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heather_19's review
5.0
This book was heartbreaking and amazing at the same time. I hate that the things she writes about in this book even need to be a topic, but I love the way she gets her point across. Being able to read the perspective of both siblings gives this book so much emotion and depth. I love every book I've read from this author and I can't wait for more from her.
reidsoswald's review
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
inspiring
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, and Sexual harassment
braddy7's review
3.0
This was a hard one to rate. On the one hand, the narrative is heavy handed but probably the straight forward writing is good for the nature of the topic and the age group it is directed towards. On the other, it is an important topic and she wrote a compelling story. She was also able create a sense of empathy for multiple characters, I wasn’t just cheering for one to experience healing but all of them.
blodeuedd's review against another edition
4.0
This one was hard listening at. I just wanted to rage against the world! But it is a book that you have to listen to/read. Even better, a book to read at school and discuss.
The book takes place in the present, but also in the past, 1 year ago, 2 years ago, and sometimes we go further back to look at the relationship between brother and sister, best friends, and where it went wrong.
2 years ago Ashley was raped. It was her brother's teammate, and someone she liked. That is also when she started to hate her brother and still do. She is still coping and will always try to cope. She has anxiety attacks and is trying to find ways to deal. Oh my heart broke for her. It was so hard to listen when she was hurting to so badly.
What was different with this one than other books is that her rapist actually got sent to jail (albeit a stupid short sentence). And even if people still sneer at her, she has a great support system and friends at school. But that does not mean she can just get over it and move on. She is angry and hurting.
Loved her friend, especially Sebastien!
Half this book is Derek's. He messed up. And I was all for her hating him, but the more I got to know him, and to see how badly he was hurting too, the more I wanted them all to forgive each other. He has his own guilt. He wishes he could have stopped it. He should have stopped it. He learns how to honestly be a better human being. If we all stood up to BS and "boys being boys", then maybe things could start to change.
I liked how it did not only show her side, but also how her family was trying to deal. You never get to see much about the those trying to help, and those that might be clueless how to help.
Powerful and raw at times. A great book
Narration
Amy is awesome as always and Nick does a great job too
The book takes place in the present, but also in the past, 1 year ago, 2 years ago, and sometimes we go further back to look at the relationship between brother and sister, best friends, and where it went wrong.
2 years ago Ashley was raped. It was her brother's teammate, and someone she liked. That is also when she started to hate her brother and still do. She is still coping and will always try to cope. She has anxiety attacks and is trying to find ways to deal. Oh my heart broke for her. It was so hard to listen when she was hurting to so badly.
What was different with this one than other books is that her rapist actually got sent to jail (albeit a stupid short sentence). And even if people still sneer at her, she has a great support system and friends at school. But that does not mean she can just get over it and move on. She is angry and hurting.
Loved her friend, especially Sebastien!
Half this book is Derek's. He messed up. And I was all for her hating him, but the more I got to know him, and to see how badly he was hurting too, the more I wanted them all to forgive each other. He has his own guilt. He wishes he could have stopped it. He should have stopped it. He learns how to honestly be a better human being. If we all stood up to BS and "boys being boys", then maybe things could start to change.
I liked how it did not only show her side, but also how her family was trying to deal. You never get to see much about the those trying to help, and those that might be clueless how to help.
Powerful and raw at times. A great book
Narration
Amy is awesome as always and Nick does a great job too
chapters_and_pages's review
5.0
Wow! This book was so amazing and important! It’s one of those books that are just so important that it’s very difficult to review it right.
Two years after a misogynist scavenger hunt results in the rape of then 14 year old Ashley by a senior, Ashley’s life and family is in scrambles. Told from the perspectives of both Ashley and her brother Derek, both must come to terms with what happened.
The journey that we went on with Ashley was so heartbreaking but incredible to read about. She starts as a terrified victim, struggling in her day to day life, to the point of obsessing over the clothes she wears so she doesn’t look like she is ‘asking for it’. When football is reinstated at her high school, and the risk that the scavenger hunt may come back, Ashley puts all her pain into spreading awareness about rape culture. She becomes this amazing survivor, this warrior! I absolutely loved seeing her become more happy and secure and finding a way to use her pain and turn it into something positive.
