Honor Code

by Kiersi Burkhart

Sam knows how lucky she is to be part of the elite Edwards Academy. As she dreams of getting into Harvard one day, she's willing to do anything to fit in and excel at the private high school. Even if that means enduring hazing, signing up for a sport she hates, and attending the school dance with an upperclassman she barely knows.

But when she learns the high cost of entry, will Sam be willing to bury the worst night of her life in order to "keep the community sacred"? As the line between truth and justice blurs, Sam must find out for herself what honor really means.

Genres: Young Adult, Contemporary, Boarding School, Fiction, Realistic Fiction, Friendship, High School

312 pages, Hardcover

First published March 1, 2018

About the author

Kiersi Burkhart lives and works as an author and freelance writer in Wyoming. She grew up a cowgirl in Colorado and can still run the barrel race. Despite owning her own business, she manages to find time to dismantle the patriarchy and play plenty of Pokemon. She lives with her best friend, a mutt named Baby, and her partner at the foot of the mountain.

Reviews

[Samantha (WLABB) · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am always intrigued by books set in boarding schools, and this one deals with the darker side of those institutions. Though multiple issues were touched upon, the one which caught, and kept my interest, revolved around sexual assault and the fallout experience by the women, who are brave enough to speak out.

•Pro: The book was broken into three acts, each with a distinct focus in the story. I liked this division, which kept me very focused, and I also really liked the addition of the second POV, as she served a purpose I was not fully aware of until almost the end.

•Pro: Burkhart showed the good and the bad sides of boarding school. She introduced us to nice and not so nice people at said school, and I appreciated that she didn't paint the school and the people affiliated with the school as all bad.

•Con: Sam was a really complicated character, and I don't think we got to know her as much as I would have like to

•Pro: BUT, I think that was the point. Part of her needed to be kept concealed in order for this story to work.

•Pro: The story definitely ramped up in Acts 2 and 3 as Sam prepared for and actively sought justice. These were my favorite parts of the book, and I loved seeing that side of Sam.

•Pro: There was this very awesome twist, which I only saw coming really close to the reveal. I tip my hat to Burkhart, because it was a great way to distinguish this story from a field of sexual assault stories.

•Pro: As a woman, I found myself angry and frustrated and nodding my head over and over again. There were so many things that happened in this book, which were appalling, but sadly, quite realistic.

•Pro: The ending had many elements that were not shocking, but I was pleased with the effect seeking justice had on the young women in the story.

"This is the price for speaking up," I write. "This is why we so often stay quite. Who would willingly bring this into their life?"

Overall: An interesting and thought provoking look at rape culture and the repercussions survivors are forced to endure when they speak out, which left me simultaneously sad, frustrated, and angry.

*ARC provided in exchange for an honest review.

BLOG | INSTAGRAM |TWITTER | BLOGLOVIN | FRIEND ME ON GOODREADS

[Kathleen Glasgow · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thought-provoking and intensely imagined. A must-read about rape culture that deserves a wider audience.

[Lauren · Rating 2 out of 5]

You know that part in Silver Linings Playbook where Bradley Cooper yells “What the fuck?!” and throws A Farewell to Arms out the window? I wanted to do that with this book. But it was a library copy. And I was in a moving car. But yeah, my sentiments exactly.

[PinkAmy loves books, cats and naps · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you love a good boarding school book, and who doesn’t, HONOR CODE is a must read.

Edwards Academy is freshman Sam’s first stop on the road to Harvard Law School. Her roommate Gracie is everything Sam imagined and the two artsy girls become best friends. Dreams crash into reality on the first night when older dorm mates examine first year girls bodies and post areas that need improvement. When senior It Guy Scully catches the eyes of both Sam and Gracie, neither will be the same. The HONOR CODE all students pledge is to handle problems within the school, even when those “problems”are rape.

Kiersi Burkhart was woven a story about rape, rape culture, class, power, the limits of friendship, girl on girl meanness in a way I’ve never seen before. I never realized what was coming and I’m still not sure about how I feel about it. Yes, I’m being purposely cryptic. The unfortunately realistic resolution will have me thinking for a while.

Sam is a brave, strong, scared, artful young woman. Reluctant to come forward, too passionate to stay silent she endures a high price for coming forward. I don’t know if I would have been strong enough to handle the relentless bullying she received coming forward. I’d like to think I would have disclosed similar treatment from Scully, but like those who later did, I may have waited. We all want to believe we’d be brave, but being a teen is hard enough without death threats from classmates after being raped.

I will certainly look forward to more of Burkhart’s books and recommend HONOR CODE to teens, parents and educators.

