emperorcupcake 's review for:

That Night by Chevy Stevens

3.5

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Did I pick up this book just because I liked Dark Roads and it had a pretty fall leaf on the cover, without even reading the description? I sure did! Did this actually have anything to do with fall? nope! I have no idea why the cover looks like that, other than a very brief mention of the leaves changing colour in the last chapter. One thing I've learned recently is I'm not a big fan of stories that take place partly in a prison setting. It makes me uncomfortable but not in a fun way, just an icky way. I'm not sure which is worse, some of the inmates or the system itself. 

I'm still glad I read this, since I want to read all of Chevy Stevens' books. I thought it was well-written and I like how the story was told through different timelines. It did a good job of showing the shittiness of the prison system and how it's shaped by the people in power. Toni was saved from being a somewhat unlikeable character by her love of rescue dogs. I think maybe the point was that even if she wasn't always the most likeable or sympathetic person, she didn't deserve what happened to her. Her mother and sister, the school system, and then the "justice" system already decided she was "bad," so how was she supposed to act? I thought the gang of girl bullies was a little over the top evil, especially Shauna, but I guess girls like that do exist. Overall this was a good read, and at least it didn't have prison r*pe like another book I read, so thank you for that!