Derek was really interesting to read about. Throughout this book, Derek harbours such guilt in the role he played in Ashley’s assault, that he participated in the scavenger hunt. When he joins GAR (Guys Against Rape) he begins to realise that rape and sexual assault is everyone’s problem. It was so great to see his character development, starting when he blamed Ashley for her assault and defended her rapist in court to speaking out about rape culture, trying to stop it and defending his sister when their father says he ‘forgives’ Ashley for drinking the night the assault happened. I was so happy that he was able to redeem himself and forgive himself!
I think the way the Blount explored the after effects of a sexual assault and how it affects Ashley’s entire family was incredible. Her parents are on the verge of a divorce. Ashley can’t bring herself to look at the brother she blames. There was so much anger from each member of the family and it all felt very accurately portrayed. One thing that occurred to me how Ashley’s parents acted when she was a child. I understand Derek’s desire to get some distance from his little sister, and I understand Ashley wanting to hold on tighter to the brother she was always close to. What I don’t understand is why Ashley’s parents never talked to her and explained that Derek just wants some distance, I feel like it just would have made everything easier.
I loved Sebastian! He was so sweet and caring and understanding of Ashley’s struggles. He was such a good guy and I loved how his and Ashley’s romance was handled. It was very minor, it moved at an appropriate pace for the situation and I felt that it was very realistic considering Ashley’s assault.
While I myself have never been a victim of sexual assault, so I can’t say for sure if this was an accurate portrayal, however I really loved how this book didn’t sugarcoat and down play anything that happened. It was so emotional and raw and I loved the focus this book had on rape culture and victim blaming.
Overall, this book was so important and powerful. I would definitely recommend to anyone who is interested in reading a book about the after effects of a sexual assault.
*I was provided an E-ARC of this book by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
Two years after a misogynist scavenger hunt results in the rape of then 14 year old Ashley by a senior, Ashley’s life and family is in scrambles. Told from the perspectives of both Ashley and her brother Derek, both must come to terms with what happened.
The journey that we went on with Ashley was so heartbreaking but incredible to read about. She starts as a terrified victim, struggling in her day to day life, to the point of obsessing over the clothes she wears so she doesn’t look like she is ‘asking for it’. When football is reinstated at her high school, and the risk that the scavenger hunt may come back, Ashley puts all her pain into spreading awareness about rape culture. She becomes this amazing survivor, this warrior! I absolutely loved seeing her become more happy and secure and finding a way to use her pain and turn it into something positive.
Derek was really interesting to read about. Throughout this book, Derek harbours such guilt in the role he played in Ashley’s assault, that he participated in the scavenger hunt. When he joins GAR (Guys Against Rape) he begins to realise that rape and sexual assault is everyone’s problem. It was so great to see his character development, starting when he blamed Ashley for her assault and defended her rapist in court to speaking out about rape culture, trying to stop it and defending his sister when their father says he ‘forgives’ Ashley for drinking the night the assault happened. I was so happy that he was able to redeem himself and forgive himself!
I think the way the Blount explored the after effects of a sexual assault and how it affects Ashley’s entire family was incredible. Her parents are on the verge of a divorce. Ashley can’t bring herself to look at the brother she blames. There was so much anger from each member of the family and it all felt very accurately portrayed. One thing that occurred to me how Ashley’s parents acted when she was a child. I understand Derek’s desire to get some distance from his little sister, and I understand Ashley wanting to hold on tighter to the brother she was always close to. What I don’t understand is why Ashley’s parents never talked to her and explained that Derek just wants some distance, I feel like it just would have made everything easier.
I loved Sebastian! He was so sweet and caring and understanding of Ashley’s struggles. He was such a good guy and I loved how his and Ashley’s romance was handled. It was very minor, it moved at an appropriate pace for the situation and I felt that it was very realistic considering Ashley’s assault.
While I myself have never been a victim of sexual assault, so I can’t say for sure if this was an accurate portrayal, however I really loved how this book didn’t sugarcoat and down play anything that happened. It was so emotional and raw and I loved the focus this book had on rape culture and victim blaming.
Overall, this book was so important and powerful. I would definitely recommend to anyone who is interested in reading a book about the after effects of a sexual assault.
*I was provided an E-ARC of this book by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
zarco_j's review against another edition
5.0
I don't have the words to do this justice. A compelling look at rape culture told through a family who are suffering the repercussions.
