How did I end up reading two books on teen suicide back to back? The inner flap of this book was misleading. The romance angle wasn't nearly as big a plot point as it makes you think. No, instead you are given a short, very unoriginal story full of flat, typical cliche characters. Nothing about this book was unique. Rich kids bullying the poor kid, and the poor kid is pretty but doesn't realize it. Her mother is verbally abusive, neglects her and starves her. And the level of bullying at this high school is beyond anything I have ever seen. It was more like middle school tactics: tearing up notebooks in front of teachers and the teachers just let it happen? What? Breaking into lockers and destroying everything inside and nobody witnesses this time-consuming process? Throwing mashed potatoes at a girl and getting it in her hair in the middle of a crowded cafeteria? We had teachers everywhere in my high school lunch room. Someone would have been suspended. This is the most ridiculous high school I have ever read about. Does no teacher pay attention? Lord, these kids skipped class more than I have ever seen. And nobody batted an eye.
Plus the mother. Now, I wrote about an abusive mother in The Dragon God's Son because I grew up with one. But this mother was something else. She starved, verbal abused and pretty much hated her daughter. But then a social worker says her daughter might be suicidal and suddenly she cares. That isn't how it works. That women would have kept on hating her child if she hadn't been caught. It was unrealistic.
The whole book was unrealistic. It was campy, cheesy, cliche, and plain dull. It sort of made it seem like your horrible bullied life will all be fine if you find a sexy boy to love you. Fuck that. Fuck you, book.
P.s. rape culture. Again, fuck you. There was no repercussion for rape. It was just shrugged off. That is not okay. I will never recommend this trash.
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