I took away from this is if you say your sorry it doesnt matter that you bullied a girl into killing herself......
Am I being to harsh???? I was expecting a consequence and I didnt get anything! At the end she is nervous because she needs to write a college application essay and is considering using what SHE learnt from Emmas suicide, which she was directly related to causing!
Please tell me if im missing something but.......no!!!! Had I know this brilliantly plotted book was going to end like this im not sure I would have read it!
Tease was the kind of book I would have to set down for a while to allow myself to process what was happening in the story. It was a thought provoking book that took that extra step to look into the mind of the bully instead of the victim, and in someway that bully was actually a victim herself. I was thoroughly impressed with this author's work. I would definitely read anything else she put out! Five out of five stars for originality, many versions of The Feels, and for the writing itself.
A well-written account of bullying that seeks to show all sides of the issue as opposed to flat out demonizing the victimizers. A timely read for teens and educators alike.
Finished reading: May 27th 2015
"But how do you apologize for this? I know what I did, I know it was bad, some of it was really bad. But how am I supposed to fix anything now?"
Spoiler
I first found out about Tease when I was browsing for titles about bullying for my Bookish Bingo challenge. This novel by Amanda Maciel sounded like an interesting read so it was an easy choice... Now that I've finished reading Tease, I can say it has left its mark. Bullying and teen suicide are not exactly easy subjects, but I think that the author was able to properly describe them in her novel. A few teenagers have been criminally charged for bullying one of their classmates to a degree that made her decide to end her own life. Amanda Maciel tells us the story mostly from Sara's point of view (one of the classmates), but doesn't fail to show that the victim wasn't an angel either. High school is messy and the case is actually quite complicated... But it shows where bullying someone can lead to, and how wrong it is no matter what the other person might have done to you. Definitely recommended to those who enjoy a good YA contemporary novel with a strong message!
Five teenagers have been criminally charged for bullying and harrassing Emma Putnam to the point that she decided to commit suicide. Sara is one of them and she doesn't see how she is actually responsible for Emma's death. Sara only sees how the new girl slowly destroyed her comfortable high school life... They were what you call enemies, Emma stealing away her boyfriend and all, and even after she is death Emma is ruining her life. The whole community already thinks Sara is guilty before the trial has even started, and she cannot go outside without being scolded at. Sara has the summer to prepare herself for the trial, and is forced to reflect on the events that led to Emma's suicide during meetings with her lawyer and therapist. Will she finally realize she actually did something wrong after all?
I had a hate/love relationship with the main characters, but I cannot deny that they at least felt 'real'. Tease is a novel with a strong anti-bullying message that shows the consequences of bullying someone. It is quite a fast read despite the difficult subject and I also liked that Amanda Maciel used Sara's point of view instead of the victim; it makes this read that much more interesting. Without doubt recommended!
P.S. Find more of my reviews here.
I've read several books about bullying and slut shaming the past two years (see Positive, Some Girls Are, and Speak), as well as added several more to my to-read list (All The Rage, The Truth About Alice, and of course, Tease). I've just had this desire to understand, in the hopes that if/when I have a daughter some day, I can help her through the harshness that she will inevitably have to deal with. They also help me reflect on my own childhood, the times when I was bullied or shamed, and the times I did it to others.
That desire to understand my own mistakes growing up is what fueled me to pick up Tease. While we have plenty of books about the girl who is the "victim", I wanted to see the other side of the coin. I wanted to experience what the bully deals with, in the hopes of sharing more compassion all around.
Tease is a powerful book that really does make you examine the bully-victim relationship. It paints the story in shades of grey, rather than black and white, so that by the time you're done reading, it's not as easy to blame the bully for what happened. It gives great insight as to what goes through teenage girls heads, particularly thought patterns and emotions that as we get older, we tend to forget about.
I opted to listen to the audiobook version of Tease, and I wasn't disappointed. I thought Julia Whelan did an excellent job with it, and I've actually added her to my list of narrators to check out again.
Overall, I'd highly recommend this book if you want a glimpse at the bully's side. It's very thought-provoking, and makes you realize that this issue isn't as black and white as the world wishes it was.
This review was originally posted on Books Are My Thing
That desire to understand my own mistakes growing up is what fueled me to pick up Tease. While we have plenty of books about the girl who is the "victim", I wanted to see the other side of the coin. I wanted to experience what the bully deals with, in the hopes of sharing more compassion all around.
Tease is a powerful book that really does make you examine the bully-victim relationship. It paints the story in shades of grey, rather than black and white, so that by the time you're done reading, it's not as easy to blame the bully for what happened. It gives great insight as to what goes through teenage girls heads, particularly thought patterns and emotions that as we get older, we tend to forget about.
I opted to listen to the audiobook version of Tease, and I wasn't disappointed. I thought Julia Whelan did an excellent job with it, and I've actually added her to my list of narrators to check out again.
Overall, I'd highly recommend this book if you want a glimpse at the bully's side. It's very thought-provoking, and makes you realize that this issue isn't as black and white as the world wishes it was.
