Skye is an extremely talented teenager and her art is going to take her places. In fact, she's hoping for a scholarship to art school so she can get out of town and make something of herself. Only, she's just found out that her mom is dating Dan again. Last time she dated Dan, something happened between them, something that shouldn't happen. Skye has tried to tell her mom but it seems she just doesn't believe her. Now Skye might have to put her plans for art school on hold because she can't leave her little sister Emma behind with Dan.

So unfortunately for Skye, she has rather low self-esteem now when it comes to men. She likes the attention she gets from guys, and she loves to flirt when she's drinking. Which is a lot, because drinking helps make the memories fade into the background. She finds herself in a few sticky situations because of the drinking. If anything, Skye needs to be in counseling to help her cope with the trauma.

I admired Skye so much because her love of art poured off the page. She was so insanely talented in multiple mediums and whenever she started talking about a new project, I got excited with her. My heart broke for her when she was so scared to try and speak up again to her mother. Because she felt she wasn't believed it made it that much harder for her to try again all these years later. But she's such a strong teenager and I know she's going places.

The book was well-written, I liked the characters, including Ben. Emma got on my nerves a bit, but I imagine that's what younger sisters are supposed to do. (I only have younger sisters, so perhaps I grated on them as Emma does). Luisa was a great character as Skye's best friend, and we would only hope that anyone going through such a thing will have someone like Luisa they can lean on. Keith was a great character that came out of nowhere, and I would have liked to have spent more time with him. I felt Skye's journey to speak up was probably true to what survivors go through, and Sibson did well portraying that inner battle and the scars one carries after such a thing happens. Overall, The Art of Breaking Things is very nicely done, a great read.

Laura Sibson has done a stunning job of creating a profoundly believable character who kept me engaged even though her story was hard to face. The damage done to twelve-year-old Skye by her mother's boyfriend, enhanced by her mother's dismissal of the event as never having happened, so clearly influences Skye's self-destructive behavior several years later. Yet this is a story of hope as Skye does her best to protect her younger sister when the boyfriend comes back into their lives. She finds her catharsis in art, the descriptions of which add a richness to the story, as do the realistically drawn young people who are her friends, struggling with their own demons but working through them. This is a story that needed to be told, and in the telling offers hope and understanding to those who may have a similar secret eating away at them.

A stunning debut by Laura Sibson. It perfectly encapsulates the effect of sexual abuse and the trauma the ensues after. You will laugh, cry, rage, and heal.

This book is almost instantly gripping. Based on the jacket I thought there might be some redundancies, as I’ve come to read quite a few books lately that seemed to have a story just like this one. However, once I started this one, it felt different than other books almost immediately. The characters are so relatable and the flow of the writing so natural that you can easily paint yourself into the story right alongside these people. I think the very striking difference between this book and those I assumed it would be like is that this doesn’t have something happen that is as explicit or as violent as some of the other books’ events, but it is just as traumatic to the victim. Not all crimes of a sexual nature are stranger danger or leave bruises and blood or have the victim screaming for their life during their attack. Nevertheless, the impact still strikes just as deep. It’s important to give all young girls and women a story they can relate to in order to help them heal. Also, it’s important for those who aren’t victims to be aware of all of the ways a sexual assault might occur and that no matter the perceived impact, the trauma a victim experiences is always unique to them. Your life can change from 1 instance of sexual abuse. There are many forms. We as a society need to be more aware and supportive of all victims.

This book took my breath away. I sat down and read it in one sitting, which is testament to its amazingness. This was a beautiful story about finding oneself and piecing oneself back together after experiencing trauma, and it was done beautifully. I don't even have accurate words for how incredible this story was, and it's not one I'll be forgetting about anytime soon.

The Art of Breaking Things by Laura Sibson (June 18)
Overview: Skye was twelve when she was molested by her mother's boyfriend on a camping trip. When she tried to tell her mom that night, her mom brushed her off and was too drunk to remember what happened to Skye. Now a senior in high school, she's lived with the fear and shame for a while, believing that her mother doesn't believe her. She's tried to cope with alcohol, drugs, and art, and she's starting to heal when Dan comes back into their lives. Now with her younger sister Emma turning twelve, Skye is filled with fear, panic, and flashbacks as her family starts to fall apart again. She has to decide if and how she wants to speak out to stop her mother from marrying her abuser. Overall: 5

Characters: 5 Skye is an amazing character. She's so strong, but she feels like she has to be. Her secret eats her alive, and she does whatever she can to drown it with drugs or emotional outbursts. She's trying to cope the best she can without any resources and during her partying she has even more negative sexual experiences. From the outside, Skye looks like she's barely hanging on. Without knowing what she's working through she looks pointlessly rebellious. But she's not, and watching her best friend get sent to rehab after a party got busted starts to send Skye into a mission to deal with her own relationship with herself and her coping mechanisms.
Ben was always there to get high with Skye until he isn't. Caught with weed on him during a party, heh disappears for a month leaving Skye to fester about whether their friendship really is becoming something more. It's a thought that terrifies her. They have palpable chemistry, and what turns into a beautiful relationship when he gets out and starts to help Skye when she's ready to open up.
Luisa is another amazing character. She's been Skye's best friend forever, and she's always known something happened with Dan even though Skye has never been open to talking about it. But she does the best thing she can- she stands by Skye and supports her until she's ready to say something.
Keith is another surprising character. While he starts as a total football bro, Keith turns into an amazing friend who helps support Skye during Ben's absence. I love seeing this friendship, and I love seeing Keith explore who he wants to be when social pressures are released.
The family dynamics in the book are also super important. Her mother doesn't remember that night, but Skye does. She doesn't understand why Skye is so angry about why Dan is back, and she chalks her partying up to being an obnoxious, rebellious teenager. Being busy closes her off to her kids even though she does everything for them. Emma is navigating her own way into being a teenager and her honest sibling relationship with Skye is amazing.

Plot: 5 This story is so so good. The beats hit perfectly, and there are so many layers. There are great scenes where the friends are just hanging out that fill your heart up, there are tense moments, and scenes that turn small, mundane things into everything. With a couple well used flashbacks and a couple scenes of pure emotion, Sibson captures Skye's rollercoaster of healing beautifully and with a delicate hand.

Writing: 5 This book is so well written. The characters have instant chemistry, and it feels like you've known them forever from the first page. It's a hard feat to pull off, but it makes the books tick perfectly in time. The world is just so rich and alive that it becomes impossible to leave. The pages must keep turning while your heart breaks and heals with Skye. I found it a very cathartic experience.