Before I get into my review I have to say that this book has a trigger warning. So if you are unable to read books about rape then don’t read on.

Rape is not something that’s easy to write. I commend the author for taking on such a subject.

This book also happens to be told in different POVs popping back and forth between the past and present. It doesn’t just focus

Ashley is in high school as a freshman who was raped by a senior football player. From her brothers football team. Ashley had a crush on him, she gets to know him and they spend time together she also trusted him.

The thing that’s got me is that it was all because of a game What?! I have no words to that.

This book is so many different things wrapped into one. It’s raw, devastating and gut wrenching to read. There’s so many others that I’m feeling right now after finishing it but I honestly don’t know how to put it into words.

I received this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

This book is intense. Read the synopsis so you know what you're getting into. This is not a fluffy contemporary. This is story about an innocent girl who get raped as part of a sick game played by the football team. However its more than that, it's about the family that get devastated and the friendships thats grow in the wake of tragedy. Someone I Used to Know takes an important glance at how rape affects more than just the victim. The story is told from alternating voices and by weaving the past into the present. I loved how powerful the writing was. Ashley is a badass. She takes her experiences and becomes an advocate. She broken, flawed but trying to heal. Her brother Derek was also apart of the fallout. His perspectives were intense and heartbreaking at time. Someone I Used to Nor is truly a beautiful heart wrenching novel. It talks about how boys will be boys is not an acceptable excuse and it never was. It's a timely and fitting for our current social climate, and the ME TOO movements.

Someone I Used to Know is a powerful story that every parent, high school, student, educator should read. Told in duel POV of Ashley and her brother Derek this story hooks you from the first chapter. This is a must read book that will change your thinking and have you questioning every thing you thought you knew.

It's really difficult to review a book like this. Rape is NOT an easy topic to read about. It's also not an easy topic to write about. Yet, sexual violence permeates our culture at alarming rates. Did you know that every 98 seconds an American is sexually assaulted? Meanwhile only 6 out of every 1,000 perpetrators ends up in prison. It's fact - I looked it up.

Someone I Used to Know by Patty Blount gives voice to the idea that today's culture reinforces the normalization of sexual violence. I didn't agree with everything presented in the book but I definitely appreciate that she wasn't afraid to tell this story and encourage readers to think.

In, Someone I Used to Know , Ashley is a high school freshman who is raped by a senior football player. He is a boy she had a crush on. A boy she kissed and spent time with. A boy she trusted. It was all part of a football team scavenger hunt. The boys literally preyed on girls for points. It was viewed as a "boys will be boys" game.

The story is told through various points-of-view and goes back and forth between the present and the past. It was easy to follow and it offers us different insight at various stages of the book.

A few things I really liked:
1. Ashley grew from a terrified victim, barely surviving to a warrior. I applauded her growth even when I didn't agree with everything she did. So many instances of sexual violence go unreported because the victims are made to feel as if they were to blame. I applauded Blout's firm stance on this - the victims are NOT to blame no matter what they wore, where they were, or even if they said yes previously. This is a message everyone needs to hear!

"Justice is achieved when those who aren't injured feel as indignant as those who are."

2. I appreciated Ashley's brother Derek's story. He was a great example of what so many people think when confronted with the reality of sexual violence. Their strife was very real and emotional. We saw him go from being so angry he blamed her ("Why didn't you just stay home?") to being a voice for the cause himself. While that may not have been a totally realistic change, I felt that the emotions he went through - blaming himself, feeling like he should have done something, battling his own feelings of inadequacy over not being her hero - those were very real.

3. The depiction of the family turmoil was brutally honest. When Ashley was raped - it affected her whole family. How could it not? Her struggles became their struggles. There was so much anger in each of them. My heart ached for all of them.

"Forgiveness is rarely this once-and-done thing. It's an ongoing battle, a struggle to remember that love is worth more than pain, and that fighting for it matters more than a grudge."

4. Even though the story itself ended on a positive note I appreciated that it didn't sugar coat things and pretend everything was going to be happily ever after. Blount acknowledges that it is a never ending process but one that does get easier with support.

"Every last bit of the pain and shame and guilt and grief I've carried since my freshman year drips from soul, collecting in a reservoir. They're not gone for good though, and I know they'll leak out sometimes. But my dam is stronger now. Higher walls. Reinforced not with concrete and steel, but with unbreakable family ties."

