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The Stepping Off Place #2
The Sharp Edge of Silence
A YA contemporary standalone that tackles the contagious nature of toxic masculinity at an elite New England boarding school clinging to its past, and the sexual assault that changes everything.
WHO WILL YOU BE AT LYCROFT PHELPS? This is the question all Lycroft applicants want to be asked. It means they’ve been accepted to one of the most prestigious private high schools in the nation. Over 150 years is plenty of time for traditions to bake into the campus’s bricks and ivy. Ceremonies. Athletic rivalries. Secret societies. Pranks taken too far. But navigating it all will make Charlotte (perfect, straight-A student), Max (scholarship kid and STEM whiz), and Quinn (artist, dreamer, Lycroft legacy) question all they thought they knew about themselves…and the school. Especially when Quinn’s sexual assault becomes public and implicates one of the top-tier athletes on campus. Told in alternating perspectives.
WHO WILL YOU BE AT LYCROFT PHELPS? This is the question all Lycroft applicants want to be asked. It means they’ve been accepted to one of the most prestigious private high schools in the nation. Over 150 years is plenty of time for traditions to bake into the campus’s bricks and ivy. Ceremonies. Athletic rivalries. Secret societies. Pranks taken too far. But navigating it all will make Charlotte (perfect, straight-A student), Max (scholarship kid and STEM whiz), and Quinn (artist, dreamer, Lycroft legacy) question all they thought they knew about themselves…and the school. Especially when Quinn’s sexual assault becomes public and implicates one of the top-tier athletes on campus. Told in alternating perspectives.
496 pages, Hardcover
First published April 11, 2023
85 people are currently reading
6809 people want to read
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March 18, 2023
He already killed the best parts of me.
this book truly ruined me. i was a sobbing mess by the end, with tears and snot all down my face... i highly recommend this :)
The Sharp Edge of Silence is a YA novel and tackles the contagious nature of toxic masculinity at an elite boarding school, while exploring the theme of rape culture and the “boys will be boys” mentality.
now, the moment i saw the cover with “boys will be boys” struck-out across the front, my interest was immediately peaked. then upon reading the synopsis, i was reminded of one of my favourite books of all time: The Female of the Species. if you haven’t read it, this is your sign to read it. all these years later and i am still emotionally unstable from it. The Sharp Edge of Silence felt very reminiscent of it in terms of its themes. both books are gut-wrenching and heartbreaking to read, but truly phenomenal.
The Sharp Edge of Silence centres around the impact of sexual assault and there are some descriptions that readers may find distressing. it explores rape culture and toxic masculinity. the book also touches upon the generational, passing down of these toxic traditions and ideologies instilled in a lot of boys and men. i found that aspect to be extremely nuanced in its causality but still brutal to read. and it also highlights how not speaking up still makes you complicit.
Everything about me is cold and jittery and unrecognizable. I don’t want this body. It’s wrecked. It isn’t mine and I don’t want it. I’m not me anymore, so what does it matter.
the story rotates between three alternative perspectives— Quinn “Q” Walsh, Charlotte Foresley, and Max Hannigan-Loeffler. i was unsure of this format at first. the three narrators really don’t have that much in common, you’re left wondering why these three? Charlotte and Max’s POVs in particular felt... odd in the beginning. it meant there were lulls in the narrative at times and i wasn’t quite sure where things were going.
but i loved watching how all three of their perspectives ultimately overlapped and converged. it was incredibly satisfying to read and in the end, Max’s and Charlotte’s points of view had the desired impact Rosenblum wanted. Q’s story was the more explicitly brutal result of rape culture and toxic masculinity, while Max and Charlotte’s were far more subtle and eye-opening, exemplifying how being silent is complicit. turning the other way is complicit. shrugging it off is complicit. overlooking is complicit.
I’m between myself and myself, I think. I feel my bones but don’t recognise my skin. This strange new self drinks in the power of night. I know what I was. I don’t know what I’m becoming.
the writing style was so poignant. the way Q (our third narrating character) was characterised and how her inner thoughts were portrayed so viscerally was impeccable. she was without a doubt, the shining star of this book. she was my anchor. she made me heart ache and soar. she was so raw and wonderful. her anger was palpable; a living breathing thing that pulsed throughout the whole book— she wouldn’t let me forget how angry she was and i didn’t want her to.
her anger was my anger. her helplessness was my helplessness. she was an extension of myself and so many other girls who have been in similar circumstances. reading the last few lines of the book, my smile was so big as i got the privilege to watch her slowly begin her journey of healing and happiness. i adored her so much. one of my favourite book characters in a long time. truly unforgettable.
Rosenblum just nailed this, honestly. i just have to applaud Rosenblum for writing such a raw story and being willing enough to share parts of herself with us readers. it’s the hardest thing in the world to allow other people to see the depths of your trauma and soul like Rosenblum bared to us. like her author’s note already had me in tears. reading it was so unbelievably gut-wrenching yet familiar and matter-of-fact. one small phrase stuck with me— ”he wanted the sex without the person”. i won’t be forgetting that for a long time.
”I was—not there to him. It was not me—like, he could take the flesh and bones without the person.” I unfold and blink. “He ripped me from me. I was trying to leave myself on the ground, but I couldn’t get away. You can’t leave your body.”
and i can’t express how happy i am that this story ended on a hopeful note. the final few chapters were a beacon of hope that just made me feel really fulfilled by the end of the book. i was a bit lighter and more optimistic. i was worried it was just going to be incredibly bleak and depressing, and while certain themes in the book were bleak and depressing, the ending was simple, understated and content. it was wonderful.
Because I was drunk, another idiotic mistake. How could I be so stupid?
So.
Fucking.
Stupid.
And why did I freeze? Why didn’t I bite and scratch and knee him in the balls? I am weak. Weak. I always thought I was a fighter, but it turns out I froze like a possum.
i think everyone should read this book.
thank you to NetGalley and Bonnier Books UK for the ARC in exchange for an honest review!
Read
December 23, 2022Source of book: NetGalley (thank you)
Relevant disclaimers: None
Please note: This review may not be reproduced or quoted, in whole or in part, without explicit consent from the author.
And remember: I am not here to judge your drag, I mean your book. Books are art and art is subjective. These are just my personal thoughts. They are not meant to be taken as broader commentary on the general quality of the work. Believe me, I have not enjoyed many an excellent book, and my individual lack of enjoyment has not made any of those books less excellent or (more relevantly) less successful.
Further disclaimer: Readers, please stop accusing me of trying to take down “my competition” because I wrote a review you didn’t like. This is complete nonsense. Firstly, writing isn’t a competitive sport. Secondly, I only publish reviews of books in the subgenre where I’m best known (queer romcom) if they’re glowing. And finally: taking time out of my life to read an entire book, then write a detailed review about it that some people on GR will look at would be a profoundly inefficient and ineffective way to damage the careers of other authors. If you can’t credit me with simply being a person who loves books and likes talking about them, at least credit me with enough common sense to be a better villain.
*******************************************
So err, content guidance. All the content guidance for (this list is non-exhaustive) sexual abuse, reaction to and recovery from sexual abuse, PTSD, rape culture, etc. Also spoilers.
This book is both incredibly good and incredibly difficult to read. As a piece of writing—as a nuanced, sophisticated, and moving exploration of its subject, I very much recommend it. But I also encourage people to take care of themselves above and beyond, because, holy shit, does this hit hard. I mean, I chose very deliberately to read this, the content guidance is very clear, and I was super prepared for the subject matter. And I still feel a bit hollowed out by it, although I should emphasise that the book never felt graphic or gratuitous to me. The assault itself is rendered in a kind of broken poetry—the narrative shattering around the indescribability of an experience like that—in a way that is both abstract and yet captures the emotion of the moment. And mostly the story covers the aftermath of what has happened. It just happens to do so very vividly, which is its own particular kind of painful.
Anyway, the three POV characters in The Sharp Edge of Silence are students at ye traditional privilege-saturated dark academia style boarding school. Charlotte Foresley is middle class, a talented ballerina and choreographer, and currently dating Sebastian McNeilly, one of the school’s golden boys. Maxwell Hannigan-Loffler is an extremely academically gifted scholarship student. And, finally, there’s Quinn (Q) Walsh, a sixth-generation legacy student whose family’s history is entwined with that of school itself. As the book opens, Q is stalking the grounds of Lycroft Phelps, full of pain and anger, trying to steal a gun from school security so she can shoot Colin Pearce—the boy who sexually assaulted her at a dance last term. Charlotte, meanwhile, is aspiring win a chorography competition and fretting about not being good enough to keep the attention of a boy like Seb McNeilly. And Max, a short, socially devalued nerd, is being invited to cox for the school’s prestigious rowing team, an invitation that will change the trajectory of his future at Lycroft Phelps.
To get my own nerdy notes out of the way first, something I really appreciated about this setup is the way the three stories seem disconnected at first but gradually come together in the second half of the book, offering us three different perspectives on Q, what happened to her, and the events that follow. More satisfyingly still, the voices of the three protagonists are exceptionally well-realised: sufficiently distinct that if you opened the book at any point, you would recognise whose POV you were in. I love that shit. But I also appreciated how flawed, and in quite specific ways, each of the characters was allowed to be. Q is so angry and self-destructive that, for all its completely understandable, it’s almost unbearable. Charlotte is insecure in ways that are equally understandable, but also make her self-absorbed and, on one occasion, spiteful. Max, meanwhile, has that nerdy smart-but-stupid thing going on. He’s well-meaning, but he has a bunch of slightly Reddity theories regarding the kind of men women are attracted to (he calls it the Quantitative Hotness Correlativity Theory – oh my dude, no) and it’s, once again, understandable and inevitable why he would have his head so thoroughly turned by a brush with popularity and belonging.
The main thing I have to say about The Sharp Edge of Silence, though, is that it struck me (and, as ever, we’re talking about deeply personal and subjective issues here, I am talking only about my own reactions) is an incredibly clever take on its subject matter. And I realise ‘clever’ sounds a bit damning when you’re talking about something as emotive and complicated as sexual abuse, but I really admired every choice this book too around its subject matter, and the nuance it allowed to flourish.
For example, Q is a self-aware and politically alert student—she mentions #MeToo, for example—as well as being extremely (and I do mean extremely) privileged. Her incredibly wealthy grandfather actually sits on the board of governors for the school. Although her mother is dead, her family are loving and supportive, wealth in their own right, and influential enough to be able to seek advice from a top lawyer when she tells them what happened. There’s a tendency, I’ve found, with stories that deal with, y’know, *this*, especially those set at educational instalments to emphasise social and class privilege as well as … err …rape culture privilege? I’m thinking something like The Riot Club (aka Posh) or Anatomy of a Scandal, the situation nearly always involves a man of high social standing and woman without those advantages. But I think, by making different choices about Q’s access to sources of conventional power and protection, what The Sharp Edge of Silence is able to explore in quite a devastating way is the stark reality that … urgh I’m sorry to write this so horribly but … if a man decides to r*pe you, chances are he can r*pe you. And all the power, wealth, privilege and uplifting social media movements in the world are unlikely to stop him. That is not, by the way, to diminish the impact of those things, especially when it comes broader cultural changes: but when it comes to one girl and one boy at a party, the calculus can be brutally simple. In case it’s not clear, I really felt for Q, throughout. Her journey from traumatised to a path of recovery was profoundly credible to me, and all the more so for the times when she’s so lost in the immediacy of what happened to her that access to conventional sources source of help (therapy, friends, family, love) simply couldn’t be enough.
Charlotte and Max’s stories are kind of a necessary emotional break from what’s going on with Q, but they also offer context to her journey in really intriguing ways. With Charlotte we get to see Sebastian (one of the hyper-privileged rowing team, and close fried of Colin Pearce, who assaulted Q) in a gentler context. And with Max we get to seeing the rowing team at their best, as a group of young men who are equally as capable of teamwork, commitment, loyalty and kindness as they are of … err. Degrading, objectifying and assaulting women. There’s a kind of tragedy to it, almost. I don’t say that in defence of anything that they do, or to detract from Q’s story, but the rowing team could have been portrayed as monsters. Instead, they’re portrayed as human and, somehow, that’s even worse. Because they do what they do *knowingly*. Because they could be better. And while the book is very clear that r*ping someone, locker room talk, and having a mildly problematic theory about who hot girls date are not remotely equivalent, and yet they are part of the same culture (part of rape culture in fact). This doesn’t make them equally dangerous, nor does it imply that one inevitably leaves to the others, but it does remind us that the crime comes from the culture and stopping one will not change the other.
