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3.83 AVERAGE
3.83 AVERAGE
“I won’t give up, and I won’t run away. And I won’t change how I look even if you do think I look better this way because I’m not the problem here! Everybody says it’s my fault because I got drunk, and you know what? That doesn’t count! Everyone was drinking that night. There’s only one thing that counts, but nobody wants to hear it.”
4.75 stars.
I stumbled upon this book while browsing a website trying to find something to distract me and WOW. This book took me by one hell of a surprise.
I tend to avoid books with this subject matter as it is a trigger of mine, but I was intrigued by the synopsis and decided to give it a shot and THANK GOD I DID.
I absolutely couldn't put this book down, I was into it from the very first chapter, I was HOOKED. It's written really simply but it's still makes an impact.
Grace, the main character, is a breath of fresh air. She is so strong, so independent and even with all the shit that happens to her, she still has a big heart. She's one fierce lady and you just can't help not falling in love with her. She has her moments, she isn't invincible. She is just so.. real. She doesn't back down, she doesn't cower, she speaks her truth and damn all the consequences.
"Hell, you don’t need a hero. You just save yourself."
She had to stand up for herself throughout most of, if not the entire book. Everyone gave up on her, no one believed her, everyone blamed her. She lost all her friends, the whole school bullied her, harassed her and called her names but she refused to let them win. She refused to back down from her fight. And she won.
I just loved this book so fucking much. And Grace was the biggest part of the reason why.
On the other side, there was her relationship with Ian. It wasn't easy, it wasn't typical. Ian was Zac's best friend, and for him, his friend could do no wrong. When he found out both side of the story, the lie from his friends side (which, he didn't know was a lie) and the truth from Grace he was just torn. He didn't know what to do. He was fighting a battle of wills with himself. He was douchy at some points but still.. sweet. Except when he was not. But deep down, he was a good guy. He was just... ignorant. Once he saw his friend for what and who he is, he fought and risked everything to get him to pay for what he did. He almost got himself killed, risked his scholarship, his team... pretty much everything.
“Giving up is easy, not right. If doing the right thing were easy, nobody would ever do stuff they know is wrong, like kiss their daughter’s dance instructor or rape an unconscious girl who already said no.”
The only thing I had mixed feelings about was how fast Grace forgave her friends for the hell they put her through at the end. But that's just speaks about Grace's character and her big heart more. I hated it, but at the same time, it just made me love her more. Because she is THAT good of a person without being incredibly naive.
I just... I'm so glad I read this.
The book was good and I really enjoyed the premise it was just for me really boring. The back and forth of I hate him I hate her was just so unesscary. Second the ending is very unrealistic your dance teacher gets with your dad and your dad is clearly married and then you just make up with her? NO. Third I felt Grace was just so ugh to me. I LOVED Ian's character a lot better and I wish we had the POV of Miranda not Grace.
I cannot possibly put into words how absolutely fantastic this book was.
Grace gets drunk at a party. Then later passes out and gets raped. Nobody in the school believes her because the guy she is accusing is the school's lacrosse star. But one boy starts to have doubts that she is lying. He is also the rapists best friend.
This book tells a truly inspirational tale, even if at times the truth is ugly and hard, Blount stuck with it to weave this addicting, attention, grabbing, glued to the page book.
This book deals with so much. Characters are finding out what they have come to know as the truth is a complete lie. Dealing with the effects of rape and the strain it can put on not only the victims, but their families. How people blame the victim and turn their backs on someone that truly needs help. This book even deals with the stereotypes surrounding rape.
This book is just absolutely fantastic, and everything is so well-done. The plot, the characters, the story is so sound and captivating. I finished this book and instantly wanted to read it again. I was hooked to this book and could not put it down! I want to read it again right now from just attempting to write this review!
Grace is such a strong, compelling character. It is tough to read parts of this book where she is weak because that isn't who she is. Ian is an incredible character, and though I hated him, briefly, for nothing other than his ignorance about rape, he is the perfect embodiment of someone who is finding out that everything they believe is false, and find their world in shambles.
This book covers this topic so beautifully, and no words can describe how fantastic this book is. It educates readers on this topic while captivating them with Grace's story. I really wish this book was a required book in high schools because this is a topic that isn't taught, and it needs to be.
This is the best book I have ever read and definitely needs to be read by anyone who breathes.
Grace gets drunk at a party. Then later passes out and gets raped. Nobody in the school believes her because the guy she is accusing is the school's lacrosse star. But one boy starts to have doubts that she is lying. He is also the rapists best friend.
This book tells a truly inspirational tale, even if at times the truth is ugly and hard, Blount stuck with it to weave this addicting, attention, grabbing, glued to the page book.
