Honestly, this book is really depressing and triggering and I had to stop reading. If you can stomach it, I think it's a really important read. I just can't handle it right now.

I received this eARC uncorrected galley from Feiwel & Friends on NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of this book in any way.

A warning before I begin. This book focuses on very heavy topics that may be triggers for some readers. If you have suffered sexual assault or other abuse, I would be wary about from reading this, as there are graphic scenes.

The Writing

From the very first page of this book, I was completely drawn in. From the first line, the first word, I knew I was reading something that mattered, something that was so important. The writing is almost lyrical in its beauty. It feels like something haunted and true and private and sacred. It feels like the poem of a soul. I couldn't put it down. I couldn't sleep. I was thinking only of this book and the precious, necessary story told within. The symbols in this book were consistent and poignant; they carved themselves in my heart. Houses, ghosts, zombies, lost girls--all caught between life and death, between existing and not. I was highlighting everything, writing each quote into my soul.

The Characters

Ellie: Our narrator is an average, invisible girl. She does little with her life. She doesn't even know who she is. She wants to be the definitions of "girl" she sees in magazines, the type of girl that is noticed, but in a good way, a way that means you are important and lovable. Unfortunately, that wasn't to be. Instead, she is used and discarded by the boy she thought she loved, thought she needed. She reflects on her Before and her After, and what she learns about what it means to mean something is truly powerful.

Caleb (and by extension, Noah): The Breward boys are the very embodiment of cruel, malicious entitlement, of confident fake-smiles and the love of pretending to be human. They take what they want and expect to get away with it--they have, after all, been getting away with everything their entire lives, as has their father, an equally despicable person.

Cassie and Thompson: These two women become the powerful female support and voice that all young girls need. They are what this world needs.

Kate: She is the friend that could have been.

Alex and Gomes: Alex, Ellie's father, is a hardworking single father who loves his daughter unconditionally, but is powerless to stop what happens to her, not because of anything he did or didn't do. Gomes, the detective on Ellie's case, learns that every girl is worth saving.

Gina Lynn: The mean girl who saw the light and saved the day in the end. Honestly, Gina was definitely one of the most surprising characters. She wasn't at all what I expected, but I'm glad she was.

Ellie's mother, Sierra: This woman is the opposite of Cassie and Thompson. She is what women shouldn't be, what people shouldn't be: ultimately self-serving and utterly apathetic.

Gretchen and the survivors: These girls are the candles whose wicks were doused but keep on burning, even if it's just an ember. They may flicker, but they still burn, and their flame can light the way for others to stand tall.

Conclusion

This was so much more than a book about rape. This was a book about loss and forgiveness (of yourself and others), about blame and where it lies, and what it means to matter. It was about what makes a girl. I felt like I was a part of something reading this. I felt personally touched and changed. I've experienced my own #metoo moments, though not as severe as in this book, but it struck a chord in me. I was left feeling strangely optimistic, though it doesn't have happy ending by any means. Nevertheless, I went away with the message (a message that has been a constant thought in my life recently, and a constant help as well) that the world is still full of beautiful things. That the horrible and the bad don't discount the tender sweet things. That life, even lost, is still wonderful.

God...this was heartbreaking. It was such a powerful but agonizing story to read. Ellie's story is something that I think everyone, especially young girls should read about. It is so raw and relatable. Being an insecure teenage girl who wants nothing but to be noticed and loved. "They targeted us because they thought we were weak. But even the weakest girl has power inside her. She maybe just needs a little guidance to find it." Ellie's story allowed us to follow her as she reflected on her life and the decisions she made (and were made for her) and how she found peace with helping bringing victims NO girls together. It also discussed how rape culture is portrayed in the media and how people respond to it including victim blaming and character assassination "People don't debate what defines murder. Politicians don't argue the body's ability to fight off being killed. There's no talk of "murder culture" No one says that you asked for murder. What you wear doesn't excuse being killed." This book is important because it gives a voice to victims and hopefully will make people talk about uncomfortable things like rape and abuse. This story was messy and intense and it speaks to all those times victims of sexual assault aren't heard or justice is not found. "Some people get closure, others just go on living because it's the only option." I loved Ellie's relationship with her father. It seemed so honest and realistic. My heart broke for not only her but for him. When he's breaking down over his love for her--my heart ached. "But if they could see this, if they could see what this kind of darkness does to a person, maybe they'd feel it too. Maybe they wouldn't make excuses anymore. Maybe they wouldn't shrug it off, because you know, these things happened."