All of which said, it’s kind of also important that not everything is terrible in this book. While it can’t (shouldn’t) really offer Q unilateral healing, it can (and does) offer her hope: a steady path to recovery, supported by professionals and loved ones. And while it is understanding of her anger, it ultimately recognises the futility of revenge-fuelled fantasies. This isn’t to say there is no resolution on the issue of Colin Pearce and the rowing team, because there is and it's as satisfying a one that can be offered without the book losing its grounding in realism. But the closest thing that Q can get to a happy ending for this particular experience is reaching a point where what happens to Colin Pearce is as no longer part of her story. And the fact that the book is able to get her there, without taking any shortcuts, diminishing the complexity of its themes, or surrendering to cliched expectations regarding how we represent either abusers or abuse survivors, is its own triumph. For both Q and, I think, the author.
Relevant disclaimers: None
Please note: This review may not be reproduced or quoted, in whole or in part, without explicit consent from the author.
And remember: I am not here to judge your drag, I mean your book. Books are art and art is subjective. These are just my personal thoughts. They are not meant to be taken as broader commentary on the general quality of the work. Believe me, I have not enjoyed many an excellent book, and my individual lack of enjoyment has not made any of those books less excellent or (more relevantly) less successful.
Further disclaimer: Readers, please stop accusing me of trying to take down “my competition” because I wrote a review you didn’t like. This is complete nonsense. Firstly, writing isn’t a competitive sport. Secondly, I only publish reviews of books in the subgenre where I’m best known (queer romcom) if they’re glowing. And finally: taking time out of my life to read an entire book, then write a detailed review about it that some people on GR will look at would be a profoundly inefficient and ineffective way to damage the careers of other authors. If you can’t credit me with simply being a person who loves books and likes talking about them, at least credit me with enough common sense to be a better villain.
*******************************************
So err, content guidance. All the content guidance for (this list is non-exhaustive) sexual abuse, reaction to and recovery from sexual abuse, PTSD, rape culture, etc. Also spoilers.
An asymmetric moon rises from the hills behind Lake Edith. It tosses pieces of itself onto the water, and the lake wears them like sequins. You don’t need to make yourself beautiful for this place, Edith, I say in my head. You’re too good for them.
This book is both incredibly good and incredibly difficult to read. As a piece of writing—as a nuanced, sophisticated, and moving exploration of its subject, I very much recommend it. But I also encourage people to take care of themselves above and beyond, because, holy shit, does this hit hard. I mean, I chose very deliberately to read this, the content guidance is very clear, and I was super prepared for the subject matter. And I still feel a bit hollowed out by it, although I should emphasise that the book never felt graphic or gratuitous to me. The assault itself is rendered in a kind of broken poetry—the narrative shattering around the indescribability of an experience like that—in a way that is both abstract and yet captures the emotion of the moment. And mostly the story covers the aftermath of what has happened. It just happens to do so very vividly, which is its own particular kind of painful.
Anyway, the three POV characters in The Sharp Edge of Silence are students at ye traditional privilege-saturated dark academia style boarding school. Charlotte Foresley is middle class, a talented ballerina and choreographer, and currently dating Sebastian McNeilly, one of the school’s golden boys. Maxwell Hannigan-Loffler is an extremely academically gifted scholarship student. And, finally, there’s Quinn (Q) Walsh, a sixth-generation legacy student whose family’s history is entwined with that of school itself. As the book opens, Q is stalking the grounds of Lycroft Phelps, full of pain and anger, trying to steal a gun from school security so she can shoot Colin Pearce—the boy who sexually assaulted her at a dance last term. Charlotte, meanwhile, is aspiring win a chorography competition and fretting about not being good enough to keep the attention of a boy like Seb McNeilly. And Max, a short, socially devalued nerd, is being invited to cox for the school’s prestigious rowing team, an invitation that will change the trajectory of his future at Lycroft Phelps.
To get my own nerdy notes out of the way first, something I really appreciated about this setup is the way the three stories seem disconnected at first but gradually come together in the second half of the book, offering us three different perspectives on Q, what happened to her, and the events that follow. More satisfyingly still, the voices of the three protagonists are exceptionally well-realised: sufficiently distinct that if you opened the book at any point, you would recognise whose POV you were in. I love that shit. But I also appreciated how flawed, and in quite specific ways, each of the characters was allowed to be. Q is so angry and self-destructive that, for all its completely understandable, it’s almost unbearable. Charlotte is insecure in ways that are equally understandable, but also make her self-absorbed and, on one occasion, spiteful. Max, meanwhile, has that nerdy smart-but-stupid thing going on. He’s well-meaning, but he has a bunch of slightly Reddity theories regarding the kind of men women are attracted to (he calls it the Quantitative Hotness Correlativity Theory – oh my dude, no) and it’s, once again, understandable and inevitable why he would have his head so thoroughly turned by a brush with popularity and belonging.
The main thing I have to say about The Sharp Edge of Silence, though, is that it struck me (and, as ever, we’re talking about deeply personal and subjective issues here, I am talking only about my own reactions) is an incredibly clever take on its subject matter. And I realise ‘clever’ sounds a bit damning when you’re talking about something as emotive and complicated as sexual abuse, but I really admired every choice this book too around its subject matter, and the nuance it allowed to flourish.
For example, Q is a self-aware and politically alert student—she mentions #MeToo, for example—as well as being extremely (and I do mean extremely) privileged. Her incredibly wealthy grandfather actually sits on the board of governors for the school. Although her mother is dead, her family are loving and supportive, wealth in their own right, and influential enough to be able to seek advice from a top lawyer when she tells them what happened. There’s a tendency, I’ve found, with stories that deal with, y’know, *this*, especially those set at educational instalments to emphasise social and class privilege as well as … err …rape culture privilege? I’m thinking something like The Riot Club (aka Posh) or Anatomy of a Scandal, the situation nearly always involves a man of high social standing and woman without those advantages. But I think, by making different choices about Q’s access to sources of conventional power and protection, what The Sharp Edge of Silence is able to explore in quite a devastating way is the stark reality that … urgh I’m sorry to write this so horribly but … if a man decides to r*pe you, chances are he can r*pe you. And all the power, wealth, privilege and uplifting social media movements in the world are unlikely to stop him. That is not, by the way, to diminish the impact of those things, especially when it comes broader cultural changes: but when it comes to one girl and one boy at a party, the calculus can be brutally simple. In case it’s not clear, I really felt for Q, throughout. Her journey from traumatised to a path of recovery was profoundly credible to me, and all the more so for the times when she’s so lost in the immediacy of what happened to her that access to conventional sources source of help (therapy, friends, family, love) simply couldn’t be enough.
Charlotte and Max’s stories are kind of a necessary emotional break from what’s going on with Q, but they also offer context to her journey in really intriguing ways. With Charlotte we get to see Sebastian (one of the hyper-privileged rowing team, and close fried of Colin Pearce, who assaulted Q) in a gentler context. And with Max we get to seeing the rowing team at their best, as a group of young men who are equally as capable of teamwork, commitment, loyalty and kindness as they are of … err. Degrading, objectifying and assaulting women. There’s a kind of tragedy to it, almost. I don’t say that in defence of anything that they do, or to detract from Q’s story, but the rowing team could have been portrayed as monsters. Instead, they’re portrayed as human and, somehow, that’s even worse. Because they do what they do *knowingly*. Because they could be better. And while the book is very clear that r*ping someone, locker room talk, and having a mildly problematic theory about who hot girls date are not remotely equivalent, and yet they are part of the same culture (part of rape culture in fact). This doesn’t make them equally dangerous, nor does it imply that one inevitably leaves to the others, but it does remind us that the crime comes from the culture and stopping one will not change the other.
All of which said, it’s kind of also important that not everything is terrible in this book. While it can’t (shouldn’t) really offer Q unilateral healing, it can (and does) offer her hope: a steady path to recovery, supported by professionals and loved ones. And while it is understanding of her anger, it ultimately recognises the futility of revenge-fuelled fantasies. This isn’t to say there is no resolution on the issue of Colin Pearce and the rowing team, because there is and it's as satisfying a one that can be offered without the book losing its grounding in realism. But the closest thing that Q can get to a happy ending for this particular experience is reaching a point where what happens to Colin Pearce is as no longer part of her story. And the fact that the book is able to get her there, without taking any shortcuts, diminishing the complexity of its themes, or surrendering to cliched expectations regarding how we represent either abusers or abuse survivors, is its own triumph. For both Q and, I think, the author.
April 17, 2023
Heart wrenchingly poignant and unflinching in its emotionally raw portrayal of rape culture and toxic masculinity, The Sharpe Edge of Silence is by no means an easy read but it’s definitely a worth while one!
It follows the alternating POVs of three students (Max, Charlotte and Quinn) and their experiences at Lycroft Phelps, an Elite American boarding school.
Max, is a scholarship student who struggles with fitting in amongst the elite student body and finds himself with an opportunity of a life time when offered a chance to join the school’s rowing team—which will finally allow him to experience life as one of the popular kids. But despite the allure of popularity and camaraderie, the toxic and misogynistic environment has Max wondering if any of it is really worth it.
Charlotte, the optimistic (and rather naive) straight-A student (who happens to be the girlfriend to the school’s star rower) believes entirely in all the good the school has to offer —and is grateful for the opportunity it gives her to make her dreams of becoming a professional ballet dancer a reality. At first she unwilling to see past her own rose tinted glasses but when she starts receiving anonymous notes that suggest all is not well in her world, she sets out to find the truth.
And Quinn, the sixth generation legacy trying to cope with the trauma of being sexually assaulted whilst her abuser suffers no consequences for his actions. Deciding to take things into her own hands, Quinn plots to take down the boy who raped her and with a little help, bring to light just how far the school is willing to go to protect it’s own reputation.
This was such a powerful read that I must admit, I was a little hesitant to pick up at first given the darker (and deeply emotional) subject material.
But I’m soo glad I did, as Cameron Kelly Rosenblum’s exquisitely nuanced and detailed exploration into the emotional and psychological reactions and the long term healing process for sexual assault survivors was something I had seen explored in quite soo much detail before—and it’s something that I feel will definitely highlight just how truly life changing an experience it can be.
I have to admit Quinn was definitely the most compelling character for me, her inner turmoil, rage and PTSD was such an emotionally visceral experience to witness that I cried soo much whilst reading her chapters and I wanted to see her get the support and justice she needed to finally heal.
Inspired by Rosenblum’s own experiences of sexual assault, Quinn’s compelling and utterly heartbreakingly raw emotional journey took on a whole new layer of meaning for me and made her road to recovery even more poignant. Especially when she let people in and allowed them the help her.
I did also enjoy Charlotte as a character but her active choice not to ask questions for fear of upsetting the status quo did annoy me a little. Although, her initial naïveté did work perfectly as a metaphor for society as a whole when it comes to ignoring difficult situations and social issues,for fear of discovering something that may change the idealistic perspective that’s far safer (and easier) to believe in.
Likewise, Max’s situation was really analogous to peer pressure that can evolve from toxic masculinity in which sexism and sexual harassment is downplayed or ignored to avoid public ridicule. The build up to Max’s realisation was exceptionally well written and really gives readers (especially teen readers) a clear visual of how easy it can be to succumb to such pressure.
Given the subject material it’s not going to be for everyone (and I definitely advise checking the TWs beforehand.) But with its exquisitely on point social commentary and deeply compelling characters, The Sharp Edge of Silence is perfectly placed to kick start important conversations around rape culture and toxic masculinity with young readers.
A huge thank you to readers first and Hot Key Books for the finished copy.
It follows the alternating POVs of three students (Max, Charlotte and Quinn) and their experiences at Lycroft Phelps, an Elite American boarding school.
Max, is a scholarship student who struggles with fitting in amongst the elite student body and finds himself with an opportunity of a life time when offered a chance to join the school’s rowing team—which will finally allow him to experience life as one of the popular kids. But despite the allure of popularity and camaraderie, the toxic and misogynistic environment has Max wondering if any of it is really worth it.
Charlotte, the optimistic (and rather naive) straight-A student (who happens to be the girlfriend to the school’s star rower) believes entirely in all the good the school has to offer —and is grateful for the opportunity it gives her to make her dreams of becoming a professional ballet dancer a reality. At first she unwilling to see past her own rose tinted glasses but when she starts receiving anonymous notes that suggest all is not well in her world, she sets out to find the truth.
And Quinn, the sixth generation legacy trying to cope with the trauma of being sexually assaulted whilst her abuser suffers no consequences for his actions. Deciding to take things into her own hands, Quinn plots to take down the boy who raped her and with a little help, bring to light just how far the school is willing to go to protect it’s own reputation.
This was such a powerful read that I must admit, I was a little hesitant to pick up at first given the darker (and deeply emotional) subject material.
But I’m soo glad I did, as Cameron Kelly Rosenblum’s exquisitely nuanced and detailed exploration into the emotional and psychological reactions and the long term healing process for sexual assault survivors was something I had seen explored in quite soo much detail before—and it’s something that I feel will definitely highlight just how truly life changing an experience it can be.
