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A review by sonshinelibrarian
Easy Prey by Catherine Lo
1.0
I don't think I've ever read a book where I didn't really like any of the characters, then slowly started to understand and even like them a little and then by the end loathed them all entirely.
Look, I get that the system is screwed up when it comes to investigations on things like this. It's a mess. I really thought the book was going to engage with these things. It does...sort of. It definitely highlights double standards, etc. The book is well written - the three different perspectives and the fluctuating timeline weaves the story together in an interesting way and reveals the flawed thinking around issues like someone's photos being leaked online. Even the project had a real chance to provoke good dialogue. And then the ending happened. And a 3-4 star rating got knocked down to a one star.
What kind of a message does that ending send? How can anyone reading this be okay with what happened? Putting the rest under a spoiler warning because I need to rant a little.
I get that Jenna's case wasn't handled well. Mouse and Drew are hypocrites and jerks and every other terrible thing. What they did was terrible. How the school handled it was terrible. That does not give Jenna any excuse for ruining another woman's life by doing to her the exact same thing that was done to Jenna. And for the ending to imply that it was okay for her to ruin another woman's life and career because at least Jenna got "justice"???? No. Just no. That's just as bad if not worse.
Honestly, I feel like the worst thing about this book is that no one actually learns anything. Not really. Mouse and Drew proved by their actions that they didn't learn anything. Yes, they're going to get in massive trouble, but there's no evidence that they're actually learning their lesson. Just that they're getting what they deserve. Jenna obviously only learned that the best way to handle things is to take revenge yourself, no matter who gets destroyed in the process. What kind of message is that? I am just so very disappointed with the ending of this book.
Look, I get that the system is screwed up when it comes to investigations on things like this. It's a mess. I really thought the book was going to engage with these things. It does...sort of. It definitely highlights double standards, etc. The book is well written - the three different perspectives and the fluctuating timeline weaves the story together in an interesting way and reveals the flawed thinking around issues like someone's photos being leaked online. Even the project had a real chance to provoke good dialogue. And then the ending happened. And a 3-4 star rating got knocked down to a one star.
What kind of a message does that ending send? How can anyone reading this be okay with what happened? Putting the rest under a spoiler warning because I need to rant a little.
Honestly, I feel like the worst thing about this book is that no one actually learns anything. Not really.