I received an ARC of this book via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

*Trigger Warning* - May not be suitable for younger YA readers, or anyone who is sensitive to reading books that deal with rape, sexual assault, or abuse.

Now, one thing I should probably clear up right off the bat: this review may contain minor spoilers. I would never *dream* of spoiling anything major (or anything that would affect you reading it), but I do want to clarify a couple of things that may contain slight spoilers, so if this bothers you, you may want to look at the book first and then come back to this review later!

Anyways, onto my review! So, first I would like to say that this definitely would never have been a book I wanted to read had I not received the ARC from my book club. The description is so intense, and I'm more into the "light-and-fluffy" reads. Having said that, oh my gosh am I glad I read this book.

It starts of kind of confusing (and *this* is the slight spoiler) you find out after the first three or four chapters that Ellie is actually a ghost, and that her rapist actually murdered her. The book basically covers the aftermath of what happened several months later. And it's funny, because even though that made the storyline much darker, I think it actually made me like it much better had Ellie still been alive.

So, I don't want to get too much into the story for fear of totally ruining it for you, but I will say that it was absolutely breathtaking. It really changed my point of view on rape and sexual abuse, and enlightened me about things I hadn't even known were issues that relate to this. That being said, I did have a problem with how the rape actually happened, because when you read the book you find out that Ellie actually played a major role in it. It's my understanding that rape is *usually* more the guy than the girl, and while rape is NEVER excusable, what Ellie did to provoke it wasn't really, either. I understand why the author included it, but it still bothers me because it made me ysee Ellie differently.

Overall, though, I would give this book four-and-a-half stars. It had some very important messages, and I think every high-schooler, boy and girl, should be required to read this before they graduate.

TRIGGER WARNINGS: Rape, Sexual Assault, Abuse, Physical Abuse

I find it hardest to talk about books that talk about sexual assault.

I’m female, and just with being female I live in a dangerous world where I must dress right, sit right, talk right, be demure, be assertive, be kind, be everything, really. I can’t go to parties without at least two other girls, I can’t walk on the road from when the sun begins to set and I can’t wear clothes that are an inch too short. It’s a terrifying way to grow up, being overly aware of your body and your surroundings at all times.

Sexual Assault terrifies me as well. It’s the most primal kind of violation one human being can inflict upon another and the #MeToo movement broke my heart, just seeing the number of women that have face that kind of violation, and we are looking only at the minority that did speak out.

While it’s hard to talk about books like I Stop Somewhere, The Nowhere Girls and Asking for It, they are SUCH IMPORTANT BOOKS for girls everywhere and I am automatically drawn to them.

MY THOUGHTS ON I Stop Somewhere:

1. This book was intensely addicting. It terrified me, and yet it had me hooked. I was SO hooked that it took me just a handful of hours to read the ENTIRE thing and then I was left desperate for more.

2. THIS. BOOK. BROKE. MY. HEART. I Stop Somewhere revolves around fifteen year old Ellie Friars and the first boy she loved, who turned out to be every girl’s deepest fears wrapped with a perfect bow. Ellie was the kind of girl who blended in. She kept to herself, didn’t have any kind of social media or friends and so when a beautiful boy notices her, she can’t help but all for him. You know the story from there. It’s so fucking unfortunate, but you, a human in this dangerous world, already know how this goes.

