This book hit me like a freight train. I knew going in that it was a hard hitting contemporary, but was not expecting such a strong, moving, nuanced piece of writing. Some YA novels that cover hard topics such a violence, assault, trauma etc do so in a very heavy-handed, watered-down manner. Somehow, Caletti managed to tease out a story that showed, (not told), the dangers of systemic and internalized sexism, misogyny, toxic masculinity, conditioning of girls and women, while also beautifully and respectfully examining grief, mental illness and female agency.

This is such a step in the right direction for YA, or media in general. Moving away from “Trauma Porn”, and exploring topical subjects in a way that is not sensationalizing or exploitive.

While there is every trigger warning in the world on this one, tread carefully, I was so happy that I went into this not knowing what was going to happen, because the way the story unfolded was beautifully done. It allows for connection to the characters before the full story is discovered, which is so powerful. By avoiding making the cause of the trauma the focus, Caletti was able to focus on the repercussions and the ripple effect left in it’s wake – which is the real story being told.
I honestly think this is one of the most brilliantly crafted, nuanced, strong, important pieces of writing I have read in years. It is fucking phenomenal and I really hope this is what we can come to expect from YA going forward.