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laurenkara's review against another edition
5.0
Trigger warnings: rape, sexual assault, non-consensual actions, drug and alcohol use
Holy shit. This book. I don't even know what to say. It is so brutal, but so important. The fact that it focused on the aftermath of rape and what a victim goes through rather than giving page time to the actual rapist was a much needed change of pace. I cried. I was so so so angry. It's absolute bullshit that people have to go through this. I wish this book didn't have to exist, but I'm glad it does because I feel like it's probably helped and will continue to help so many people. If you can handle the subject matter then please give this a read.
Holy shit. This book. I don't even know what to say. It is so brutal, but so important. The fact that it focused on the aftermath of rape and what a victim goes through rather than giving page time to the actual rapist was a much needed change of pace. I cried. I was so so so angry. It's absolute bullshit that people have to go through this. I wish this book didn't have to exist, but I'm glad it does because I feel like it's probably helped and will continue to help so many people. If you can handle the subject matter then please give this a read.
savschi's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
mollypitcher's review against another edition
5.0
Well. I don't normally leave reviews, but when you get the privilege of reading a big important book a year before its publication . . . it's kind of a big deal. And here's where I say that I got to read All The Rage because its fabulous author is a long time friend, so you can take this review with as many grains of salt as you want.
That being said . . . this is Courtney Summers' best book yet. It is big, and meaty, and worth the wait. If you follow Courtney on social media, you know that she's talked a lot about the writing process for this book, that she found it quite difficult to write. And I can tell, that writing this book stretched her. Not because the writing feels labored or anything like that, but because this book does so damn much. It travels in time, back and forth, to Befores and Afters that the reader can't fully understand, not right away. It quickly introduces an entire town of characters, all of them layered, with hinted-at motivations. Their relationships to Romy, your narrator and protagonist, are complicated; some of them only coming into full clarity at the book's conclusion. There are so many levels of interpersonal mystery that I found myself trying to read slowly, going back a few pages to review conversations and let new developments settle in before pressing ahead.
Oh, and there are parents. If you're familiar with Courtney's work, you know they're usually a non-entity, and yet here they are.
I'm going to keep this super vague, because there's so much to uncover in All The Rage and I want everyone to be as surprised and delighted and horrified as I was. But here it is: this is a big important book. This is a book about the careless pain teenagers inflict on each other. This is a book about feminism, and sisterhood, and the responsibilities women have to each other. This is a book about rape culture, and an important one. It is insightful, it is violent, it is relentless, and it feels very real, all of it.
I couldn't put it down.
I can't wait for everyone else to get to read this book.
It's a doozy, and I say that in the best possible way.
That being said . . . this is Courtney Summers' best book yet. It is big, and meaty, and worth the wait. If you follow Courtney on social media, you know that she's talked a lot about the writing process for this book, that she found it quite difficult to write. And I can tell, that writing this book stretched her. Not because the writing feels labored or anything like that, but because this book does so damn much. It travels in time, back and forth, to Befores and Afters that the reader can't fully understand, not right away. It quickly introduces an entire town of characters, all of them layered, with hinted-at motivations. Their relationships to Romy, your narrator and protagonist, are complicated; some of them only coming into full clarity at the book's conclusion. There are so many levels of interpersonal mystery that I found myself trying to read slowly, going back a few pages to review conversations and let new developments settle in before pressing ahead.
Oh, and there are parents. If you're familiar with Courtney's work, you know they're usually a non-entity, and yet here they are.
I'm going to keep this super vague, because there's so much to uncover in All The Rage and I want everyone to be as surprised and delighted and horrified as I was. But here it is: this is a big important book. This is a book about the careless pain teenagers inflict on each other. This is a book about feminism, and sisterhood, and the responsibilities women have to each other. This is a book about rape culture, and an important one. It is insightful, it is violent, it is relentless, and it feels very real, all of it.
I couldn't put it down.
I can't wait for everyone else to get to read this book.
It's a doozy, and I say that in the best possible way.
melissaalgood's review against another edition
5.0
This book should be mandatory reading for anyone who is a girl, knowns a girl, or has a girl. It is the most artfully written novel about America's rape culture that is in existence. If I had a daughter, I'd give her a copy to read.
xlovelylaurencalistax's review against another edition
4.0
4.5 stars
This book is so important. High school student Romy has dealt with a horrible incident she so bravely tries to move on from. She lives in the kind of small town where having bad things happen involving important people and not-so-important, like Romy, means her social demise. She is shunned and shamed for speaking her truth. While reading, you are disgusted with her persecutors, but Romy shows such great strength that we too become strong. In the midst of Romy's struggle, her persecutors end up dealing with their own heartbreak as an important student in Romy's class goes missing. Summers paints the story in a way where we see vulnerable and strong sides of each character, even the wrong-doers. She writes the story with pure honesty and imagery. It is beautiful.
