Bait

This book follows a high-school boy named Diego as he goes through probation following an assault at school. Throughout probation, he works through the root cause of his anger, focusing in on childhood trauma and his coping methods.

While I am not a therapist and cannot vouch for the effectiveness or safety of the methods used in this book on healing from trauma, it really hit at my emotions. Diego has quite a bit of character growth throughout the story and quickly becomes someone you want to root for. His internalized homophobia is not something that is supported throughout the book and presented as one of the areas of growth for him. While his healing felt incredibly fast, it still felt real and personal. I did take off a star because show more of the unrealistic speed of his recovery, specifically surrounding his confrontation with his mom and how that was handled.

This is my first Alex Sanchez read and I will definitely be picking up more of Alex Sanchez's books.

TW: child sexual assault, self harm, assault, homophobia show less

Two stars, down from the original five I gave it in 2017. In 2017, I thought this book approached its themes seriously and quite well. Now, five years later...Das_Sporking reviews books and fanfictions, and has different things they count. "Symbolic Dreams of Symbolism" is a count for super unrealistic dreams that of course do something for the plot or characterization in a hammy way, especially if they're recurring. This book had quite a bit of those for pages at a time. The dream was in the form of being chased by a shark and was...Symbolic Dreams of Symbolism, indeed. Another count Das_sporking has is "How do you do, fellow kids?" which is of an adult author trying very hard to sound like a modern teenager. This book has -that- in show more spades. It was annoying. The writing wasn't as vivid as I remembered, and at times, things were just so convenient. There was plot contrivance. I was glad when the book ended. For this type of stuff...I'd actually recommend memoirs containing these themes, since writing these books and doing it well can be so tricky. show less

Reviewed by Lauren Ashley for TeensReadToo.com

Though Diego is plagued by his demons, he desperately wants to find relief from it all so he can move on with his life.

It's a dream that you root for him to achieve and he's honestly a likeable character. He says and does the wrong things sometimes (though we all do) and that leads him into trouble, but he wants to be a better guy. He really is a good person. His anger just gets the best of him and he can't properly control it. Through all of that, though, you want him to be the man you know that he is and to get past the life he's been dealt.

The summary of BAIT doesn't give things away, so I don't want to, either, but this is an intense book that deals with big issues. It was definitely show more interesting and I'm very glad I was given the chance to read it.

Diego hates the idea of being called gay, but why? Is it a mere prejudice or something more? The story delves into the "something more" side that leaves you horrified. It's a realistic novel that will hopefully help some and inform others.

More than anything, I think this book brings up the topic of being honest with those you love. You have to trust them and hope they will be there for you when you need them to be. If they aren't, that's not your problem. It's just good to know you tried and that you can find help if you need it. It might be from unsuspecting people, but it might be from someone in your own house. You just don't know.

BAIT is the fourth novel I've read by Alex Sanchez, and it was very different from the others - but not in a bad way. It digs deeper into the psyche of human emotion and experiences, and I found that highly interesting, if not always enjoyable, to read. show less

This was a great book, it was well written, really drew me in I didn't want to put it down. I loved the journey the main character took, the dynamics of him learning to deal with and understand his feelings not only just those on the top but all the way to the core.

When a guy at school looks at him funny, Diego punches him and ends up in court. He is assigned to probation officer, Mr. Vidas. Diego's time with Mr. Vidas is too short. Diego realizes that Mr. Vidas is the first person who has ever listened to him and Diego has much more to share. Diego slowly begins to open up and heal the wounds of his past. The author is an experienced therapist and probation officer. The book is about the power of listening, love, and patience.

Note: This book contains sexual content including the rape of a child. It also includes information about cutting.

Probably the most intense and realest of Alex Sanchez's books I've read so far — definitely the most serious.

Told from the third person point of view readers will rally to Diego’s side waiting for him to open up to his probation officer, Mr. Vidas. This is a rich story that tells the story of a boy coming of age as he deals with his past. Although the story deals with some mature matter the details are clear but not graphic. Teens will identify with this high interest coming of age story. A must have novel for both junior and senior high school libraries.