I am NOT one to shy away from disturbing. I mean, I finished Tampa. But when you venture into CSA and SA, there should be a good reason for it. I seriously can‘t believe some people read graphic descriptions of children being hurt for fun. It was solely for shock factor- there was no genuine message to justify it. I bailed after the story of a woman Being brutally violated and really, I wasted my time going that far.

Oh my God I could not put this down. It‘s one of the most unique books I‘ve ever read. I can‘t say I can quite rap my head around some of the concepts, but it‘s not for lack of explanation, just the ideas being pretty unimaginable.

As a former suicidal 15 year old in a psych ward, this book gets so many of the emotions involved right. It has the right mix of humor and pubescent sarcasm to keep you intrigued and engaged in the characters without it becoming overly gloomy and difficult. Definitely recommend

This memoir is heartbreaking, inspiring, and very well written. As hard as it was to read, I couldn‘t put it down. I can only hope to be a fraction as strong as Ms. Beals one day, though it‘s a shame that any child should have had to be so strong and persevere through so much.

A very powerful, and unfortunately very relatable story. This was definitely a challenging and triggering read, but I‘m especially glad to not shy away from hard subjects after reading this. It‘s a glaring reminder that sexual assault in America is rampant and not challenged often enough, but that there is reason to hope and have faith in change.

Ok so I almost bailed on the first few chapters, but I‘m glad I stuck it out. It was hard to put down for the last 150 pages or so. Was it predictable? Fairly. Did the characters reactions always make sense? No. But it had good drama and sometimes that‘s all I really need from a book🤷🏻‍♀️

I have yet to read a bad Jodi Picoult book. The ending didn‘t come together as smoothly as it could‘ve in my opinion, but I really have no major critiques. I just wish that this subject wasn‘t still so relevant.

By 50 pages in I was done😕. Maybe it would‘ve been good but just not in a “stick it out” mood.

Absolutely amazing. With so many characters and unique challenges amongst all of them, the ease in which I could follow it all is 100% attributed to the authors talent. This is a very real, emotionally raw book that I would definitely read again. Why did I wait so long to read this???

I got halfway through and thought about committing to it, but why read if I‘m not enjoying it? It had a good idea, but it just bored me and honestly the writing was kind of (which is maybe the point??). Maybe I would like it better if I had kids, but for right now it‘s a no for me.

I do think this book could be helpful to those still struggling with sexual shame. I, however, grew up in the age of the internet(and Kik), and have heard of just about every kink there is. If sex is still a taboo subject for you, I‘d recommend it. For me though, it was just meh, and I didn‘t see the point of reading 200 more pages of it. Not a bad book, I‘m just not the target audience.

After my last read I‘m very excited to get into a book about non-predatory adult fantasies😅

As much as I wanted to put it down, I didn‘t. I really went back and forth with whether or not it was just too detailed considering the pedophilic nature, but ultimately I feel like the details gave me a better understanding of the characters and power dynamic. Absolutely shocking, it made me physically nauseous. The ending was infuriating, but sadly realistic. Nutting is clearly a talented writer and I have to give it to her🤷🏻‍♀️

A MUST READ, especially for people who aren‘t former foster youth that want to understand our perspective. It perfectly captures the heartbreaks and confusion that come with constantly moving and leaving entire lives behind, and the betrayal of being abused by those you‘re told will protect you.

The imagery in this was BEAUTIFUL. And a story about badass women who don‘t need saved by a man? That‘s enough to make it a winner by itself imo. Having so many different stories and main characters without them falling flat is impressive too, along with being able to portray the complexities of growing up while still creating a beautiful fantasy world. I loved this.

So good. I reread it since the movie‘s coming out soon and I‘m glad I did! If you haven‘t read it by now, this is your sign to add it to your TBR!

I will say that it took me quite a while to emotionally invest in Kristy and her family. Some of it seemed a bit rushed, particularly Lance‘s abuse and escalation. I honestly cared the most about Clifton, and his last letter admittedly brought a tear or two to my eyes. Overall, it‘s good but it could‘ve used a bit more detail and even as a fan of ‘sometimes it‘s just like that‘ endings, I wish there had been more closure in Clifton‘s story.