3. Despite knowing where this book was taking me, THIS WAS RIDICULIOUSLY HARD TO GET THROUGH. I’m not talking about the book, but the subject manner. It was HARD, reading this emotionally turbulent, deeply intimate book on rape, survival, togetherness and what it means to be a girl.

4. One of my favourite parts in the novel was when all of the victims came together, just for each other, just to talk about what was done to them and find solace in other girls who were assaulted as well.

This is one of the shortest reviews I’ve written recently, or feels like it because I haven’t gotten out nearly enough about what needs to be said on the issues this book handles. Nothing I can say says it all better than what I Stop Somewhere does, but I will warn you that it is a hard book to get through.

It’s one of those books you need to read.

It’s one of those books every girl out there needs to read.

Pick it up for your friends, daughters, nieces, sisters and also, for yourself. All of us girls need to be reading books like this.

<b><i>I received an ARC of this book from The Fantastic Flying Book Club in exchange for an honest review.</i></b>

<i>I thought I knew what is was like to be invisible. I thought I could disappear, but now, I fight to touch anything real and I vanish.</i>

First off, the cover is gorgeous. It's probably the reason why I requested to be part of this blog tour

When I started reading this, I had no idea what was going on. It was kind of weird, and I thought that Ellie has the powers to become invisible. Little did I know that she is actually dead. I also thought I was reading from alternate POVs. It was very confusing.

But then... when finally understood what was happening, I was hooked. I was rooting for Ellie and the other girls that are sexually abused, and hoped to see the abusers punished for their deeds. But, this book was really slooooow and I'm like, HURRY UP! ARE THEY GOING TO BE FOUND GUILTY BECAUSE I NEED TO KNOW. But, I guess the slowness of the plot is actually a good thing - it made me think. This is my first time reading a YA novel about rape culture and sexual abuse, and it is outrageous how people dismiss the boys' act of sexual abuse as just boys being boys. I have never felt so many emotions at once while reading a book. I was angry, I was sad, I was heartbroken.

Still, in these times, I could see that there was hope. Some people, such as Officer Thompson and Cassie, try their best to help the girls. Officer Thompson cries with the girls who are sexually abused, and the victims form a support group and share their experiences with each other. It is heartwarming to see how women empower other women during hard times.

<i>Dying was my art. It was my achievement. I was a pointless girl in a pointless town with a pointless life. Dying was the point; it made me someone.</i>

I could relate to Ellie's thoughts - she feels like a nobody, and I know that feeling all too well. I just wish that she could become a real person so I could hug her and tell her that she matters. That she deserves to be loved and heard. That she is not pointless at all. In the end, she finally figures that out, and I felt so happy for her.

This book touched me. Especially this paragraph in the last chapter:

<i>You can break a girl. You can destroy several parts of her, but a girl is made up of so many things.

There aren't nursery rhymes this complicated. When you ask what makes a girl, they tell you it's sugar and spice and everything nice, but it's not. It's regret and wishing and summer kisses and falling in love and being hurt and heartbreak and fear and fishing with your father and wearing the wrong clothes and getting drunk because you feel so bad you want to die. It's hoping and the memory of sunlight and how you can't stop lightbulbs from burning out. It's all the big things and the little things in between. It's living and it's dying.</i>

A girl is not, as the nursery rhyme goes, sugar, spice and everything nice. She is, as TE Carter wrote, all the big things and the little things in between.

<b>Overall rating</b>

★★★★.5

This book is so good. It took me a while to figure things out, but I really enjoyed reading it. Highly recommend!

I Stop Somewhere is a well developed, well spoken and well written contemporary fiction that makes you think and feel the worst that today’s world can possibly offer.

