I don’t even know where to start! Well written prose but the entire storyline was lacking and just fell flat on such a tough subject matter

Oh my word, I’ve never read a book this interesting, if there was a book to have to be peeled out of my hands it would be this one one!!!

Wow. Overall one of my favorite books this year. The story is told through two different timelines and goes back and forth between the past and the future describing a girls story of abuse. Incredibly touching and thought provoking as it is not the typical victim story or me too movement narrative. Beautifully written, word choice is impeccable.

This is the most engaging and beautifully disturbing story I have ever read. The narrator perfectly illustrates how it feels to NOT be the exception, no matter how desperately you believe you are. The manipulation is written in such a realistic manner that I had to put the book down a couple of times just to breathe. It feels as though Russell lived inside each of our minds during our worst and most traumatic moments, and articulated how we felt then, and how we are still affected by them now. This book is a modern, victim perspective of Lolita that urges me to turn back to chapter one as soon as I finish it.

uncomfortable but real and sometimes very relatable ,, made me ??happy? to read again i think it’s a beautiful book although upsetting

Although it was one of the most unsettling (and at times frustrating/almost relatable) books I’ve read yet, I could not put this book down. The author wrote it so well that I almost mistook it as a memoir.

Loved this book. Dark and disturbing but just right. Page turner that I had a hard time putting down. Finished 12/28

I first bought this book because my name was Vanessa, I hardly see my name in media, so I was like “omg cool!” I didn’t even skim the summery tbh.. after the first chapter I was hook. I head half of the book all in one sitting, the next two days I’d stay up all night reading, highlight, noting the book. I love how good it’s written and even if my name wasn’t Vanessa I’d still feel like I was the Vanessa in the book. I felt like the author was in my head thinking how I thought 10/10 I love this book sm

!!THIS IS YOUR SPOILER WARNING!! Babe, one of the dogs mentioned in the book passes away of an aneurism. The death mention is a brief part of the story, but I’m baby and it made me really sad. If I can potentially spare someone else the same grief, I’d like to.

It’s hard to put my feelings into words at the moment. It feels like i’m reading something about me; a personal arrangement of my thoughts. There have been so many times in my life where i’ve felt like Vanessa… alone, confused, scared, but persistent at the fact that “love” was the exact definition for some of the things that have happened to me; abuse and denial. I believe this book is one of the most realistic books i’ve read about teenagers going through abuse… from feeling like you’re special, to finding out it’s all a lie… then into the denying. It’s insane to comprehend, and I don’t know if I want to. This book is definitely one of my favorites, and although it’s hard to read sometimes, I understand Vanessa. I completely understand her. I believe you will too… even if you want to scream at the book and try to help her, saying, “that wasn’t love! he groomed, manipulated, and hurt you!” It’s so much clearer through others eyes and experiences, and that’s what makes this a beautifully painful read.