[Mandi Schneck · Rating 3 out of 5]

***Let me start off this review by saying that it may be the most disorganized review I've ever written, and give a huge trigger warning for rape/sexual assault. I'm writing this not caring about grammar, or flowy writing, or anything else, because I walked away from this book so rage-y that I can't really put into appropriate words all the things I felt. Also my reviews usually do not contain spoilers, but this one does because it's the only way to accurately express my full range of emotions. If it turns out you love this format of review, let me know because this is different than what I normally do but I'm happy to change up my style if that's what you guys like reading!***

Honor Code by Kiersi Burkhart follows Sam, a fifteen-year-old girl who gets into an elite private school, where behind closed doors she learns and experiences things she never expected. From having to line up naked and be ranked by upperclassmen, to being forced to join a sports team, Sam isn't sure she's ready to handle what's in store for her, but her desire to earn a scholarship to college keeps her motivated to tough it out. When she gets matched with the hot upperclassman she's been drooling over for the school mixer, she thinks that she's finally fitting in, until that upperclassman takes advantage of her attraction to him and her naivety and rapes her when she went to him for help with schoolwork. Wanting to keep the school honor code sacred, Sam seemingly tries hard to avoid exposing the incident or identifying herself or the prosecutor, but she still fights in her own way to seek justice.

My thoughts through the first 2/3 or so of this book were all positive. We need more books about rape culture to bring the issue to light. This showed why girls don't come forward when they've been sexually assaulted, and details all the fallout that happens when they finally do. YAASSS, I thought, this book is everything. Until the plot twist happened that had me raging until the very last page (and I'm still raging, as evidenced by this review).

SAM DIDN'T ACTUALLY GET RAPED. It was her roommate Gracie that went through that traumatic incident, and Sam in some deranged quest to help her decided to make the story her own and go public with it. Yes, the boy who raped Gracie attempted to rape Sam too, but she was able to escape before anything happened. THIS MADE ME SO ANGRY. DO NOT TAKE SOMEONE'S SEXUAL ASSAULT EXPERIENCE AND MAKE IT YOUR OWN. I don't care if you want to help them. I don't care if you're trying to expose someone and make them seek justice. Rape is such a terrible and deeply personal occurrence that if the person who experienced it doesn't want to pursue reporting/exposing it or do anything about it, THAT IS THEIR DECISION, not yours. Please, come forward with your own experience of how he attempted to rape you, and make him face justice for that, but DO NOT MASQUERADE.

Now I do think this book had some great themes. Exposing corruption in private schools, showing how girls are treated cruelly after coming forward with this type of information, and how rich white male privilege is unfortunately alive and well today are all things that it is important to address, and it did all these things extremely well. That being said, I just couldn't wrap my head around what Sam did and why this is ok. I'm not sure if it was her fifteen-year-old mind and care for her friend that made her think this was a good idea, or if she just wanted the spotlight, but this just does not sit right with me. And judging by the Goodreads reviews, I'm the only one that thinks this.

I've struggled a lot with my rating for this book because while the false rape report really set me off, I think it tried and succeeded to shine light on the overall rape culture issues our society faces today. I originally wanted to rate it as 2 stars, but I think I'm going to bump it up because despite the problematic plot twist, the message was good and the writing was fantastic, and I did really enjoy reading it.

Overall Rating: 3 out of 5 Stars

Thanks to Lerner Publishing Group for allowing me early digital access to this book. Honor Code by Kiersi Burkhart releases on March 1st!

[Kelly]

There is a lot to like here -- it's a story about rape culture, about how men and women both perpetrate it and allow it to grow . And there's a "twist" here that brings the idea of an honor code to a whole different level.

There's also quite a bit that's weak here. I found the writing to be fine, though not especially memorable. Likewise, I didn't find it as intense or raw as other books that have done this. It's also a very white book, and the character who notes this in the book over and over feels like she's playing the role of a critical reader in stating it and...it doesn't feel authentic. I also felt that some of the reaction of students to what was going on to feel a little over the top; today's teens are far more aware of their world than I felt this book gave many of them credit for. And perhaps I'd have let that slide much easier WERE we given a more intense exploration of the school's culture.

Absolutely worth reading, particularly for those who enjoy books about small cultures and private schools and those who want to read more books with various angles toward rape culture.

[Jen Petro-Roy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Gripping, raw, and unputdownable.

[Kate Brauning · Rating 5 out of 5]

Relentless, twisting, raw, and incredibly human.

[Korey Jeffries · Rating 3 out of 5]

Shittt, I was about to give this book 4 stars... and then I read the last quarter of the book. Talk about an obscure and shit ending. Honestly, I’ve never been this annoyed about a book before.

