When Emma Putnam commits suicide, several of her classmates, including Sara Wharton, are charged for bullying. Sara is tired of people saying it was all her (and her friends') fault when Emma was not the angel the media is making her out to be. Regardless, Sara can hardly walk outside without someone shooting her dirty looks or telling her she should be ashamed of herself. Now possibly facing trial, Sara has to relive the events that put her in the place she's in and decide where she will go now that no one seems to like her.
TEASE by Amanda Maciel is an important novel that brings up issues that need to be discussed when it comes to bullying. It does not shy away from giving you so many shades of gray that you can't think straight, but still leaves you with the crucial feeling of knowing that bullying and all that surrounds it needs to be thought about. With its dark themes, TEASE is not an easy novel to read, but it is one that definitely should be read.
When Sara first starts telling her story, I didn't like her that much as a character. I still loved the story and the narration, but just her character's personality didn't sit well with me. Of course, with her being a criminally charged bully (who is not innocent of the crimes), that is not surprising. However, as she tells her story, you can't help but see her side of things. She certainly is no saint, but she isn't the soul-crushing person many believe she is. By the end of the story, I'm not sure I would have wanted to be her close friend, but I respected her and wouldn't have minded knowing her. Even her best friend, who seems to have the most toxic personality, is not 100% evil. It certainly makes you open your eyes to how hard it is to really judge any situation without knowing absolutely everything.
While TEASE has such a unique premise, I would recommend it to fans of Jodi Picoult's adult novels or Ellen Hopkins' YA novels. It is definitely a story that I gained a lot from and won't soon forget.
Emma Putnam is dead, and it's all Sara Wharton's fault.
At least, that's what everyone seems to think. Sara, along
with her best friend and three other classmates, has been
criminally charged for the bullying and harassment that led
to Emma's shocking suicide. Now Sara is the one who's
ostracized, already guilty according to her peers, the
community, and the media.
During the summer before her senior year, in between
meetings with lawyers and a court-recommended therapist,
Sara is forced to reflect on the events that brought her to
this moment—and ultimately consider her role in an
undeniable tragedy. And she'll have to find a way to move
forward, even when it feels like her own life is over.
In this powerful debut novel inspired by real-life events,
Amanda Maciel weaves a narrative of high school life as
complex and heartbreaking as it is familiar: a story of
everyday jealousies and resentments, misunderstandings and
desires. Tease is a thought-provoking must-read that will
haunt readers long after the last page.
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