ALA Booklist (Mon Mar 01 00:00:00 CST 2004)

As a freshman, Ashley was raped by one of her brother's teammates during a traditional, but unconventional, "scavenger hunt." "Sex with a virgin" was the top point-getter on Victor's card, so he targeted Derek's little sister. Now, two years after a trial in which Derek lobbied the court to give Victor a light sentence because it was just a game d "justice" acquiesced shley continues to experience myriad debilitating triggers. Away at college, Derek struggles with his role in the ordeal and as a participant in a toxic culture he hadn't realized he was part of. Through alternating points of view, Ashley and Derek work separately to heal themselves as their relationship and family crumbles and to influence and educate others. By not concentrating on the act itself, Blount effectively uses Ashley's reactions, introspection, and victim-impact statement to carry the story's emotional load. Despite being pedagogic, the book clearly emphasizes that rape culture's pervasiveness can only be mitigated by reexamining society at large. Realistic and relevant.

Kirkus Reviews

Blount's (The Way It Hurts, 2017, etc.) latest, a loose sequel to Some Boys (2014), again looks at the aftermath of rape, this time with a focus on secondary survivors.Told with flashbacks through the alternating perspectives of a brother and sister two years after one of his teammates raped her to gain points in a scavenger hunt, this sometimes-didactic all-tell, no-show story has a clear purpose and ultimately hits some genuine emotional notes. High school junior Ashley is a fierce survivor who turns to blogging and activism to fight her anxiety attacks; her older brother, college freshman Derek, joins a men's anti-rape group and finally gets it. Romance plays a significant role in character growth, and while the stated authorial intent was to show the effect of Ashley's rape on the whole family, the novel mostly plays out as two parallel narratives which pull together into a family drama only at the end. Characterization and polish take a back seat to message, and some of the dialogue is weak. However, the messaging in Derek's story is important: Toxic masculinity creates rape culture, and nice boys who do nothing to stop it are part of the problem. The book follows a white default.Heavy-handed, but there are readers who want this story and some who need it. (resources) (Fiction. 13-18)

Publishers Weekly (Fri Oct 06 00:00:00 CDT 2023)

A timely novel by Blount (Some Boys) examines how a rape continues to affect a survivor and her family years after the assault. High schooler Ashley Lawrence was sexually assaulted freshman year by her crush-her brother Derek-s football teammate, who was trying to score points for a sort of sexual scavenger hunt. Now filled with rage, pain, and confusion, she tries to find a new normal, while Derek, away at college, struggles with guilt for standing up for his teammate, instead of his sister, when the rape case went to trial. Meanwhile, their parents- once-happy marriage is dissolving, Ashley-s oldest brother has moved back home, and the siblings- mother wants the whole family together to share a meal for Thanksgiving. Although the story is formulaic, the alternating viewpoints between Ashley and Derek deepen readers- understanding of their inner lives, and the story sends a powerful message about rape culture and the ways it-s perpetuated by survivor shaming, toxic masculinity, and the tacit acceptance of harassment. Ages 14-up. Agent: Gregory Evan, Ethan Ellenberg Literary. (Aug.)