To make it simpler for me to piece together, let’s start with what I loved the most: spotlight on the entire issue of rape culture that has been so long a part of our society that it often—wrongly—feels like just-another-thing. I’m amazed at how the story doesn’t shout Ellie’s opinions nor does it keep repeating what it’s trying to bring the readers’ eyes on; there’s this subtlety woven that makes every valid point about rape culture get attention throughout this book. It’s like a mirror to our world. The story reads like something that we keep hearing about in newspapers, something absolutely common...but that’s the heart wrenching part because every incident in this story resonates with the world we live in. And no matter how far we try to run away, sometimes facing the real issues is the best way to set things right, or at least try to. Books like these make me think about things I tend to read about everyday yet forget.

The characters are developed. And I’m not just talking about the main one, Ellie. There’s a small list of characters in this book but everyone who gets the center stage for a while, marks themselves important enough to read further. Even the bad guys who I grew to hate with all my heart, earned my hatred gradually. The intended emotions for every character gets stacked one by one till it touches the ceiling and you either shred to the core or ignite yourself in anger by the end.

The sadness! Oh my God, I don’t think I read a lot of heart-ripping stories because I can be quite the cry baby but I still couldn’t stop myself from continuing this one. Despite the fact that it drives straight into sorrow from the first page and doesn’t let the sun shine through this dense forest. No doubt, the issue that the book deals with is important and demands a serious setting so the sadness did make sense all through it. Speaking of setting, everything was gloomy. The town, Hollow Oaks, is like the epitome of emptiness and abandonment because the leading, rich people have taken over a number of houses and forced people to flee...without a finger pointing at them. The school didn’t sound like any other young adult’s school campus and the overall atmosphere sounds so boring that it only contributes to the despondency.

Though, this hopelessness gets across all the more clearly because of the writing. The narrative is in first person by Ellie and just about everything that she says sounds like a perfect thing that she would be thinking or she should be thinking. Her take on life, girls, and love is so sweetly, innocently but honestly spoken that despite the sweetness, the raw honesty feels rough and painful. It’s basically a torture but a torture you would be happy to endure.

In addition to these major aspects of the story, I loved the additional bits that it mentioned. For one, the definition of a girl for a girl (Ellie) who seems to be too blended in—to the point that she was almost invisible. Ellie keeps referring to what she always assumed a good girl would be and how difficult she found herself to be that good girl because all the rules and expectations people had from a good girl wasn’t as easy as it was deemed to be. She struggled to grasp the concepts society used to mark what a girl is, and God, could anything have been anymore relatable?

Then there’s the father-daughter relationship that got me in tears. Personally, I’m super close to my dad and seeing Ellie’s father struggle throughout the book, become emotionally drenched, and still wait for his daughter because that’s basically what a loved one does, hits right to my heart. If all this heartache wasn’t enough for a reader, there’s love to be added to the mix. Ellie experiences attention for the first time from a boy and slowly grows up to like him; she loved hearing how pretty she is or how he wants her. And all the while, she wondered if this is what love is. But because she couldn’t bring about herself to share her thoughts with anyone, she had to decide for herself.

Speaking of deciding, that’s another amazing aspect of this story because for the majority of it, Ellie keeps trying to find out where she went wrong—because that’s what usually happens right? The girls calls it upon herself, or at least, that’s what they’re made to believe. But the way she evolves and figures that nothing—absolutely nothing—could’ve done by her to avoid this, because this wasn’t her fault. Being in a relationship, wanting sex, or consenting to someone long before the dreadful nightmare doesn’t mean anything. None of those emotions, feelings, thoughts or dialogues could be a trigger. What’s wrong is wrong and nothing can justify it—nothing should try to, either.

Overall, I loved this! I would recommend this to all those who’re looking for a raw, honest contemporary that focuses on rape culture while simultaneously shredding your heart to pieces.

3.5 stars

For the first 100 pages or so, I thought this would be a solid 2 stars. This part of the novel is vastly different than the rest (it's part 1 of 2) and I was seriously considering DNFing this novel because of how I disliked this portion.

At the time, I could see the skill and story behind these pages, but I was just so depressed and the story was so heavy on me that it wasn't enjoyable to read.

