A review by lisa_d9
Tease by Amanda Maciel

Spoiler

This was one of those books that was extremely readable but then really disappointing. I was hoping for more emotion and guilt from the main character.

I just got the feeling like the main character thought that people who commit suicide are weak. Like the way she and her friend bullied this girl only slightly contributed to the decision to commit suicide. I get the feeling like if this girl's life hadn't been made absolute hell in school, she would've been able to deal with the other problem's in her life. Being bullied is not some minor thing. It is soul destroying.

That's what made me really angry about the book. In the end, the main character says things like she didn't know the girl was in pain and if she'd known, she wouldn't have added to the pain. How about just not being a dick? I think that's a great, simple way to live life. Don't be a dick. Don't tear someone else down because you're jealous or angry. You never know what someone is going through. Nobody deserves to be bullied, whether they have an easy life or a hard life. It's simple. Gahhhhd.

Then the letter she writes to the girl in the end saying, "I won't assume that everyone is strong." It just made me feel like the main character didn't learn anything. It's like she's saying strong people can handle getting bullied.

Anyway, this book just went to show me how dumb and heartless teenage girls can be. Over petty jealousy. I'm so glad I'm done with all that. I just feel bad for this generation with social media being so normal. When I was in high school, Facebook wasn't around. I'm so thankful for that.

This book was gripping enough to keep me reading to see what was going to happen and hopefully have some huge emotional realization but I didn't really feel like the main character really understood. Most of the book she was complaining about how this girl who committed suicide ruined her life and how the girl was a boyfriend-stealing bitch and a slut. She just came off very heartless throughout the book and then at the end shows a bit of regret.