Review by
Darcie Czajkowski
Romy Grey
was raped. A tragic, scaring event that was made worse because of who the
perpetrator was.
The
sheriff’s son, Kellan Turner.
No one
believes Romy. That’s her father’s fault. A drunk who mouthed off to the
sheriff’s wife.
Romy has no
credibility. Why would anyone believe the girl from the wrong side of the
tracks?
One year
later, Romy is still the outcast. Shamed by all. Friend to none. Except for
Leon, the boy who works with her at the diner. But under the weight of shame
and embarrassment, Romy has trouble letting him in. It’s hard for her to
believe he wants her, despite the fact that when she says, “stop,” he does. Does
he see the real her, though? Would he still care if he knew what happened to
her?
Further
complications arise when Romy’s former friend, Penny Young, disappears after a
party, and Romy was there but can’t remember a thing. She’s questioned
countless times about the night but has no answers. Is Kellan Turner responsible?
Did he rape and kill her? And if he did, will anyone believe it?
Brilliantly
written, Courtney Summers tackles an incredibly difficult topic. As a victim of
sexual abuse as a child and rape as an adult, this book hit close to home. It
was tough to read, largely because Summers nails it with her descriptions of
how girls feel when they are violated. Girls and women are afraid to come
forward, as they fear that they, like Romy, won’t be believed. They fear that
nothing can be done. They fear that they will be blamed, or that they will be
told that that they brought it on themselves. Society still has a long way to
go in protecting girls and women from these types of offenses. But when authors
like Summers are brave enough to raise the issue, let the world know and talk
about the injustices that surround it, she is standing up for everyone who has
been in Romy Grey’s shoes. Myself included.
Purchase the
book at:
About the Author:
Courtney
Summers was born in Belleville, Ontario in 1986 and currently resides in a
small town not far from there. At age 14, she dropped out of high school to
pursue her education independently and spent those years figuring out what she
wanted to do with her life. At 18, she knew she was meant to write.
To date, she
has authored five novels. Her first novel, Cracked Up
to Be, was published when she was 22 and went on to win the 2009
CYBIL award in YA fiction. Since then, she’s published four more books–2011
YALSA Top 10 Quick Pick and White Pine Honour book, Some Girls Are, 2012 YALSA Quick
Pick, Fall for Anything, and 2013 YALSA
Top 10 Quick Pick and White Pine Honour book This is Not
a Test and All the Rage as well as an e-novella, Please Remain Calm (a sequel to This is Not a Test).
When she is
not writing, Courtney loves playing video games, watching horror movies and
obsessing over the zombie apocalypse. Her favorite color is green and she’s a
total feminist.
Connect with the author at:
Great review
ReplyDelete