I have to admit Quinn was definitely the most compelling character for me, her inner turmoil, rage and PTSD was such an emotionally visceral experience to witness that I cried soo much whilst reading her chapters and I wanted to see her get the support and justice she needed to finally heal.
Inspired by Rosenblum’s own experiences of sexual assault, Quinn’s compelling and utterly heartbreakingly raw emotional journey took on a whole new layer of meaning for me and made her road to recovery even more poignant. Especially when she let people in and allowed them the help her.
I did also enjoy Charlotte as a character but her active choice not to ask questions for fear of upsetting the status quo did annoy me a little. Although, her initial naïveté did work perfectly as a metaphor for society as a whole when it comes to ignoring difficult situations and social issues,for fear of discovering something that may change the idealistic perspective that’s far safer (and easier) to believe in.
Likewise, Max’s situation was really analogous to peer pressure that can evolve from toxic masculinity in which sexism and sexual harassment is downplayed or ignored to avoid public ridicule. The build up to Max’s realisation was exceptionally well written and really gives readers (especially teen readers) a clear visual of how easy it can be to succumb to such pressure.
Given the subject material it’s not going to be for everyone (and I definitely advise checking the TWs beforehand.) But with its exquisitely on point social commentary and deeply compelling characters, The Sharp Edge of Silence is perfectly placed to kick start important conversations around rape culture and toxic masculinity with young readers.
A huge thank you to readers first and Hot Key Books for the finished copy.
March 24, 2023
*Thank you to HotKeyBooks for sending me a copy of this to review!*
I loved this book from the very first page. I think it’s such an important theme tackled in the rawest form and it packed such an emotional punch that I was not at all anticipating. I think it’s a topic that’s very clearly close to the authors’ heart, and she’s done it so much justice. This takes the idea of rich, privileged boys and really goes for the throat in challenging everything that’s wrong with the system of protecting dangerous individuals that upper class society seems to have and it was mind blowing.
From the beginning I knew I was going to enjoy reading this one. It has a more mature and refined writing style than a lot of YA books (which is my personal preference I’m finding as I’m getting older) which really captivated me and help set the scene and atmosphere of the story. Though the characters are still teenagers and have those mannerisms, this book isn’t a light or comedic read. It’s very tense throughout, really emotional, and will have you on the edge of your seat waiting to see how karma delivers its final blow. It was pretty mesmerising, I really enjoyed the writing and found it gripping. It was fast paced, the multiple narrators worked really well to keep me engaged with what was happening, and it had the perfect unravelling of mystery. If you want a book to shock and enrage you, this is how this one made me feel while reading.
I think where this one really excelled is in creating characters that were believable, especially as that meant creating characters who were very complex. Some not wholly good nor bad, just human. It explored the themes of privilege, toxic masculinity, mental health, and sexual abuse both very delicately and at times, when necessary, with the bluntness needed to not sugar coat the reality of the consequences of these. The characters we follow all have different roles to play in the story, and they all give us vital perspectives so we can see how everything happens and the aftermath through a bunch of different eyes. It was amazing to really think about perspective, and how life goes on for some people blissfully unaware, or flippantly careless yet aware, while others are completely frozen in time and space by the words and actions of others.
Mental health is a huge part of this story and I think it was handled very well, and portrayed in ways I often don’t see in books. It was messy at times, and vulnerable, and emotional in ways that aren't often ‘acceptable’ to other people. Our protagonist is withdrawn, sometimes she's hysterical, she gets angry, sometimes she's so out of reality she acts completely out of character. And it's going through the motions with her in this book and watching her friends try and lift her up out of it while she also tries to support herself and overcome things that was really the heart squeeze for me. Q was such an amazing and well crafted character, by no means perfect but very human and she’s going to speak to a lot of readers who are going to connect with her so deeply.
The fact that this book hadd actual consequences and male characters reevaluating their relationship with the toxic masculinity that they were engaging with was so refreshing to me. I loved how our protagonist was immediately believed and supported and not belittled, undermined or questioned like she was lying. I think that's a very big message to be putting out there for young people and it was very careful and positive representation. I think having characters lose everything as a result of what they engaged in, however big or small their part, was nice to see (as odd as that sounds) because it feels so rare. It’s always a game of the victim just trying to survive while someone else can just live life as normal, but this book flipped the table and really brought karma forward and found some release for your protagonist. It was powerful to me.
I think this book was phenomenally done, and I can’t wait to see what else this author does in the future.
I loved this book from the very first page. I think it’s such an important theme tackled in the rawest form and it packed such an emotional punch that I was not at all anticipating. I think it’s a topic that’s very clearly close to the authors’ heart, and she’s done it so much justice. This takes the idea of rich, privileged boys and really goes for the throat in challenging everything that’s wrong with the system of protecting dangerous individuals that upper class society seems to have and it was mind blowing.
From the beginning I knew I was going to enjoy reading this one. It has a more mature and refined writing style than a lot of YA books (which is my personal preference I’m finding as I’m getting older) which really captivated me and help set the scene and atmosphere of the story. Though the characters are still teenagers and have those mannerisms, this book isn’t a light or comedic read. It’s very tense throughout, really emotional, and will have you on the edge of your seat waiting to see how karma delivers its final blow. It was pretty mesmerising, I really enjoyed the writing and found it gripping. It was fast paced, the multiple narrators worked really well to keep me engaged with what was happening, and it had the perfect unravelling of mystery. If you want a book to shock and enrage you, this is how this one made me feel while reading.
I think where this one really excelled is in creating characters that were believable, especially as that meant creating characters who were very complex. Some not wholly good nor bad, just human. It explored the themes of privilege, toxic masculinity, mental health, and sexual abuse both very delicately and at times, when necessary, with the bluntness needed to not sugar coat the reality of the consequences of these. The characters we follow all have different roles to play in the story, and they all give us vital perspectives so we can see how everything happens and the aftermath through a bunch of different eyes. It was amazing to really think about perspective, and how life goes on for some people blissfully unaware, or flippantly careless yet aware, while others are completely frozen in time and space by the words and actions of others.
Mental health is a huge part of this story and I think it was handled very well, and portrayed in ways I often don’t see in books. It was messy at times, and vulnerable, and emotional in ways that aren't often ‘acceptable’ to other people. Our protagonist is withdrawn, sometimes she's hysterical, she gets angry, sometimes she's so out of reality she acts completely out of character. And it's going through the motions with her in this book and watching her friends try and lift her up out of it while she also tries to support herself and overcome things that was really the heart squeeze for me. Q was such an amazing and well crafted character, by no means perfect but very human and she’s going to speak to a lot of readers who are going to connect with her so deeply.
The fact that this book hadd actual consequences and male characters reevaluating their relationship with the toxic masculinity that they were engaging with was so refreshing to me. I loved how our protagonist was immediately believed and supported and not belittled, undermined or questioned like she was lying. I think that's a very big message to be putting out there for young people and it was very careful and positive representation. I think having characters lose everything as a result of what they engaged in, however big or small their part, was nice to see (as odd as that sounds) because it feels so rare. It’s always a game of the victim just trying to survive while someone else can just live life as normal, but this book flipped the table and really brought karma forward and found some release for your protagonist. It was powerful to me.
I think this book was phenomenally done, and I can’t wait to see what else this author does in the future.
April 28, 2023
✰ 3.5 stars ✰
“What do I expect? I told myself that what Slycroft was doing wasn’t what I thought/ valued/believed, but I just went along with it.
The truth is, you are your actions.”
“Who will you be at Lycroft Phelps?” is what defines the students at Lycroft Phelps in The Sharp Edge of Silence. Told in 3 alternative points of view, this story is about the decisions and actions we have to live with - right or wrong, good or bad, and how they impact our lives for the future. Whether you're just an average boy who's trying to fit in with the cool kids, an accomplished dancer who's trying to live up to the expectations in the eyes of her handsome boyfriend, or that one normal girl who DID catch the eye of one handsome athlete, just not the way that she would have hoped.
“Wrong. I wasn’t a killer. Everything about me is cold and jittery and unrecognizable. I don’t want this body. It’s wrecked. It isn’t mine and I don’t want it. I’m not me anymore, so what does it matter...I wrap the gun in my T-shirt and smirk when I see it’s my “Who will you be at Lycroft Phelps?” shirt.
Colin Pearce’s worst fucking nightmare.”
After reading the Author's Note, this is a difficult book for me to review; because it is an important and deeply personal story for the author, and I would never want to demean that in any way. With that said, I do think that Quinn's grief and mental anguish after her traumatic experience was very well-expressed. At times, her story did have slight similarities to Speak, from the poetic verse recalling that fateful night, and her interest in art, but it didn't bother me too much. I loved the strong supportive female group of friends she was able to forge, who stood by her, who believed her, and didn't belittle her actions or choices - rather encourage her to find a positive way out of her darkness and into a promising hopeful light. 💜💜 Her inner turmoil, her fierce rage to hurt the one who's broken her - every feeling, every thought was vocal and vivid - even when she was unable to voice her grief aloud.
“The dancer in me has tried to define what it is in their body language that communicates confidence. The way they hold their heads? The shoulders, slightly pulled back? The stride? Or is it coming from inside, beaming out through the effortless smiles, like some kind of subliminal Wi-Fi signal?”
Charlotte was probably the strongest girl of the group - maybe, she did jump to conclusions unnecessarily in her jealous rages, but when she saw what an awful pig Sebastian was, I'm glad she snapped out of her admiration stupor and realized that she had to man up, literally! 😄 She never could understand the allure and charm these boys could hold over the vast majority of the female population, and it was only when she saw how low Quinn had fallen in her mental state, did she really wake up and realize that she had to do something about this - before she became their next victim and target.
“Like Seb, why are you part of a club that fixates on girls’ underwear and celebrates sex as a male conquest?”
My word, these boys were horrible! - this rowing team of sexist pigs, chauvinistic juvenile, absolutely loathsome and degrading vile bunch of athletes I have ever had the misfortune of reading about! The absolute atrociousness of their secret club had my mind reeling - the casual and cavalier, absolutely flippant attitude in which they discussed their sex lives, how many female conquests they had had within this week, inductions based on which girl's pants they got into! Color me disgusted! 🤢 The absolute nerve! 😠💢💢💢💢
But, I think it was an actual necessity to show how corrupt they were - how much disregard they had for the female race, just in order for Milo - the MMC of the story - to realize that he SHOULD be better than this. That he shouldn't stoop to their level, because even if he's just average, he can be a good person on his own. He doesn't need an accolade of such a disturbing level to make his mark on the school - and luckily enough, even on unfavorable circumstances, he was able to snap himself out of it and help the girls bring this horrid way of thinking down. 👍🏻👍🏻
And that's where it lost me - because, if it's solely a story about a young girl's struggle to identify that she does need help and not suffer alone in silence and reach out to her friends during her darkest times, then yes, it certainly shined in that aspect. ✨✨ However, if it was about the fall-out, about bringing closure and light and a triumphant result to the injustice shown by these atrocious beings - then it didn't really deliver in that department.
Yes, they were called out, yes, they suffered the consequences of their actions academically and personally, but it's build-up to it fell very flat. I was hoping for some due course of justice, some feeling that the girls got their due comeuppance, but it didn't translate very well for me on the pages. I guess after all their horrid thoughts, I thought they would have some shame or remorse, but alas, it didn't come to fruition - boys will be boys, after all.
And yet, we cannot forget as Hannah, the girl's champion and leader in bringing their horrendous activities to light, reminds us, that one rotten apple doesn't spoil the bunch. Not every boy, at whatever age, parades their sexual exploits as a badge, not every male treats women as inferior or just objects of attraction - much like how Milo and Sebastian we're so uncomfortable by their actions, just too afraid to call them out on it - too eager to be one with the pack, part of the tribe. But, if they can learn to treat women, girls with respect and kindness, then perhaps the future generations of the male species might be better and kinder than before
🙏🏻🙏🏻
Apart from that, it was an interesting read, for sure. I try to give newer release YA books a chance, and this one in particular caught my eye. It was written in an interesting tone, with a varying style in tone when depicting each of our three main characters. I also appreciated how the three characters' lives were brought together in a very seamless sense that didn't make it feel forced or contrived in any way. And gosh, if I never have to read another thought from that group of males that call themselves human beings then I'll be a happy camper. 😝😝
“What do I expect? I told myself that what Slycroft was doing wasn’t what I thought/ valued/believed, but I just went along with it.
The truth is, you are your actions.”
“Who will you be at Lycroft Phelps?” is what defines the students at Lycroft Phelps in The Sharp Edge of Silence. Told in 3 alternative points of view, this story is about the decisions and actions we have to live with - right or wrong, good or bad, and how they impact our lives for the future. Whether you're just an average boy who's trying to fit in with the cool kids, an accomplished dancer who's trying to live up to the expectations in the eyes of her handsome boyfriend, or that one normal girl who DID catch the eye of one handsome athlete, just not the way that she would have hoped.
