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kim_ammons 's review for:
Tease
by Amanda Maciel
4 out of 5 stars
Trigger warnings: bullying, suicide
This is probably a “you love it or you hate it” book.
Tease is about bullying and suicide, but it’s different from any others I’ve read on the topic. It’s from the perspective of one of the bullies, Sara, after the girl she bullies commits suicide and Sara is now fighting a legal battle. The victim, Emma, transfers to Sara’s high school a few weeks into the school year, and she’s a perpetual flirt who allegedly hooks up with a lot of people, so all of the boys like her and none of the girls do. Cue: girls talking behind her back, ignoring her, calling her a slut, etc. Emma doesn’t just sleep around with unattached guys, though; she’s known around the school for “stealing boyfriends,” including Sara and Brielle’s boyfriends, which paints a target on her back.
Emma clearly struggles with depression and other mental health problems, in addition to being bullied: everyone knows she sees a therapist, has transferred schools multiple times, and one of the characters thinks her stepdad is mean to her (but never expounds upon that). So, obviously, Emma is the most sympathetic character, but I was surprised that it was so easy for me to sympathize with Sara and even Brielle, too. The entire nation knows about the court case and sides with Emma, and Sara still sees Emma as “the jerk who stole my boyfriend” and doesn’t feel at first like she bullied her. Plus, now that the girls are being sued in separate cases, Sara and Brielle can’t interact anymore, so Sara’s kind of lost her best friend.
Nothing in the book made me despise Sara or Brielle, and I appreciated that the book wasn’t after-school-special black and white, with a clear line being drawn between angelic victim and evil, bullying villains. The most “villain” like character would be Brielle, but I found her character fascinating; she’s obviously one of those ringleader types, the ones that others want to follow around, but I sympathized with her, too. She reminds me of a couple of good friends of mine, and that might be why I’m drawn towards her. There’s something about unapologetic characters that grabs me, probably because I’m so the opposite.
The story of the bullying slowly unfolds through flashbacks, and I thought Sara’s journey throughout the book was built up nicely. It’s slow and believable. And I really didn’t hate any of the characters, which again, I was surprised by. (Although maybe Sara’s boyfriend, to be honest.) I also adored the character of Carmichael, whom Sara befriends during summer school.
I liked the writing, the book was a page-turner, and I’m looking forward to seeing what this author puts out in the future. But, as a caveat, there are definitely people who hate this book, because it sympathizes so much with the bullies. Also, there’s a sense of “I’m so innocent, I was peer pressured into all this by other people” lurking about (but I would say that Sara owns up to everything by the end). So, while I recommend this book, just keep in mind what you’re in for. You might love it, you might hate it.
(Review cross-posted on Youth Book Review)
Trigger warnings: bullying, suicide
This is probably a “you love it or you hate it” book.
Tease is about bullying and suicide, but it’s different from any others I’ve read on the topic. It’s from the perspective of one of the bullies, Sara, after the girl she bullies commits suicide and Sara is now fighting a legal battle. The victim, Emma, transfers to Sara’s high school a few weeks into the school year, and she’s a perpetual flirt who allegedly hooks up with a lot of people, so all of the boys like her and none of the girls do. Cue: girls talking behind her back, ignoring her, calling her a slut, etc. Emma doesn’t just sleep around with unattached guys, though; she’s known around the school for “stealing boyfriends,” including Sara and Brielle’s boyfriends, which paints a target on her back.
Emma clearly struggles with depression and other mental health problems, in addition to being bullied: everyone knows she sees a therapist, has transferred schools multiple times, and one of the characters thinks her stepdad is mean to her (but never expounds upon that). So, obviously, Emma is the most sympathetic character, but I was surprised that it was so easy for me to sympathize with Sara and even Brielle, too. The entire nation knows about the court case and sides with Emma, and Sara still sees Emma as “the jerk who stole my boyfriend” and doesn’t feel at first like she bullied her. Plus, now that the girls are being sued in separate cases, Sara and Brielle can’t interact anymore, so Sara’s kind of lost her best friend.
Nothing in the book made me despise Sara or Brielle, and I appreciated that the book wasn’t after-school-special black and white, with a clear line being drawn between angelic victim and evil, bullying villains. The most “villain” like character would be Brielle, but I found her character fascinating; she’s obviously one of those ringleader types, the ones that others want to follow around, but I sympathized with her, too. She reminds me of a couple of good friends of mine, and that might be why I’m drawn towards her. There’s something about unapologetic characters that grabs me, probably because I’m so the opposite.
The story of the bullying slowly unfolds through flashbacks, and I thought Sara’s journey throughout the book was built up nicely. It’s slow and believable. And I really didn’t hate any of the characters, which again, I was surprised by. (Although maybe Sara’s boyfriend, to be honest.) I also adored the character of Carmichael, whom Sara befriends during summer school.
I liked the writing, the book was a page-turner, and I’m looking forward to seeing what this author puts out in the future. But, as a caveat, there are definitely people who hate this book, because it sympathizes so much with the bullies. Also, there’s a sense of “I’m so innocent, I was peer pressured into all this by other people” lurking about (but I would say that Sara owns up to everything by the end). So, while I recommend this book, just keep in mind what you’re in for. You might love it, you might hate it.
(Review cross-posted on Youth Book Review)