[Greg Andree · Rating 5 out of 5]

TW - rape.

Still thinking about HONOR CODE. How fear and guilt can drive us. How friends protect each other, or fail to. How someone's voice can be stolen. And what we'll do to get justice. This would be such a great bookclub choice unpacking not only rape culture, and toxic masculinity, but also sexual predation. It is a "feminist revenge quest" as the author says, but it only has to be that because students at this prestigious school fail to actually honor and protect each other, and the teachers, administrators, and other adults trusted with the safety of of these students fail their duty. Instead they protect themselves, their sources of revenue, and the "boys" who prey on girls. With echoes of the real-life trial of Stanford rapist Brock Turner, we're forced to ask ourselves why we value some lives over others, and who it is that we should actually value and protect.

This is such a great book.

In a bookclub or classroom it would be a perfect book to pair with Brendan Kiely's TRADITION.

[Kendra · Rating 5 out of 5]

Got my hands on an ARC and am extremely grumpy that I have to do things that aren't READ THIS BOOK ALL DAY. SO GOOD.

[Ruth Lehrer · Rating 5 out of 5]

“Now I know there are others,” – a feminist call to arms. This is no ordinary contemporary young adult novel.

Sam is a first year student at the Edwards Academy. The school has a veneer of old wealth and opportunity, but underneath there is peer pressure, hazing, and a bizarre honor code–“it’s not long but it’s weird”–which gives a cult-like feeling to the entire institution.

School food is like the school itself, you expect better but you get worse; dinner is gray steaks, crusty mashed potatoes and squishy carrots. Even the bread is warm and buttery but tastes like cardboard.

Burkhart weaves a story from three alternating voices, Sam, a student at Edwards Academy, blog entries, and the voice of the local newspaper reporter. The central character is easy to relate to. Even though, as a reader, I knew it was going to go south I bought in to her worries about getting a date for the mixer, and making new friends. I kept hoping that something would work out for her, but knew it wouldn’t. The hard stuff in this book is unbearable; the revenge satisfying. As the character states, it “... should be my dream moment. Except I feel like I could vomit.”

This book is coming into the world at the perfect time. Maybe some of the most important books are hard to read? Masquerading as contemporary young adult lit, this book highlights the plight of girls in our society. It brings to the forefront the poetry of female rage; “the coal of anger inside me grows hotter and redder every day. I could breathe smoke.” But this isn’t as straightforward a book as you think, a last minute twist casts truth in a broader light.

[Kelly · Rating 5 out of 5]

Every woman can relate to this book. The permeating fear. The understanding that it can happen to anyone. The subsequent rage.

Superficially, "Honor Code" is a story about an alleged rape on campus. At its truth, it is a story about our society: the way sides are taken, the way events are spun by the media, the entitlement of some men to women's bodies, the slut-shaming and victim-blaming, the enablers, the privilege of the white upper class.

This story was not easy to read. The content was heavy, and the story unfolded in a raw, real way. Sam is someone I could know. In fact, Sam is someone I could be. It was difficult to read her story, relate to her struggles and her pain. It was also inspiring to see her champion her cause and find strength deep inside. But she throws a wrench in her own story, and makes us question what we know. Suddenly the lines are blurred -- black and white becomes grey, and I am confused and angry for new reasons. Because life -- and court cases -- are full of shades of grey. I am a sucker for a good unreliable narrator.

This year, TIME Magazine named their Person of the Year as The Silence Breakers. This book is intensely relevant, and supremely important, and needs to be read -- and felt -- by everyone who has ever thought they were alone in anything.

[Amy Giles · Rating 5 out of 5]

Honor Code explores the harsh reality of victim shaming and how too often the very institutions designed to protect us are the ones to silence those who dare come forward. Tragic, gripping, and very important. *I received an ARC of Honor Code*

[Emma Berquist · Rating 5 out of 5]

Intense, relevant, and impossible to put down.

[Zuzanna · Rating 4 out of 5]

Po opisie książki, myślałam że będzie to łatwa i przyjemna lektura, z motywem jakiejś zagadki, może kryminału. Zamiast tego trafiłam na sytuację wielkiej niesprawiedliwości i chęć wymierzenia kary.

Sam rozpoczyna naukę w nowej szkole. Jest to typowa placówka dla tak zwanych "snobów", mimo iż wydaje się że wartość portfela i status społeczny nie grają tutaj dużej roli.

Wszystko zmienia się podczas otrzęsin. Dziewczyny ze starszych roczników poddają "ocenie" każdą pierwszoklasistkę oraz wskazują im rzeczy nad którymi muszą popracować i zniwelować żeby móc należeć do szkolnej społeczności. Na przykład: zmienić ubiór, fryzurę, schudnąć, przytyć i tym podobne.