This book deals with so much. Characters are finding out what they have come to know as the truth is a complete lie. Dealing with the effects of rape and the strain it can put on not only the victims, but their families. How people blame the victim and turn their backs on someone that truly needs help. This book even deals with the stereotypes surrounding rape.
This book is just absolutely fantastic, and everything is so well-done. The plot, the characters, the story is so sound and captivating. I finished this book and instantly wanted to read it again. I was hooked to this book and could not put it down! I want to read it again right now from just attempting to write this review!
Grace is such a strong, compelling character. It is tough to read parts of this book where she is weak because that isn't who she is. Ian is an incredible character, and though I hated him, briefly, for nothing other than his ignorance about rape, he is the perfect embodiment of someone who is finding out that everything they believe is false, and find their world in shambles.
This book covers this topic so beautifully, and no words can describe how fantastic this book is. It educates readers on this topic while captivating them with Grace's story. I really wish this book was a required book in high schools because this is a topic that isn't taught, and it needs to be.
This is the best book I have ever read and definitely needs to be read by anyone who breathes.
challenging
emotional
sad
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
What I loved about this book was Grace, her strength and courage and ability to keep going, even when absolutely nobody had her back.
What I disliked about this book was pretty much everyone else. When Grace is raped by the most popular guy in school, nobody that should believe her does. Her supposed best friends call her a slut and make her life miserable, and the guys at school who once had crushes on her now see her as a sloppy second whore. Even her crush, Ian, the guy who discovered her left alone in the woods, nearly unconscious with her panties wrapped around her ankles after she'd been raped has a hard time believing she's telling the truth. Everyone apparently sees so little redeeming value in Grace that they can't even give her the benefit of the doubt that she might not be lying. Even her shitty, slut-shaming cheating dad, her mom and every adult at school are basically worthless when she needs them the most. The only person who really stands up for her in the beginning, who actually shows her he believes her, is Ian's dad. There are a few other people who believe her, who want to support her, but their relative silence is pretty deafening. If Grace hadn't been the most beautiful girl in school with the resolve to keep going and with a popular guy who still had complex feelings for her, I'd hate to think what would happen to her.
As for Ian, it's understandable that Ian had divided loyalties, that his place on the team and with his circle of friends would make it hard for him to stand up to them, but he was cruel to Grace at times when I don't think he needed to be. He did learn some important things about himself, and I did like his questioning of the status quo and how the girls he and his buddies hit on might actually feel. Still, I don't see Ian as especially heroic. He only did the right thing when the truth couldn't be avoided. I guess maybe that's realistic, and sadly it might also be realistic that Grace didn't dropkick everyone of these losers out of her life.
You don't have to forgive everyone, Grace. There are better people in your world (I hope). I really do.
What I disliked about this book was pretty much everyone else. When Grace is raped by the most popular guy in school, nobody that should believe her does. Her supposed best friends call her a slut and make her life miserable, and the guys at school who once had crushes on her now see her as a sloppy second whore. Even her crush, Ian, the guy who discovered her left alone in the woods, nearly unconscious with her panties wrapped around her ankles after she'd been raped has a hard time believing she's telling the truth. Everyone apparently sees so little redeeming value in Grace that they can't even give her the benefit of the doubt that she might not be lying. Even her shitty, slut-shaming cheating dad, her mom and every adult at school are basically worthless when she needs them the most. The only person who really stands up for her in the beginning, who actually shows her he believes her, is Ian's dad. There are a few other people who believe her, who want to support her, but their relative silence is pretty deafening. If Grace hadn't been the most beautiful girl in school with the resolve to keep going and with a popular guy who still had complex feelings for her, I'd hate to think what would happen to her.
As for Ian, it's understandable that Ian had divided loyalties, that his place on the team and with his circle of friends would make it hard for him to stand up to them, but he was cruel to Grace at times when I don't think he needed to be. He did learn some important things about himself, and I did like his questioning of the status quo and how the girls he and his buddies hit on might actually feel. Still, I don't see Ian as especially heroic. He only did the right thing when the truth couldn't be avoided. I guess maybe that's realistic, and sadly it might also be realistic that Grace didn't dropkick everyone of these losers out of her life.
You don't have to forgive everyone, Grace. There are better people in your world (I hope). I really do.