To figure out if I should continue, I checked out the reviews, many of which are glowing, and decided to forge through, which ended up being very much worth it.

In those first 100 pages, I wasn't able to reconcile this dark, depressing story to what other reviewers were mentioning as a story of hope, something moving that would inspire you to create change. All I wanted to do was curl in bed and hug my body pillow.

But it got better. Way better.

Before I start gushing about the last 2/3 of the novel, I'll dive into the justification of why I took off so much for only a third of the novel. Two whole stars is a lot to take off for a rocky start, but I really think that part 1 could have been executed a lot differently to prevent turning off the readers.

I had a really difficult time reading it because nothing was really happening--all it was doing was recounting the terrible things that happened to Ellie and also showing terrible things happening to other girls too.

I felt terrible reading it, but it wasn't like I wanted to cry to let my angsty feelings out--I just wanted to cuddle and stew and find some chocolate to eat to feel better. (Spoiler: I ended up crying later in the book.)

It was just a big ordeal and I don't think it was the most effective way to introduce the story. It jumps between Ellie's life in the past and Ellie's life as a ghost and so the first 100 pages of alternation were all just dark, dark, dark.

But it got better, and that's where the redemption came in for this book. The summary is super vague, which was one of the reasons why I didn't have a good idea of what was going to happen and if I should continue. All it talks about is Ellie wanting to fit in, (a vague description of) Ellie disappearing/vanishing, and how it's about a brutal assault.

This doesn't cover what the rest of the story is about--it doesn't cover the push for justice, the stories of the other victims, the story of how the media reacts to cases like this. There's so much more to the story, after the 100 pages and the summary really misses this. I feel like if it was a little more specific, it'd be a lot helpful for potential readers (but that's what I'm here for--to tell you more about this book!)

I absolutely adored the rest of the book. Once I got past the dark, depressing part (definitely did not realize it would be that dark), I was sucked into this story of girls trying to fight for justice, not only for Ellie Frias who was murdered, but for other girls who were victims of assault by the brothers in the story.

I was so moved specifically by Ellie's father--when I cried during reading this novel (it's such an inconvenience to try to read through wet glasses and blurry eyes), it was when Ellie's father was going through serious emotions about his daughter's murder. I felt his pain and this was what I was looking for in this novel.

And the rest of it was really good to; it balanced out a lot better because it rotated between current happenings on the trial/police investigation while also adding snippets from that dark time between Ellie & her assaulter (whether it was their toxic relationship or the actual assault).

If you didn't realize it, there's a huge trigger warning on this book so please take care in reading this novel.

I love how the women banded together (the policewoman and girls from all sorts of different backgrounds) and how the novel showed that small town mentality. The assaulters were sons of a well-known figure in town and you could not only see how they were treated differently, but how the people--the assaulters, the police, the court, the media--ended up putting the women, the victims, the dead girl, as the cause of it or the instigator of the terrible acts.

The contrast between the severity of murder and assault was one of my favorite themes because this book examined how the court looks at these with completely different lenses and how people are more dubious of assault, while with murder, it's very straightforward.

Ellie's own struggles with fitting in, with the financial state of her family, with the desire to have a boyfriend/dealing with her loneliness was one of the small highlights of the first third of the novel, although it was largely overshadowed by the sheer dark nature of this part of the book. I liked how Carter portrayed Ellie's struggles with this part of herself and how it contributed to her issues with the assault.

Overall, I think this book had a really strong ending but a very rocky beginning. I would recommend this if it is something that seems interesting to you & if you've enjoyed titles like The Female of the Species. If the beginning seems like too much to you, I'd suggest skimming it or skipping to part 2 (around page 103) and just going from there because the first third of the novel can be very heavy and take a huge toll on the reader.

The blog link may only include the creative post, not the creative post and the review, depending on the decision of the blog tour organizer. It will go live on February 23rd & will be tweeted about.

“I didn’t deserve this. Even the most confused and lost girl, even the most screwed up of us all, doesn’t deserve this.”

