A review by shereadstales
Bruised by Tanya Boteju

challenging dark emotional hopeful inspiring reflective sad medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.5

Thanks to Netgalley and Simon and Schuster Children’s Publishing for the digital galley of this book.

Daya Wijesinghe uses bruises to feel in control of emotions she’d rather keep tampered down. After her parents death in a car accident she survived, Daya isn’t sure how to be in the world. Skateboarding provides an outlet, and the bruises is produces feel good. When a friend introduces her to the world of Roller Derby, she’s convinced that these bruises will be much bigger, and as a full contact sport, she’ll be able to knock some people around, too. But the sport has rules, and team is at the center of every practice, interaction, and bout. Daya’s been a loner, but she’ll find community she didn’t know she needed and maybe, she’ll find more healthy ways of coping than hurting herself, too.

I devoured this one in just over a day and really enjoyed this book. It was billed as Whip It! meets We Are Okay, and between roller derby, brown girls, and queer folks, I was SOLD. I love the characterization and exploration of trauma and physical pain as an outlet and tool of control. It’s often explored via cutting, but the bruising Daya craves is another way that the trauma manifests itself. I love Daya’s friends, and even though I didn’t like Kat, jammer of Daya’s team all the time, I really appreciated her layers, backstory, and journey to healing as well. She and her sister, Shanti, play big roles in Daya’s life during this coming of age and healing from trauma stage, and they are opposite sides of the same coin, a full representation of the different ways people are strong and how they deal with their emotions.

It’s a deep book, and it’s heavy, too, but it’s full of friendship, roller derby, and heart. I highly recommend it if you’re into queer YA that isn’t quite so white-washed. 

Expand filter menu Content Warnings