“Wrong. I wasn’t a killer. Everything about me is cold and jittery and unrecognizable. I don’t want this body. It’s wrecked. It isn’t mine and I don’t want it. I’m not me anymore, so what does it matter...I wrap the gun in my T-shirt and smirk when I see it’s my “Who will you be at Lycroft Phelps?” shirt.
Colin Pearce’s worst fucking nightmare.”
After reading the Author's Note, this is a difficult book for me to review; because it is an important and deeply personal story for the author, and I would never want to demean that in any way. With that said, I do think that Quinn's grief and mental anguish after her traumatic experience was very well-expressed. At times, her story did have slight similarities to Speak, from the poetic verse recalling that fateful night, and her interest in art, but it didn't bother me too much. I loved the strong supportive female group of friends she was able to forge, who stood by her, who believed her, and didn't belittle her actions or choices - rather encourage her to find a positive way out of her darkness and into a promising hopeful light. 💜💜 Her inner turmoil, her fierce rage to hurt the one who's broken her - every feeling, every thought was vocal and vivid - even when she was unable to voice her grief aloud.
“The dancer in me has tried to define what it is in their body language that communicates confidence. The way they hold their heads? The shoulders, slightly pulled back? The stride? Or is it coming from inside, beaming out through the effortless smiles, like some kind of subliminal Wi-Fi signal?”
Charlotte was probably the strongest girl of the group - maybe, she did jump to conclusions unnecessarily in her jealous rages, but when she saw what an awful pig Sebastian was, I'm glad she snapped out of her admiration stupor and realized that she had to man up, literally! 😄 She never could understand the allure and charm these boys could hold over the vast majority of the female population, and it was only when she saw how low Quinn had fallen in her mental state, did she really wake up and realize that she had to do something about this - before she became their next victim and target.
“Like Seb, why are you part of a club that fixates on girls’ underwear and celebrates sex as a male conquest?”
My word, these boys were horrible! - this rowing team of sexist pigs, chauvinistic juvenile, absolutely loathsome and degrading vile bunch of athletes I have ever had the misfortune of reading about! The absolute atrociousness of their secret club had my mind reeling - the casual and cavalier, absolutely flippant attitude in which they discussed their sex lives, how many female conquests they had had within this week, inductions based on which girl's pants they got into! Color me disgusted! 🤢 The absolute nerve! 😠💢💢💢💢
But, I think it was an actual necessity to show how corrupt they were - how much disregard they had for the female race, just in order for Milo - the MMC of the story - to realize that he SHOULD be better than this. That he shouldn't stoop to their level, because even if he's just average, he can be a good person on his own. He doesn't need an accolade of such a disturbing level to make his mark on the school - and luckily enough, even on unfavorable circumstances, he was able to snap himself out of it and help the girls bring this horrid way of thinking down. 👍🏻👍🏻
And that's where it lost me - because, if it's solely a story about a young girl's struggle to identify that she does need help and not suffer alone in silence and reach out to her friends during her darkest times, then yes, it certainly shined in that aspect. ✨✨ However, if it was about the fall-out, about bringing closure and light and a triumphant result to the injustice shown by these atrocious beings - then it didn't really deliver in that department.
Yes, they were called out, yes, they suffered the consequences of their actions academically and personally, but it's build-up to it fell very flat. I was hoping for some due course of justice, some feeling that the girls got their due comeuppance, but it didn't translate very well for me on the pages. I guess after all their horrid thoughts, I thought they would have some shame or remorse, but alas, it didn't come to fruition - boys will be boys, after all.
And yet, we cannot forget as Hannah, the girl's champion and leader in bringing their horrendous activities to light, reminds us, that one rotten apple doesn't spoil the bunch. Not every boy, at whatever age, parades their sexual exploits as a badge, not every male treats women as inferior or just objects of attraction - much like how Milo and Sebastian we're so uncomfortable by their actions, just too afraid to call them out on it - too eager to be one with the pack, part of the tribe. But, if they can learn to treat women, girls with respect and kindness, then perhaps the future generations of the male species might be better and kinder than before
🙏🏻🙏🏻
Apart from that, it was an interesting read, for sure. I try to give newer release YA books a chance, and this one in particular caught my eye. It was written in an interesting tone, with a varying style in tone when depicting each of our three main characters. I also appreciated how the three characters' lives were brought together in a very seamless sense that didn't make it feel forced or contrived in any way. And gosh, if I never have to read another thought from that group of males that call themselves human beings then I'll be a happy camper. 😝😝
December 18, 2023
It’s not all men but it’s always men
March 4, 2023
The blurb drew me in; I was promised a ‘gripping thriller…’ among other things but sadly, this book did not deliver.
The story is set at an elite boarding school and is about Q who is seeking revenge against the boy who sexually assaulted her. Apart from Q's point of view, part of the story is told from the points of view of two other students (Max and Charlotte) whose lives collide with Qs in different ways and are also going through challenges of their own at the school.
I don’t mind a drawn out story if the plot is steadily being developed. Unfortunately, there was so much content in this book I would take out. For the first 70% or so, I wasn’t sure what Charlotte’s and Max’s POVs were adding to the story and honestly left me feeling bored at times. It eventually came together in the last 30% of the book but there wasn’t enough there to make this work for me, which is a shame. Considering the topic, this could have been a very interesting story if executed differently.
In the end, I was left feeling like this was a book about exposing the actions of a ‘few bad apples’ instead of a narrative about brave people at different levels of the school ecosystem (students, administrators, trustees) who put their heads above the parapet to challenge and expose the acceptance of systemic toxic masculinity and rape culture despite the efforts of bad actors to thwart them at every turn.
Overall, I think this book did an excellent job of portraying all the different emotions Q was going through as she tried to find ways to cope with the aftermath of her assault. Many of her chapters in the book were heartbreaking and moving.
The story is set at an elite boarding school and is about Q who is seeking revenge against the boy who sexually assaulted her. Apart from Q's point of view, part of the story is told from the points of view of two other students (Max and Charlotte) whose lives collide with Qs in different ways and are also going through challenges of their own at the school.
I don’t mind a drawn out story if the plot is steadily being developed. Unfortunately, there was so much content in this book I would take out. For the first 70% or so, I wasn’t sure what Charlotte’s and Max’s POVs were adding to the story and honestly left me feeling bored at times. It eventually came together in the last 30% of the book but there wasn’t enough there to make this work for me, which is a shame. Considering the topic, this could have been a very interesting story if executed differently.
In the end, I was left feeling like this was a book about exposing the actions of a ‘few bad apples’ instead of a narrative about brave people at different levels of the school ecosystem (students, administrators, trustees) who put their heads above the parapet to challenge and expose the acceptance of systemic toxic masculinity and rape culture despite the efforts of bad actors to thwart them at every turn.
Overall, I think this book did an excellent job of portraying all the different emotions Q was going through as she tried to find ways to cope with the aftermath of her assault. Many of her chapters in the book were heartbreaking and moving.
April 14, 2023
this book would’ve been like 50 pages shorter without all of max’s rowing
June 22, 2023
#metoo I was 15.
June 5, 2024
This!
Ich war zwischendurch während des Lesens so ziemlich alles, aber wütend vermutlich am meisten. Unfassbar gutes Buch.
Ich war zwischendurch während des Lesens so ziemlich alles, aber wütend vermutlich am meisten. Unfassbar gutes Buch.
March 1, 2023
I really didn't like this book!
I found Rosenblum's writing style really jarring. It just didn't make much sense, and I couldn't quite understand why the writing style didn't sit with me - i found it very difficult.
Not for me.
I found Rosenblum's writing style really jarring. It just didn't make much sense, and I couldn't quite understand why the writing style didn't sit with me - i found it very difficult.
Not for me.
April 11, 2023
At Lycroft Phelps the male rowing team are the undoubted stars & great things are expected from them this year, so there is a bit of scramble when the cox from the first team boat is suspended. A surprising choice is Max, a scholarship science geek who never dreamt that he could get a chance to be "one of the popular boys" & date the girl he has admired from afar. Meanwhile Charlotte is trying to balance being a straight-A student, a successful ballet dancer, and girlfriend of the star rower, Seb. He is handsome & charming & this leads to Charlotte tamping down her anxiety over their relationship & his, at times, questionable behaviour. Finally Quinn, a legacy student, finds herself consumed with thoughts of revenge for something which happened the previous year.
The reader hears the story from the three narrators: Charlotte, Max, & Quinn (Q) & their stories start off as separate but gradually the events in each start to intersect with each other. This book deals with some weighty subjects & has a trigger warning in the synopsis for sexual violence but there is also the aftermath of dealing with this, plus also toxic masculinity & virulent misogyny from some of the characters. It shows how easy it can be for people who think of themselves as the "good guys" to become caught up in a group setting & let things slide that should be called out. I thought it was well-written, & the characters were all well-rounded out, none of them were one-dimensional, even the "bad guys" were shown to be human, & that is the entire point. Atrocious acts are not committed by monsters, they are committed by people like everyone else, they just feel entitled or able to get away with it, & we see here what it takes to finally take a stand against a culture that in many cases protects the wrongdoers. 4.5 stars (rounded up)
My thanks to NetGalley & publishers, Bonnier Books UK/Hot Key Books, for the opportunity to read an ARC.
The reader hears the story from the three narrators: Charlotte, Max, & Quinn (Q) & their stories start off as separate but gradually the events in each start to intersect with each other. This book deals with some weighty subjects & has a trigger warning in the synopsis for sexual violence but there is also the aftermath of dealing with this, plus also toxic masculinity & virulent misogyny from some of the characters. It shows how easy it can be for people who think of themselves as the "good guys" to become caught up in a group setting & let things slide that should be called out. I thought it was well-written, & the characters were all well-rounded out, none of them were one-dimensional, even the "bad guys" were shown to be human, & that is the entire point. Atrocious acts are not committed by monsters, they are committed by people like everyone else, they just feel entitled or able to get away with it, & we see here what it takes to finally take a stand against a culture that in many cases protects the wrongdoers. 4.5 stars (rounded up)
My thanks to NetGalley & publishers, Bonnier Books UK/Hot Key Books, for the opportunity to read an ARC.
March 15, 2024
«Boys will be boys held accountable». In the last 5% of the book. Well, at least one of them will. Kinda. The consequences aren’t massive. The rest of them will get away with it because they’re also victims of toxic masculinity and it’s actually very sad for them that they can’t break free from the horrible expecations placed on them by society (to… not uphold rape culture).
I’m probably being overly sensitive here, but this book wasn’t what I thought it would be. Maybe if it hadn’t been marketed with the «Boys will be held accountable» tagline and the part in the synopsis about the consequences of Quinn going public about being assaulted (which also doesn’t happen until the very last part of the book), I would have had more realisric expecations. It’s well written and not a bad book, but it just left me feeling a little let down.
I’m probably being overly sensitive here, but this book wasn’t what I thought it would be. Maybe if it hadn’t been marketed with the «Boys will be held accountable» tagline and the part in the synopsis about the consequences of Quinn going public about being assaulted (which also doesn’t happen until the very last part of the book), I would have had more realisric expecations. It’s well written and not a bad book, but it just left me feeling a little let down.
May 8, 2023
13/14 year old me might have like this but 45 year old me struggled with it a bit. There’s a very important story in here but you need to wade through pages that are very dialogue heavy to find it. I got the distinct impression that this was written with an eventual TV adaptation in mind and feel it might be quite suited for that! The author states that this was inspired by a personal experience but I think it’s safe to say that Thirteen Reasons Why may also have been an influence.
Between what feels like 250 filler pages of mindless teenage chat, the excessive amount of characters and the fact I couldn’t get behind the adults response (or lack of) to a rape - this one just wasn’t for me.
2.5 stars
Between what feels like 250 filler pages of mindless teenage chat, the excessive amount of characters and the fact I couldn’t get behind the adults response (or lack of) to a rape - this one just wasn’t for me.
2.5 stars
May 7, 2023
Many thanks GoodReads for my copy. This book was not an easy book to write especially with the authors own personal experiences.
A lot of readers will relate to this book whether they were in the popular crowd, nerd crowd, went to a private school, so wanted to fit in and be recognized and/or was used and abused and feeling helpless and all alone.
The author allowed us to really get to know these characters and feel apart of their journey. The shoes 👞 made an impression on me! I got it and felt closure when they were destroyed. How liberal arts, music, and loyal friends can heal the heart and soul.
A lot of readers will relate to this book whether they were in the popular crowd, nerd crowd, went to a private school, so wanted to fit in and be recognized and/or was used and abused and feeling helpless and all alone.
The author allowed us to really get to know these characters and feel apart of their journey. The shoes 👞 made an impression on me! I got it and felt closure when they were destroyed. How liberal arts, music, and loyal friends can heal the heart and soul.
