Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for giving me a free advanced copy of this book to read and review.

Unfortunately, after trying many times, the formatting of this book make it unreadable so I won't be able to review it properly.

Thank you to Netgalley for providing an e-galley for review. Zack Smedley always writes such thought provoking books and "Tonight We Rule the World" is no exception. Turning the sexual assault trope on it's head, this follows a bisexual boy who is on the autism spectrum disorder scale through his experiences with his first girlfriend. The good and the bad. Smedley really shows how hard it is to leave a relationship when it wasn't always bad, and there are some really good times associated with the person and the relationship. The father is one of the most conflicted characters I've read in recent YA literature and he is also a triumph (conflictedly).

Tonight We Rule the World left me breathless from the hook at the beginning to the stomach-dropping reveal!

TW: Gaslighting, denial, PTSD, SA and domestic abuse

I felt so sick reading this book because I felt so utterly sad and betrayed and devasted for Owen.
This book spins this tells so tragical; we begin with finding out Owen has been assaulted a month after it happens, then we flip between present time to his diary entries from freshman year (3-4 years ago). You see his character growth and building relationships and friendships, and everything looks excellent, all while you know the pain that is going to occur and then when it happens, it's like a kick to the stomach. I felt betrayed and a mix of emotions in response to how Owen coped with it, and it's essential to say this - his reaction was nowhere wrong, I just wanted to protect him, but he needed to manage how he did to get there.

Also, I was mad at his father initially, but in the end, I felt bad for him while knowing his reactions were wrong and hindered his son!
PLUS, I WANNA PUNCH THAT PERSON (READERS WILL KNOW WHO) IN THE THROAT!

A powerful look at navigating trauma on your own terms. Full review posted at BookBrowse: https://www.bookbrowse.com/mag/reviews/index.cfm/ref/pr278592

Thank you to NetGalley and Page Street Publishing for sending me an eARC of this book to review.

Owen is raped on the Senior Class Trip, the same night he announces on social media that he is bisexual. He only tells one person, and now that person has anonymously reported it to the school. Owen is called to the office where the principal informs him and his father that an incident was reported and that they will be investigating. The principal wants Owen to tell her who did this to him. Owen's Father, a retired marine with untreated PTSD, also wants to know who did it, and wants that person arrested.
Owen just wants to forget. He is sure that if his attacker is named, EVERYTHING will change. He wants to forget, but can he?
The chapters in this book alternate between current time and Owen’s Journal entries dating back to his freshman year. His journal entries introduce us Owen's friend group, girlfriend and past family issues. Owen is on the autism spectrum, and this is the first group of friends, & the first girlfriend he has ever had.
Once we learn the identity of his attacker, we understand more why Owen does not want anyone to know who it is. Through the support of his close knit group of friends, Owen finally has the courage to name his attacker to his parents and the strength to move on from the attack.

Possible Triggers: rape, PTSD, toxic relationships

WHEW. This book will make you uncomfortable- and it should. But, it will also make you grow.

Owen is a phenomenal character- and the dual timeline really shows readers the highs and lows of his adolescence. Both involve Lily, his girlfriend.

This book explores neurodiversity, intense friendship, sexual assault in a relationship, male victims of sexual assault, PTSD, divorce, and so much more. I was impressed with how well it handled all of these issues. Must read.

Zack Smedley does it again. His first novel tore my heart a part and with Tonight We Rule the World, it was no different. Bisexual representation is so important in today's work and Zack does this so well. It's like his characters have such a relatable lived experiences as his readers and his writing is so transformative. BUY THIS BOOK TODAY! (well it comes out Oct 12th, so buy it then! But also preorder the hell out of this book!)

Okay way, this one hit really hard. I knew what I was getting into when I started it because it's clearly stated on the back. This is a story about sexual assault and rebuilding life after that.

This book had be on the edge of my seat. I didn't want to put it down because I needed to know what happened next. Owen's story compelled me more than I thought it would. I knew this would be a heavy hitter, I just didn't know it would break me down and build me up again with its honesty.

Zack writes this book with a carful eye to the story he is telling. It is a complicated and sensitive subject, and one that I believe he tackles with excellence and brutality. This is a story of overcoming ones fears of letting go, and rebuilding life when the word thing happens. What do you do when you feel everything you've worked so hard to achieve come troubling down around you? What would you be willing to tolerate to survive it? What lies will you be willing to tell yourself and believe from others?

It's emotional, but I was also never taken over that edge. Like a rollercoaster, the build up was there, but the drop was small. This can be a bad and a good thing. It was too much emotion that I was left sobbing, but I felt that telltale ping in my chest of empathy for Owen.

This is a book I highly recommend. Zack Smedley is a phenomenal write, and the work is proof of that.

I adore Zack and I love his writing and I'm really excited to read and review Tonight We Rule the World. But, I've tried to download it on Kindle and the Netgalley app multiple times and it's just unreadable. The words are all jumbled together. Unless I can get another copy, I guess I'll be waiting for release to review.

Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for this e-arc.
TW: Rape, Violence.

Around two years ago I read Zack's debut novel Deposing Nathan and absolutely loved it. So when I found our that he was coming out with another book I knew I had to protect my heart and read this book.

Just to warn everyone who is gonna read this book. it is heavy. There is a lot of social issues packed into this book. The main character Owen goes through a lot and the stuff he goes through is very real. I won't go into depth about what happened in my review but Owen was raped and he grapples with that through the whole book. Im not someone who can speak a lot on sexual assault but in my opinion it was handled very well. It was handled with care and understanding. The other rep that I think was well done was Autism rep. I have a few family members with autism and this book made me understand them more.. I really enjoyed this book even though it was super heavy and dealt with real world issues