Absolutely amazing. It‘s eerie in today‘s world of banned books, fights for the erasure of less than ideal history, the oppression of the ‘low‘ class and the tyranny of the high, etc. It‘s made me think even deeper on what our society is and what it‘s on the path to becoming. It‘s a book that everyone should read.

I enjoyed the read, but some of the plot just didn‘t make sense to me.

It gave a great voice to so many of the frustrations I have, and with humor. It was a bit sad to remember that things have only gotten worse since this was written though.

Read it to develop my own opinion among the controversy. That opinion is that while it‘s well written, and by no means do I see how people think HH is glorified or that Delores was ‘promiscuous‘(she was a CHILD wtf),it was very hard to get through and outright nauseating. Do I think I could understand it more with a second read? Sure. Will I read it again? No.

I mildly suspected part of the ending, but not all of it. I finished(more like devoured)the last hundred pages or so in one sitting.

Beautiful writing. I think the way it invites empathy to a character who could easily be shrugged off as unlikable is impressive. There‘s a perfect balance of detail, so that you can imagine yourself there without being bored. It‘s a captivating story of tragedy and the aftermath for those left alive, and even though I‘ve now read it twice, I‘ll probably read it again one day. And I‘m not one to reread often.

I was surprised to realize I didn‘t recognize a lot of the big cases in this book. I learned a lot, including many horrific details about both Canada‘s and the United States‘ failing of sexual assault survivors. I can appreciate the consideration given to other points of view without outright contempt(though I find many of these contemptible myself). Well written, well researched, and the lack of bias was impressive.

Eh, interesting enough to want to finish it, but pretty basic writing. I also found the portrayal of CSA to be distasteful, I can‘t quite put my finger on what exactly bothers me. Suffice it to say I don‘t think the writer has ever been abused in that way, or done enough research on those who who have. Maybe it was for the shock factor, but I can‘t say that I agree that that‘s an appropriate subject to exploit for sales

In honor of Pride month🏳️‍🌈it was nice to hear about and from the generations before me who also had to question and grapple with whether their love and being was ‘okay‘. And inspiring to hear about the steps they took to make sure others knew that they were not only okay, but good despite society‘s attitude.

His style of writing is impressive. Slow and creeping, but still captivating. Definitely gave me a reason to keep the lights on.

Very insightful into the subtle cues about sexuality we absorb as adolescents. Also poses the big, almost unanswerable question of what it means to be a woman, and what different cultures have taught regarding that. It definitely opened me up to evaluating my early experiences and ‘lessons‘ on womanhood and what it means to be sexual as a woman.

Interesting enough that I didn‘t want to put it down, but there was just too much going on in too few pages. I felt like I never got a FULL understanding of the family dynamic, the characters themselves, the therapies, the guests, the not quite incestual pregnancy, etc. Enough detail and complexity to keep my attention, but lacking enough detail that I couldn‘t immerse myself in their world.

I finished this within 24 hours. Trauma, survival, healing, and just the right amount of romance are perfectly interwoven in this book. I love the switch between past and present(and it‘s so well done that there‘s absolutely no confusion with the constant switches).

A sad read(aren‘t almost all the books I read, though?), but very educational. This book is even more relevant now than five years ago when it was released. Detailing the continuous failings of the world(though America is the focus) to care for some of the most vulnerable people, even I was a bit shocked. Powers ends on a (mostly) hopeful note, but sadly I believe since the writing of this we‘ve gone towards the opposite direction.

Very, very insightful and enlightening. Addressing ageism, racism, homo/transphobia, and of course sexism powerfully in one fell swoop. It‘s one of those books everyone should read. As enjoyable a book as there can be on such a grim subject.

Wow….some parts were predictable, but so twisted that I still wasn‘t sure about the details. Normally any predictability would ruin it for me, but it was so dark and intense that I couldn‘t put it down anyways. Same thing with having an oftentimes unlikable main character, it still managed to keep me hooked.

A very original plot, with lots of drama. Probably the most graphic SA descriptions I‘ve ever read, but I think it gives an unusual insight to the feelings of survivors(if you can stomach it). The depiction of mental health is incredibly split between harmful stigmas and refreshing insights. All in all, a good plot with all the twists you can ask for, if you can get past the gory details and beyond arrogant narrator.