Główna bohaterka stara się aby móc przynależeć do szkolnej grupy różnymi sposobami, oraz godzi się na kolejne pomysły starszych koleżanek. Wszystko zmienia się kiedy spotyka chłopaka, wyjątkowo urodziwego i bogatego. Kiedy idzie z nim na bal, ulega jego urokowi i wszystko wydaje się być bajką, póki osiemnastolatek nie pokazuje swojej prawdziwej twarzy.

Sam szuka sprawiedliwości dla swojej krzywdy, czym powoduje całą lawinę wielu wydarzeń, gdzie na szali przelewa się jej godność i bezpieczeństwo. Lecz jaki z tym związek ma jej współlokatorka, która po feralnym wydarzeniu opuściła szkołę?

Ostatni akt jest wielkim szokiem. Zakończenie pozostawia nas z pytaniem: Czy napewno wszyscy, bez względu na wpływy i bogactwo są równi w świetle prawa? Odpowiedź na to pytanie jest jednoznaczna: Nie. Nie ważne jak człowiek się stara, są jednostki dzięki którym nigdy nie zaznają sprawiedliwości. Kilka osób w tej książce były ofiarami, lecz nie mogły wygrać ze względu na swój status i opinię publiczną oprawcy, mimo iż wyłamały się ze schematu. Wyrok z pewnością jest niesprawiedliwy, lecz czy sprawiedliwość jest prawem, czy przywilejem dla wybranych?

[Jennifer M. · Rating 4 out of 5]

My rating is somewhere between 3 and 4 stars but I had trouble deciding on which, so I'll just say 3.5/5. The story itself was very gripping, but I thought it was lacking in a few ways. The main character, for starters, came off as a bit selfish. Despite claiming to be acting in her friend's best interest, she seems to care more about her own vendetta than about Gracie's feelings and wishes. I didn't really empathize with Sam like I did with Gracie, which made the whole story a bit less enjoyable.

Secondly--just going to nitpick here--I don't think the whole honor code aspect made much sense. I don't really want to go into detail, so I'll just say that the story would've flowed just fine without it.

Lastly, the pacing was a bit too fast... Near the end of the book, Sam visits Gracie. Gracie is considerably more upset by the time Sam leaves and absolutely no progress has been made between the two. Only a few pages later, Gracie shows up to support Sam and is completely calm and composed. If it wasn't for Sam mentally noting that Gracie hadn't forgiven her yet, you would have thought their previous argument was just a fever dream. Much of the book seems to progress at this pace.

Nonetheless, Honor Code was an enjoyable read. I don't think I'd go out of my way to recommend it to anyone, but if the subject matter is at all interesting to you, go for it.

**I received a free ARC of this book

[Elle · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was fortunate enough to get my hands an ARC of this book.

It was difficult to read and impossible to put down. It was gripping, raw, and uncomfortable. And, though some parts of the plot you expect to see, there are other things that take you by complete surprise.

Well written, and deserving of every star I gave it.

[Cornmaven · Rating 3 out of 5]

Geared for upper high school, or maybe more mature early HS/MS teens, this is an addition to the canon of YA fiction that explores the effects of sexual assault on minor girls. Sam is 15, entering an elite boarding HS, with the intention of using it as a springboard to get into an Ivy League college and eventual law school. She is not from a wealthy family and is on scholarship. Her roommate Gracie, is from a wealthy family, and not as enthusiastic as Sam about the whole boarding school thing. They both feel out of place and rely on each other to try to fit in.

Until Sam is allegedly raped by the polo captain during a supposed tutoring session. Sam embarks on a journey of revenge, enlisting the aid of a news reporter who sees the story as her ticket to the big leagues, using time and date stamped blog posts as evidence. There is a twist near the end that most professional reviews call predictable. My impression is that the twist could have involved other characters besides Gracie, so its predictability doesn’t include a particular character, and I found the twist itself to be a literary one, not necessarily one grounded in reality.

There’s a plot flaw during the trial by judge, in that I don’t believe Waldo would have been allowed to be as snarky and disrespectful throughout his testimony in a real courtroom. But his character needs to be that way to advance and enhance the story. The judicial verdict is predictable, and valid, but also a good point of discussion in the area of justice for sexual assault.

Sam and Gracie’s actions are thoroughly typical of teens their age. At one point, the news reporter Harper remarks that sometimes Sam acts like an adult, sometimes like a child. So her response to Gracie’s rape fits that mold, because she is trying to solve Gracie’s problem, but in a really crazy teen way. The plot flaw here is that she most likely couldn’t have sustained the lie for that long, but the reader will have to suspend disbelief in order to get the essence of the story.

