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3.83 AVERAGE
3.83 AVERAGE
I liked that both Ian and Grace that they had their doubts about each other and that made this story more realistic and true to me...
Starting this book, I didn't have the highest expectations, but I'm really surprised and impressed.
Istyria book blog ~ B's world of enchanted books
4.5 stars
Wow. Some Boys really caught me by surprise. I picked it up on Netgalley because it sounded good, but I never had very high expectations. I didn't know the author and I didn't know if it would click with me and all that jazz. You get it, right? But then I read it and it just blew me away!
Some Boys is about Grace. About a month ago, she accused the town's golden boy, Zac, of raping her and nobody believed her. Since then they all bully her, calling her names. Everyone hates her and even her parents don't seem to believe her. When her supposed best friend gets her in trouble, Grace is stuck cleaning lockers during spring break with Ian, Zac's best friend. But Ian doesn't call her a slut or a liar. Ian is nice to her. Spending the days together cleaning lockers, they start to bond, but it's not that easy when everything and everyone seems to be against them. Against her.
Some Boys is very emotional and tough to read at times. It deals with a hard topic and the fact that this story is so realistic, is probably what makes it so sad in the first place. But I loved it and I was so invested in it, I couldn't put it down. I read it in one sitting, engrossed in Grace's story. I felt so bad for her and I just wanted to hug her and tell her everything'll be alright. Grace is so brave and so strong. If I were her, I'd be a sobby mess in the corner of my room. But she keeps her head up high, putting on her brave face. She doesn't want anyone to see how broken she is inside. I'm glad she didn't run, I'm glad she fought back.
On the other side you have Ian. We get to know him through the alternating POV's between him and Grace. I thought I'd hate him, but I didn't. I understood his side of things too. Someone called his best friend a rapist and honestly, it would be hard to believe for me too if I were him. But he likes Grace, a lot and eventually he saw what was really going on and he did the right thing in the end and that's all that matters for me. I hated Zac, Miranda and Lindsay. And a lot of the other characters too. They were mean and pathetic. I loved Grace's family and Ian's too.
The romance was perfect for this story. It built up nice and slow and I liked that. They both had stuff to get through and if the romance had been rushed it would've ruined the story, but it wasn't. It was perfectly paced and in the end I do think they saved each other. I rooted for them all the way. Still, I was always on Grace's side. When Ian was acting stupid, I was angry. But he always redeemed himself after being an ass, so I still loved him.
Some boys was surprisingly emotional and gave me tears in my eyes a lot. It's a heartfelt, deep and powerful story with a romance that made my heart melt in the end. I do recommend this book to everyone who loves contemporary books à la Katie McGarry or Colleen Hoover. I will be watching this author closely from now on.
Loved this book! I honestly think it should be part of any discussion about rape and the way women and girls are viewed. It wasn't slanted one way or another. It didn't bring in too many elements from feminist thought which I know turns a lot of people off and shuts down topics, but it was honest and it showed not only how rape victims are viewed by men and by society, but by how women as a whole are viewed by everyone. I cannot say enough good things about this book. The writing was simple but the content was so powerful. I feel like this is the type of book that should be read in schools.
2020 me has nothing.
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This book gave me all the feels. It was the second book I read about rape. I had never thought about the emotional impacts of being raped, and the writer did an excellent job of portraying that.
2020 me here. when I say, "emotional impacts" I think 16 year old me is saying that she never thought about how traumatic this is. obviously, 2020 me understands, but as a teen, I never really considered it.
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This book gave me all the feels. It was the second book I read about rape. I had never thought about the emotional impacts of being raped, and the writer did an excellent job of portraying that.
2020 me here. when I say, "emotional impacts" I think 16 year old me is saying that she never thought about how traumatic this is. obviously, 2020 me understands, but as a teen, I never really considered it.
dark
emotional
sad
fast-paced
Some Boys was a really brilliant book. It was also at times highly confusing. Was she raped? Or was she not? There are two sides to the story and we slowly find out the truth.
I love Grace, but at times I thought she was just a bit too much. At times I didn't know what to think of her. Like how she was stalking the guy who raped her to get that one shot. Since we don't get to hear why she is doing it until a bit later, I wasn't sympathizing with her a lot, and thanks to this I was also doubting if she was truly raped or just searching for attention. Which is a shame. I think if the whole picture thing was left out it would have been much much better, now at times it just felt awkward and weird.
But at other times I was just cheering for her to continue with her life, to not give up, even though it seemed the whole world was against her. Add to her rape, she also had various other things going on in her life. Her dad, her family, a crush on a boy who is friends with the guy who raped her.
Ian, ah Ian, a character I hated and loved. I at times found him an idiot, believing his friends, believing everything that is being said, while not knowing there is always two sides to a story, not one. I hated how he based his believes on how Grace looked, how she acted. I started liking him more at the end when he finally decided to see that there are indeed two side to a story and decided to be there for Grace.
I loved how the book was split up in 2 POVs, that made the book even better. I don't think I could have survived through a whole book of Grace.
It is sad that people judge others by their looks, their clothes, brand them sluts while they are not that. It is something that pops up in books. Girls (or boys) get raped or molested and they get the fault, get branded a slut/whore or anything else that is bad. I think we should change that, we should look at both sides, help the victim and find out what happened.
And also, just because a girl wears a short skirt, doesn't mean you can just rape her.
