Mara is a girl on the edge. With a secret buried deep and an ex-girlfriend that she still really loves, the person who really keeps her grounded is her beloved twin brother, Owen. So when Owen's girlfriend, and Mara's good friend, Hannah accuses Owen of rape, it's enough to push Mara over. Who does she believe, the boy she's known and loved her whole life, or the girl she trusts would never lie about something like this? This lyrical novel about figuring out how to stand up for something that terrifies you reaches into the heart of what it is to be a teenage girl in a world that is constantly telling you what exactly you are supposed to be - and what you can and can't say.
This is a painful one, a heart wrenching look at what a rape can do to a community - and, most specifically, to the victim. The shame. The isolation. The fear that just won't go away. I highlighted so much of the text in this book, so many really important ideas for young women as they process the world around them. This story also gives voice to those girls whose sexuality is very fluid, respectfully giving them space to figure it out along with people that love them. Part of me really really loved all the star analogies, some were so beautiful and illustrated an idea so perfectly - sometimes I got a little tired of them. Being in Mara's head all the time did get a bit exhausting, I don't begrudge her being so confused/frustrating. But there you go. Overall, though, I think this book has a super powerful message about the power of words - and the way that both victims and their supporters can use them to move forward - no matter what the world around you says.
Sensitivity warning: hard language, teenage sex, teenage drinking, rape (not graphic), pedophilia, sexual assault
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