Author: Courtney Summers

I’m super excited to be taking part in this blog tour. Today on my stop I have my review and a giveaway for one copy of All the Rage (US & CAN only)

I received this book for free from St. Martin's Press in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

The sheriff’s son, Kellan Turner, is not the golden boy everyone thinks he is, and Romy Grey knows that for a fact. Because no one wants to believe a girl from the wrong side of town, the truth about him has cost her everything—friends, family, and her community. Branded a liar and bullied relentlessly by a group of kids she used to hang out with, Romy’s only refuge is the diner where she works outside of town. No one knows her name or her past there; she can finally be anonymous. But when a girl with ties to both Romy and Kellan goes missing after a party, and news of him assaulting another girl in a town close by gets out, Romy must decide whether she wants to fight or carry the burden of knowing more girls could get hurt if she doesn’t speak up. Nobody believed her the first time—and they certainly won’t now — but the cost of her silence might be more than she can bear.

With a shocking conclusion and writing that will absolutely knock you out, All the Rage examines the shame and silence inflicted upon young women after an act of sexual violence, forcing us to ask ourselves: In a culture that refuses to protect its young girls, how can they survive?

This book is one of those gritty dark contemporaries, that although tough to read at times, is so engrossing that you don’t want to put it down. There is no fluff to this. It’s harsh reality and tragic circumstances. It covers small town politics, bullying, and rape among other things. It’s not an enjoyable book to read, but it is a good one. I find books like this refreshing actually. They represent real issues that people go through, and all the horrible things that go along with them. I really felt for the characters in this, and I thought that it was very well written.

Romy is a very broken girl. She feels like she doesn’t belong in her own town. In fact, in order to avoid the people and the talk, she has a job outside of town. She enjoys working there, and even kind of likes one of the guys she works with. Romy always wears perfect red nail polish, and perfectly red lips. It’s her trademark thing. She isn’t herself without it. She once was part of the popular crowd. Best friends with the perfect girl. Until she was raped and no one believed her. Now she is labeled a liar and no one is nice to her. She carries around so much hurt and anger and it is so heatbreaking and sad to read. When both her and miss popularity go missing after a party, she wonders how different it would be if it was her who was still missing. Not the one who was found who no one cares about. She can’t remember what happened and it is eating at her. It is hard to read. She’s just such a beaten down girl, who feels like she is worth nothing. I wanted to hug her.

There is a bit of romance in this, but it’s not the super hot, chemistry off the charts type of romance. Remember, Romy is a very broken person. She’s not sure if she wants to like Leon. She is afraid to bring him into her fucked up world. She thinks that if he knows the truth, he wouldn’t want anything to do with her. He is patient and kind with her, but he doesn’t understand her fluctuating moods, or why she doesn’t want him to come to her house or be seen in town with her. It was a very tension filled budding romance. It was torturous to read, but not in a bad way. You can feel how messed up everything is while you read. I was really hoping that things would work out between them despite all the shit going on. Whether it does or not, you will have to read it to find out.

This book had me feeling all sorts of emotions while reading. I would feel so sad and angry for Romy. Disgusted at how people treated her, especially the adults in town. And I would feel happy when she was happy, which was mostly with Leon. I was anxious for a lot of this book. I just felt so figgety and just unsettled. It was definitely a hard read, but totally worth it. It captures such a tragic situation, and the crap ways that people deal with it. I felt so angry that even Romy’s own family was only half-heartedly supportive of her. It’s been a while since a book has made me feel this much. It is definitely a must read if this is your type of book.

4 Hot Espressos

COURTNEY SUMMERS was born in Belleville, Ontario in 1986 and currently resides in a small town not far from there. To date, she has authored five novels. Her first novel, Cracked Up to Be, was published when she was 22 and went on to win the 2009 CYBIL award in YA fiction. Since then, she’s published three more books–2011 YALSA Top 10 Quick Pick and White Pine Honour book, Some Girls Are, 2012 YALSA Quick Pick, Fall for Anything, and 2013 YALSA Top 10 Quick Pick and White Pine Honour book This is Not a Test. Her next projects are an e-novella, Please Remain Calm (a sequel to This is Not a Test) and a new novel, All the Rage, both out in 2015.

Giveaway

St Martin’s Press has generously offered up 1 print copy of All the Rage for giveaway!

• Open to US and Canada
• Giveaway ends on March 9th, 2015

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