I really wanted to finish this book as quick as possible and after a while, I couldn't put it down. It was so emotionally breathtaking and everything that happened was so sad. The story itself was told so nicely and I love how there were two points of view. I totally ship Ian and Grace together. I also love the message this book tries to give because I believe that women shouldn't be targets for what they wear and the fact that men use that as an excuse just shows how immature and stupid they are. If men are supposed to be the bigger people that it gets me thinking about how low they can be and how far up their heads are in their asses. Another thing I love about this book is how bold and fierce Grace is. Her character shows how important it is to be brave when things happen and instead of running and hiding she fought for what she believed in even if her friends and family didn't completely believe her. All she needed was one person to be on her side to get her point across and that itself is so powerful. The book was well written and amazing and I recommend it 100% because it really opens up your eyes to how corrupt society is when it comes to things like this and how important it is to be brave. GAHHHH i just love this book and it sort of emotionally scarred me in a good way but I'm glad that the author did such a great job!
Every victim copes differently — each victim moves in a different environment, some can be understanding, while others suffer through isolation.
I’ve read a lot of books that involve rape/sexual abuse, and I always fight the urge to even think “if you didn’t want it, you should have done this or dressed or acted like this” because I wouldn’t know what was running through the survivor’s mind at the time of abuse. I have no right to judge, because I’ve never experienced it and have no way of knowing I would’ve done something to “save” me.
This book held so much promise, I don’t enjoy knowing people get abused, but I do enjoy their journey to justice, acceptance and healing. When I read the synopsis, I was excited because I want to see how the “love story” will flow — yes, I like seeing troubled/broken people find hope. To my dismay, though, I didn’t like it as much as I hoped. The writing’s okay, there were chapters that confused me.
The characters, I love seeing how Grace is not the typical survivor — she’s got a backbone to stick up for herself though it’s not always easy. Mostly, I got confused by Ian — I didn’t understand why he had to keep switching minds. One minute he defends Grace, admires her and then the next, he gets worked up because she’s driving doubt between him and Zac. It got me down that when it felt like there’s progress with Ian, he suddenly goes 20 steps back.
In no way is it the same story, but if you’ve read The Female of the Species, you’d understand — I wish Ian was written closely similar to Jack. I needed that growth and conviction, not indecisiveness that gets tiring chapter by chapter.
**** EDIT****
Hours after posting this review, the story lingered on in my head. I wouldn’t say it haunted me like the best books I’ve read, but it did linger on — I contemplated because I want to figure out what made my heart yearn for Some Boys. After a while, it dawned on me that I am hung up and utterly heartbroken because I’ve been waiting for Ian to save Grace, since Chapter 3. I wish he did it sooner, spared Grace the agony and loneliness.
Yes Grace was more than capable of saving herself, she’s been doing that for what, almost 32 days since she got assaulted. Still, just because someone is capable of rescuing themselves, doesn’t mean they don’t hold out for hope. I didn’t need Ian to physically save her or literally, I was yearning for him to be on her side — to set his feelings & thoughts about Zac’s crime.
I’ve read a lot of books that involve rape/sexual abuse, and I always fight the urge to even think “if you didn’t want it, you should have done this or dressed or acted like this” because I wouldn’t know what was running through the survivor’s mind at the time of abuse. I have no right to judge, because I’ve never experienced it and have no way of knowing I would’ve done something to “save” me.
This book held so much promise, I don’t enjoy knowing people get abused, but I do enjoy their journey to justice, acceptance and healing. When I read the synopsis, I was excited because I want to see how the “love story” will flow — yes, I like seeing troubled/broken people find hope. To my dismay, though, I didn’t like it as much as I hoped. The writing’s okay, there were chapters that confused me.
The characters, I love seeing how Grace is not the typical survivor — she’s got a backbone to stick up for herself though it’s not always easy. Mostly, I got confused by Ian — I didn’t understand why he had to keep switching minds. One minute he defends Grace, admires her and then the next, he gets worked up because she’s driving doubt between him and Zac. It got me down that when it felt like there’s progress with Ian, he suddenly goes 20 steps back.
In no way is it the same story, but if you’ve read The Female of the Species, you’d understand — I wish Ian was written closely similar to Jack. I needed that growth and conviction, not indecisiveness that gets tiring chapter by chapter.
**** EDIT****
Hours after posting this review, the story lingered on in my head. I wouldn’t say it haunted me like the best books I’ve read, but it did linger on — I contemplated because I want to figure out what made my heart yearn for Some Boys. After a while, it dawned on me that I am hung up and utterly heartbroken because I’ve been waiting for Ian to save Grace, since Chapter 3. I wish he did it sooner, spared Grace the agony and loneliness.
Yes Grace was more than capable of saving herself, she’s been doing that for what, almost 32 days since she got assaulted. Still, just because someone is capable of rescuing themselves, doesn’t mean they don’t hold out for hope. I didn’t need Ian to physically save her or literally, I was yearning for him to be on her side — to set his feelings & thoughts about Zac’s crime.