5. Support - Therapists, support groups, family, friends! I applaud that those were all a big part of the the story and not just for Ashley but for her family as well. I think that's an important message. It's so easy for survivors to feel alone. Support is essential.

I'll be honest, some might find the book a bit preachy but this is a topic that needs to be discussed. As a YA book geared for teens I think it does a wonderful job of sending out the right message.

***Thanks to NetGalley for providing me a complimentary copy of SOMEONE I USED TO KNOW by Patty Blount in exchange for my honest review.***

I wish I didn’t have to write this review. I’m a Patty Blount fan and preordered SOMEONE I USED TO KNOW as I do all her YA novels. When I received notification that I was approved for an ARC, I was so excited.

Blount’s writing is as appealing as ever. I love how she strings words together with beauty and ease. Initially, I was drawn into Ashley’s fears and pain. Her PTSD felt authentic.

After a few pages, the story morphed from genuine to self-righteous. I felt as if I was reading Blout’s opinions instead of a teenage rape survivor about toxic masculinity, high school football and how these issues ought to be handled. Ashley’s victim impact statements sounded like an adult writing for a teenager.

Derek was obviously the character on a journey from complicit to champion. The dialogue around his education seemed more like the writer attempting to educate readers poorly disguised as plots.

Sebastian was The Perfect Boy example of how high school young men ought to treat girls, view toxic masculinity and be paragons of virtue.

I was so disappointed with the execution of this wonderful plot premise. I don’t blame Blount for wanting to write a teachable story on these important issues. I respect her for it and wish an editor had toned down the preaching. SOMEONE I USED TO KNOW could and should have been a five star review for me.

I’d recommend the book for middle schoolers who haven’t had a lot of exposure to sexual assault and rape culture but older teens will probably see right through the over lessons.

It's been 2 years since Ashley was raped by one of her brother's teammates. The author jumps between the past and present, and Ashley and her brother Derek. The change in their relationship since the rape, is tearing their family apart. Ashley is finding ways to cope with the trauma of the rape, and Derek is coming to terms with how he responded to his sister, and the role he played in the rape. As Thanksgiving approaches, will they be able to work through their issues or will their family fall apart? In the midst of #metoo, #timesup, #iamanastywoman, #yesallwomen, etc., movements, this book is more than relevant, it's necessary.

The author writes with the passion of someone who understands how survivors of rape feel, cope, and interact. This is the first time I've read a book where we have the opportunity to live in the mind of more than just the survivor. This gives us a chance to see how rape effects an entire family, and community. There were times towards the end I wanted to slap some of the characters, but at no point did I want to put this book down. Read it. Then give it to every friend you know - especially male friends. Perhaps even send one to Trump - just sayin'.

An innocent young girl is raped as part of a demented game, her life twisted into a mangled parody of normal and society is guilty of continuing the emotional and psychological deed in ignorant or self-righteous bliss. One family devolves into a quagmire of devastation, rage and unconsciously mimics society’s callous opinion that boys will be boys, while passing judgment on a fourteen year old girl’s “guilt.” It will take two long and painful years for the complete implosion and now the question is, can they find a way back to finally support each other, and help Ashley heal?

If you read nothing else, every man, woman and young adult MUST read SOMEONE I USED TO KNOW by Patty Blount. Although fictional, it is a scathing and raw indictment of a world where sex sells, “dirty jokes” are told and beauty is a perceived license for demeaning and condescending behavior.

Told through the voices of Ashley, the rape survivor and her self-centered brother, Derek, this tale is meant to make people uncomfortable, to make us feel guilty, to open our eyes. For parents who say, this is too raw for my teen, think again, this is EXACTLY what EVERY teen needs to read, male or female. A court verdict does not end the pain of the survivor, long after we are on to the next news bite, the cancer continues to grow, for everyone touched.

Devastating, dark and brutally raw, this gut-wrenching read is filled with triggers, truths and rightfully puts the blame solidly on “the good people of our culture.” And aren’t we ALL good people?? Buy a copy for a friend, a family member and make sure every library you know orders several. Perhaps this should be required reading in school, certainly more relevant and timely than those "classics."

I received a complimentary ARC edition from Sourcebooks Fire!

Publisher: Sourcebooks Fire (August 7, 2018)
Publication Date: August 7, 2018
Genre: YA | Sexual Abuse | Family
Print Length: 384 pages
Available from: Amazon | Barnes & Noble
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