Review first posted at http://twirlingbookprincess.com/
I love Grace, but at times I thought she was just a bit too much. At times I didn't know what to think of her. Like how she was stalking the guy who raped her to get that one shot. Since we don't get to hear why she is doing it until a bit later, I wasn't sympathizing with her a lot, and thanks to this I was also doubting if she was truly raped or just searching for attention. Which is a shame. I think if the whole picture thing was left out it would have been much much better, now at times it just felt awkward and weird.
But at other times I was just cheering for her to continue with her life, to not give up, even though it seemed the whole world was against her. Add to her rape, she also had various other things going on in her life. Her dad, her family, a crush on a boy who is friends with the guy who raped her.
Ian, ah Ian, a character I hated and loved. I at times found him an idiot, believing his friends, believing everything that is being said, while not knowing there is always two sides to a story, not one. I hated how he based his believes on how Grace looked, how she acted. I started liking him more at the end when he finally decided to see that there are indeed two side to a story and decided to be there for Grace.
I loved how the book was split up in 2 POVs, that made the book even better. I don't think I could have survived through a whole book of Grace.
It is sad that people judge others by their looks, their clothes, brand them sluts while they are not that. It is something that pops up in books. Girls (or boys) get raped or molested and they get the fault, get branded a slut/whore or anything else that is bad. I think we should change that, we should look at both sides, help the victim and find out what happened.
And also, just because a girl wears a short skirt, doesn't mean you can just rape her.
Review first posted at http://twirlingbookprincess.com/
Synopsis:
It’s been 32 days since the party in the woods where it happened. The views on the YouTube video Zac posted are growing by the minute and whispers have turned into yells of “slut” and “liar.” Grace hides behind her tough clothes and makeup as her town turns against her because she dared to “cry rape” against Zac, the high school’s star lacrosse player. After an altercation with her ex-best friend, Grace finds herself stuck cleaning lockers over spring break with Ian, Zac’s best friend. She’s scared of him, but she won’t let him see that. He probably thinks she’s lying too, but she knows what happened and she’s not going to back down. Even if it means panic attacks in the school bathroom and non-stop bullying from her peers, she won’t let Zac win.
Thoughts:
I found this to be a very tough, rage inducing read. It made me want to jump in to defend Grace as the entire town turned against her. Blount did an amazing job at handling this difficult topic. It highlights the issue of victim blaming too often associated with sexual assault cases. “What were you wearing? Why were you drinking? Why were you dancing like that? If you didn’t want it to happen, you shouldn’t have put yourself in that situation. You were totally asking for it.” There is also an event involving Grace which shows the importance of bringing light to issues in ways that don’t demean other people’s struggles in the process.
While most of the blurbs I’ve seen out there have described this as primarily a romance, with it seeming like Ian swoops in to save the day, it’s really not. There is some romance, but it’s not the focal point of the story. The focus is on Grace dealing with being the victim of rape and Ian trying to come to terms with the fact that his best friend may be a rapist (and he stumbles A LOT along the way). This is a very complex book and it is not an easy read, but it’s definitely an important one.
Trigger warning for sexual assault and rape.
Thanks to NetGalley and the Publisher for the ARC.
Publication Date: August 5, 2014
Really important topic. Loved this book. It really opens my eyes to the topic. I understand really learned a lot about there being, 2 sides to every story.
I have always been a firm believer of the statement, "To avoid committing sin then do not embody temptation". A lot of rape cases like Grace's are a result of alcohol and preconceived notions. People usually say that it was the girl's fault because she wore provocative clothing and led the guy on. So how do I feel about that? Honestly? I think both parties are at fault. As a girl, I think woman can wear sexy clothes as long as they still cover up the goods. However, I firmly believe that if you do not want anything to happen to you then you should anticipate the possible consequences of your actions. If you know you're drunk then don't go home alone or with a guy who is twice as drunk and is not trustworthy. Leave with a group of responsible people for Pete's sake. And have a phone with you for emergencies.
But I'm straying from the story. I liked this book because it showcased both the good and bad sides ofwhat became of Grace. She was hurt and humiliated but she didn't break. She didn't succumb to suicide and depression. She found a way to save herself and in the process she saved Ian too. I admit that Ian made me curse like a pirate more often than not but I was happy with him in the end. I just couldn't believe how cruel the kids at their school were for bullying Grace without knowing the whole story. Plus the adults were useless.
The ending was a bit too positive for me. I know it is important to forgive and forget but if I were Grace I would not readily accept the apologies of the people who betrayed me. Trust is earned and Miranda just couldn't brush it all away with one sorry.
Overall, I enjoyed this book and I am looking forward to reading Ms. Blount's other works.
But I'm straying from the story. I liked this book because it showcased both the good and bad sides ofwhat became of Grace. She was hurt and humiliated but she didn't break. She didn't succumb to suicide and depression. She found a way to save herself and in the process she saved Ian too. I admit that Ian made me curse like a pirate more often than not but I was happy with him in the end. I just couldn't believe how cruel the kids at their school were for bullying Grace without knowing the whole story. Plus the adults were useless.
The ending was a bit too positive for me. I know it is important to forgive and forget but if I were Grace I would not readily accept the apologies of the people who betrayed me. Trust is earned and Miranda just couldn't brush it all away with one sorry.
Overall, I enjoyed this book and I am looking forward to reading Ms. Blount's other works.