A review by haileyannereads
The Wolves Are Waiting by Natasha Friend

4.0

Thank you, NetGalley, for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Content Warning: sexual assault, drugging

After going to the Frat Fair, 15-year-old Nora wakes up on a golf course. She has no idea how she got there or what happened the night before. But she doesn’t want to think about it. She knows nothing happened, and she knows her parents would freak out if they found out. Her father is the local college’s athletic director and a beloved figure in their town– if people found out that Nora ended up in such a compromising position, it could hurt his reputation. But Nora can’t help but think about what could have happened that night.

Cam just wants to be there to support Nora. She and Nora had an argument, so Cam didn’t go to the Frat Fair with her. Instead, she went to another party…and ended up kissing Nora’s brother. Now, she’s trying to be there for Nora, while also keeping her budding relationship a secret.

Adam is working on his baseball skills on the golf course when he comes across a group of guys and an unconscious girl. After running the guys off, he realizes it’s Nora, who he’s had a crush on for years. He doesn’t know Nora well, but he would do anything to protect her.

While Nora tries to come to terms with what happened to her, Cam and Adam decide to team up to investigate, in hopes of finding who is responsible. What they don’t expect is to uncover a history of secrets that will cause a rift through their entire town.

This is a powerful book about friendship, family, and growing up as a girl in society. It also creates a frighteningly realistic small town, where “boys will be boys” is the common attitude. It’s a timely topic and I think it’s handled really well in this book.

I really appreciated how it explored the inner struggles of each of the three characters. While Nora knows that it wasn’t her fault, she can’t help but wonder “what if”? What if she hadn’t gone to the party? What if she hadn’t dressed the way she had? Blame is placed on women all the time, while men get a free pass. Cam just wants to help Nora, even if Nora doesn’t want help. She wants to get justice for her friend, but is it her place to go after it? Adam has had a huge crush on Nora for years, so of course he’s willing to help her. But what are his motives? And he knows that this isn’t the right time to pursue Nora.

Overall, This was just a really good book. It’s timely, realistic, and explores the situation from a variety of perspectives, which we don’t always see.