The body survey is rather out there, but again, believable in a privileged teen ruled world like this boarding school is.

Gracie’s reaction to her rape, as told in the blog, is not unbelievable at all. While we can tell young girls to preserve evidence, it would not be out of the norm for a young girl to want to rid herself of physical items that remind her of the event for even one more second. And her silence and desire to retreat is totally typical, especially as she believes her parents would not stand up to the Chapman family. The acclaimed novel, Speak, by Laurie Halse Anderson, showed us that decades ago.

The rape itself is not described in great detail, only the attack leading up to the actual moment of assault, and the aftermath. The descriptions are gritty, but not out of bounds with YA literature. Rape is not a pretty thing, nor need it be whitewashed. Other YA novels involving a sexual assault may be more subtle, but those choices cannot condemn this author’s choice to go a little further.

Most teens today are savvy – they will see clearly that Sam’s actions are a bit self-serving, Gracie’s actions are not really what you should do, Harper’s ambition clouds her judgement, and other characters have enabled Scully Chapman to be a serial predator over 4 years. Those that are not as savvy should perhaps be shown the many mistakes that are made after a sexual assault, and can learn from them. One can never predict a perfect response to sexual assault, and it is important for teens to know that even if they don’t respond in what is considered “the right way”, that they are not alone in this.

There is something very Shakespearean about this tale, especially the ambition of Harper Brooks, the privilege of Scully Chapman shielding him from consequence, the power of fear that controls Gracie, and the power that lies with wealth and how justice is compromised by it. All of this is part of “rape culture”, and I believe it is the author’s intention to bring this to light so that we can continue to discuss it.

What's interesting is that a case very reflective of this story occurred at an elite boarding school in New Hampshire recently. Was this story "ripped from the headlines" or is life imitating art? It's been hard to determine, but suffice to say that this is a needed book.

[Kaitlynn Heller · Rating 3 out of 5]

Honor Code: The book that missed the mark

I bought this book second hand off a Facebook group because I was intrigued by its cover and after a quick search on Goodreads, I was intrigued I messaged the seller and bought it. By the time it arrived, I had forgotten what the book was about and hence forgot about the rape scene that occurs in this story, so I was surprised when I got to that part. There is no disclosure made on the cover or before the story starts, nor at the end of the book any links or services to help rape victims like what you get in other books where the focus is on a triggering topic and the plot is driven by it, all there is topic questions as though this book is going to be a part of school curriculum.

Before I get into why this book makes me mad I just want to touch on the writing itself, because there were times I didn’t know where Sam was or who she was talking to or what was going on. There were a few times I had to go back multiple times to try and make sense about what was going on due to being lost. I feel like this book would have been more successful if the author spent more time world-building and even character developing. But with saying that I also feel as though this was intentional to reinforce that it wasn’t personal to Sam.

Now if you don’t want any spoilers to stop reading now.

And this is where I get mad, so the book is split into three acts (keyword acts) and told from mostly the point of view of Sam. The first act was the most weakly written, I didn’t know where the story was going nor did I feel invested due to the lack of world-building and character development. Act two I start to understand why it’s been split into three parts to highlight the before, after and the result and Harper was introduced which is the reason why I finished this book because Sam boring character to read from. Act three you discover why the parts are called acts, the twist that occurred in act three ruined the message this book was getting across.

Now there was a rape, it was just that Sam wasn’t the one that was raped it was her roommate Gracie who did, and Sam experienced an attempt by the same guy. But Sam took on Gracie’s experience as though it was her own story because she felt bad and blamed herself for Gracie being raped as she could have warned her. There was no need for the author to add this superhero/vigilante subplot if anything it took away from her message about victim silencing as the victim (Gracie) stayed silent and was forced to speak out but share what happened to Sam because Sam took away Gracie’s voice. The author message would have been way more powerful and genuine if she gave Gracie a voice and used Gracie’s and Sam’s friendship to push the fact Scully is a serial rapist and his victims aren’t alone.

Overall this book was a disappointment and could have easily been a 4-star book and not a 3 borderline 2-star book because I didn’t hate it or think it was bad it was just the twist at the end ruined the message and its credibility.

[Charmaine · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow, what a compelling story. It's dark, it's shocking, and it's unpredictable. There's more to this story than meets the eye, and that's the chilling part. Or maybe the resolution was chilling: we've read it in the news before. We've heard this story. We've seen how justice is handed out in the smallest possible way. Like the guy from my all my university classes who got sentenced to jail, but just on weekends. Like the other guy in my university program whose story is OUT THERE on an online blog, but still walks free and faces no consequences. Like Brock Turner from Stanford. It's infuriating.

