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magicineverybook 's review for:
Tease
by Amanda Maciel
This is an emotional and trying story of bullying in school’s today. This subject has be broached and handled by many different authors and many of these books are incredibly well done. Most of these stories are told from the victim’s perspective, but in Tease this book approaches the subject of bullying from the perspective of one of the bullies. It’s unique, emotional, and taxing to read this type of story from the point of view of someone considered a bully, but it really adds to the story and shows how every story has multiple sides, not just one. Despite being told from a perpetrator’s perspective, the story doesn’t condone bullying, but can show how people lose themselves and forget to empathize, instead making an antagonist of someone else to help them cope. Tease isn’t always easy to read with the hatred, slut-shaming, and cruelty among teenagers, but it’s real and raw and a very important read for everyone.
The only characters we really see depth in are Sara and her best friend Brielle. While it may seem like Brielle is never expanded on, there are hints throughout the book of an unhappy life that Brielle struggles with and Sara struggles with finding herself and being her own person. Both act out in cruelty and bully Emma, but both had their own struggles. No, it’s not okay to bully, but if often happens without the person bullying fully realizing exactly how bad their actions are. It’s not just the victims who need love and support, but those who act out in that sort of malice often need the support and love that they aren’t getting from healthy sources. Sara and Brielle are interesting to try and understand and watching Sara grow and understand what she did is an important type of growth to see that is rarely captured in literature today.
The writing is honest, sharp, and believable and Maciel handles subject of slut-shaming, peer pressure, and bullying with a grace that doesn’t make the book feel like an after school special but a real window into the way some teenagers live their lives. Reading this book fortified my opinion that everyone should be offered kindness, no matter how it seems on the outside, and that slut shaming is a huge part of high school ideology that needs to be fought. Bullying is a hard topic to approach at times, and Maciel handles it well and write a powerful story that leaves a lot to be considered.
The only characters we really see depth in are Sara and her best friend Brielle. While it may seem like Brielle is never expanded on, there are hints throughout the book of an unhappy life that Brielle struggles with and Sara struggles with finding herself and being her own person. Both act out in cruelty and bully Emma, but both had their own struggles. No, it’s not okay to bully, but if often happens without the person bullying fully realizing exactly how bad their actions are. It’s not just the victims who need love and support, but those who act out in that sort of malice often need the support and love that they aren’t getting from healthy sources. Sara and Brielle are interesting to try and understand and watching Sara grow and understand what she did is an important type of growth to see that is rarely captured in literature today.
The writing is honest, sharp, and believable and Maciel handles subject of slut-shaming, peer pressure, and bullying with a grace that doesn’t make the book feel like an after school special but a real window into the way some teenagers live their lives. Reading this book fortified my opinion that everyone should be offered kindness, no matter how it seems on the outside, and that slut shaming is a huge part of high school ideology that needs to be fought. Bullying is a hard topic to approach at times, and Maciel handles it well and write a powerful story that leaves a lot to be considered.