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Aug 12, 2016ljtheartist rated this title 4 out of 5 stars
This novel was disturbing and I read a number of chapters through tears. From the very beginning, the reader is introduced to the culture that Emma is being raised in, a culture that encourages her to be desirable while chastising her to be pious. Emma characterizes herself as a guilty seductress because she has been taught to value her beauty above all else her entire life. She is an unreliable character witness because all of her insecurity and anxiety is masked as bitchiness . She feels pressured by her peer group and her role models to be a cool girl that boys feel comfortable around. She maintains this persona at the expense of her own comfort and desires before things ultimately escalate out of her control. It is awful. It is, unfortunately, realistic. I feel like this should be required reading for high school seniors to better understand concepts like rape culture and victim blaming.