All the Rage

I was in the mood for another intense, problem-centered YA book, so when I went to my local library, this cover caught my attention:

Romy Grey used to be one of those lucky girls- she's pretty, her best friend looks like  model, and she goes to the parties thrown by the local golden boys. But one night during a party, she ends up with the boy she has a major crush on, outside, alone.  . .with nobody to see or help her. Afterwards, when she tries to tell everyone what he did, the usual accusations come flying at her: she was drunk, she threw herself at him, you should have seen what she was wearing, etc. 

Romy gets used to the kids at school calling her a liar. She gets used her best friend's betrayal. She gets used to the hurt on her mom's face. She even gets used to hating her own body, and wishing she didn't have one. But when her former best friend mysteriously disappears, she has to decide if she could ever get used to knowing she might have been able to help solve the case. 

In all honesty, the conclusion to this story seemed a little rushed and I wished it had been a little more shocking to me, but stories like this are necessary now more than ever. Brock Turner, the college swimmer who was found guilty of raping a girl, was released from prison three months early because it was feared that a longer sentence "might have a severe impact on him." This development enraged us last year, but eventually the media outlets moved on to other stories, and now it's old news. 

Courtney Summers has brought the conflict in Laurie Halse Anderson's Speak into the age of Facebook, hashtags and sexting. Readers who are looking to continue a discussion of the themes in Jay Asher's Thirteen Reasons Why would find this a worthwhile read.