This review was originally posted on Books Are My Thing
I really do not know how to review this book. In over 2 years I have never read a book and been this undecided as to its rating. I went into Tease knowing what it was about and the subject matter and I knew I would have an opinion on it, but honestly I did not know that my emotions would be split this much.
Before I go into the book itself, I feel like I need to state that I was bullied when I was in elementary school and into middle school. These were probably some of the hardest years of my life because I honestly felt so alone and unprotected. I have been bullied by both boys and girls, and as most know, being bullied by girls is the hardest thing to go through because we can be mean and vindictive, and that is something I related to in Tease.
I have no sympathy for bullies and what happens to them after they get caught. Honestly I think that bullies need to be punished harshly or they will never learn the ramifications of what their actions and words can cause. Maybe it is because I have such deep hatred for bullies that I felt no sympathy for Sara. I know that the author tried to make her sympathetic and worthy of our trust and appreciation but for me everything that came out of her mouth was either an excuse or placing blame on someone else. I honestly feel like if you have never been bullied before then you might feel for Sara, whereas I only see her as someone who verbally and physically attacked another person, and thought the end result was in no way her fault. And I think the hardest part for me was that in the end, Sara didn't change. She still did not think Emma's suicide was in any way her fault, and to me that made Sara very hard to like as a character.
To be fair we really have no idea what Emma's story was. We only have Sara's version of the events and honestly I wish we could have seen another side. It might have cleared up some things for me as a reader, like why Emma hung out with certain people, why she never really fought back and if her mother really knew the extent of what was going on. I also felt like the secondary characters gave us no real insight into the story itself and I think I just wanted someone else's point of view because I felt like Sara's was clouded by hatred and jealousy.
Now, I am giving this book 3 stars, and it took me over a week to figure out if this was the right rating. I read the book extremely fast, but it was really hard for me to read in general. I did not like the narrator or her voice so that made getting through the book a lot harder than usual. But I also think that the subject of bullying and its consequences is something that needs to be talked about and read. I did not hate this book, but I disliked that I was meant to feel for a character that did not deserve forgiveness. I am giving this book 3 stars because my emotions are in the middle and that rating seemed fair. I think that this author has a talent for writing tough situations and I give her kudos for tackling a subject that is so media heavy at the moment. But in the end, my own bad experiences with bullies and the consequences on not only the bullies themselves, but me as well, made liking this book a lot harder. But I definitely think it should be read by all teenagers so they understand what can happen if things go too far.
Before I go into the book itself, I feel like I need to state that I was bullied when I was in elementary school and into middle school. These were probably some of the hardest years of my life because I honestly felt so alone and unprotected. I have been bullied by both boys and girls, and as most know, being bullied by girls is the hardest thing to go through because we can be mean and vindictive, and that is something I related to in Tease.
I have no sympathy for bullies and what happens to them after they get caught. Honestly I think that bullies need to be punished harshly or they will never learn the ramifications of what their actions and words can cause. Maybe it is because I have such deep hatred for bullies that I felt no sympathy for Sara. I know that the author tried to make her sympathetic and worthy of our trust and appreciation but for me everything that came out of her mouth was either an excuse or placing blame on someone else. I honestly feel like if you have never been bullied before then you might feel for Sara, whereas I only see her as someone who verbally and physically attacked another person, and thought the end result was in no way her fault. And I think the hardest part for me was that in the end, Sara didn't change. She still did not think Emma's suicide was in any way her fault, and to me that made Sara very hard to like as a character.
To be fair we really have no idea what Emma's story was. We only have Sara's version of the events and honestly I wish we could have seen another side. It might have cleared up some things for me as a reader, like why Emma hung out with certain people, why she never really fought back and if her mother really knew the extent of what was going on. I also felt like the secondary characters gave us no real insight into the story itself and I think I just wanted someone else's point of view because I felt like Sara's was clouded by hatred and jealousy.
Now, I am giving this book 3 stars, and it took me over a week to figure out if this was the right rating. I read the book extremely fast, but it was really hard for me to read in general. I did not like the narrator or her voice so that made getting through the book a lot harder than usual. But I also think that the subject of bullying and its consequences is something that needs to be talked about and read. I did not hate this book, but I disliked that I was meant to feel for a character that did not deserve forgiveness. I am giving this book 3 stars because my emotions are in the middle and that rating seemed fair. I think that this author has a talent for writing tough situations and I give her kudos for tackling a subject that is so media heavy at the moment. But in the end, my own bad experiences with bullies and the consequences on not only the bullies themselves, but me as well, made liking this book a lot harder. But I definitely think it should be read by all teenagers so they understand what can happen if things go too far.
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
An interesting perspective on bullying - the story is told from the point of view of a bully. I loved the POV, but I don't think it was truly successful here, maybe I wanted her introspections to reach some sort of resolution, but alas, nope. Still, I give it props for dealing with something probably touchy and dark. 3.5 stars.