January 11, 2024
Alexa play Clean by Taylor Swift
April 7, 2023
thank u netgalley for this book!
“‘Dear God,’ she whispers. She’s not a teacher right then. She’s a woman. A girl. A mother.”
this book was so amazing, and hit so hard. it made me feel angry and sick, and made me cry (something books don’t do often). i knew right away from the crossed out “boys will be boys” that i would love this book, and oh was i right.
the 3 pov characters in this book all had such different perspectives, but i enjoyed seeing them all. i liked how even though Max likes to think he’s different than the other boys, a “nice guy”, in the end he still realises that standing by and letting the things happen is still a bad thing.
”I told myself that what Slycroft was doing wasn’t what I thought/ valued/believed, but I just went along with it. The truth is, you are your actions. Whatever happens, I have it coming.”
Charlotte was also an interesting character. she’s determined to be the perfect student, the perfect dancer, and the perfect girlfriend. she even describes herself as being seen as the “cool girl” who doesn’t mind her boyfriend ditching her for his friends, but she doesn’t want to be that anymore. seeing her grow to be able to stand up for herself and the other girls was so important.
“You say I’m perfect. Perfect Charlotte doesn’t complain. She’s fine when I’m with the guys. No, I’m not fine. I’m not perfect. I’m just who I am, and if that’s not more interesting to you than a bunch of immature dickheads busy stealing girls’ underwear, then too bad. I’m out of this.” I can’t believe what I’m saying. I’m so mad I’m not even crying. “I’m breaking up with you.”
finally, there was Q. in my opinion, Q was the most important character in this book. her anger feels so raw and real, and she’s relatable in so many ways. the way she just wanted to ruin him as he did for her, and her blaming herself for something that was in no way her fault, hurt so much. i enjoyed seeing her both be able to heal and get her revenge, and the help she had for it made it even better.
“Yeah, of course the woman’s always the crazy one,”
under it all, a big part of this book is the fact that powerful men will always have ways to protect themselves. the slycroft group was made because they hated the idea of women getting to do what they have done for years. the boys never call each other out for their disgusting comments, even when Max says it’s obvious the others disagree. the Dean said that they had to protect the school, but really it is only the male students being protected, and women get almost no help.
overall, i highly recommend this book, but please check tws.
“‘Dear God,’ she whispers. She’s not a teacher right then. She’s a woman. A girl. A mother.”
this book was so amazing, and hit so hard. it made me feel angry and sick, and made me cry (something books don’t do often). i knew right away from the crossed out “boys will be boys” that i would love this book, and oh was i right.
the 3 pov characters in this book all had such different perspectives, but i enjoyed seeing them all. i liked how even though Max likes to think he’s different than the other boys, a “nice guy”, in the end he still realises that standing by and letting the things happen is still a bad thing.
”I told myself that what Slycroft was doing wasn’t what I thought/ valued/believed, but I just went along with it. The truth is, you are your actions. Whatever happens, I have it coming.”
Charlotte was also an interesting character. she’s determined to be the perfect student, the perfect dancer, and the perfect girlfriend. she even describes herself as being seen as the “cool girl” who doesn’t mind her boyfriend ditching her for his friends, but she doesn’t want to be that anymore. seeing her grow to be able to stand up for herself and the other girls was so important.
“You say I’m perfect. Perfect Charlotte doesn’t complain. She’s fine when I’m with the guys. No, I’m not fine. I’m not perfect. I’m just who I am, and if that’s not more interesting to you than a bunch of immature dickheads busy stealing girls’ underwear, then too bad. I’m out of this.” I can’t believe what I’m saying. I’m so mad I’m not even crying. “I’m breaking up with you.”
finally, there was Q. in my opinion, Q was the most important character in this book. her anger feels so raw and real, and she’s relatable in so many ways. the way she just wanted to ruin him as he did for her, and her blaming herself for something that was in no way her fault, hurt so much. i enjoyed seeing her both be able to heal and get her revenge, and the help she had for it made it even better.
“Yeah, of course the woman’s always the crazy one,”
under it all, a big part of this book is the fact that powerful men will always have ways to protect themselves. the slycroft group was made because they hated the idea of women getting to do what they have done for years. the boys never call each other out for their disgusting comments, even when Max says it’s obvious the others disagree. the Dean said that they had to protect the school, but really it is only the male students being protected, and women get almost no help.
overall, i highly recommend this book, but please check tws.
March 9, 2023
Book in frame : The Sharp Edge of Silence
Author : Cameron Kelly Rosenblum
My Rating : 4.5 / 5 ⭐
Goodreads Rating: 4.3 / 5 ⭐
Genre : YA contemporary feminism
Trigger warnings : Rape, Misogyny
Favourite Quote - “If men were sexually assaulted as often as women? We'd get violent. We'd get revenge. And you
can be damn sure we'd make the laws work for us. But women-girls-a lot of them just have to get over it and move on."
𝕽𝖊𝖛𝖎𝖊𝖜:
This book. 💔
Highlighting the misogyny and toxic masculinity still prevalent in today’s age, and how peer pressure and the "boys will be boys" mentality wrecks havoc. The book has 3 POVs, which although a bit confusing at first, tie down neatly towards the end.
I loved the writing, and know that this book will haunt me for quite some time. Please read the trigger warnings before you pick this up as it is a difficult read at times.
Thanks to Netgalley and Bonnier Books UK, for sending me an ARC of this book in exchange of an honest review.
𝕱𝖎𝖓𝖆𝖑 𝖁𝖊𝖗𝖉𝖎𝖈𝖙: A book that will leave you reeling and will stay with you after you've turned the last pages.
Author : Cameron Kelly Rosenblum
My Rating : 4.5 / 5 ⭐
Goodreads Rating: 4.3 / 5 ⭐
Genre : YA contemporary feminism
Trigger warnings : Rape, Misogyny
Favourite Quote - “If men were sexually assaulted as often as women? We'd get violent. We'd get revenge. And you
can be damn sure we'd make the laws work for us. But women-girls-a lot of them just have to get over it and move on."
𝕽𝖊𝖛𝖎𝖊𝖜:
This book. 💔
Highlighting the misogyny and toxic masculinity still prevalent in today’s age, and how peer pressure and the "boys will be boys" mentality wrecks havoc. The book has 3 POVs, which although a bit confusing at first, tie down neatly towards the end.
I loved the writing, and know that this book will haunt me for quite some time. Please read the trigger warnings before you pick this up as it is a difficult read at times.
Thanks to Netgalley and Bonnier Books UK, for sending me an ARC of this book in exchange of an honest review.
𝕱𝖎𝖓𝖆𝖑 𝖁𝖊𝖗𝖉𝖎𝖈𝖙: A book that will leave you reeling and will stay with you after you've turned the last pages.
February 25, 2023
Woah this was...a lot. A book following 3 characters who seem separate at first but their storylines come together. Q is struggling in the aftermath of being sexually assaulted by star rower Colin. Charlotte's a ballet dancer dating another guy on the rowing team. Max is a science nerd who someone ends up as the Cox on the rowing team, completely changing his social status. This book is dark, exploring trauma, rape culture and misogyny. A lot of the adults are useless. The boys and men are awful (bar a select few). My heart broke for the characters. They're not perfect - Charlotte and Max both make some pretty awful mistakes. But it felt real - it was good character development. Overall a hard read but had some great messages.
physical-books
March 25, 2023won a copy of this!
February 20, 2024
WHAT A BOOK! For full review, tune in to our podcast next month (March 2024) @ya_bookjam
TRIGGER WARNINGS - sexual assault and self harming.
TRIGGER WARNINGS - sexual assault and self harming.
February 7, 2024
DNF
I was looking forward to reading this novel; the synopsis and tagline of 'Boys will beboys, held accountable', really drew me in, but ultimately the book fell short of my expectations.
Unfortunately, after getting through 150 pages, I knew this wasn't for me. This YA novel explores an extremely important topic of toxic masculinity while examining themes of rape culture and the “boys will be boys” mentality. But to uncover this discussion you need to get through dialogue-heavy, dense chapters that don't feel gripping or relevant.
The novel is split into 3 perspectives of Quinn “Q” Walsh, Charlotte Foresley, and Max Hannigan-Loeffler, with Q being directly affected by the rape culture within the elite Lycroft Phelps school. She was the character that gripped me most, her inner thoughts were visceral and thought-provoking, and illustrated the pain and disorder that come with being sexually assaulted, while the perpetrator walks free with no consequences for his actions.
However, I did not care for Charlotte and Max, their chapters felt like irrelevant filler and didn't make me care for the characters. In fact, I just wanted to skip their sections entirely, and this was when I knew that I would not finish this book.
What should have been the focus of the book - victims of a misogynistic despicable system, that continues to be perpetrated in all areas of our society - took second place, sandwiched in between chapters of little relevance.
I was looking forward to reading this novel; the synopsis and tagline of 'Boys will be
Unfortunately, after getting through 150 pages, I knew this wasn't for me. This YA novel explores an extremely important topic of toxic masculinity while examining themes of rape culture and the “boys will be boys” mentality. But to uncover this discussion you need to get through dialogue-heavy, dense chapters that don't feel gripping or relevant.
The novel is split into 3 perspectives of Quinn “Q” Walsh, Charlotte Foresley, and Max Hannigan-Loeffler, with Q being directly affected by the rape culture within the elite Lycroft Phelps school. She was the character that gripped me most, her inner thoughts were visceral and thought-provoking, and illustrated the pain and disorder that come with being sexually assaulted, while the perpetrator walks free with no consequences for his actions.
However, I did not care for Charlotte and Max, their chapters felt like irrelevant filler and didn't make me care for the characters. In fact, I just wanted to skip their sections entirely, and this was when I knew that I would not finish this book.
What should have been the focus of the book - victims of a misogynistic despicable system, that continues to be perpetrated in all areas of our society - took second place, sandwiched in between chapters of little relevance.
March 27, 2023
CW: Rape, misogyny
The Sharp Edge of Silence is the story of Quinn 'Q' Walsh, a student at an elite New Hampshire boarding school, who has returned for her second year a shadow of her former self after being raped by one of the stars of the school's revered varsity rowing team in the spring. It is also the story of Charlotte, a talented ballet dancer who is buckling under the pressure to be enough for her boyfriend, another rowing god. Finally it is the story of Max, a self-proclaimed nerd who has convinced himself that he is above craving the acceptance of the jocks who rule the school, until he has a chance to become one of them.
The author makes it clear from her foreword that she intended this book, her second, to be one which tells the story of a girl being sexually assaulted and gradually coming to a point where the trauma begins to recede, to no longer define her every waking moment, her past, present and future. Knowing that this is where the story is heading from the outset was an interesting choice, and one that made some of the darkest moments of the book somewhat easier to bear. The author details her own 'but nothing happened' story in the foreword, and I know many readers will have their own variations. I hope that seeing the main character vindicated was cathartic for the author and for any readers who can relate to Q.
We first meet Q as she stalks the campus at night, plotting to channel all her pain into taking revenge on her attacker, having realised that the criminal justice system won't hold him to account. Her struggles are carefully, realistically portrayed, so that even when her behaviour is reckless or self-destructive, the reader can understand her actions. The author also uses references to music to eloquently reflect Q's emotions, as well as to provide more detail about her family background. It was an interesting choice to make Q a wealthy legacy student herself, as the power dynamic in these stories - and in real life - is often exacerbated by the perpetrator being of higher social staus than the victim; we see shades of the story that could have been in one of the rowers, whose motivation for protecting the omerta is that he can't afford to lose his scholarship. In this case, Q is clearly rich, privileged and attractive herself, allowing the story to hone in on the power disparity caused solely by the perpetrator's sex and everything that comes along with that.
Charlotte and Max are both likeable and frustrating in very human, recognisably teenage, ways. Their parts of the narrative feel slow at times in contrast to Q's, and I know some reviewers resented the deviation from the main storyline, but their stories are vital for contextualising Q's attack so we understand that it is not an isolated incident perpetrated by a uniquely evil character, but rather one manifestation of an insidious problem. The secondary narratives illuminate how the undercurrent of male privilege and toxic masculinity at Lycroft Phelps affects everyone in different ways.
Max is horrified when he learns the extent of the contempt with which his peers view the girls at their school, but (until his hand is forced) not horrified enough to speak out about it, lest he should jeopardise his newfound status, popularity and privilege. Max lets us see the truth of a statement made towards the end of the book - “There are many great, respectful, fun guys here. That said, the fact that a pocket of toxic masculinity managed to thrive is really disturbing and indicates a big problem." The issue is that many of the aforementioned great guys are complicit in allowing the problem to continue when they don't challenge or report behaviour they know is morally reprehensible, or when they laugh along with it even when it makes them feel uncomfortable. We see a different side of the rowing team from Max's perspective, underlining the fact that most boys are not utterly monstrous. However, even those who undoubtedly see themselves as 'good guys' enable some of them to behave in monstrous ways - dehumanising, defiling and debasing their female classmates just because society, and particularly the micro society of their elite prep school, has told them that it's okay, even expected.
