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4.0 AVERAGE
4.0 AVERAGE
Harvey Weinstein, one of the most high profile and powerful sexual predators of the twenty-first century, was recently sentenced to spend the rest of his miserable life in jail for what he did to the women under this thumb. For this reason alone, this book is as relevant as it could be and an utterly timeless reminder of how women are treated in these situations.
Thanks to HCC Frenzy for the ARC!
I've been reading a few more feminist-centric stories as of late, and while this is far from gritty and raw, it is still a story that many, if not all women will be able to relate to. It's not the most thought-provoking feminist read, but it has a lot to recommend it. It's certainly hard to stomach because this sh*t happens far too much. The man does something he absolutely should not have to a woman, no matter what her age. And yet he gets off scot-free, and no one believes her when she comes forward because she was:
a) asking for it
b) misunderstood what happened
c) trying to ruin someone for no good reason
In this case, Marin's English teacher makes a move on her, and all three options listed come to apply to her by those in her life.
Bushnell and Cotugno do a phenomenal job in unravelling this story. They even place a little shred of doubt in the reader's mind, as both us and Marin try to figure out where to place blame. She wasn't asking for it, no, but she did have a crush on this older and wiser man. And what about how she was always going to him to talk things through, discuss personal things better saved for time with friends? No. None of that matters. She is a minor who did not ask for her teacher to do what he did. Who never deserved what happens in the aftermath of being brave enough to come forward and say something.
And that's just it, isn't it? Too many men (and, admittedly, some women, since this problem can go both ways) get away with it for so long because too many women (yes, and men) are too scared to come forward. Because few believe them and will push them down into the dirt. Having a strong support system is so crucial, and it was nice to see what Marin had at her back. She can't rely on her boyfriend of best friend, which hurts, but she was never alone. Her family is a solid base for her, with both parents in her corner and believing her unequivocally. She starts a feminist book club at school that broadens her support circle. And she gets close to Grey, and do we ever stan a boy who listens, cares, and understands consent.
As much as some people would like to deny it, women are still at a disadvantage in so many areas of life inhabited by both men and women. A prime example in this book is the school uniform. Boys wear pants and shirts and that's that. But girls, oh boy, heaven forbid your skirt is shorter than your fingertips, and how dare you wear knee-high socks instead of full stockings? You might distract the boys. Heavens, imagine the uproar if you wore a tank top.
I highly recommend this book to anyone looking for a quick and easy read that will give their sense of girl power a bit of a boost.
Thanks to HCC Frenzy for the ARC!
I've been reading a few more feminist-centric stories as of late, and while this is far from gritty and raw, it is still a story that many, if not all women will be able to relate to. It's not the most thought-provoking feminist read, but it has a lot to recommend it. It's certainly hard to stomach because this sh*t happens far too much. The man does something he absolutely should not have to a woman, no matter what her age. And yet he gets off scot-free, and no one believes her when she comes forward because she was:
a) asking for it
b) misunderstood what happened
c) trying to ruin someone for no good reason
In this case, Marin's English teacher makes a move on her, and all three options listed come to apply to her by those in her life.
Bushnell and Cotugno do a phenomenal job in unravelling this story. They even place a little shred of doubt in the reader's mind, as both us and Marin try to figure out where to place blame. She wasn't asking for it, no, but she did have a crush on this older and wiser man. And what about how she was always going to him to talk things through, discuss personal things better saved for time with friends? No. None of that matters. She is a minor who did not ask for her teacher to do what he did. Who never deserved what happens in the aftermath of being brave enough to come forward and say something.
And that's just it, isn't it? Too many men (and, admittedly, some women, since this problem can go both ways) get away with it for so long because too many women (yes, and men) are too scared to come forward. Because few believe them and will push them down into the dirt. Having a strong support system is so crucial, and it was nice to see what Marin had at her back. She can't rely on her boyfriend of best friend, which hurts, but she was never alone. Her family is a solid base for her, with both parents in her corner and believing her unequivocally. She starts a feminist book club at school that broadens her support circle. And she gets close to Grey, and do we ever stan a boy who listens, cares, and understands consent.
As much as some people would like to deny it, women are still at a disadvantage in so many areas of life inhabited by both men and women. A prime example in this book is the school uniform. Boys wear pants and shirts and that's that. But girls, oh boy, heaven forbid your skirt is shorter than your fingertips, and how dare you wear knee-high socks instead of full stockings? You might distract the boys. Heavens, imagine the uproar if you wore a tank top.
I highly recommend this book to anyone looking for a quick and easy read that will give their sense of girl power a bit of a boost.