It doesn't tip-toe. It asks important questions. Its ends tie up and fake no happiness or sadness. It's real. I will be reading more books of Courtney's.
Behind the building was a field and when the popourri scent of her cleaner made me sneeze, I went outside. There were calves there, these sweet things that watched me with less interest than I watched them. There was this raggedy one, sitting in the middle of the field, its mother nearby. I didn't realize it was sick until it tried to get up and it couldn't. It kept trying and it couldn't and then, eventually--it didn't. After a while, a truck drove in. A man and a boy got out, looked it over while its mother stood close. It was dead, the calf. Dead and too heavy to load into the truck bed, so they tied a rope around its neck, tied the other end to the truck and dragged it off the field like that. Its mother watched until it disappeared and when it was out of view, she called for it. Just kept calling for it so long after it was gone. Sometimes I feel something like that, between my mom and me. That I'm the daughter she keeps calling for so long after she's been gone.
--What I understood and loved about this part was the way the writer compared an innocent and beautiful animal to her main character. The fact that the character notices this animal and feels empathy, while also comparing herself to it, showed a complexity and great understanding for how truly real and vulnerable we are as human beings. Romy recognizes herself in the calf and she feels sorry for its mother, along with her own. She is able to see outside herself and feel sympathy for people she knows who hurt alongside her and that was so powerful to me as a reader.
I don't believe in forgiveness. I think if you hurt someone, it becomes a part of you both. Each of you just has to live with it and the person you hurt gets to decide if they want to give you the chance to do it again. If they do and you're a good person, you won't make the same mistakes.
--How can you not want lovely advice to add to the overall story? It's wonderful.
I wonder if it feels like something, the dark...I imagine the tiniest points of light, the stars through the water, but she can't reach them before she goes out.
The first two chapters were a little slow and too detailed for my taste but I understood what the author was trying to do. I just felt maybe something could take the place of nail polish much better. The repetition at the end was perfect, despite my not liking the nail polish description. I think I would have preferred to have a repetition of the cow scene, except I would have liked it to end with something like:
I would also change the last lines to:
Hope you enjoy my review, as well as my writing suggestions. I recommend this book highly.
This book is so important. High school student Romy has dealt with a horrible incident she so bravely tries to move on from. She lives in the kind of small town where having bad things happen involving important people and not-so-important, like Romy, means her social demise. She is shunned and shamed for speaking her truth. While reading, you are disgusted with her persecutors, but Romy shows such great strength that we too become strong. In the midst of Romy's struggle, her persecutors end up dealing with their own heartbreak as an important student in Romy's class goes missing. Summers paints the story in a way where we see vulnerable and strong sides of each character, even the wrong-doers. She writes the story with pure honesty and imagery. It is beautiful.
It doesn't tip-toe. It asks important questions. Its ends tie up and fake no happiness or sadness. It's real. I will be reading more books of Courtney's.
Behind the building was a field and when the popourri scent of her cleaner made me sneeze, I went outside. There were calves there, these sweet things that watched me with less interest than I watched them. There was this raggedy one, sitting in the middle of the field, its mother nearby. I didn't realize it was sick until it tried to get up and it couldn't. It kept trying and it couldn't and then, eventually--it didn't. After a while, a truck drove in. A man and a boy got out, looked it over while its mother stood close. It was dead, the calf. Dead and too heavy to load into the truck bed, so they tied a rope around its neck, tied the other end to the truck and dragged it off the field like that. Its mother watched until it disappeared and when it was out of view, she called for it. Just kept calling for it so long after it was gone. Sometimes I feel something like that, between my mom and me. That I'm the daughter she keeps calling for so long after she's been gone.
--What I understood and loved about this part was the way the writer compared an innocent and beautiful animal to her main character. The fact that the character notices this animal and feels empathy, while also comparing herself to it, showed a complexity and great understanding for how truly real and vulnerable we are as human beings. Romy recognizes herself in the calf and she feels sorry for its mother, along with her own. She is able to see outside herself and feel sympathy for people she knows who hurt alongside her and that was so powerful to me as a reader.