Charlotte, whom we can see is accomplished, compassionate and beautiful, is obsessed with conforming to the idealised version of femininity - 'the perfect girlfriend' whom she is convinced her boyfriend, Seb, wants. She won't even allow herself to feel her own feelings, carefully calculating how he would want her to react to every situation, regardless of how justified she is in feeling wronged.
I loved that the perpetrator's voice is largely absent - he never gets the opportunity to try to justify or minimise his actions, either to Q or to the reader - as this was a gratifying subversion of what often happens. There's not even much of a suggestion that Colin's sporting talent could preclude him from being held accountable, another well-worn story. (On this subject, I highly recommend Chanel Miller's unflinchingly honest memoir 'Know My Name'. When sweeping Q's assault under the rug is put forward as an option, it is swiftly shot down by a collection of strong women who have had enough, and the comeuppance of one particular adult male character was very satisfying.
Writing a book on these issues for a young audience is truly a responsibility, and the author should be proud that she has created a hopeful, empowering survival story, which will resonate with many readers, and a relevant, topical novel which should be recommended reading in all high schools. Hopefully Q's story will give young women the strength to focus blame where it belongs and to move forward in whatever way they can. Hopefully it will motivate young men to challenge rape culture in all its forms, however innocuous a comment or joke might seem to them. Hopefully things will be different for the post #metoo generation.
Thank you to NetGalley and Bonnier Books UK for the opportunity to read and review this book.
The Sharp Edge of Silence is the story of Quinn 'Q' Walsh, a student at an elite New Hampshire boarding school, who has returned for her second year a shadow of her former self after being raped by one of the stars of the school's revered varsity rowing team in the spring. It is also the story of Charlotte, a talented ballet dancer who is buckling under the pressure to be enough for her boyfriend, another rowing god. Finally it is the story of Max, a self-proclaimed nerd who has convinced himself that he is above craving the acceptance of the jocks who rule the school, until he has a chance to become one of them.
The author makes it clear from her foreword that she intended this book, her second, to be one which tells the story of a girl being sexually assaulted and gradually coming to a point where the trauma begins to recede, to no longer define her every waking moment, her past, present and future. Knowing that this is where the story is heading from the outset was an interesting choice, and one that made some of the darkest moments of the book somewhat easier to bear. The author details her own 'but nothing happened' story in the foreword, and I know many readers will have their own variations. I hope that seeing the main character vindicated was cathartic for the author and for any readers who can relate to Q.
We first meet Q as she stalks the campus at night, plotting to channel all her pain into taking revenge on her attacker, having realised that the criminal justice system won't hold him to account. Her struggles are carefully, realistically portrayed, so that even when her behaviour is reckless or self-destructive, the reader can understand her actions. The author also uses references to music to eloquently reflect Q's emotions, as well as to provide more detail about her family background. It was an interesting choice to make Q a wealthy legacy student herself, as the power dynamic in these stories - and in real life - is often exacerbated by the perpetrator being of higher social staus than the victim; we see shades of the story that could have been in one of the rowers, whose motivation for protecting the omerta is that he can't afford to lose his scholarship. In this case, Q is clearly rich, privileged and attractive herself, allowing the story to hone in on the power disparity caused solely by the perpetrator's sex and everything that comes along with that.
Charlotte and Max are both likeable and frustrating in very human, recognisably teenage, ways. Their parts of the narrative feel slow at times in contrast to Q's, and I know some reviewers resented the deviation from the main storyline, but their stories are vital for contextualising Q's attack so we understand that it is not an isolated incident perpetrated by a uniquely evil character, but rather one manifestation of an insidious problem. The secondary narratives illuminate how the undercurrent of male privilege and toxic masculinity at Lycroft Phelps affects everyone in different ways.
Max is horrified when he learns the extent of the contempt with which his peers view the girls at their school, but (until his hand is forced) not horrified enough to speak out about it, lest he should jeopardise his newfound status, popularity and privilege. Max lets us see the truth of a statement made towards the end of the book - “There are many great, respectful, fun guys here. That said, the fact that a pocket of toxic masculinity managed to thrive is really disturbing and indicates a big problem." The issue is that many of the aforementioned great guys are complicit in allowing the problem to continue when they don't challenge or report behaviour they know is morally reprehensible, or when they laugh along with it even when it makes them feel uncomfortable. We see a different side of the rowing team from Max's perspective, underlining the fact that most boys are not utterly monstrous. However, even those who undoubtedly see themselves as 'good guys' enable some of them to behave in monstrous ways - dehumanising, defiling and debasing their female classmates just because society, and particularly the micro society of their elite prep school, has told them that it's okay, even expected.
Charlotte, whom we can see is accomplished, compassionate and beautiful, is obsessed with conforming to the idealised version of femininity - 'the perfect girlfriend' whom she is convinced her boyfriend, Seb, wants. She won't even allow herself to feel her own feelings, carefully calculating how he would want her to react to every situation, regardless of how justified she is in feeling wronged.
I loved that the perpetrator's voice is largely absent - he never gets the opportunity to try to justify or minimise his actions, either to Q or to the reader - as this was a gratifying subversion of what often happens. There's not even much of a suggestion that Colin's sporting talent could preclude him from being held accountable, another well-worn story. (On this subject, I highly recommend Chanel Miller's unflinchingly honest memoir 'Know My Name'. When sweeping Q's assault under the rug is put forward as an option, it is swiftly shot down by a collection of strong women who have had enough, and the comeuppance of one particular adult male character was very satisfying.
Writing a book on these issues for a young audience is truly a responsibility, and the author should be proud that she has created a hopeful, empowering survival story, which will resonate with many readers, and a relevant, topical novel which should be recommended reading in all high schools. Hopefully Q's story will give young women the strength to focus blame where it belongs and to move forward in whatever way they can. Hopefully it will motivate young men to challenge rape culture in all its forms, however innocuous a comment or joke might seem to them. Hopefully things will be different for the post #metoo generation.
Thank you to NetGalley and Bonnier Books UK for the opportunity to read and review this book.
February 27, 2024
The Sharp edge of silence hat mich auf vielen Ebenen überrascht. Es behandelt unfassbar wichtige Themen und fesselt gerade in der zweiten Hälfte unheimlich ♡ Thrill-Elemente vermischen sich mit NA- & YA-Themen.
✨️ c h a r a k t e r e ✨️
Es war nicht gleich zu Anfang klar, welche Charaktere ich lieben würde und welche nicht - und so etwas mag ich ja unheimlich, weil alles noch offen ist & sich die Charaktere nicht geradlinig, sondern teils moralisch wankelmütig verhalten 🤭!
Das Buch wird aus 3 Perspektiven erzählt: Charlotte. Max. Quinn.
Charlotte ist eine Vorzeige-Tänzerin, die an und für sich alles hat: Beliebtheit, perfektes Aussehen, den perfekten Freund. Ich habe es geliebt, ihre Charakterentwicklung mit zu verfolgen. Zu sehen, wie sie langsam an ihrer Oberflächlichkeit kratzt und die gewisse Tiefe bei sich und anderen sucht. Von Seite zu Seite mochte ich sie immer mehr ♡
Max hingegen war mir zu Beginn unheimlich sympathisch. Er ist eher ein "typischer Nerd" (eigene Aussage! Ich finde seinen R2DR Wecker ziemlich verdammt cool 🤍!), der sich nach Beliebtheit und Dabei sein sehnt. Bei Max fand ich es interessant, zu beobachten, was äußerliche Einflüsse auf die eigene moralische Grenze bedeuten können. Ich mochte, wie realistisch Gruppenzwang dargestellt wurde und dass auch Max Grau - und Weißzonen hat ♡
Quinn... Ich habe die Seiten über unfassbar mit Quinn mitgelitten. Jede. Einzelne. Seite. Ihre Stärke war inspirierend, wenn auch ihr Weh nicht völlig gerade war. Was ebenfalls sehr realistisch dargestellt wurde - was ich auch wiederum sehr gut fand. Dieses Thema und der Umgang mit diesem ist nicht einfach und so wurde es auch dargestellt ♡.
✨️ s t o r y l i n e ✨️
Durch den ständigen POV-Wechsel war immer ein gewisser Spannungsfaktor da. Ich muss sagen, es hat mich jedoch vor allem zu Beginn des Buchs einige Zeit gekostet, um mich in die Geschichte einzufinden und fesseln zu lassen.
Aber spätestens ab der Hälfte, in der man die Charaktere besser kennengelernt hatte, habe ich das Buch verschlungen ♡!
Stellenweise gab es Szenen, die wirklich grotesk und schrecklich waren. Aber auch Stellen, bei denen ich absolut meine Stirn runzeln musste, weil sie mir ein bisschen lächerlich, beziehungsweise so vorkamen, als würden sie ein wenig den Ernst der Situation nehmen. Ich kann nicht den direkten Zusammenhang nennen, da dies ein Spoiler wäre, aber im Großen und Ganzen war es eher ein kleiner Punkt, der nicht unfassbar wichtig für die gesamte Storyline war ♡
Ich fand vor allem richtig gut, dass nicht alles "perfekt" lief. Das Buch zeigt menschliches Fehlverhalten, aber auch den Verlauf einiger Ereignisse, ohne ein "perfektes" Happy End. Genauso wie den Missbrauch von Machtpositionen und Co.
Ich mochte es, dass man absolut die Charakterentwicklung der Protagonisten erkennen und durch die Seiten auch miterleben konnte ♡
✨️ t h e m e n ✨️
Wie immer gilt hier: Triggerwarnungen lesen, sie sind nicht um sonst da. Auch, wenn man durch den Klappentext mehr oder weniger das Thema herauslesen kann.
Ich persönlich war gerade von der zweiten Hälfte gefesselt, die sich im Speziellen noch einmal mit allen Grauzonen des Themas und deren Konsequenzen beschäftigt hat. Vor allem, weil ich mich selbst auch viel mit diesen Punkten auseinandersetze, es richtig und verdammt wichtig finde, dass Ihnen Platz und Scheinwerferlicht gegeben wird. Es wird in meinen Augen noch zu wenig darüber gesprochen / dagegen getan. Ich mochte es, zu verfolgen, wie die Charaktere im Buch damit umgegangen sind und konnte es auf die letzten 200 Seiten gar nicht mehr aus der Hand legen ♡
✨️ f a z i t ✨️
The sharp edge of silence vermischt Thrill-Elemente mit ernsten Themen, Charakterbasierter Storyline und viel Fokus auf die moralischen Grenzen / das Verhalten von Personen in verschiedenen Situationen, in denen sie vielleicht anders reagieren & handeln als sie es sonst getan hätten. Ich mochte es, dir Charakterentwicklungen zu verfolgen und fand den Umgang mit den sensiblen Themen wirklich gut umgesetzt ♡ In der ersten Hälfte hatte das Buch ein paar Längen für mich, aber die zweite Hälfte und vor allem die letzten paar Seiten konnte ich kaum aus der Hand legen ♡
✨️ c h a r a k t e r e ✨️
Es war nicht gleich zu Anfang klar, welche Charaktere ich lieben würde und welche nicht - und so etwas mag ich ja unheimlich, weil alles noch offen ist & sich die Charaktere nicht geradlinig, sondern teils moralisch wankelmütig verhalten 🤭!
Das Buch wird aus 3 Perspektiven erzählt: Charlotte. Max. Quinn.
Charlotte ist eine Vorzeige-Tänzerin, die an und für sich alles hat: Beliebtheit, perfektes Aussehen, den perfekten Freund. Ich habe es geliebt, ihre Charakterentwicklung mit zu verfolgen. Zu sehen, wie sie langsam an ihrer Oberflächlichkeit kratzt und die gewisse Tiefe bei sich und anderen sucht. Von Seite zu Seite mochte ich sie immer mehr ♡
Max hingegen war mir zu Beginn unheimlich sympathisch. Er ist eher ein "typischer Nerd" (eigene Aussage! Ich finde seinen R2DR Wecker ziemlich verdammt cool 🤍!), der sich nach Beliebtheit und Dabei sein sehnt. Bei Max fand ich es interessant, zu beobachten, was äußerliche Einflüsse auf die eigene moralische Grenze bedeuten können. Ich mochte, wie realistisch Gruppenzwang dargestellt wurde und dass auch Max Grau - und Weißzonen hat ♡
Quinn... Ich habe die Seiten über unfassbar mit Quinn mitgelitten. Jede. Einzelne. Seite. Ihre Stärke war inspirierend, wenn auch ihr Weh nicht völlig gerade war. Was ebenfalls sehr realistisch dargestellt wurde - was ich auch wiederum sehr gut fand. Dieses Thema und der Umgang mit diesem ist nicht einfach und so wurde es auch dargestellt ♡.