There's a twist in there that threw me for a loop. I've read too many books in this space, and that's the one thing that made this one stand out for me. You wonder why Sam is so insistent on keeping in touch. You get a weird feeling, just like Harper. Something doesn't add up, until it does. Getting the reporter's perspective adds an interesting flavour. But if anything, this twist makes the story MORE realistic. We're not all fearless and brave. And all too often, victims aren't the ones who can handle that fallout.

(Semi-spoiler: don't read the following paragraph unless you don't want even a hint at the big twist!)
The only thing that didn't corroborate that well were the blog posts. I have to say, after the truth becomes apparent, I went back to read all the posts. You get misled for sure, but the voice doesn't sound authentic to the character. Rich kids typically grow up in that system and don't know anything different. You could chalk it up to strange lies, or a prominent family's fall from grace, resulting in a more humble upbringing. But truth be told, I can't fathom a world where she's a so-called "newb" to this scene. Maybe it adds to the anonymity? Maybe she was trying to emulate the voice of a scholarship student?

In any case, this story is dark, haunting, and probably quite realistic. It's drawn out, people are cruel, and others provide support. It's an intense read, for sure. I couldn't put it down, and for that, I have to commend Kiersi Burkhart. It definitely leaves you with something to think about.

[Marie · Rating 4 out of 5]

TW: sexual assault, hazing

Hello boys and girls and people who think the gender binary is for squares.

I read Honor Code in one sitting. I sat down in B&N, cracked open the book, and didn't stop until the very last page.

This is written in first person POV, which, as you know, I loathe. However in certain books, for certain topics, it works, and Honor Code is one of them. This is split up into three acts, and is told by Sam for the majority of the book, who is a very... unreliable narrator. More on that later. Later, in the second and third acts, we have a reporter's POV Harper, who sets out to tell Sam's story. And woven throughout the story, we have a tumblr blog's text posts peppered throughout.

There's a creepy student honor code that's basically 'don't snitch to adults but definitely snitch to the head girl who can make your life miserable'. Basically, this school is like a cult. And where there's a cult, there's bad people. Hayden is the Head Girl? House Mom? Idk, but she starts off the year right by making all the first years strip so she can judge them. Some girls are too fat. Some girls are too skinny. All of them are crying. Hazing is soooooo in right now. And then there's sexual assault. And thus, the breaking of the honor code. Sam is shunned and harassed at every turn.

Look, this book was mostly excellent. The tumblr posts were amazing. What isn't to like? It's a gritty look at dark topics: private schools, hazing, rich white boys who don't think consequences apply to them, sexual assault, a shitty verdict. What wasn't amazing was the final act of the book.

Like I said, Sam is a very unreliable narrator. Serious spoiler: The big twist is that she wasn't raped, her roommate Gracie was.. This is going to make for a lot of angry people. Hell, it made me angry. Never, never, never take away someone else's voice, no matter the reason.

[Thalie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Samantha, Sam, quinze ans, intègre un nouveau lycée: la prestigieuse académie Edward dont le cursus lui permettra d'intégrer une université d'élite par la suite.
Des vieilles pierres, un décor idyllique, des cours exigeant, Sam se sent dans son élément. Pourtant, malgré un code d'honneur très strict visant à mettre les élèves sur un pied d'égalité et prônant l'entre-aide, Sam a du mal à se faire des amis.
Elle se rapproche de sa camarade de chambre, Gracie, décidant qu'elle est sa nouvelle meilleure amie. Mais à part cette dernière, difficile de trouver sa place. Une soirée d'intégration se révèle bouleversante et humiliante.
Sam s'accroche malgré tout.
Un jour, un miracle semble se produire puisque Scully, LE beau gosse du campus, un quatrième année, l'invite à sortir.
Les choses ont l'air de bien tourner pour Sam mais très vite c'est la douche froide, Scully abuse d'elle.
Sam se retrouver plus seule que jamais. Qui pourrait la croire, elle, la boursière, face à un jeune homme richissime de bonne famille, adulé de tous même du proviseur?
Un long et pénible combat s'annonce...

