Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
To others at North Bay Academy, California native Maya seems to have everything a girl could want: good grades, popularity, and a handsome track-star boyfriend. That's until spring of junior year, when Maya arrives at school with a bruised eye, and reports to the principal that her boyfriend, Mike, has been hitting her. Subsequent rumors result in split opinions about Maya: some believe that Mike should be expelled, while others think he might not have been her abuser ("What kind of girl stays after her boyfriend hits her?"). While Maya tries to sort out her conflicting emotions about why she remained with him, her best friend, Juniper, is cutting herself to quell her escalating anxiety and OCD. Alternating first-person voices ("the bulimic," "the cool girl," "the girlfriend," "the popular girl") express hidden fears about self-image, particularly narratives by Maya and Juniper. In a novel that frankly addresses timely teen issues, Sheinmel (A Danger to Herself and Others) explores female challenges with image and self-identity, as well as the psyche's responses and defenses when things go horribly awry. Aimed at a mature audience, this hard-hitting novel about social norms and mental health expresses the importance of honesty and self-advocacy. Ages 14--up. Agent: Mollie Glick, Creative Artists Agency. (Feb.)
(c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
Review by School Library Journal Review
Gr 9 Up--Mike Parker's girlfriend of six months goes to the principal with a secret--Mike hit her, causing California's North Bay Academy to take sides on who they believe. Everyone loves golden boy Mike, a junior and track star, but the incident spurs students to plan a rally against domestic violence. Maya didn't tell anyone when the abuse started three months ago, not even her best friend Junie, a lesbian who is in therapy for self-harm. Maya has also kept another painful secret--the fact that she is making herself throw up. While the school administration debates how to handle Maya's accusation against Mike, Maya and Junie attempt to deal with their respective illnesses on their own, but quickly realize that they are stronger together. Though the story takes place over only one week, the pacing is slow near the end, which may cause loss of interest. VERDICT Fans of Jennifer Mathieu's Moxie and Kathleen Glasgow's Girl in Pieces will enjoy this multiple points-of-view novel for the highly relevant subject matter, including domestic violence, self-harm, eating disorders, and mental illness. Recommended for purchase for its diverse characters and timely topics.--Laura Jones, Argos Community Schools, IN
(c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Kirkus Book Review
Two friends who've been growing apart are drawn back together when one of them comes forward to report that her boyfriend has been hurting her.In short sections, each divided into three parts, taking place over a timeline that spans just a week, a Northern California high school is rocked by the revelation that Mike, a well-respected, high-achieving student, has given his girlfriend, Maya, a black eye. Extending naturally from this central plot is the nuanced and compelling struggle of Maya's best friend, Junie, from whom she's become distanced due to Mike's isolating behavior. Junie is dealing with anxiety and obsessive-compulsive disorder and copes by cutting. The narrative structure of this effective novel is a clever one, though some may feel that the number of threads that are spun out at the beginning are a bit unwieldy. However, patient readers will be richly rewarded by both the depth of these characters and the compassionate portrayal of the issues they facewhich also include bulimia and drug useand by the way their stories are eventually woven together. Some details are chilling, as when Maya's classmates suggest that they believe she was hit but think she may be confused about who did it. Realistic diversity is presentMike and Maya are both white, and she is Jewish; Junie is Mexican American and Ashkenazi Jewish; Junie's girlfriend, Tess, is black.A poignant, thought-provoking novel that will resonate deeply. (Fiction. 14-18) Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