✨️ s t o r y l i n e ✨️
Durch den ständigen POV-Wechsel war immer ein gewisser Spannungsfaktor da. Ich muss sagen, es hat mich jedoch vor allem zu Beginn des Buchs einige Zeit gekostet, um mich in die Geschichte einzufinden und fesseln zu lassen.
Aber spätestens ab der Hälfte, in der man die Charaktere besser kennengelernt hatte, habe ich das Buch verschlungen ♡!
Stellenweise gab es Szenen, die wirklich grotesk und schrecklich waren. Aber auch Stellen, bei denen ich absolut meine Stirn runzeln musste, weil sie mir ein bisschen lächerlich, beziehungsweise so vorkamen, als würden sie ein wenig den Ernst der Situation nehmen. Ich kann nicht den direkten Zusammenhang nennen, da dies ein Spoiler wäre, aber im Großen und Ganzen war es eher ein kleiner Punkt, der nicht unfassbar wichtig für die gesamte Storyline war ♡
Ich fand vor allem richtig gut, dass nicht alles "perfekt" lief. Das Buch zeigt menschliches Fehlverhalten, aber auch den Verlauf einiger Ereignisse, ohne ein "perfektes" Happy End. Genauso wie den Missbrauch von Machtpositionen und Co.
Ich mochte es, dass man absolut die Charakterentwicklung der Protagonisten erkennen und durch die Seiten auch miterleben konnte ♡
✨️ t h e m e n ✨️
Wie immer gilt hier: Triggerwarnungen lesen, sie sind nicht um sonst da. Auch, wenn man durch den Klappentext mehr oder weniger das Thema herauslesen kann.
Ich persönlich war gerade von der zweiten Hälfte gefesselt, die sich im Speziellen noch einmal mit allen Grauzonen des Themas und deren Konsequenzen beschäftigt hat. Vor allem, weil ich mich selbst auch viel mit diesen Punkten auseinandersetze, es richtig und verdammt wichtig finde, dass Ihnen Platz und Scheinwerferlicht gegeben wird. Es wird in meinen Augen noch zu wenig darüber gesprochen / dagegen getan. Ich mochte es, zu verfolgen, wie die Charaktere im Buch damit umgegangen sind und konnte es auf die letzten 200 Seiten gar nicht mehr aus der Hand legen ♡
✨️ f a z i t ✨️
The sharp edge of silence vermischt Thrill-Elemente mit ernsten Themen, Charakterbasierter Storyline und viel Fokus auf die moralischen Grenzen / das Verhalten von Personen in verschiedenen Situationen, in denen sie vielleicht anders reagieren & handeln als sie es sonst getan hätten. Ich mochte es, dir Charakterentwicklungen zu verfolgen und fand den Umgang mit den sensiblen Themen wirklich gut umgesetzt ♡ In der ersten Hälfte hatte das Buch ein paar Längen für mich, aber die zweite Hälfte und vor allem die letzten paar Seiten konnte ich kaum aus der Hand legen ♡
June 18, 2025
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Zunächst ein wichtiger Hinweis: Eine offizielle Triggerwarnung: dieses Buch behandelt sehr eindringlich Themen wie Vergewaltigung, Vergewaltigungskultur, Misogynie, toxische Männlichkeit und die psychischen Folgen sexueller Gewalt. Wer mit solchen Inhalten sensibel umgeht, sollte sich dessen vor der Lektüre bewusst sein.
Die Geschichte folgt drei Jugendlichen an einem Elite-Internat – dem Lycroft – und zeichnet ihre ganz unterschiedlichen Erfahrungen innerhalb eines Systems nach, das auf Macht, Ansehen und rigiden Geschlechterrollen basiert. Im Zentrum steht Q, für mich die stärkste und emotional bewegendste Figur. Q hat eine brutale Vergewaltigung überlebt, doch der Täter läuft weiterhin frei über den Campus – unbehelligt, selbstbewusst, als wäre nichts geschehen. Während sie versucht, mit den tiefgreifenden seelischen Wunden zu leben, wächst in ihr ein alles verzehrender Wunsch nach Gerechtigkeit – oder besser gesagt: nach Rache. Ihre Wut ist greifbar und nachvollziehbar, und man leidet mit ihr bei jeder Begegnung, bei jedem Rückschlag, bei jedem Moment, in dem das System sie im Stich lässt.
Parallel erleben wir Charlotte, die auf den ersten Blick alles erreicht hat: sie glänzt im Tanzunterricht, hat gute Noten, ist beliebt und mit dem Traumschüler der Schule liiert. Doch ihre Geschichte zeigt, wie leicht man sich in einer heilen Scheinwelt verlieren kann – wie blind man sein kann für die Strukturen, die anderen schaden, solange sie einem selbst nutzen. Charlotte steht sinnbildlich für Mitläufertum, aber auch für das Erwachen aus der naiven Vorstellung, dass alles gut ist, solange man nicht betroffen ist.
Und dann ist da noch Max – ein eher unscheinbarer Junge, der plötzlich durch einen Zufall in den inneren Kreis der beliebten Schüler aufsteigt, als er beim Ruderteam einspringt. Doch mit der neuen Akzeptanz kommt auch der Druck, sich anzupassen, mitzumachen, wegzuschauen. Max' innere Kämpfe zeigen, wie schwierig es ist, moralisch zu handeln, wenn Gruppenzwang, Machtstrukturen und das Bedürfnis nach Zugehörigkeit im Spiel sind.
Was dieses Buch so kraftvoll macht, ist seine kompromisslose Darstellung einer zutiefst toxischen Schulkultur – einem Mikrokosmos, der unsere Gesellschaft im Kleinen abbildet. Es zeigt, wie Gewalt oft nicht nur durch Taten entsteht, sondern auch durch das Schweigen, Wegsehen und Dulden. Die Schule ist nicht nur Kulisse, sondern Mitverantwortliche: ein Ort, an dem Täter geschützt, Opfer zum Schweigen gebracht und Missstände ignoriert werden – und das seit Jahren. Die Wut, die sich beim Lesen aufbaut, ist beabsichtigt. Denn dieses Buch will nicht unterhalten – es will aufrütteln.
Gleichzeitig vermittelt es auch eine wichtige Botschaft: Dass es Mut braucht, aufzustehen. Dass Heilung möglich ist – nicht im Vergessen, sondern im Sichtbarmachen. Dass Solidarität entsteht, wenn man beginnt, sich gegenseitig zuzuhören. Und dass jeder Einzelne eine Rolle spielt – sei es durch Handeln, durch Schweigen oder durch Hinterfragen.
Der Roman ist emotional fordernd, und obwohl es in der Mitte eine Phase gibt, in der sich die Handlung etwas zieht, verliert er nie seine Wucht. Die Figuren sind glaubhaft, vielschichtig und entwickeln sich auf realistische Weise. Die Autorin schafft es, schwerste Themen mit großer Sensibilität, aber auch mit notwendiger Härte zu behandeln. Dabei gibt es keine einfachen Antworten – aber viele Denkanstöße.
Fazit:
Ein intensiver, aufwühlender Roman über Macht, Schweigen, Gerechtigkeit und Selbstermächtigung. Nicht einfach zu lesen, aber unbedingt notwendig. Trotz kleiner Längen in der Mitte bleibt die Geschichte kraftvoll und relevant. Eine schmerzhafte, aber wichtige Lektüre, die mir im Kopf bleiben wird.
4 von 5 Sternen!
Zunächst ein wichtiger Hinweis: Eine offizielle Triggerwarnung: dieses Buch behandelt sehr eindringlich Themen wie Vergewaltigung, Vergewaltigungskultur, Misogynie, toxische Männlichkeit und die psychischen Folgen sexueller Gewalt. Wer mit solchen Inhalten sensibel umgeht, sollte sich dessen vor der Lektüre bewusst sein.
Die Geschichte folgt drei Jugendlichen an einem Elite-Internat – dem Lycroft – und zeichnet ihre ganz unterschiedlichen Erfahrungen innerhalb eines Systems nach, das auf Macht, Ansehen und rigiden Geschlechterrollen basiert. Im Zentrum steht Q, für mich die stärkste und emotional bewegendste Figur. Q hat eine brutale Vergewaltigung überlebt, doch der Täter läuft weiterhin frei über den Campus – unbehelligt, selbstbewusst, als wäre nichts geschehen. Während sie versucht, mit den tiefgreifenden seelischen Wunden zu leben, wächst in ihr ein alles verzehrender Wunsch nach Gerechtigkeit – oder besser gesagt: nach Rache. Ihre Wut ist greifbar und nachvollziehbar, und man leidet mit ihr bei jeder Begegnung, bei jedem Rückschlag, bei jedem Moment, in dem das System sie im Stich lässt.
Parallel erleben wir Charlotte, die auf den ersten Blick alles erreicht hat: sie glänzt im Tanzunterricht, hat gute Noten, ist beliebt und mit dem Traumschüler der Schule liiert. Doch ihre Geschichte zeigt, wie leicht man sich in einer heilen Scheinwelt verlieren kann – wie blind man sein kann für die Strukturen, die anderen schaden, solange sie einem selbst nutzen. Charlotte steht sinnbildlich für Mitläufertum, aber auch für das Erwachen aus der naiven Vorstellung, dass alles gut ist, solange man nicht betroffen ist.
Und dann ist da noch Max – ein eher unscheinbarer Junge, der plötzlich durch einen Zufall in den inneren Kreis der beliebten Schüler aufsteigt, als er beim Ruderteam einspringt. Doch mit der neuen Akzeptanz kommt auch der Druck, sich anzupassen, mitzumachen, wegzuschauen. Max' innere Kämpfe zeigen, wie schwierig es ist, moralisch zu handeln, wenn Gruppenzwang, Machtstrukturen und das Bedürfnis nach Zugehörigkeit im Spiel sind.
Was dieses Buch so kraftvoll macht, ist seine kompromisslose Darstellung einer zutiefst toxischen Schulkultur – einem Mikrokosmos, der unsere Gesellschaft im Kleinen abbildet. Es zeigt, wie Gewalt oft nicht nur durch Taten entsteht, sondern auch durch das Schweigen, Wegsehen und Dulden. Die Schule ist nicht nur Kulisse, sondern Mitverantwortliche: ein Ort, an dem Täter geschützt, Opfer zum Schweigen gebracht und Missstände ignoriert werden – und das seit Jahren. Die Wut, die sich beim Lesen aufbaut, ist beabsichtigt. Denn dieses Buch will nicht unterhalten – es will aufrütteln.
Gleichzeitig vermittelt es auch eine wichtige Botschaft: Dass es Mut braucht, aufzustehen. Dass Heilung möglich ist – nicht im Vergessen, sondern im Sichtbarmachen. Dass Solidarität entsteht, wenn man beginnt, sich gegenseitig zuzuhören. Und dass jeder Einzelne eine Rolle spielt – sei es durch Handeln, durch Schweigen oder durch Hinterfragen.
Der Roman ist emotional fordernd, und obwohl es in der Mitte eine Phase gibt, in der sich die Handlung etwas zieht, verliert er nie seine Wucht. Die Figuren sind glaubhaft, vielschichtig und entwickeln sich auf realistische Weise. Die Autorin schafft es, schwerste Themen mit großer Sensibilität, aber auch mit notwendiger Härte zu behandeln. Dabei gibt es keine einfachen Antworten – aber viele Denkanstöße.
Fazit:
Ein intensiver, aufwühlender Roman über Macht, Schweigen, Gerechtigkeit und Selbstermächtigung. Nicht einfach zu lesen, aber unbedingt notwendig. Trotz kleiner Längen in der Mitte bleibt die Geschichte kraftvoll und relevant. Eine schmerzhafte, aber wichtige Lektüre, die mir im Kopf bleiben wird.
4 von 5 Sternen!
April 11, 2023
First, please note that I could not find an official Trigger Warning, this book contains a lot of discussion of rape, rape culture, misogyny, toxic masculinity, and the like.
This story follows three very different characters through their daily lives at boarding school. We have Q, who is for me the most compelling character. She is trying to cope with the aftermath of a horrific sexual assault, and wants nothing but revenge, full stop. And who could blame her? She hates that she has to see her rapist on campus every day, strolling around without a care in the world, while she attempts to deal with the aftermath of his vile crime. Charlotte has found herself in the thick of social life at Lycroft, basically watching all her assumed dreams come true. She's killing it in her dance classes, school is going great, and her boyfriend is the gorgeous, popular guy who everyone adores. But Charlotte is not exactly seeing the whole picture. Then, we have Max. He's basically a... not exactly an outcast, but he's a nobody in the grand scheme of the school. That is, until he finds himself saving the day for the champion rowing team, and therefore becoming one of the "cool guys" overnight. But what is the cost of fitting in? That is kind of the big question for all the characters in this story, even the side characters.
