231 reviews for:

Tease

Amanda Maciel

3.54 AVERAGE


This is an emotional and trying story of bullying in school’s today. This subject has be broached and handled by many different authors and many of these books are incredibly well done. Most of these stories are told from the victim’s perspective, but in Tease this book approaches the subject of bullying from the perspective of one of the bullies. It’s unique, emotional, and taxing to read this type of story from the point of view of someone considered a bully, but it really adds to the story and shows how every story has multiple sides, not just one. Despite being told from a perpetrator’s perspective, the story doesn’t condone bullying, but can show how people lose themselves and forget to empathize, instead making an antagonist of someone else to help them cope. Tease isn’t always easy to read with the hatred, slut-shaming, and cruelty among teenagers, but it’s real and raw and a very important read for everyone.

The only characters we really see depth in are Sara and her best friend Brielle. While it may seem like Brielle is never expanded on, there are hints throughout the book of an unhappy life that Brielle struggles with and Sara struggles with finding herself and being her own person. Both act out in cruelty and bully Emma, but both had their own struggles. No, it’s not okay to bully, but if often happens without the person bullying fully realizing exactly how bad their actions are. It’s not just the victims who need love and support, but those who act out in that sort of malice often need the support and love that they aren’t getting from healthy sources. Sara and Brielle are interesting to try and understand and watching Sara grow and understand what she did is an important type of growth to see that is rarely captured in literature today.

The writing is honest, sharp, and believable and Maciel handles subject of slut-shaming, peer pressure, and bullying with a grace that doesn’t make the book feel like an after school special but a real window into the way some teenagers live their lives. Reading this book fortified my opinion that everyone should be offered kindness, no matter how it seems on the outside, and that slut shaming is a huge part of high school ideology that needs to be fought. Bullying is a hard topic to approach at times, and Maciel handles it well and write a powerful story that leaves a lot to be considered.

This book was a very, very uncomfortable read. Even so, having both sides of the situation (or, to be fair, the side that no one discusses) was definitely a great perspective. Although there were some aspects I wish were touched more upon (the situation with her parents, perhaps), it was still a really great read.

I really had no idea what I was getting into when I started Tease. I enjoyed the cover and went from there. I was surprised by the content, but definitely believe that bullying is a huge problem in our American culture. I cannot imagine how hard it would be to be a teenage girl in this day and age, especially with social media around now. Luckily I was never bullied but I can imagine how hard it would be to deal with.

Likes:

The story was modern and definitely something that needs to be talked about and brought to light.

The main character, Sara befriends a girl who she thinks will help her popularity, give her companionship and help her fit in. But that relationship is toxic and draws her “down the drain.” She starts doing things and saying things that she normally wouldn’t, plus she doesn’t stand up for what she believes is right and wrong. I have had that happen in my life and it is so easy to see how quickly you can change with bad influences.

The story moved from present to past to show how the situation with Emma really evolved. It was interesting to see how the changes happen and how both sides of the situation seemed to make bad decisions.

For a YA book, this one stayed in line with teen attitudes, thoughts and actions. Sometimes the teens act too old or too young, but this seemed to be right on.

Gripes:

The story still make Sara seem like she didn’t really comprehend her actions. I wanted her to feel more and it just felt surface at the end. Almost the whole book felt surface. The author said she wrote it because of a similar situation and I almost feel it needed to come from “the horse’s mouth” to give the true depth to the story.

I really wish that we could have had part of the story from Emma’s POV. Since suicide rates in this country are rising yearly, I think knowing how someone who is bullied really feels may shed light on the situation.

For more reviews visit
A Flurry of Ponderings


 photo Aflurryofponderingssmall.png

Actual Rating: 3.5 / 5

I think I would have liked this more if the main character felt remorse sooner. I almost felt like it was a day late/dollar short. I think I would have liked to see more of Emma's point of view and understand her a bit better. You know she's suffering, but you never really know why, except for the bullying at school. The characters allude to her haunted past, but it's never really revealed. I think people would connect more if you saw more of the effect on Emma. Not a terrible book, but not a "must run out and get it" either.

ACTUAL RATING: 3.5

*3.5

Tease had a magnificent blurb and cover, but it wasn't as good as I thought it would be.
First of all, Sara the MC, was the most irritating, naive, and idiotic character I could imagine. LETS JUST READ SOME QUOTES:

I still can't remember the movie I'm thinking about but this book reminds me of it so incredibly much!! If anybody cares, the movie is on Lifetime and is based on real events. Anyways, this book was quite entertaining to read and generally quite easy to get into due to the language and fast pace. I don't know what would make it a 5 star book but I felt this was quite an all right 4. I would've liked to have more about the trial, but I do understand that they took the plea deal so there wasn't exactly much to do. But yeah, maybe expanding and having the characters not take the plea deal? Would have been amazing to see how it all panned out.

An excellent story that showcases the power of bullying and how it can affect others. It also addresses friendship and that sometimes people can be bad influences on one another and when that happens, it’s better to move on and surround yourself with people who bring out the good in you. Not for tweens considering some of the subject matter, but really makes you think about how your actions can really influence another’s life.