Review: Great teen story with some really adult themes
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 05 23, 2014
I loved this story, and just more generally, I'm finding that I am really growing to love this author's voice and the themes she tackles in her books. I also love the feel of New Zealand she captures, where many of her books are set, and just the depth of her characters overall.This particular story is about Sophia, who attends a high school in New Zealand where bullying is rampant, and mixed with out-and-out assault with weapons and the terrorizing of targeted students by the most dangerous of the "popular" mean girl gangs. The whole bullying dynamic is further complicated by some pretty big class divisions between the different students, and a lot of students seeming to have pretty serious problems at home. Sophia manages to stay under the radar for the most part though, until she meets another troubled student and talented artist, Dane McArdle. While Sophia likes Dane pretty much immediately, befriending him comes with its own set of complications and problems, including the fact that he's the most popular and sought-after boy among the group of bullies who are already tormenting her.The book then just pulls you into these characters' lives: into complex emotions between the two of them, genuine friendship as they try to help one another, Dane's own family problems including an abusive stepparent, and deeper issues around Sophia's family and her father's reaction to her mother leaving.KT Bowes' stories work so well because the people in them really feel real. Once you start reading one of her books it's more about being a part of their lives until the story is resolved, rather than reading about a character in a book.I'm looking forward to reading the next book in the series!