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A review by matokah
Friend Me by Sheila M. Averbuch
5.0
I listened to the first 10% of this as an audiobook and the voice actress completely sucked me in with her wonderful Irish accent and the sense of humor she infused in narrating Averbuch's story. Finished it off as an e-book (since my drive-time got cut to nothing with the second-wave shelter-in-place order).
A thriller is not my typical MG reading fare but I'm so glad I read this because ultimately it's a story about the effects of bullying and how they can ripple in middle school settings. I honestly think this would have been a much more traumatizing read without Averbuch's expert storytelling and her ability to infuse light humor into the narration around some instances of truly horrific bullying. The bullying scenes felt realistic, with a mix of in-person and online harassment that I think many kids will be able to relate to. And main character Roisin comes off as sweet but not a pushover or victim by any means. She felt like a three-dimensional character throughout the story.
When our heroine, Roisin, connects with who she assumes is another middle schooler online who's also experienced bullying, I related so hard. I didn't deal with bullying in school to the extent Roisin did, but, being autistic, I often felt isolated from my schoolmates. I had an especially hard time with facial and body expression when combined with expectations of verbal communication. The internet offered me a refuge, one where I could think through what I wanted to say before I put it out there. So I could relate a lot to how quickly Roisin started relying on her internet friend, Haley, when her classmates upped the intensity of their bullying. There's also a nicely nuanced take on popular girl, Lily, who is friends with Roisin's bully but also seems to be interested in being Roisin's friend.
And the mystery/thriller component was done so well. Some adults may think it was a little too out-there, but I think it works fine for the target demographic of readers and also adds an exciting climax to an engaging (and at times creepy/nerve-wracking to read) story.
I'm really excited to see what Averbuch writes next. It's clear she's a talented storyteller with a knack for creating expert threads of suspense. I'd definitely recommend this book to friends (and their kids).
A thriller is not my typical MG reading fare but I'm so glad I read this because ultimately it's a story about the effects of bullying and how they can ripple in middle school settings. I honestly think this would have been a much more traumatizing read without Averbuch's expert storytelling and her ability to infuse light humor into the narration around some instances of truly horrific bullying. The bullying scenes felt realistic, with a mix of in-person and online harassment that I think many kids will be able to relate to. And main character Roisin comes off as sweet but not a pushover or victim by any means. She felt like a three-dimensional character throughout the story.
When our heroine, Roisin, connects with who she assumes is another middle schooler online who's also experienced bullying, I related so hard. I didn't deal with bullying in school to the extent Roisin did, but, being autistic, I often felt isolated from my schoolmates. I had an especially hard time with facial and body expression when combined with expectations of verbal communication. The internet offered me a refuge, one where I could think through what I wanted to say before I put it out there. So I could relate a lot to how quickly Roisin started relying on her internet friend, Haley, when her classmates upped the intensity of their bullying. There's also a nicely nuanced take on popular girl, Lily, who is friends with Roisin's bully but also seems to be interested in being Roisin's friend.
And the mystery/thriller component was done so well. Some adults may think it was a little too out-there, but I think it works fine for the target demographic of readers and also adds an exciting climax to an engaging (and at times creepy/nerve-wracking to read) story.
I'm really excited to see what Averbuch writes next. It's clear she's a talented storyteller with a knack for creating expert threads of suspense. I'd definitely recommend this book to friends (and their kids).