CW: grooming, emotional manipulation, gaslighting, alzheimer's, pedophilia (teacher preying on students), implied statutory rape
(technically 2.5 stars)
i'll be honest, this is the most lukewarm book i've read in a long time. it's very obviously set in the 2014-2016ish time period, taking place in a high school, but the feminist elements it introduces are very rudimentary and basic. it feels like a book that should've been released six years ago, not just last year- it winks and nudges at how marin never thought about racism being a problem until confronted with her nonwhite interviewer (who, surprise surprise, is later antagonistic), at diverse feminist theory (things like black and latina women not getting paid equally), at how good it is for women to Band Together And Fight Back, but i can't help but not be that impressed. it's a story about a white girl forming a book club and a large chunk of the novel is her fawning over what a good ally her white boyfriend gray is- the central conflict between her and her professor fades to the background for a good 20% of the novel while we learn about how feminist gray is, meanwhile the rest of the female feminist book club members fade to the background. all the while, marin has to really assert that she's 'not going to stop shaving her legs', that she's not going to become a lesbian bc she broke up with jacob, that she's Not A Man Hater.
the central plot of her railing against her predatory teacher is solid, but i can't help but feel like bushnell sees intersectional feminism as a very recent thing, so she has to name drop warsan shire and beyonce's lemonade to let the reader know that she's hip to it, but it just comes off as very stale and weirdly inserted. it would almost have been better if she just kept it out of the book and left her book glaringly white and cishet. on top of that, i find it super crazy that marin's best friend (claire?) also had to be. it comes off as heavyhanded and petty, like the narrative is punishing her for pushing marin away.
all in all, a very bland and Feminism 101 novel that doesn't really grapple with anything new or meaningful, and remains glaringly white, straight, and cis throughout. as an aside, i really hated how alzheimer's was written in this, if only because her gram's caretakers never once disclosed to the family to play along with gram's tangents, as you're supposed to do, instead of challenging her and trying to get her to remember things that she can't. it feels like a major oversight on the part of the author, because there's 0 chance that marin would've been allowed to interact with her grandma without being told that, as alzheimer's and dementia patients can become violent because of the memory loss. (also i'm still so stunned that the greatest concrete diversity in this was that her grandma marched with MLK. her white grandma. just a weird weird thing to include)
(technically 2.5 stars)
i'll be honest, this is the most lukewarm book i've read in a long time. it's very obviously set in the 2014-2016ish time period, taking place in a high school, but the feminist elements it introduces are very rudimentary and basic. it feels like a book that should've been released six years ago, not just last year- it winks and nudges at how marin never thought about racism being a problem until confronted with her nonwhite interviewer (who, surprise surprise, is later antagonistic
Spoiler
because she keeps her from attending brown universitythe central plot of her railing against her predatory teacher is solid, but i can't help but feel like bushnell sees intersectional feminism as a very recent thing, so she has to name drop warsan shire and beyonce's lemonade to let the reader know that she's hip to it, but it just comes off as very stale and weirdly inserted. it would almost have been better if she just kept it out of the book and left her book glaringly white and cishet. on top of that, i find it super crazy that marin's best friend (claire?) also had to be
Spoiler
assaulted as some sort of retribution to make sure that she Understands Marin's Pain instead of, you know, having her marinate on it and think the situation throughall in all, a very bland and Feminism 101 novel that doesn't really grapple with anything new or meaningful, and remains glaringly white, straight, and cis throughout. as an aside, i really hated how alzheimer's was written in this, if only because her gram's caretakers never once disclosed to the family to play along with gram's tangents, as you're supposed to do, instead of challenging her and trying to get her to remember things that she can't. it feels like a major oversight on the part of the author, because there's 0 chance that marin would've been allowed to interact with her grandma without being told that, as alzheimer's and dementia patients can become violent because of the memory loss. (also i'm still so stunned that the greatest concrete diversity in this was that her grandma marched with MLK. her white grandma. just a weird weird thing to include)
fast-paced
I just read this book in one sitting. Which is something I haven't done in a while
I don't feel qualified to say much about this book as I haven't gone through the trauma that Marin went through, but I will say that this book is riveting. The fact that I read it in one sitting says a lot. And these types of books are needed now more than ever
I don't feel qualified to say much about this book as I haven't gone through the trauma that Marin went through, but I will say that this book is riveting. The fact that I read it in one sitting says a lot. And these types of books are needed now more than ever
I honestly can’t recall the last time a book made me cry… but this one sure did
What an awesome and important book! Its really great and I loved it!
emotional
hopeful
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
a) important
b) entertaining
c) overall, an easy read, i loved it
b) entertaining
c) overall, an easy read, i loved it
challenging
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
medium-paced