Damage Done

by Amanda Panitch

Adopting a new name and an edgy personality after a shattering 22-minute event she can barely remember, Julia reflects on her brother's past crimes while attracting the attention of a dangerous adversary.

• ISBN13: 9780553507492
• Publish Date: 21 July 2015
• Publish Status: Remaindered
• Out of Print: 11 August 2021
• Publish Country: US
• Imprint: Random House Books for Young Readers
• Format: Hardcover
• Pages: 336
• Language: English

Reviews

[Kelly]

http://www.divabooknerd.com/2015/08/damage-done-by-amanda-panitch.html
Damage Done is chilling. Twins Julia and Ryan share a bond and even as children, becoming each others shoulder to lean on and source of strength as they age. Their relationship seemingly goes beyond the realm of twin or sibling even, with even their peers questioning how healthy their bond truly is. So Julia begins pulling away, dating and sharing her life usually reserved for Ryan and Ryan only. But Ryan's issues begun long before their teens, as a child he was vengeful and violent, taking his frustration out on animals, eventually leading to putting other children in harms way. But not Julia. Never Julia.

My brother was not kind to the people who'd wronged me.

Ryan maybe have been officially diagnosed with Conduct Disorder, but Julia's character was horrid. She was abrasive and likened popular boy and love interest Micheal to reminding her of her brother, leaving no doubt as to the closeness of their sibling relationship. Her past experience with the shootings led her to be incredibly paranoid and an unreliable narrator, with a storyline that are told in the present, while providing memories scattered throughout. It was deliciously intense in it's pacing and I enjoyed seeing the story handed to me in snippets to piece together.

The only major flaw I found was how predictable it seemed. The romance would have been more plausible had love interest Michael been acting on lust, rather than love. He seemed to form a connection with her based on appearance, and when he did question her, he allowed himself to be silenced with kisses. Julia is a liar and it's clear she uses her own brand of manipulation to lure others into her web. I'm fairly certain readers will predict the big reveal long before the final few chapters, but in no way does it detract from how sinister this storyline truly is.

Damage Done will appeal to lovers of psychological young adult thrillers, who enjoy the unreliable narration of a disturbed and toxic character. Am incredible debut that lures you into the storyline and despite it's predictability, will seize your attention until the final page.

[meowstina]

I received an advance reader’s copy from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

After reading this book, I went back to the description because it seemed off. On second look though, I realized it’s all technically correct, but this story is about so much more and is so twisted. Like, crazy twisted. Literally.

I was immediately drawn in by Lucy’s voice, which is energetic and open. Soon, though, I realized things are very, very wrong. Everything is made super obvious. Major plot points that I thought would be a secret are revealed very early on, so much so that I soon wondered what the rest of the book would actually be about. It’s not only the plot that’s made clear, though; personalities are made glaringly obvious in a way that’s slightly reminiscent of cheesily evil villains and made me question if this is a twist within itself. It’s not. That kind of made me feel like the author thinks their readers aren’t very smart, because there is no subtlety at all. The last few chapters still had me feeling very disturbed and uncomfortable, though, which I suppose is the point.

The book did keep me reading, even if I knew what the twist would be. I didn’t know exactly how things would play out, but I pretty much knew what the final gist would be. I don’t know if I really enjoyed this book because of the obvious factor (and, to be honest, the gross factor), but it’s an interesting enough suspense story.