All Ellie ever wanted was to blend in. All her life, she’s worn the wrong clothes. Ever since puberty, she’s been teased for her figure. Now, about to start high school, she decides that enough is enough – she’ll blend in no matter what. Enlisting the help of her neighbor Kate, Ellie gets a makeover that turns her into a stereotypical high school student. Now, instead of negative attention, she’s getting looks of interest from one of the most popular boys in the school, Caleb, the son of a wealthy politician. When Ellie disappears, the fact that she blended in so well works against her. Nobody noticed her. Nothing about her stood out. Then, one girl starts putting the pieces together and the whole story comes crumbling down.

I’m so sad. I really wanted to like this one more, but I have a complicated relationship with books like this. It’s not a fault of the book or the writer but more a case of “it’s not you, it’s me.” You know, I read the summary, I read some early reviews, and I still didn’t grasp just how dark this book would be. It took me forever to read it because I could only stomach it in small batches. In all honesty, I probably would not have requested it if I’d known it would be like this.

Reading this book was hard. I’ve thankfully never experienced sexual assault and I got panicky just reading it. I can’t imagine how it would feel if you were a survivor, so trigger warnings for that, I guess. The characters dance around the actual assault, rarely referring to it as rape and primarily just referring to it as a thing that happened. But still, the gut punches are there when you’re least expecting them, and more and more details are revealed as the story continues.

It makes me so angry that a book like this is necessary. These are the times that we live in and it’s horrible. I hate that a book this horrible can also be so realistic. I hate the ending because it shouldn’t be something that actually happens. This book tears apart the argument that a girl could ask for it. That a girl could be somehow deserving of sexual assault because of the way she dresses or the people she associates with or the neighborhood she lives in. Carter has one of the best quotes I’ve read on rape culture in this book.

People don’t debate what defines murder. Politicians don’t argue the body’s ability to fight off being killed. There’s no talk of ‘murder culture.’ No one says that you asked for murder. What you wear doesn’t excuse being killed.

There are a few twists and I’m not entirely sure how I felt about some of them. I’d hoped for a bit more closure at the end, but, like life, things don’t always tie up neatly. The book is certainly worthy of the attention that it’s getting, but I think it’s important to keep in mind that it’s a very heavy book about a very heavy topic.

Final rating: ★★★☆☆

I received a free advance copy of I Stop Somewhere from the publisher (via Netgalley) in exchange for my honest review.

someone please tell me if this gets out of torture porn realm, because currently I am 38% in and strongly feel that nothing is happening beyond constant, constant torture.

This is my literal top pet peeve in literature, and I'm finding this really difficult to read and uncomfortable. Not in a not-good way. Little to no character development, mostly just meditation on the character's former life and there is actually no plot. I don't think I can remember the last time I read something with so little plot 38% in. There is nothing keeping me here except voyeurism, and my guess is the author hoped the novel would thrive off this alone, at least until this point. This is not the stellar takedown of rape culture I wanted or needed, and it is nothing I want to read.

✨Arc received from the publisher via Netgalley for an honest review. (Jan 31)

TRIGGER WARNINGS for rape, sexual assault, abuse

I received a copy of this book from netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

I can't put into words the sadness or anger I had while reading this book. I highly recommend reading the authors note after reading.

This entire book is a conversation about rape and in my opinion, how.our court system treats the act and the victims - .and the so-called blame in being one.

Rough to read because it makes you think, if you can handle the topic I believe everyone should pick up I Stop Somewhere.

" They targeted us because they thought we were weak. But even the weakest girl has power inside her. She maybe just needs a little guidance to find it."

