Now:
Romy wakes up on a dusty road in the middle of nowhere. She vaguely remembers the night. The only evidence something bad has happened
is written on her stomach in bright red lipstick…
Before:
She always thought
Kellen was the most beautiful boy in town, and when her best friend Penny gets
them together at a party one night, Romy is more than thrilled. But the day after the party, Romy walks
through the halls of school hearing the whispers and innuendos. Kellen
is no longer beautiful…she sees him for the monster he truly is. But no one will believe her, especially
because Kellen is the sheriff’s son - untouchable, likable, respected.
Living in a small town, everyone knows about Romy’s
father. He’s no longer around and she
lives with her mom and her boyfriend (even more rumors there). It’s different…there is no more screaming or
her having to rescue her father again.
She and her mom make ends meet.
School is tougher because there are sharks in the water.
There’s Tina, who has
thinks she knows the truth and makes Romy’s life a living nightmare by
constantly belittling and shaming her in public.
There’s Alec and Brock, who bump Romy in the halls, making
snide remarks and sharing what happened with everyone they know.
There’s Penny, who was her best friend and now doesn’t even
meet her eyes in the hallways.
And then there’s Leon….
Romy and Leon work together at the diner, and slowly, he lets
Romy know how much he likes her. He
lives in the next town over, and has no idea what Romy is going through internally
and externally. She begins to think
there can be life after rape, but she is careful to make sure he is separated
from knowing what happened. In time,
they become closer and are trust begins to build.
But one night will change that.
Romy is found on that dusty road, trying to
piece together what happened. Penny, her
former best friend, has disappeared and everyone is desperate to try and find such
a beautiful girl. Romy believes it
should have been the other way around…it would make life easier for her and she
doesn’t deserve to live. Everyone has
made it clear.
What she hasn’t told anyone is when Penny showed up at the
diner. And she knows the truth about
Kellen. She wants Romy to press charges….and
now Penny can’t be found…
Powerful. Emotional.
This novel is gritty to not only the core of what happened to Romy, but also
the emotional whipping she takes herself through everyday because of it. This is a book for a mature reader because it
takes the reader not only through the rape, but the ugly aftermath as
well. The intensity is purposeful, and
Courtney Summers delivers this slowly to a very unexpected ending which is both
shocking and redemptive. Highly
recommended for high school.
Book pairs:
Fault Line by Christa Desir
Exposed by Kimberly Marcus
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