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A review by alexpoling
Tease by Amanda Maciel
1.0
TRIGGER WARNING: you probably shouldn't read this book or my review if suicide, self harm, depression, etc. are triggers for you. Just don't.
Hahaha this review is SUPER old. I've deleted the link to my blog with the review because I don't have the energy to edit it. I'm going to leave the review I wrote write after reading as is, but with a bit of explanation to start.
At the time of writing this, I was a 14 year old, extremely depressed and suicidal transgender guy in denial. I literally call myself a teenage girl in this, and I'm fighting the urge to delete that part, so just know that that is not something I actually am.
I also get pretty pissed throughout this review (I hated the idea that someone else would get blamed if I killed myself, as I understood that it was completely on me), so be prepared for that. I still stand with the opinion that when people kill themselves it is no one's fault but their own. I say this as someone who has been suicidal on and off since I was about 10. People are almost always suicidal because of a mental illness, and even if those feelings were brought about by frequent bullying, it is not the fault of the bully if the person kills themselves. I explain this further in my review. Please note that there are some harsh words said in this review and major triggers for many people. Read at your own risk.
//Throughout this entire book, all I could think was Do teenage girls actually act like this? Since when? As a teenage girl with quite a few of teenage girl friends, I was a little insulted by how these characters were portrayed. They're all stereotypical teenage girls that are mean to each other and talk behind each others backs, not to mention play insane pranks on each other (that were extremely unrealistic and stupid). At least in my experience, TEENAGE GIRLS DO NOT ACT LIKE THAT. If your friends actually act like this, I suggest you get some new friends, because there are defiantly quite a lot that don't do this.
The thing I really didn't like about this book was that I thought it would be controversial. I thought it would explain something along the lines of "People that get bullied aren't necessarily innocent, and it's no ones fault but their own." Which was not even close to the moral of this story. It was more "I'm sorry I was mean to you I'll be more careful next time I now know that not everyone is strong" crap.
Now I'd like to ask you a question. If someone bullies someone else, but that person doesn't kill themselves, should they still be punished the same way as someone who bullied someone else that killed them selves? What if it was the exact same amount of bullying? What if they did exact the same things?
Because if Emma Putnam hadn't killed herself no one would be suing anybody. But just because she wasn't as strong as other people, means that the people that bullied her get punished more. WHICH IS DUMB. It's not their fault Emma killed herself, or than anyone commits suicide. IT'S EMMA'S FAULT. She hung herself. No one gave her the extension cord, or even told her to kill herself. Just because Emma wasn't strong, doesn't mean this is any different than any other bullying.
Obviously this is just my opinion, but I really wish someone would write a book with that kind of morals. No one does because everyone thinks that's wrong or something.
Let me go back to the teenage girls thing. It amazing me that this is based off a true story. I've never once met a girl that's that mean to someone else. I mean, I've been bullied before, but it was almost always guys. The only bullying I've ever seen girls doing (with my own eyes) is excluding people. Though honestly depending on the situation, I don't know if I would really consider that bullying. Because sometimes that other person is rude or negative or something, so no one wants to hang out with them. That means they need to fix something about themselves, no body wants to have somebody rude in their friend group, okay?
Speaking of friend groups, cliques don't really happen. For me there's lunch friends, and usually I have different friends in each class, but I don't just have, like, 8 friends and then I'm full, and everyone else I hate. There aren't rivalries between groups of friends, and usually people that are this mean to other people don't have any friends.
ALSO. How is it that Sara is a junior and high school and her only friend is Brielle? I mean, who are you partners with in classes, who else do you talk to, and HAVE YOU FAILED AT LIFE?!??! Even the emo kid in the back has other emo friends!! How have you managed to be this far into high school with only one friend? That's not even sad, it's just weird.
This author also has the whole I'm an adult trying to talk like a teenager and it's TOTALLY working! kind of writing. There were quite a lot of texts between people, and I swear this author used abbreviations I've never even seen before. I still have no idea what this means:
"thbbbbbt. yr no fun."