I Stop Somewhere is a book that I will remember for some time. There were several things about this book that made it stand out from others that might have some similarities: One, that the POV was from a person who no longer should have existed in "this" world. Another, that society and the judicial system have a separate set or rules for the wealthy and those who are not wealthy. Because of some (well publicized) court decisions in the past several years, it seems that "affluenza" often receives a slap on the wrist rather than a just and fair consequence for the crime. I am not going to give away the story, but I do want to mention that I was pleased this book brought up the topic of the wealthy and how society and the judicial system receive them.
Although I can't really say I "enjoyed" the book as it is hard to enjoy a book on a topic such as this. But I am glad I read it and I would recommend it to my students.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with an e-arc of this book!

Overall I found this book to be addicting and to hold a very important message. While it was definitely predictable and the characters (to me) were a bit flat, the engaging plot, and the writing really stood out to me. The dialogue of the story sometimes felt a bit unnatural, but some of the writing was really amazing.

The message of this story is a very powerful one for people who haven't already been exposed to it, so this is definitely a very important book. For me, I felt like I'd heard this story many times before, and while it was heartbreaking, it didn't feel entirely special to me.

Here are a couple of quotes that really stood out:

"The mirror of a girls' bathroom is always being stared at by women who wish it could become a window." - T.E. Carter (I Stop Somewhere)

"I'm also a murder victim, but murder carries with it what it is. People don't debate what defines murder. Politicians don't argue the body's ability to fight off being killed. There's no talk of 'murder culture.' No one says that you asked for murder. What you wear doesn't excuse being killed." - T.E. Carter (I Stop Somewhere)

I thought I had prepared myself for this book. Violence is always tough for me, but this one gutted me, while simultaneously touching my heart. The focus of this book was definitely assault and rape culture, but there is also many other themes associated with being female.

Ellie suffered years of abuse, because she hit puberty before the other girls in her grade. Unusual? I hate to say it isn't. I remember girls I went to grade school being treated exactly the same way. You would think that we wouldn't be punishing young women for "growing up" 30-plus years later, but I know it still goes on, and it is quite sad.

I saw a lot of "younger me" in Ellie, and there had massive amounts of empathy towards her. Between the bullying and her mother abandoning her, to her feelings of invisibility and loneliness, my heart ached and I wanted to reach out and hug her. Loneliness can drive people to make poor decisions, and Ellie just wanted to be wanted and wanted to fit in so badly, that she was willing to accept less than she deserved.

This book was quite heavy. How could it not be! But, Carter did give us some lovely things in the way of a few characters. Ellie's dad was not perfect, but still wonderful. He was left to raise a toddler on his own. They didn't have much money, but when he could, dad would buy little things he thought a girl would like. Sometimes he was too tired to do much with her, but I never doubted how much he loved Ellie, and most importantly, she knew he loved her too. Ellie's dog, Fred, was another gift Carter gave us. It just gave me some comfort to know that Ellie had someone in her corner.

This story was heartbreaking and powerful. T.E. Carter told it in an honest and beautiful way, and I think this book will definitely start some important conversations.

If you are a fan of Lovely Bones you will find a kindred spirit in this very special book. Ellie is a girl who was practically invisible to everyone in her life and when she vanishes, no one really notices except her father who thought she ran away. But Ellie didn't run. She was put in the earth and now she watches the same boys who hurt and killer her attack other girls, creating a maelstrom of victims. As Ellie learns from her life, she watches events unfold that will make you think about your own families and interactions with others in a very real way.

I loved the way this author tackled this difficult subject. Nowhere does she get graphic but at the same time you know what she is referring to in given situations. Every girl should read this book. It was amazing.

This book is like The Lovely Bones meets 13 Reasons Why.

More than midway through the book I said to a coworker just starting to read it “this book will wreck you.” I don’t mean that in a bad way, I mean that because TE Carter’s fictional story is too real and too relevant to what is going on today.

Ellie is a high school girl who has always tried to disappear and not stand out, hoping to get bullied less. But when she starts high school she wants to blend in, but be seen. After a brutal assault everything changes and sees it happening over and over again in her small sad town.

This book delves head on with rape culture, media, and how we react to story after story. I’d suggest it for high school and up reader.

Powerful. Please read and share this book.

