4.5*
Ah, this book. So important. So heartbreaking. So honest. I really enjoyed this book, and at times, I was really angry, but in the good "this book is making me think, and I am now mad at society at large" way. I felt so many emotions throughout the book. It's also a really hard book to review because a lot of it is spoilery. So let's just talk about what I liked, shall we?
- The book talks about serious, real issues facing young people today. It doesn't shy away from talk about consent, and rape, and race relations, and privilege, and women's issues, and it is pretty awesome. There are moments when the characters are even having these discussions, and the reader is privy to them. I think this is great- showing honest discussion among friends, learning, growing.
- Along those lines, I think that having the hard conversations about consent is so, so important, and this book jumped right into them. One of my favorite interactions in the book is Raychel wondering why they don't teach these issues in school aloud to her friend Asha. Asha's sarcastic line is so spot on:
"You can't talk about sex in school! It makes those horny teens want to.... 'do it'"
- So. Many. Feels. The characters, as you can imagine, go through a lot during the course of the book. And my heart broke for all of them, for so many reasons that I cannot tell you. (Sorry, not sorry.)
- Raychel just... she was a character I felt sympathy for, a character who I rooted for. I wanted to give her a big hug throughout... well, the entire book. Even when she made choices that maybe weren't super, I understood her choices, they made sense for her story. I didn't always completely connect to her, but I still felt for her.
- There was a great deal of attention given to family relationships and friendships. The thing was, they were incredibly realistic, too. The changes that we undergo as we move out of high school, into college, Raychel and her friends were living through some of these situations. And I really think that is something important to stress to young adults, who may be looking for some realistic depictions of "what comes next". Relationships change, some for the better, some not, and I think this book really drives that home. Truly, it is a life lesson, not just a teen life lesson.
Bottom Line: This was an impressively strong debut, with strong characters and vitally important topics. A definite must-read for anyone looking for a grittier contemporary.
**Copy provided by publisher for review