Essential reading that explains the aftermath of rape and its effects on everyone in a family.
Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for a copy in exchange for an honest and unbiased review.
Essential reading that explains the aftermath of rape and its effects on everyone in a family.
Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for a copy in exchange for an honest and unbiased review.
harasnicole's review
4.0
Okay, so, right off the bat I just want to say that I had no idea that this book is a companion novel to Patty Blount’s previous award-winning novel, Some Boys until just now. I read that book at least three years ago sometime and loved it — I actually plan to reread it because I miss the characters — but it’s not the easiest of books to read. No story that involves a girl getting raped and the aftermath of it ever is. Which is why I think that they’re important.
Also, before I forget: you do not have had to have read Some Boys to read [b:Someone I Used to Know|36532172|Someone I Used to Know|Patty Blount|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1519406155s/36532172.jpg|58257618]. Both books may relate to each other, but they each have their own story apart from each other. The most I can tell you is that there is a bit of a spoiler alert regarding this one because there is a reappearance of a couple of characters from the first novel.
The characters in this book are not perfect; not even the main character. They’re all flawed, they all have moments of weakness — some more than others — but what I love most about this novel is the fact that this one family, they’re all trying to find their way through the after of a loved one’s rape and neither of them get it right. They try their hardest, but their hardest is often not “good enough.”
Ashley Lawrence was a freshman in high school when her brother’s teammate raped her under the bleachers during Homecoming. The school’s football team had a long tradition of playing a scavenger hunt where each player would pick a card, and whatever that card says they have to do it in order to win points. There’s no prize for whoever wins the most; just bragging rights.
Ashley did everything that you’re supposed to: she reported her rape, took her rapist to court, got justice . . . and yet, her rapist was only convicted of sexual assault instead of rape, sentenced to two years instead of ten, and she blames her brother because he got tripped up on the witness stand during cross-examination and ended up downplaying the severity of the incident.
We get dual perspectives in this story: Ashley’s, with every one of her chapters starting with a snippet of her victim impact statement; and Derek’s, the brother whose teammate raped his sister. He’s dealing with his own demons, his own guilt and shame over how he’s treated his sister in the past because they’re so close in age and she idolized him, wanted to do whatever he did, and like any big brother, that can feel pretty suffocating. Before the rape, Ashley and Derek were already pretty contentious to each other, but after, it just exacerbated their distance to the point where both believed that they hated one another.
I really loved this story and the dual points-of-view because we get to see two people navigate their way through the after of post-rape, see their struggles within themselves as well as the legal justice system. With Derek away at college in Rhode Island, we see him start his journey of realizing his part in the rape culture of his school and his metamorphosis into someone more aware of what women have to deal with on a daily basis.
Ashley had her moments of frustration because the girl knows how to hold onto a grudge, but damn if I didn’t understand why she would. She’s a year apart in age from Derek, and their mother dressed them alike when they were babies because of it as if they were twins. I got both their frustrations, but sometimes I felt as if Ashley was being a bit too much of a drama queen, and Derek too much of an asshole for the sake of it. I get why he was, it was part of the story, to help show his transformation from sexist, misogynistic prick to “woke bae.” I don’t know why I just called him that; my fingers typed faster than I could think and you know what? I think I’ll keep it.
This story is current. It has mention of both the #MeToo and #YesAllWomen movements that take place on Twitter, there’s mention of past cases that hit national headlines from Eliot Rodger who shot up his school because he couldn’t get a date, to Brock Turner who raped a woman in an alley behind a dumpster and was only sentenced to six months in prison despite eyewitnesses testifying. Also, Turner’s own father is infamous for uttering the words, “20 minutes of action” when referring to the rape that his son committed. I bring up that quote in particular because there’s a nod to it in the story. Not in those exact words, but there’s a scene where Ashley is angrily recording a bunch of videos telling her side of what happened and trying to get her peers to just understand, to just get it.
I will say that, despite my loving this story, I do feel as if the progress that occurred throughout this novel seemed almost a little too perfect-sounding, what with how quickly both Ashley and Derek were able to recruit members for their respective organizations. I’m able to let it slide because I wish it could be that easy. In the age of social media, Twitter especially, it’s difficult to even just have a civil conversation with one another anymore because we’re all so easily angered by each other.
