(TW: SA) The book follows Marin through her senior year of high school in the aftermath of being sexually assaulted by one of her teachers. The assault has affected her school work, her friendships, and her relationships, and she is now trying to process and work through the situation, in part by starting a feminist book club.

Reading through the story, I cried several times, as this situation and ones like it are the reality for many victims of sexual assault. The descriptions of Marin and her responses are very realistic, as it clearly shows that the aftermath is not a clean, linear process that can be shoved into a box and forgotten about. It is very much worth a read. ( )

I loved this book. It addressed an issue that is still happening today. However this time the victim didn’t back down. This was a powerful story of a girl finding her voice and breaking the “rules” that have been forever implied by society. The dress code was horrific and if any admin had ever done what this principal did, the backlash would have been explosive. ( )

And here we are again, with yet another review not written. Honestly, I don't even know if I'll remember what to write when I'm going to, because this was a really good book. The only problem I have with books like these, is that they make you think. Like good, proper thinking. They make you think, "Wow, what a wonderful ending to a wonderful book, justice was served in the end" and then you think,..... That doesn't happen most of the time in real life. There's a lot more I want to write, and I'm going to write it ASAP!

Now, the review:
I loved it, I really did. These kind of books make you look at all sides of the situation; the victim, the perpetrator, the friends, the family, and in general, just everybody. You see how the victim starts doubting themselves, how they are lead to doubt themselves, how the perpetrators are severe manipulators, who, unluckily, get away with most of what they do, most of the time.

Another thing I liked was the portrayal of the "their future will be destroyed". It's not only the alleged perpetrator's future that's being destroyed, it's also the victim. Even if they didn't actually do anything, someone went through trauma, and thus justice needs to be served.

This book made me think a lot. Like what if in a hypothetical situation, a student was not actually harassed, and was actually trying to destroy someone's future? What can we do then? How will we know what actually happened? Is there really any way to find out? Should the victim be given the benefit of the doubt? Can inquiries not be carried out in a way that is impartial? Why do teachers have the inclination not to believe students? Are students also at fault? Is there no way to improve the steps taken in such a situation? Is increased surveillance the answer? Or is it just the mindset of our society that needs to be improved?

All in all, a wonderful read. The pace was a bit too fast for my liking, but the message this book gave was worth it. The plot and writing could have been a bit better maybe? (since it was very obvious and cliche in some places) but the concept mostly made up for it. The actual rules, written pretty early into the book, were my favourite part.

I recommend it to anyone who wants a book that tackles issues surrounding harassment and likes a slightly feminist read (I don't exactly know if it qualifies as feminist). ( )

I have given this the standard 50 pages. None of the characters is at all interesting. The male teacher is asking to be fired for extremely inappropriate behaviour. I don't need to waste my time on this. ( )

Grades: 9-12
Literary Merit: Very Good
Characterization: Very Good
Highly recommended

Marin’s senior year is turned upside down when an encounter with Bex, the young and popular English teacher at her school, alienates her from her best friend and boyfriend. The way that Marin is treated by her peers, as well as the administration of Bridgewater Prep, opens her eyes to the sexist behaviors and policies that are perpetuated at her school and the world at large. She begins writing about feminist issues in the school newspaper and even starts a feminist book club. A great admissions interview at Brown, her dream school, gives her hope for the future, but when that dream is threatened, she begins to wonder if she would have been better off following society’s rules for being a girl.

The first few chapters of this book made me very uneasy because I thought it was going to be about an inappropriate relationship between a student and her teacher. I assumed that it would end badly eventually, but that it would take a while to get there. Thankfully, Marin does not allow herself to get drawn too far into Bex’s web. The first time he tries to get physical, she shuts him down although she struggles with whether or not she bears some blame for the situation. Though Marin does all the right things - telling her parents and going to the school administration - Bex is treated as the victim. Marin is repeatedly asked if she was confused and misunderstood the situation or whether she brought on the situation herself by always hanging around Bex and flirting with him. I thought Marin’s character was very well-developed and realistic in vacillating between self-doubt and anger. There was a twist at the end that was pretty predictable, but the conclusion was very satisfying overall. The messages about power dynamics and consent are well-developed and essential for teens (and adults). Highly recommended for teen collections and high school libraries. ( )