S-Word

by Chelsea Pitcher

Lizzie wasn't the first student at Verity High School to kill herself this year. But the difference is, she didn't go quietly.

Lizzie's reputation is destroyed when she's caught in bed with her best friend's boyfriend on prom night. With the whole school turned against her, and Angie not speaking to her, she takes her own life. But someone isn't letting her go quietly. As graffiti and photocopies of Lizzie's diary plaster the school, Angie begins a relentless investigation into who, exactly, made Lizzie feel she didn't deserve to keep living. And while she claims she simply wants to punish Lizzie's tormentors, Angie's own anguish over abandoning her best friend will drive her deep into the dark, twisted side of Verity High-and she might not be able to pull herself back out.

• ISBN10: 1451695160
• ISBN13: 9781451695168
• Publish Date: 7 May 2013
• Publish Status: Active
• Publish Country: US
• Imprint: Simon & Schuster Children's Publishing
• Format: Paperback (UK Trade)
• Pages: 320
• Language: English

Reviews

[Joséphine]

Actual rating: 2.5 stars

I first caught sight of this book at the library when I randomly pulled it out of the shelf. The premise seemed promising enough but I didn't realize till I got home that this is a mystery novel. Now, I don't read a lot of these nowadays but I had this phase when I was still in sixth and seventh grades where I read one mystery book after the other. Perhaps it is because of that that I expected to read something more sophisticated ten years on, seeing how I used to read juvenile fiction back then. In terms of a plot with many twists and turns, "The S-Word" was lacking. In fact, by the time the resolution unfolded, I wondered what the whole point of the mystery slant was and I predicted more than half of the outcomes.

Anyway, genre aside, I do think that "The S-Word" makes for a good read for anyone, especially in high school. Bullying is a very serious issue and when it pushes people over the edge, to the point of suicide, we really need to ask ourselves if we could have handled certain situations differently. In Angie's exploration of the events that unfolded prior to her best friend's suicide, it becomes evident that bullying was a major contributor. Pitcher showed though that things are a lot more complicated than straight-up bullying and also showed how Angie's ex-boyfriend, Drake, factored in when he apparently cheated on Angie with Lizzie. Even though some parts were predictable, there were multiple layers for the reader to uncover and various aspects of the different characters to explore.

What didn't make all that much sense to me though was Angie's emotional detachment towards Lizzie's diary entries when photocopies surfaced in people's lockers. That regret that she claimed to experience as a result of the things she found out when it was already too late didn't come through enough. She blamed herself for not supporting Lizzie when she was hurt but occasionally that seemed forced, especially amidst her preoccupation with finding out who was responsible for defacing lockers, cars, etc around school. As important as it was to her to find the culprit, she completely forgot to figure out why Lizzie took her own life. Coupled with her insistence towards the end that people should never forget Lizzie, the flow of the story was somewhat fragmented.

Review also available here

[Angie]

I received an ARC through NetGalley.

The S-Word was a very difficult book for me to sort out my feelings for and settle on a rating. I definitely did enjoy it, and I think it has a very powerful message, but it is certainly not without its faults. However, once I reread the very beginning, I realized that one of the problems that I had with it may have been the product of one of my own assumptions, but I think it’s one that most readers will make. While this may be the case, after more consideration, I still had a problem with it. I’m being vague on purpose, because if I actually say what this problem was, it’ll be the biggest spoiler in the history of Spoilerville. I will say that this “problem” does provide one heck of a shocking twist!

I was a little iffy about The S-Word in the very beginning. After arriving at school the Monday following her best friend’s funeral, Angie sees “Suicide Slut” written across the lockers, and pages from Lizzie’s diary begin appearing in select students’ lockers. She’s determined to find out who was behind Lizzie’s eventual suicide and goes on an amateur sleuthing marathon. It was actually a bit silly how she was declaring classmates suspects and then questioning them. It did save the book from being overly heavy though, so I did grow to like this approach as the story moved forward. Once Angie turns up some real answers though, all silliness is lost for good.

Even though it wasn’t the focus, my favorite part of The S-Word was Angie’s relationship with Jesse. It was certainly a different type of friendship turned romance…kind of. Jesse is a bit of an outcast due to being gay and often wearing skirts to school. Angie grows close with him during her sleuthing, and starts to develop feelings for him. Awkward! It was interesting reading about her dealing with feelings that she knows can’t be returned. I really loved Jesse. He was a truly great guy, and I liked how he was trying to keep Angie grounded when the secrets she learned started to become too much.

In addition to bullying and suicide, The S-Word also touches upon abuse and sexuality. The author did take on several heavy issues, but I think she handled them all very well. I also think the ending was perfect. It’s often hard to do the right thing, but Angie manages to do it. After straying for a while, but she gets there. Other than that little issue I mentioned before, I think The S-Word is an amazing and thought provoking debut.

Read more of my reviews at Pinkindle Reads & Reviews.