All in all, I do highly recommend this book if you’re interested in a story that’s hopeful, the angst more or less “authentic,” and has characters who are flawed human beings instead of perfect specimens who can do no wrong.
Thank you to Barclay Publicity for sending me an ARC to read in exchange for an honest review.
Also, before I forget: you do not have had to have read Some Boys to read [b:Someone I Used to Know|36532172|Someone I Used to Know|Patty Blount|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1519406155s/36532172.jpg|58257618]. Both books may relate to each other, but they each have their own story apart from each other. The most I can tell you is that there is a bit of a spoiler alert regarding this one because there is a reappearance of a couple of characters from the first novel.
The characters in this book are not perfect; not even the main character. They’re all flawed, they all have moments of weakness — some more than others — but what I love most about this novel is the fact that this one family, they’re all trying to find their way through the after of a loved one’s rape and neither of them get it right. They try their hardest, but their hardest is often not “good enough.”
Ashley Lawrence was a freshman in high school when her brother’s teammate raped her under the bleachers during Homecoming. The school’s football team had a long tradition of playing a scavenger hunt where each player would pick a card, and whatever that card says they have to do it in order to win points. There’s no prize for whoever wins the most; just bragging rights.
Ashley did everything that you’re supposed to: she reported her rape, took her rapist to court, got justice . . . and yet, her rapist was only convicted of sexual assault instead of rape, sentenced to two years instead of ten, and she blames her brother because he got tripped up on the witness stand during cross-examination and ended up downplaying the severity of the incident.
We get dual perspectives in this story: Ashley’s, with every one of her chapters starting with a snippet of her victim impact statement; and Derek’s, the brother whose teammate raped his sister. He’s dealing with his own demons, his own guilt and shame over how he’s treated his sister in the past because they’re so close in age and she idolized him, wanted to do whatever he did, and like any big brother, that can feel pretty suffocating. Before the rape, Ashley and Derek were already pretty contentious to each other, but after, it just exacerbated their distance to the point where both believed that they hated one another.
I really loved this story and the dual points-of-view because we get to see two people navigate their way through the after of post-rape, see their struggles within themselves as well as the legal justice system. With Derek away at college in Rhode Island, we see him start his journey of realizing his part in the rape culture of his school and his metamorphosis into someone more aware of what women have to deal with on a daily basis.
Ashley had her moments of frustration because the girl knows how to hold onto a grudge, but damn if I didn’t understand why she would. She’s a year apart in age from Derek, and their mother dressed them alike when they were babies because of it as if they were twins. I got both their frustrations, but sometimes I felt as if Ashley was being a bit too much of a drama queen, and Derek too much of an asshole for the sake of it. I get why he was, it was part of the story, to help show his transformation from sexist, misogynistic prick to “woke bae.” I don’t know why I just called him that; my fingers typed faster than I could think and you know what? I think I’ll keep it.
This story is current. It has mention of both the #MeToo and #YesAllWomen movements that take place on Twitter, there’s mention of past cases that hit national headlines from Eliot Rodger who shot up his school because he couldn’t get a date, to Brock Turner who raped a woman in an alley behind a dumpster and was only sentenced to six months in prison despite eyewitnesses testifying. Also, Turner’s own father is infamous for uttering the words, “20 minutes of action” when referring to the rape that his son committed. I bring up that quote in particular because there’s a nod to it in the story. Not in those exact words, but there’s a scene where Ashley is angrily recording a bunch of videos telling her side of what happened and trying to get her peers to just understand, to just get it.
I will say that, despite my loving this story, I do feel as if the progress that occurred throughout this novel seemed almost a little too perfect-sounding, what with how quickly both Ashley and Derek were able to recruit members for their respective organizations. I’m able to let it slide because I wish it could be that easy. In the age of social media, Twitter especially, it’s difficult to even just have a civil conversation with one another anymore because we’re all so easily angered by each other.
All in all, I do highly recommend this book if you’re interested in a story that’s hopeful, the angst more or less “authentic,” and has characters who are flawed human beings instead of perfect specimens who can do no wrong.
Thank you to Barclay Publicity for sending me an ARC to read in exchange for an honest review.