Un roman où il ne faut pas se fier aux apparences!
Le mensonge prédomine et tous les personnages sont suspects.
L'ambiance est particulière. Très vite, j'ai eu des doutes, quelque chose de particulier se dégageait du personnage de Sam. Vérité? Mensonge? Je dirai manipulation surtout.
Chaque protagoniste a sa part d'ombre, que ce soit des ambitions démesurées, un combat pour la justice à mener, des vices à cacher...
J'avoue que c'est une lecture très spéciale sur un sujet délicat et qui met en avant des dysfonctionnements tant dans la gestion des campus, comme l'académie Edward, ou encore le système judiciaire américain.
Il y a un malaise latent qui se dégage de ces pages, le lecteur observe, analyse, doute, est choqué et déstabilisé.
Une roman dont nul ne sort pas indemne pas même le lecteur.

[Mutinelle · Rating 5 out of 5]

Comme j’ai du temps en ce moment, je me ballade sur le net en recherche de nouvelles lectures. J’ai découvert ce livre et je me suis vite laissée tenter par le résumé.

Sam a été accepté dans une école privée prestigieuse en internat. Elle est contente car cette école c’est la possibilité de réaliser son rêve d’être avocate. Mais tout ne se passe pas comme elle l’avait espéré.

J’ai vraiment beaucoup aimé ce livre. Il comporte tout les éléments pour faire un excellent polar. On a une ado un peu perdue mais décidée, un beau gosse premier de la classe pourri jusqu’à la moelle et une belle zone d’ombres qu’on voit s’éclaircir petit à petit pour découvrir toute la vérité.
De suite Sam a réussi à me séduire. Elle est fraiche, a le côté rêveur d’une ado qui pense au premier amour mais sait tout de même où elle veut aller et ce qu’elle souhaite pour son avenir. Dans l’ensemble elle a la tête sur les épaules et est juste un peu naïve.
L’école privée ressemble a toutes les écoles privées à la recherche de perfection et on y retrouve les « clans » et la pression sociale si particulière aux écoles américaines. L’ambiance est parfaitement restituée.
Il flotte tout au long de la lecture une impression malsaine que l’on n’arrive pas particulièrement à définir, mais qui nous colle à la peau.
La fin du roman m’a totalement désappointée. J’avais bien compris qu’il y avait anguille sous roche mais je n’avais pas pensé à ça du tout. Il y avait bien des indices disséminés ici ou là, mais je ne les avais pas vu du tout. D’ailleurs, j’ai même relu le début du roman pour essayer de voir ce que j’avais raté (là je vous donne un indice l’air de rien).
Bref, j’ai adoré ma lecture que j’ai dévoré rapidement.

[Suzanne · Rating 3 out of 5]

School Library Journal (12/01/2017):
Gr 9 Up--When Sam's family drops her off at Edwards Academy, a pricey and exclusive boarding school that could be her ticket to the Ivies, she never expects to be hazed and humiliated with all the other first years in their house by Hayden, the Head Girl, and her posse of prefects. Equally surprising is Hayden's gift: she matches Sam up for the fall mixer with fourth-year Scully Chapman, captain of the polo team. The misery of being new while trying to fit in and be accepted is tempered by Sam's wonderful roommate Grace, who chums around with her and to whom she can complain about the enormous academic workload. Being seen on Scully's arm elates Sam until Grace's hurt feelings and frustrated crush on him create a rift between the girls. Bad to worse: a tutoring session behind closed doors with Scully leaves Sam with ripped clothing and an urge for justice against a sexual predator protected by the elite and venerable institution's honor code. Made up of anonymous Tumblr posts, first-person narration from Sam, and third-person narration from Harper, a rookie reporter from The New York Inspector, this engrossing story is broken into pre- and post-attack sections. VERDICT A book to recommend to readers who enjoy relevant gritty issues and don't mind relishing a somewhat predictable plot twist.

[Pas · Rating 3 out of 5]

Aucun doute, le titre de ce livre est bien trouvé.
Le lecteur découvre la vie de Sam qui vient d'intégrer un prestigieux lycée privé en vue de réaliser son rêve et devenir avocate. La rencontre avec sa meilleure amie Grazie, les bizutages, le flirt avec le beau gosse de l'école, la soirée d'intégration, tout y passe.
Au fil des pages, l'ambiance se précise, le lycée est un microcosme, rien ne doit en sortir. Le Code d'Honneur est là pour s'en assurer. Quand elle se fait violer, briser le silence est bien compliqué.
C'est tout ce qui se déroule après qui fait l'intérêt de ce roman. Le fait de ne pas être crue, la pression pour en parler à telle ou telle personne, les diverses menaces, le harcèlement et le soutien apporté au coupable plutôt qu'à la victime.
La diversité des personnages apporte beaucoup à l'intrigue. Même si l'histoire est écrite, en grande partie, à la première personne, chacun apporte un point de vue. Et chose plutôt rare dans un YA, on a des parents présents, et pas uniquement pour remplir le rôle de méchants contre qui l'adolescent doit se rebeller. Le personnage de Sam gagne en crédibilité grâce à ces relations et il devient plus aisé de s'identifier à elle. Le lien qu'elle avec sa meilleure amie est touchant et réserve quelques surprises.
Un récit nécessaire, malgré une fin qui se devine assez aisément.

