Emma Putnam is dead, and it's all Sara Wharton's fault. At least, that's what everyone seems to think. Sara, along with her best friend and three other classmates, has been criminally charged for the bullying and harassment that led to Emma's shocking suicide. Now Sara is the one who's ostracized, already guilty according to her peers, the community, and the media. In the summer before her senior year, in between meetings with lawyers and a court-recommended therapist, Sara is forced to reflect on the events that brought her to this moment—and ultimately consider her own role in an undeniable tragedy. And she'll have to find a way to move forward, even when it feels like her own life is over.
I had a hard time reviewing this book because my opinion on bullying is not a popular one: the victim has to stand up for themselves and learn to grow a thick skin. Most of these situations can get nipped in the butt right in the beginning before they escalate to personal attacks or unfortunately suicide. Should things get more severe, then sure, bring others into the mix, but just standing by and taking it is ridiculous - no one was killing themselves 30 years ago because someone called them a bad name; today's kids have to learn to pick themselves up, dust off and move on. *gets off soap box*
So supposedly this is based on true events, which isn't too far of a stretch because I have experienced almost every situation in this book personally (being a girl who has successfully made it through the public school system). I don't mean that I was bullied, but I was usually a witness to these types of things.
Emma is the new girl in town and Sara hates her because she was texting her boyfriend, Dylan...at least that's what I gathered from the first few chapters. Later on in the story things heat up between Emma nd Dylan so I can understand Sara's emotional distress. On top of that, Sara's best friend, Brielle, is no help because she's egging her on to do things Sara didn't really want to do in the first place (push Emma, repeatedly call her names, etc.)
In my opinion Brielle is the problem here. Emma should clearly explain what she's doing with Sara's man instead of just avoiding the situation, but Brielle is the one who always takes things to the next level.
I found myself sympathizing with Sara a lot of the time because no one really understood her. Her own boyfriend couldn't explain his relationship with Emma even after being asked about it point blank multiple times, her family has too many kids for Sara to be a priority and best friend Brielle was always one step ahead of her so she was constantly trying to keep up. Bullying Emma was the only way Sara was able to keep her life together and honestly it didn't even start off that bad. I don't know one girl who hasn't been called a slut or whore in her life; it's like girl-code for venting. If Emma couldn't take it, that's her problem. I'm not excusing what Sara did in any way, but I can see how she justifies it as being ok. Also, the court scene at the very end showed that Sara did regret her actions. She explains how she didn't realize that other people were not as good at handling pain as she expected. That doesn't make up for what she did, but I believe it shows she's truly sorry and has grown from this experience (unlike anyone else on trial).
I don't have very many things I specifically liked or disliked, besides the cover: GORGEOUS! But I do think a lot of people should read this book because it puts a whole new spin on bullying. Tease shows how quickly things can escalate without the bully even realizing she's the bully until it's too late.
No comments:
Post a Comment