I don't even know what that stands for. And I know nobody that talks like this. I've seen people use "ur" (and it annoys the hell out of me) before...
So I actually just had to use Urban Dictionary (sad, I know), and apparently it means "This House Believes that". I just ummmm. Don't know what that means either. Should I? Because I'm super confused.
Also, the overwhelming use of "gonna" and "wanna" was incredibly painful. I mean, there are certain times when you can use those and not get on my nerves, and this author failed EVERY TIME. Saying it out loud is one thing, but writing it down and causing my eye's pain is another.
So throughout the book, Sara is trying to convince people that it's not her fault that Emma killed herself. And I agreed with her! It's not her fault! Even Carmichael (whom, by the way, Sara does not deserve in any way. Just putting that out there), the least annoying character in this book, didn't side with her. I MEAN HOW IN THE HELL IS IT HER FAULT?!!!??!?!
And then at the end she realizes that she did play a role in it, and that she made a mistake thinking that it was all Emma. That Emma had lots of other issues and her getting mad because Emma made out with her boyfriend was stupid and wasn't justified at all! Ughhhhhhhhhhhhhhh. I think everyone else screaming that it was her fault and that she should go to jail finally got into her head.
I'm not even going to mention the fact that by suing these kids, Emma's parents just ruined even more lives. Instead of letting the problem go, they destroyed 4 or 5 other kids lives. For something their daughter did. OKAYYYY?!??!!?!? Oh wait, I just mentioned it didn't I? Whoops.
So yeah, I didn't like this book at all.
One star for not entirely horrible writing and some semi-good characters.
Recommend?
Didn't I just answer this question in, I don't know, MY ENTIRE REVIEW? NOOOO. I don't recommend this book at all. Even if you somehow get it for free somewhere, don't read it. GO BURN IT IN A HOLE. MAKE IT PAY FOR THE WHAT IT HAS DONE!
That may have been a little over board, but seriously go ahead and burn it.
Also, I'd like to point out that I started this review giving this book 3 stars, but the more I though about it the more I thought it deserved way less.
NOW THAT WAS AN ANGRY REVIEW!!! :) I'm hoping I don't review any books like this in the future...?//
Please excuse me while I cringe.
Hahaha this review is SUPER old. I've deleted the link to my blog with the review because I don't have the energy to edit it. I'm going to leave the review I wrote write after reading as is, but with a bit of explanation to start.
At the time of writing this, I was a 14 year old, extremely depressed and suicidal transgender guy in denial. I literally call myself a teenage girl in this, and I'm fighting the urge to delete that part, so just know that that is not something I actually am.
I also get pretty pissed throughout this review (I hated the idea that someone else would get blamed if I killed myself, as I understood that it was completely on me), so be prepared for that. I still stand with the opinion that when people kill themselves it is no one's fault but their own. I say this as someone who has been suicidal on and off since I was about 10. People are almost always suicidal because of a mental illness, and even if those feelings were brought about by frequent bullying, it is not the fault of the bully if the person kills themselves. I explain this further in my review. Please note that there are some harsh words said in this review and major triggers for many people. Read at your own risk.
//Throughout this entire book, all I could think was Do teenage girls actually act like this? Since when? As a teenage girl with quite a few of teenage girl friends, I was a little insulted by how these characters were portrayed. They're all stereotypical teenage girls that are mean to each other and talk behind each others backs, not to mention play insane pranks on each other (that were extremely unrealistic and stupid). At least in my experience, TEENAGE GIRLS DO NOT ACT LIKE THAT. If your friends actually act like this, I suggest you get some new friends, because there are defiantly quite a lot that don't do this.
The thing I really didn't like about this book was that I thought it would be controversial. I thought it would explain something along the lines of "People that get bullied aren't necessarily innocent, and it's no ones fault but their own." Which was not even close to the moral of this story. It was more "I'm sorry I was mean to you I'll be more careful next time I now know that not everyone is strong" crap.
Now I'd like to ask you a question. If someone bullies someone else, but that person doesn't kill themselves, should they still be punished the same way as someone who bullied someone else that killed them selves? What if it was the exact same amount of bullying? What if they did exact the same things?
