The first half was a little tiresome and hard to get into — the characters and storyline started fleshing out by the second half. Although the discussion of abuse in lesbian relationships is an important one, and I appreciated Julie Anne Peters's attempt to show how the abuser in this situation was a complex character with her own history of abuse, but her portrayal did not feel too realistic. The extent of abuse in Reeve's family was so extreme — culminating in her stepfather murdering her mother and brother — it was as if to say that anything less wouldn't constitute an abusive home, and the absolute lack of anger in Johanna, in response to Reeve abusing her, was hard to believe. The fact she would try to excuse the violence and manipulation and focus on how much she loved her, fine, but that she would never ever even blink, shout, cry? Not too realistic. It was also strange to me how quickly Reeve fell in "love" with a girl she had never talked to. I was also bothered by Johanna's best friend, Novak, who consistently referred to her as Lesbo, sexually harassed her, and was an all-around jerk to her, being presented as the "good friend" alternative to Reeve.

Intense and raw. ( )

I kind of hated this book. On the positive side, it's queer and the writing style isn't bad.

But... if a main character is wrong, they need to figure it out for themselves. Other characters can't tell them that they're wrong for half the book and then turn out to be right. I think this is a common problem when old people try to try to write books for young people, at least when there's an intentional message and it's not just an adventure story. The stuff I've read by Sarah Dessen annoys the heck out of me for the same reason. ( )

I adore Julie Anne Peters and I am thankful that she writes the books she does. When I was in high school the GLBT books were few and far between, and most of them just dealt with coming out. Peters goes beyond the coming out process (which is vital, of course) and tackles topics such as having a brother who is transgendered (Luna), being kicked out of your home because you're a lesbian (Keeping You a Secret), and intimate partner abuse (Rage). Rage gives a very open and honest look into Johanna's psyche as she rationalizes the actions of her abusive girlfriend.
At the end of the book there is a list of resources for victims of violence, both general and LGBT-specific.

I couldn't put it down, it was exciting, ravishing, enthusiastic. The perfect book about family issues and how they can bleed into your personal life. I honestly enjoyed it and recommened it to many of my friends. I ( )