Five stars seems pitiful for the book that quickly entered my top 10 books EVER. No joke, you need to pick this one up.


I've had Exit, Pursued by a Bear on my TBR for a while now. I was drawn in by the title, loved the cover, and intrigued by the premise. It wasn't until fellow book club member, Olivia, highlighted the book in an activity that we were doing that I felt compelled to move it up the list. 

I want to put this book into every teenager's hands and hold discussions with them. This isn't your typical YA book about sexual assault and mental health. This is a book about youth who consistently do the right thing. The girls who slut shame Hermione apologizes. The boys all step up to take DNA tests after the rape. The adults are fantastic and supportive, from the parents to the school staff to the police and doctors. 


Hermione isn't "broken" after her trauma, but she wonders what's wrong with herself for wanting to heal and generally "being ok". Her strength and resilience resonated with me because I saw myself in her journey. When people hear about serious traumas, they often assume you're broken forever but some people just cope differently and that's ok. People need to be exposed to all types of processes.


The author calls Exit the book that is her biggest fantasy novel, even though she's written fantasy and this is a contemporary/realistic fiction. This is the world we should all strive to live in. We should want our youth to have the level of support that works for them, to not be questioned or have there be a ton of drama around a difficult situation. 


I highly recommend you all pick up this book, and grab a few extra copies while you're there.