Because if Emma Putnam hadn't killed herself no one would be suing anybody. But just because she wasn't as strong as other people, means that the people that bullied her get punished more. WHICH IS DUMB. It's not their fault Emma killed herself, or than anyone commits suicide. IT'S EMMA'S FAULT. She hung herself. No one gave her the extension cord, or even told her to kill herself. Just because Emma wasn't strong, doesn't mean this is any different than any other bullying.
Obviously this is just my opinion, but I really wish someone would write a book with that kind of morals. No one does because everyone thinks that's wrong or something.
Let me go back to the teenage girls thing. It amazing me that this is based off a true story. I've never once met a girl that's that mean to someone else. I mean, I've been bullied before, but it was almost always guys. The only bullying I've ever seen girls doing (with my own eyes) is excluding people. Though honestly depending on the situation, I don't know if I would really consider that bullying. Because sometimes that other person is rude or negative or something, so no one wants to hang out with them. That means they need to fix something about themselves, no body wants to have somebody rude in their friend group, okay?
Speaking of friend groups, cliques don't really happen. For me there's lunch friends, and usually I have different friends in each class, but I don't just have, like, 8 friends and then I'm full, and everyone else I hate. There aren't rivalries between groups of friends, and usually people that are this mean to other people don't have any friends.
ALSO. How is it that Sara is a junior and high school and her only friend is Brielle? I mean, who are you partners with in classes, who else do you talk to, and HAVE YOU FAILED AT LIFE?!??! Even the emo kid in the back has other emo friends!! How have you managed to be this far into high school with only one friend? That's not even sad, it's just weird.
This author also has the whole I'm an adult trying to talk like a teenager and it's TOTALLY working! kind of writing. There were quite a lot of texts between people, and I swear this author used abbreviations I've never even seen before. I still have no idea what this means:
"thbbbbbt. yr no fun."
I don't even know what that stands for. And I know nobody that talks like this. I've seen people use "ur" (and it annoys the hell out of me) before...
So I actually just had to use Urban Dictionary (sad, I know), and apparently it means "This House Believes that". I just ummmm. Don't know what that means either. Should I? Because I'm super confused.
Also, the overwhelming use of "gonna" and "wanna" was incredibly painful. I mean, there are certain times when you can use those and not get on my nerves, and this author failed EVERY TIME. Saying it out loud is one thing, but writing it down and causing my eye's pain is another.
So throughout the book, Sara is trying to convince people that it's not her fault that Emma killed herself. And I agreed with her! It's not her fault! Even Carmichael (whom, by the way, Sara does not deserve in any way. Just putting that out there), the least annoying character in this book, didn't side with her. I MEAN HOW IN THE HELL IS IT HER FAULT?!!!??!?!
And then at the end she realizes that she did play a role in it, and that she made a mistake thinking that it was all Emma. That Emma had lots of other issues and her getting mad because Emma made out with her boyfriend was stupid and wasn't justified at all! Ughhhhhhhhhhhhhhh. I think everyone else screaming that it was her fault and that she should go to jail finally got into her head.
I'm not even going to mention the fact that by suing these kids, Emma's parents just ruined even more lives. Instead of letting the problem go, they destroyed 4 or 5 other kids lives. For something their daughter did. OKAYYYY?!??!!?!? Oh wait, I just mentioned it didn't I? Whoops.
So yeah, I didn't like this book at all.
One star for not entirely horrible writing and some semi-good characters.
Recommend?
Didn't I just answer this question in, I don't know, MY ENTIRE REVIEW? NOOOO. I don't recommend this book at all. Even if you somehow get it for free somewhere, don't read it. GO BURN IT IN A HOLE. MAKE IT PAY FOR THE WHAT IT HAS DONE!
That may have been a little over board, but seriously go ahead and burn it.
Also, I'd like to point out that I started this review giving this book 3 stars, but the more I though about it the more I thought it deserved way less.
NOW THAT WAS AN ANGRY REVIEW!!! :) I'm hoping I don't review any books like this in the future...?//
Please excuse me while I cringe.