[Jess Swann · Rating 4 out of 5]

Un roman que j'ai beaucoup apprécié, j'avoue que j'ai même été surprise par le rebondissement final que j'ai vraiment trouvé bien ficelé. La première partie m'a beaucoup plu, j'ai apprécié toute l'histoire du blog et la description du viol par Scully est juste : on en fait pas trop mais on reste dans du crédible. Le bizutage est également bien vu dans sa crudité et dans l'humiliation ressentie par les filles. L'acte 2 et l'apparition d'Harper est également bien vue, j'aime beaucoup avoir l'alternance des points de vue de la journaliste et de Sam. La campagne hashtag mais aussi l'utilisation des réseaux sociaux est bien trouvée tout comme la manière dont la parole se libère. La façon dont Scully se présente au tribunal m'a un peu rappelé la série 13 reasons why mais ça ne m'a pas gênée. Ma partie préférée reste l'acte 3 et la manière dont la vérité éclate !


Ce que j'aime : la manière dont est construit le récit, la fin


Ce que j'aime moins : le fait que Scully s'en sorte aussi bien


En bref : Un très bon roman sur les secrets des institutions et sur la manière dont elles tentent de protéger leurs membres les plus influents mais aussi sur la façon dont le système peut broyer une jeune fille mal dans sa peau


Ma note


8/10

[Meg Eden · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fascinating read--and as many other reviews have said, a timely topic. I'm not sure what to make of the ending. There's a very surprising, fascinating twist that makes me want to read the book from the beginning again, and see if there were hints to this realization.

If I understand the ending, it makes Sam an unreliable narrator, which makes how she portrays herself at the beginning--kind of Mary Sue-esque, at least that's how I read it--very interesting and real. We all are biased narrators of our own stories. The narration then is some hybrid of Sam and Gracie's stories. I wish I'd seen the hints leading to this to make the ending a little more satisfying, but still! What an interesting twist!

But in the end, what's the take away? Clearly Sam lying about what happened to her isn't OK. I don't think the moral of this story is to testify for someone else. It really invites some important and timely conversations about privilege, particularly when it comes to telling other people's stories. But the ending wraps up so quickly that I'm not sure what we are supposed to take away. I remember reading it and being put off with Sam's obsession with vengeance, and now with the ending in light, it makes me read that obsession a little differently than before.

All that said, a very interesting, fast-paced read, and I gobbled it up in just a few days. I definitely recommend reading it, especially for a book club or some setting to invite conversations.

[Lisa Bentley · Rating 3 out of 5]

The things people will do to fit in. That is the initial basis of Honor Code by Kiersi Burkhart. When you are faced with the dilemma o being ostracised or being part of something bigger Sam knows the choice she has to make. She is new to Edwards Academy – a high school that pretty much guarantees your acceptance into any elite college. But Sam soon comes to realise that it is easy to lose yourself in the expectations of school life, how easy it is to befall victim to more sinister goings on.

Honor Code is brilliantly dark and twisty. Burkhart looks at the tradition of honor codes in schools along with the current victim blaming culture that is seen in many college campuses in America. She uses alienation and broken friendships to look at the desperate nature that being lonely and alone as a teenager along with the problems that teens face.

This book does not leave you feeling comfortable. You are pushed way out of your comfort zone but it is necessary to get the point across. It does make for uncomfortable reading but it is so damn good.

Honor Code by Kiersi Burkhart is available now.

[S · Rating 4 out of 5]

I picked up this book thinking it was just another fluffy boarding school book, not realizing that the plot revolves around TW sexual assault. The book is divided into three acts, and the first is so cloying and juvenile it’s honestly hard to push through. This is the stage where the main character, Sam, is in that stage of trying to fit in and is enamored with the Brock Turner of the story.
The latter acts improved writing and plot wise, but the twist ending a lot of other reviewers have mentioned happens so close to the end that I don’t think it gives us a ton of space to digest the aftermath. It definitely makes you look at Sam in a different light. Protagonists aren’t necessarily heroes though, which I think many reviewers have failed to realize. The twist makes Sam not necessarily a villain, but instead, another leech. Her actions revealed by the twist ending are a cautionary tale to us about how our best intentions towards helping sexual assault survivors heal can actually be self serving and destructive to the survivor.
If you can make it past a truly annoying first act, which is needed really just for world building, you’ll enjoy the book.