Pub. Date: September 1st, 2013
Publisher: Albert Whitman & Company
Hardcover
311 pages
I always try my best to remain spoiler free in my reviews –
but this is one of the rare times that I will not be able to review without
discussing some major plot points. If you want to remain spoiler free I suggest
you skip this one!
When the school board changes zoning areas, Reyna Fey has to
start freshman year at a different school than her three best friends. Hoping
to not spend everyday completely alone, Reyna’s open to making friends, but
sharp tongued, tell it like it is Olive Barton, wasn’t the kind she was
expecting. Brought together first out of loneliness, Reyna slowly begins to
consider Olive a real friend. But, everything changes when Olive comes out to
Reyna, and Reyna responds in the most hurtful, painful way possible. Unaware
how severely she has hurt Olive, Reyna submerges herself in a new relationship,
and a new group of friends, abandoning Olive when she needs her the most. As
the girls become more hostile than friendly, Reyna is forced to learn how one
person’s actions and words can forever alter someone else’s life.
I’m going to start by saying that I didn’t dislike this
novel – but I don’t think it was as effective as other novels with similar
subject matter. The first major issue I had with the novel was Reyna as the
protagonist. Reyna ultimately bullies Olive, or in the least, stands by and
allows others to bully her. She is not an entirely mean or unredeemable
character, but a bully is not the kind of character I typically have interest
in sympathizing with as a protagonist. The second issue that I had ***
SPOILER*** was how the suicide of Grace, Olive’s friend, was handled. When
Olive allows her family and friends to believe she was the one who laid down in
front of a train – possible because Grace was wearing Olive’s clothes – I felt
that Grace’s tragedy was minimized, and though Grace was also bullied, the
point of how bullying can lead to suicide became less effective. As tragic as
it would have been to have Olive actually commit suicide, it would have been
true to the story, and realistic of the affects of bullying portrayed. I think in
the end, how quickly Olive and Reyna forgive each other was too ‘alls well that
ends well’. I didn’t find the ending to be realistic or true to the story being
told.
I do think that the novel raised a good point about how if
you’re silent, or a bystander to events like bullying, than you are a part of
the problem, instead of a part of the solution. But I had quite a few issues
with the presentation of the harder topics, and to be honest, I also didn’t
find many redeeming qualities in the majority of the characters. I found myself
angry at how the characters treated each other, which made me more
unsympathetic and critical of everyone’s behaviors, reducing my enjoyment in the
things about the novel that I did like.
Rating 5/10
** I received a copy of this novel from the publisher to
read and honestly review. I was in no way compensated.
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