Merideth says: Josh, athletic and smart is, now a senior in High School. Josh was manipulated into a sexual relationship with his teacher, Eve, when he was 12 years old. Despite years of counseling, Josh still suffers guilt and shame surrounding the events. When he learns that Eve is being paroled, it sets off a series of climatic events.

This is a book of extremely powerful moments, that make the entire book seem better than it actually is. The flashback scenes, in which Josh describes his relationship with Eve, are the most arresting, as the reader understands the situation in ways that Josh cannot. The scenes after the relationship is discovered, in particular, are very vivid. The part of the book set in the present is much weaker, as Lyga can't seem to decide what he wants us to think. Josh is not particularly likable or sympathetic, and in some ways that works to the book's advantage, as it throws the reader off kilter. On the other hand, it does make you sympathize with those who dislike him. Josh's obsession with baseball statistics fell flat for me, as I don't know enough about baseball to have them inform the text, nor do I care enough to find out.

The ending of this book was a little to pat, a little to perfect. Much has been made about the sex scenes in this book, which I will say, strayed too far into bodice-ripper territory for me. ( )

This was a frank, realistic look at an very under-explored, misunderstood topic. I was extremely impressed by how deftly Lyga handled this; so many people romanticize child molestation when it’s a woman who is the offender. There is none of that in this story. You get to see how the abuse affected Josh, his parents and his friends, and you even gain some understanding of Eve (nice symbolic name there)'s motivations. ( )

Josh was 'sexually molested' during his seventh grade year by his very attractive female history teacher. It started VERY slow, she would take him home after school and he would play video games while she corrected papers, etc. Until just before Christmas, when they started making out. And then eventually having sex. And then in March (I think), the story comes out and a trial begins. Much of this story is told in flashbacks, from five years later. Josh goes to a therapist on a regular basis still, but has never opened up enough to truly start the healing process. Compelling and grotesque at the same time. ( )

Josh, a bright baseball-mad 17-year-old, is still suffering from the sexual relationship he had with Eve, his 25-year-old history teacher when he was twelve. His problems come to a head when she is released from prison. ( )

I thought this was a great book and was hard to put down. Lyga did a great job tackling a really tough subject... a young woman teacher taking advantage of and molesting her 7th grade male student. The main character, Josh, seemed like a real teenager and it was interesting being in his head as he worked through his issues, 5 years after the fact. Pretty graphic at times, but a great read all around. ( )