Ellie Frias haunts this story as she is forced to watch the unthinkable happen over and over again. She knows exactly how these girls feel; the emotions that swell on their tear-stained faces, the embarrassment, the fear, the regret and finally, the shame. And she can’t do anything but watch. Her helplessness isn’t her fault, seeing as how she’s dead.

Ellie didn’t plan for this to happen to her. Her existence wasn’t remarkable when she was alive, despite her trying to change that. It wasn’t that she wanted to be at the top of the food chain, merely make it so people noticed she was even ON the chain. Her struggles with bullies and rumors in her old school forced her to keep her head down, but when she starts high school, she’s ready to lift it up a bit. It’s there she meets Caleb Breward, son of the man whose real estate business gobbles up foreclosed homes, leaving the owners out on the street. But, to the dying town’s eyes, he’s just making sure those houses don’t decay and cause the whole town to rot. Caleb is handsome, popular, and actually paying attention to her. It starts out small, but as the weeks go on, Ellie is pretty sure they are dating. He takes her to his family’s rental properties to hang out and sometimes his older brother Noah stops in too. It’s here where there is more than kissing happening but she never lets it get too far. Until the day she doesn’t have a say in the matter. The day her voice, her mind, and her body die.

I Stop Somewhere tells the cautionary tale of rape. It’s brutal at times, hard to read, and unimaginable. Ellie doesn’t have a voice anymore but that doesn’t stop some of the other victims from going to the police. Ellie watches this all carefully, hoping that the Breward brothers are caught. But as small towns go, the brothers have money and power on their side and the police’s hands are tied. At times, this felt like a suspense story, shrouded in the backdrop of rape, and I kept wanting to know what happens to Ellie. There is no humor, nor happiness in this story even in the flashbacks of her life with her dad. Some good moments, sure, but if you are looking for something that will make you smile, you’ll have to wait for the ending. Even then it will be bittersweet.

I don't think any book has gotten me to cry. This book left me a wreck in the most beautiful way. TE Carter did not hold back and dived into one of the most tragic subjects in today's world : RAPE. I don't want to give too much away but I enjoyed the main character and how she was portrayed throughout the book. I would recommend this book to anyone and everyone. My favorite read so far.

Ellie dies after a brutal assault and now she’s a ghost, stuck in the house where she died and having to watch other girls get attacked again and again. Each chapter alternated between the past and present, starting off with Ellie’s background as she grew up. Her and her father reside in an almost ghost town located in New York. Her mother deserted them right after Ellie was born and her father makes minimal wage and works double and triple shifts at the only grocery store in the decaying town. Ellie has self-esteem issues because of her body (brought on by bullying classmates) and wishes she could be pretty like the other girls in town and the girls in the magazines. The summer before high school she asks her neighbor Kate to transform her into something special, and she does. Rocking a new haircut and clothes, Ellie walks into high school confident and manages to attract the attention of Caleb, the son of the town’s rich politician and real estate guru. From that moment, her downfall starts as she is swept into Caleb’s circle that ultimately ends in her death.

This was a very heartbreaking story from beginning to end. It was easy to connect to Ellie as she tried her best and wished to fit in amongst her peers. A roller coaster of emotions are weaved into each chapter detailing the good and bad as Ellie flashes back to the past and witnesses the world around her from the afterlife as the boys’ actions face extreme consequences. This is definitely a story where you want justice once you get to the end.

I received an ARC of I Stop Somewhere from NetGalley.

I received a copy of this book from Netgalley for an honest review.

I’m a bit awed that this is the author’s debut novel because it is…so…good. The subject is awful but unfortunately not unfamiliar and it plays out as you might expect but with a twist. I think everyone has probably felt like Ellie at one point, striving to belong somewhere while clinging to the person that you know isn’t the best for you. When I wasn’t reading this, I was thinking about it because it is one of those books that doesn’t let go. It calls to you until the end.

I look forward to more from this author.