It's clear from the start that the social hierarchy at this place is messy at best, toxic at worst. The further on you read, the angrier you'll be that this school is allowed to continue as it is, and has been for so damn long. And your heart will break for Q over and over again as she tries to survive. The messages in this book are fabulous, and they deal a lot with mental health and taking back your power and all that good stuff. In the middle, I felt there was a bit of dragging? But it wasn't overwhelming. I think that each of the characters was very well developed, and the author did a great job of making it clear just how easy it can be for people to get caught up in misogynistic group dynamics. It's incredibly emotional, and handled these very difficult topics fabulously
Bottom Line: It's a gut punch, but an important one. Very emotional, very relevant, and definitely worth reading.
You can find the full review and all the fancy and/or randomness that accompanies it at It Starts at Midnight
This story follows three very different characters through their daily lives at boarding school. We have Q, who is for me the most compelling character. She is trying to cope with the aftermath of a horrific sexual assault, and wants nothing but revenge, full stop. And who could blame her? She hates that she has to see her rapist on campus every day, strolling around without a care in the world, while she attempts to deal with the aftermath of his vile crime. Charlotte has found herself in the thick of social life at Lycroft, basically watching all her assumed dreams come true. She's killing it in her dance classes, school is going great, and her boyfriend is the gorgeous, popular guy who everyone adores. But Charlotte is not exactly seeing the whole picture. Then, we have Max. He's basically a... not exactly an outcast, but he's a nobody in the grand scheme of the school. That is, until he finds himself saving the day for the champion rowing team, and therefore becoming one of the "cool guys" overnight. But what is the cost of fitting in? That is kind of the big question for all the characters in this story, even the side characters.
It's clear from the start that the social hierarchy at this place is messy at best, toxic at worst. The further on you read, the angrier you'll be that this school is allowed to continue as it is, and has been for so damn long. And your heart will break for Q over and over again as she tries to survive. The messages in this book are fabulous, and they deal a lot with mental health and taking back your power and all that good stuff. In the middle, I felt there was a bit of dragging? But it wasn't overwhelming. I think that each of the characters was very well developed, and the author did a great job of making it clear just how easy it can be for people to get caught up in misogynistic group dynamics. It's incredibly emotional, and handled these very difficult topics fabulously
Bottom Line: It's a gut punch, but an important one. Very emotional, very relevant, and definitely worth reading.
You can find the full review and all the fancy and/or randomness that accompanies it at It Starts at Midnight
June 3, 2023
4.5⭐️
A devastating read packed with toxic masculinity and failing systems.
(This review contains sensitive topics⚠️)
This read made me feel angry, sad, frustrated and happy throughout. Just like one of the protagonists ballet dancing, Rosenblum has choreographed a fantastic read.
I always find books like this difficult to review due to the prominent themes of sexual assault, rape and the treatment of girls. The way that this book has been delivered was very clever and highlights the debelitating effects that sexual assault causes.
This book contained a strong plot and even stronger characters. Charlotte was a lovely MC and I could see myself being her friend. Seb was also really nice, however, his lack of actions towards his fellow male peers made him just as complicit. Max was very smart and overlooked and it was just painful to see him transform from the campus geek to hanging around with the alpha rowers. Q’s character was portrayed beautifully. She faced the unthinkable and her poem accounting for the events at Summer Sendoff was incomprehensible and utterly terrifying. Her character really encapsulates the blame that victims place on themselves.
Social, economic and power divisions rule this read and I learnt a lot from this book. I absolutely loved how each chapter had sub chapters for each characters POV. This worked incredibly well and was very engaging. I also loved the reference to having meetings to ‘Wine and Whine’.
Rosenblum has formed a brilliant read and although the ending felt rushed, I enjoyed this book. The girls totally kicked the guys in the balls and I loved it! 👏
A huge thank you to Bonnier Books UK, Hot Key Books, Netgalley and Cameron Kelly Rosenblum for this ARC of The Sharp Edge of Silence which is out now! 🥰
💬 (Quoted from ARC):
-“Awkwardness is worrying about what others think of you.”
-"Yeah, of course the woman's always the crazy one"
⚠️ Please check out the trigger warnings! ⚠️
A devastating read packed with toxic masculinity and failing systems.
(This review contains sensitive topics⚠️)
This read made me feel angry, sad, frustrated and happy throughout. Just like one of the protagonists ballet dancing, Rosenblum has choreographed a fantastic read.
I always find books like this difficult to review due to the prominent themes of sexual assault, rape and the treatment of girls. The way that this book has been delivered was very clever and highlights the debelitating effects that sexual assault causes.
This book contained a strong plot and even stronger characters. Charlotte was a lovely MC and I could see myself being her friend. Seb was also really nice, however, his lack of actions towards his fellow male peers made him just as complicit. Max was very smart and overlooked and it was just painful to see him transform from the campus geek to hanging around with the alpha rowers. Q’s character was portrayed beautifully. She faced the unthinkable and her poem accounting for the events at Summer Sendoff was incomprehensible and utterly terrifying. Her character really encapsulates the blame that victims place on themselves.
Social, economic and power divisions rule this read and I learnt a lot from this book. I absolutely loved how each chapter had sub chapters for each characters POV. This worked incredibly well and was very engaging. I also loved the reference to having meetings to ‘Wine and Whine’.
Rosenblum has formed a brilliant read and although the ending felt rushed, I enjoyed this book. The girls totally kicked the guys in the balls and I loved it! 👏
A huge thank you to Bonnier Books UK, Hot Key Books, Netgalley and Cameron Kelly Rosenblum for this ARC of The Sharp Edge of Silence which is out now! 🥰
💬 (Quoted from ARC):
-“Awkwardness is worrying about what others think of you.”
-"Yeah, of course the woman's always the crazy one"
⚠️ Please check out the trigger warnings! ⚠️
April 12, 2023
The Sharp Edge of Silence
Cameron Kelly Rosenblum
Publication Date: 11th April
⭐️⭐️⭐️
First off, Thanks so much to Netgalley and author Cameron Kelly Rosenblum for the chance to read an advance copy of this book due out April 11th in exchange for an honest review.
While I liked this book, I have to say it fell a little flat for me and definately was a bit of a let down after hearing so much wonderful things prior to reading, I think I was expecting more and ended up disappointed as this one just didnt quite deliver for me.
The blurb pulled me right in and I was so looking forward to it but I just found the majority of it so drawn out and it didnt grip me like I thought it would at all. It seemed to drag on and I think a huge chunk of the story could have been removed and it still wouldnt have made a difference to the plot. I struggled through the first 60% of the book and hadnt fully connected with any of the characters but I stuck it out and have to say the storyline did come together better by the final 40%. It wrapped the storyline up well but I think it just took a bit too long to come together. There was so much potential but the pacing ruined it for me.
Overall, I liked the book but found the writing style a bit slow paced for my liking. The storyline didnt go quite the way I was expecting it to.
I dont think I'd be looking out for this authors future books. A bit slow for me.
Thank you again to Netgalley.
⭐️⭐️⭐️
Cameron Kelly Rosenblum
Publication Date: 11th April
⭐️⭐️⭐️
First off, Thanks so much to Netgalley and author Cameron Kelly Rosenblum for the chance to read an advance copy of this book due out April 11th in exchange for an honest review.
While I liked this book, I have to say it fell a little flat for me and definately was a bit of a let down after hearing so much wonderful things prior to reading, I think I was expecting more and ended up disappointed as this one just didnt quite deliver for me.
The blurb pulled me right in and I was so looking forward to it but I just found the majority of it so drawn out and it didnt grip me like I thought it would at all. It seemed to drag on and I think a huge chunk of the story could have been removed and it still wouldnt have made a difference to the plot. I struggled through the first 60% of the book and hadnt fully connected with any of the characters but I stuck it out and have to say the storyline did come together better by the final 40%. It wrapped the storyline up well but I think it just took a bit too long to come together. There was so much potential but the pacing ruined it for me.
Overall, I liked the book but found the writing style a bit slow paced for my liking. The storyline didnt go quite the way I was expecting it to.
I dont think I'd be looking out for this authors future books. A bit slow for me.
Thank you again to Netgalley.
⭐️⭐️⭐️
April 7, 2023
I was sent this book in exchange for an honest review and I am so glad that I read it, it feels like such an important book and it might help girls understand their feelings more whilst dealing with trauma. The book does deal with sexual assault, trauma, self harm and toxic masculinity so be aware it could trigger some people.
The story is written from 3 perspectives Quinn who is silently dealing with the trauma of a sexual assault, Max a scholarship boy who finds himself popular for the first time and Charlotte a ballerina who is dating one of the hottest guys in school. I loved this narrative choice as it kept the focus varied and kept me wanting to read.
The main thrust of the book focuses on Quinn who is on a quest for revenge at any cost but will she go through with it. The story felt authentic and very much of our time and reminded me a little of the film Promising Young Woman but with a little less revenge.
Saying I really enjoyed it feels wrong somehow and yet I did, not because of the drama surrounding the assault in fact it saddens me that this was inspired by the author’s own experience but because of the characters and how real they became to me and the feeling of sisterhood that I was left with. I was really sad when I came to the end of the book as I had to leave these wonderful characters, I wanted to know where they were going next and what they would do, especially Quinn. Having this sort of book hangover where the characters are still living in your head is a sign of a great story well told!
I would highly recommend reading this especially if you are a fan of Kathleen Glasgow.
The story is written from 3 perspectives Quinn who is silently dealing with the trauma of a sexual assault, Max a scholarship boy who finds himself popular for the first time and Charlotte a ballerina who is dating one of the hottest guys in school. I loved this narrative choice as it kept the focus varied and kept me wanting to read.
The main thrust of the book focuses on Quinn who is on a quest for revenge at any cost but will she go through with it. The story felt authentic and very much of our time and reminded me a little of the film Promising Young Woman but with a little less revenge.
Saying I really enjoyed it feels wrong somehow and yet I did, not because of the drama surrounding the assault in fact it saddens me that this was inspired by the author’s own experience but because of the characters and how real they became to me and the feeling of sisterhood that I was left with. I was really sad when I came to the end of the book as I had to leave these wonderful characters, I wanted to know where they were going next and what they would do, especially Quinn. Having this sort of book hangover where the characters are still living in your head is a sign of a great story well told!
I would highly recommend reading this especially if you are a fan of Kathleen Glasgow.
April 22, 2023
I'd like to start this off by thanking the team at Readers First and Hot Key Books for sending me a copy of The Sharp Edge of Silence to read and review.
The Sharp Edge of Silence follows the narrative of three very different students in an elite boarding school that boasts about their top rowing team and powerful teachers. However, something very disturbing is happening behind the scenes with a secret society bursting with toxic masculinity and faculty members who turn a blind eye. The book discusses very upsetting but important topics like rape culture and toxic masculinity, following the three students' points of view as the truth unfolds.
It's always hard reading a book, like this, that focuses on such an important and upsetting topic. However, I felt like the author, Cameron Kelly Rosenblum, handled the subject with the heaviness it has. It wasn't brushed over, it was raw and gut-wrenching to read - you truly felt for every character who was affected and empowered on the journey of recovery and friendship.
The book itself is definitely aimed at a much younger audience, and at times I found myself skimming certain parts that just didn't hold my attention. I found this happening a lot with the rowing and ballet talk, I was always itching to get to Q's chapter to see how she was doing. I was angry with her, I was sad with her and I was warmed to read the final lines of the book by her.
Overall, this is definitely one of those books that I think will get people talking for all the right reasons. I'll be keeping an eye out for more books from this author in the future!
The Sharp Edge of Silence follows the narrative of three very different students in an elite boarding school that boasts about their top rowing team and powerful teachers. However, something very disturbing is happening behind the scenes with a secret society bursting with toxic masculinity and faculty members who turn a blind eye. The book discusses very upsetting but important topics like rape culture and toxic masculinity, following the three students' points of view as the truth unfolds.
It's always hard reading a book, like this, that focuses on such an important and upsetting topic. However, I felt like the author, Cameron Kelly Rosenblum, handled the subject with the heaviness it has. It wasn't brushed over, it was raw and gut-wrenching to read - you truly felt for every character who was affected and empowered on the journey of recovery and friendship.
The book itself is definitely aimed at a much younger audience, and at times I found myself skimming certain parts that just didn't hold my attention. I found this happening a lot with the rowing and ballet talk, I was always itching to get to Q's chapter to see how she was doing. I was angry with her, I was sad with her and I was warmed to read the final lines of the book by her.
Overall, this is definitely one of those books that I think will get people talking for all the right reasons. I'll be keeping an eye out for more books from this author in the future!
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