I don't believe in forgiveness. I think if you hurt someone, it becomes a part of you both. Each of you just has to live with it and the person you hurt gets to decide if they want to give you the chance to do it again. If they do and you're a good person, you won't make the same mistakes.
--How can you not want lovely advice to add to the overall story? It's wonderful.
I wonder if it feels like something, the dark...I imagine the tiniest points of light, the stars through the water, but she can't reach them before she goes out.
The first two chapters were a little slow and too detailed for my taste but I understood what the author was trying to do. I just felt maybe something could take the place of nail polish much better. The repetition at the end was perfect, despite my not liking the nail polish description. I think I would have preferred to have a repetition of the cow scene, except I would have liked it to end with something like:
Just kept calling for it so long after it was gone... Sometimes I feel something like that, about myself. That I keep calling out for the girl I used to be. Before. I wonder if she has been dragged off, away from who I am now, and I wonder if I will ever see her again. I think not. But I think maybe now that's a good thing.
I would also change the last lines to:
Open your eyes.
Uncover your mouth.
Look at me.
I'm here.
Hope you enjoy my review, as well as my writing suggestions. I recommend this book highly.
timelordmom's review against another edition
5.0
My second read by Courtney Summers and I think I have a new favourite author. This was an incredible and emotional read
alexandramtrawick's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- 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
q8popup's review against another edition
3.0
Such a depressing and frustrating book but I can't seem to put it down. Worth a read
rachcannoli's review against another edition
5.0
**Massive trigger warning for rape**
Oof, this book is a literal punch to the heart and stomach, but also so incredibly realistic and important. Truly if you’ve ever been through abuse or rape, I need you to know before reading (because I don’t think the blurb fully says it) but also hope maybe this can help you see you’re not alone and give you that extra strength to reach out to those who love you. But I also understand if it’s too much so I want readers to know what it’s about before they get into it.
This story is so powerful and it’s, unfortunately, too relevant and commonplace. Victim comes forward and is immediately not believed, but then her life is ruined forever, not the scum bag who did this to her. Yet it’s also a thriller mixed with a friendship tale that is so gripping I just needed to know every detail.
The protagonist, Romy, breaks my heart and I do think she gains some understanding and support, but she goes through such a rough deal. Add that horrendous trauma to the typical high school bullshit of kids being cruel, teens not wanting to open up, and extreme bullying. Powerful, upsetting, gripping, fucked up, and yet I do think it’s an important read to keep reminding everyone this is not a random occurrence and something’s got to change. We have to teach our boys to stop being assholes, to realize no means no, to know they can’t just take whatever they want, to learn from the shit heads of the past so our girls can be safe. The fact that girls are told what to do, dress, act, and how to defend themselves but boys aren’t told a simple no means no, disgusts me. I’m just so sick of it. But until that happens we need to keep sharing difficult stories like this in hopes we’ll learn something and at least come together.
Basically I still can’t fully reign in my thoughts, but just read the book if you can. It’s very well done, but extremely heart breaking.
Oof, this book is a literal punch to the heart and stomach, but also so incredibly realistic and important. Truly if you’ve ever been through abuse or rape, I need you to know before reading (because I don’t think the blurb fully says it) but also hope maybe this can help you see you’re not alone and give you that extra strength to reach out to those who love you. But I also understand if it’s too much so I want readers to know what it’s about before they get into it.
This story is so powerful and it’s, unfortunately, too relevant and commonplace. Victim comes forward and is immediately not believed, but then her life is ruined forever, not the scum bag who did this to her. Yet it’s also a thriller mixed with a friendship tale that is so gripping I just needed to know every detail.
The protagonist, Romy, breaks my heart and I do think she gains some understanding and support, but she goes through such a rough deal. Add that horrendous trauma to the typical high school bullshit of kids being cruel, teens not wanting to open up, and extreme bullying. Powerful, upsetting, gripping, fucked up, and yet I do think it’s an important read to keep reminding everyone this is not a random occurrence and something’s got to change. We have to teach our boys to stop being assholes, to realize no means no, to know they can’t just take whatever they want, to learn from the shit heads of the past so our girls can be safe. The fact that girls are told what to do, dress, act, and how to defend themselves but boys aren’t told a simple no means no, disgusts me. I’m just so sick of it. But until that happens we need to keep sharing difficult stories like this in hopes we’ll learn something and at least come together.
Basically I still can’t fully reign in my thoughts, but just read the book if you can. It’s very well done, but extremely heart breaking.