I’m going to start off by saying this book (#gifted@penguinbooksya ) is fantastically written. But because of that I struggled with this book extremely. There are several trigger warnings for this book. Most can be found on the title page.
Pitched as a story of a high school girl standing up to the mean girls, not only severely diminishes this intense read but also creates an expectation of a Mean Girls like take on High School bullies. This book is way more intense.
Following the story of Paige, we embark on an emotional rollercoaster of high school and home bullies, relationships and learning to love yourself. Bourne is well known for writing about the difficult topics. This however was my first encounter of her work and I found it extremely enthralling. To the point where I had to stop reading and take a mental health day.
Although I do recommend reading this book, in this case I wished the domestic abuse trigger warning was listed in advance, in order to mentally prepare for this read. Domestic abuse is something that I don’t take lightly and I feel that everyone conveniently forgot to mention that it is an extremely prominent theme in this book.
Bourne has managed to capture the fear of living in an abusive household so accurately, with characters so real, I was crying and shaking by the time I finished.
About this book:
The dramas, the traumas, the rumours – it’s time to expose it all… The Perks of Being a Wallflower meets Mean Girls in this scathingly funny and relatable high-school takedown from the queen of UKYA.
Most likely to…be forgotten
Working on the school newspaper, Paige is used to dealing with fake stories. How popular girl Grace is a such an amazing person (lie). How Laura steals people’s boyfriends (lie). How her own family are so perfect (lie).
Now Grace and friends have picked their “best” high-school moments for Paige to put in the all-important Yearbook. And they’re not just fake. They’re poison.
But Paige has had enough of all the lies in her life. And with the help of Elijah – the only boy who could ever understand her – she’s going to reveal the truth.
Reading Caffeinated 