Review Detail

I was going to rate this book 3 stars. I already knew what happened to Melinda so it kinda spoiled the suspance for me. I couldn't wait to get to the point in which the story would get "juicy" so I rushed the first part. It was my fault and I'm sorry about that. The ending though was what convinced me to add the fourth star.

"I have survived. I am here. Confused, screwed up, but here. So, how can I find my way?"

Melinda is a character you end up caring for. She's in pain, she hides a secret she's scared to share with the world. She gets bullied and betrayed. Everybody sees she's unwell but nobody cares to understand her. It was just heartbreaking and unfair. Her journey is an awful one, she has to face her former friend growing up without her, hating her for a fault she doesn't have, and has to face the cause of her nightmares everyday at school. When she gets better it is because she decides to get better, she is tired of being passive, of being the scared rabbit who runs away when things get bad. She rationalize her pain, understand she's been through something bad and that she's not accountable for it. Someone else has to pay, someone else who's not afraid to hurt other people just like he hurt her.

"I said no."

I loved her journey and I loved the ending. This is a book everybody should read. It gives you a precise perspective on a situation that, if you've been lucky enough, you've never and will never experience. You need to read this book because we're in 2015 and there are still people who don't understand what rape is and why people would get upset when getting raped. Since the world is full of ignorant and stupid people we need books like this one and people who are willing to understand and internalize its message, we are the only ones who can fight ignorance and bullies in a constructive way.