Author: Rosie Greenway
Publisher: Rebelight Publishing Inc.
Summary:
A devastating Twitter prank yanks Hannah out of the popular crowd and turns her into the high school’s best bad joke. Determined to finish the year and graduate, Hannah must keep the humiliating details from her impulsive mother—who just might pack up their belongings and move. Again.
Hannah hovers below the radar by submersing herself in a new routine. Post-it notes, Dewey Decimal numbers and carefully planned trips to the library are her refuge. That is, until a persistent new student invades her space. Lucas has complete disregard for Hannah’s cynicism and snark, and he seems to know the bullies who targeted her. Can Hannah trust him, or is he part of another ploy to torment her?
I really enjoyed this one. I thought there were some things that could have been more thoroughly explained but I enjoyed my read of this one. So let's break it down:
What Worked
Hannah. I liked Hannah. I liked that she had her quirks and ways of dealing with the trauma. I also liked that she was trying to move on but knew she needed to open up to someone and learn to trust again. I also really liked the way that she said what was on her mind and didn't shy away from being overly rude. It was obviously a defence mechanism after everything she had been through. There were some things she said that I wasn't fond of, especially with the mentally challenged people she encountered. But I did like that she learned along the way that they weren't any different than her. That was a nice touch.
Lucas was pretty good too. I really liked that he worked hard to be with Hannah even though she was constantly being defensive. Especially since he knew what happened, I liked that he didn't write her off as someone not worth the fight to be with. Because that is what you want, people. You want someone who will do everything they can to be with you. Which is the difference between him and Dallyn in this instance. (Well, one of the differences) Because it is obvious that Dallyn likes Hannah, but he cares more about his reputation than her and that is a big no-no. Don't be with someone who cares more about appearances than you.
The story. I thought it was really plausible that something like this happened. Stuff like this happens all the time in high school. And I thought it was really well handled. I also really liked that it was more about Hannah dealing with the aftermath of this and coming to terms with being able to open up again rather than "oh now I have met this guy and want to go to university but what if we don't go to the same university!!" that a lot of Senior Year Contemporary books seem to be about.
And I absolutely loved the swearing, the make out sessions, and the safe sex promotion. That was all SO GOOD. More of this in YA!
What Didn't
Tbh, not much didn't work for me. I just didn't like that the pacing felt off (probably because the book was short, only 216 pages). I thought there could have been a bit more to the story to flesh it out to give the reader more time to spend with Hannah and see her inner turmoil about some of the decisions she made at the end of the story. I felt a little disconnected from Hannah near the end of the book because it was moving so quickly and she was making quick decisions that she didn't really mull over so the reader never got to mull over them with her.
I really wanted Hannah to resubmit her portfolio with her story from that night. Or at least finish it. I felt like we got to see what happened, but I would have liked her to have completed that assignment with the events of that night so it would feel more real. I didn't like that it started to be done that way and then switched to Hannah having flashbacks to it. I thought it was so creative to have Hannah write it out as a play -- and while I agree she probably would have stopped where she did because it was traumatic -- I would have liked her to eventually continue it and complete it, for both the reader and for herself.
This is one I really recommend to people. It had so much good stuff in it that the aspects of it I didn't like, I could overlook. Since it wasn't that long, I will probably reread it soon. I liked it that much.
When she isn’t writing, Rosie is an avid traveler, armchair film critic, enthusiastic foodie and voracious reader. She is a passionate literacy advocate and one of her greatest achievements is instilling in her daughter the joy of reading.
You can connect with Rosie on Twitter @Rosie_Greenway.
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