Thank you to NetGalley and the Publish for an Arc!


I am going to preface this review by saying I am lucky enough to have not experienced SA or R. I cannot speak on how well that in particular is portrayed.

However, it spoke wonderfully on what it’s like being a person in this world who presents/identifies/is perceived to be a woman.

As well as the MC dealing with the trauma of her Sa&R, there is also discussions on microagresssions. Some I’ve experienced:

Whenever my sister and I get honked at on the street, I’m always praying that they are honking at my, and not my little sister who looks older than 13. When I am hosting at the restaurant I work at, old men will put their hands on my shoulder, and sometimes my waist.


There are also discussions on intersectional microagressions. There’s a trans SC, a lesbian LI, and the best friend (Deja) is a Black asexual girl. Firstly, the Aspec Rep was spectacular. Secondly, the book discussed how conflicted Deja feels about her identity, because black woman are both oversdxualized and infantilized.

Sorry for the badly written review. It’s 12am, and I wanted to get my thoughts down on this amazing book.

5/5 stars! A realistic (fictional) account of SA trauma, and how it can spiral. loved the format of the writing. Some of it had me gripping my pillow saying “no! Don’t” the portrayal of wolves, and medusa - perfect. It’s a hard book to get through, but important.


Thank you NetGalley and the publishers for allowing me to receive an arc in exchange for my honest review- all thoughts and opinions are my own.

I really enjoyed this style of writing and how prose was written beautifully to encompass a serious topic. It's such an amazing book and I really enjoyed it!

Dear Medusa is a raw, gripping book that tells the story of one girl's rage, healing, and grief while also exploring how all girls are affected by the wolves in their lives, predators surrounding us and waiting to pounce.

Dear Medusa is a story told in verse and first person, following Alicia, a high-schooler who is trying to find her way to live and to fly again while feeling like a rabbit in a den of wolves. Alicia is out-spoken, smart, and very angry, and I found her incredibly relatable. All young women can unfortunately relate to the things she talks about- teachers who leer, men at the bus stop who whistle and honk at you for merely existing in a feminine body.

Throughout the story we see Alicia gain a support group, feel present in her own body, and begin the arduous process of healing while grappling with her very real and heavy trauma. Cole's writing never softens the blow, letting the reader feel the full scrape and cut of Alicia's feelings, and I loved that about it. This book was incredibly cathartic for me and I think would be a very good read to any women who are in a good place to feel these things.

This book is brilliant and beautiful and I'm so glad I got to read it. Olivia A. Cole's decision to make this a novel in verse was absolutely the best choice -- Alicia's narration is sharp and to the point, and she leaves nothing to be desired. Her cynicism comes across in her poetry, but also her hope (especially towards the end of the book). She's an endearing character to follow. I never wanted anything but the best for her and I felt the pain she felt as she walked through life.
I do think that this has a few prevalent flaws, though. Most notably, I feel like Alicia's brother's plotline was a little underdeveloped. It took up a lot of pages but I feel like there was no conclusion to it. Granted, this book had a very open ending, but I think that David and Alicia's relationship could have used a little something at the end to make me feel satisfied with it.
One thing that was absolutely not flawed was Alicia's relationship with Deja, her best friend, and her mother. Deja was probably my favorite character in this (although I'm biased because, like her, I'm asexual) -- she was unabashedly herself and I feel like I learned things from her. And the relationship between Alicia and her mother broke and healed my heart. Seeing them growing apart and then working to come together again was incredible, and Cole did the complexities of their relationship so much justice.
In general, this is an incredible read that absolutely should not be disregarded because of its flaws. Be aware of the trigger warnings when going into it, but if you're in a place where you can read this, definitely give it a chance.

TWs: Sexual assault, toxic relationship, racism, misogyny, violence, blood

I really wasn't sure how I'd feel about a novel in verse but this is achingly beautiful. It's really extraordinary. Verse is exactly what's necessary to really paint the picture of this life and to encompass all the emotions and experience in a way that's truly felt, and it's not obtuse - it's written in a verse that its target readers will be able to really dig into.

I'm not the target market, obviously, but I love YA books and I"m raising someone who's now reading it, too. It's a painful topic, and it's not an easy read in that respect, but in all others, its... I don't want to say "enjoyable" because it's hard to match that with this, but it's deeply, deeply engaging.

CWs for anti-Black racism, homophobia (biphobia and lesbophobia primarily), slur use (d-slur, n-word use is referenced but not outright written), grooming, sexual assault & abuse

I finished this last night but I wanted to sleep on it before I wrote anything, but in general, I really loved reading this. When I requested it, I didn't realize it was a novel in verse so that was a nice surprise when I started it; verse can be much quicker to read, but often it can tell just as powerful of a story as traditional prose. This story felt intimate, like I was being trusted with something special, and it felt meaningful.

Dear Medusa felt like it healed something in me that I didn't know still needed healing. Alicia's story and how the people around her (particularly the adults) reacted to her and treated her was so hard to read and it felt so obvious that she was struggling with something - how did none of them stop and ask themselves why this student was acting out this way? But in that way I think it was also true to life, because there's plenty of people in schools who don't care, because their position as a teacher is a power trip for them. It was sad, and it hurt to read about her being treated that way.

I did love watching her support system slowly grow, and her friendship with Deja was incredibly sweet. I'm reading this from a white perspective, obviously, so I'd be curious to see how specifically Black readers feel about these interactions/dynamics, but I really enjoyed all of it. It felt realistic that Alicia wasn't initially super conscious of Deja's struggles, but the more she spent time with her, the more she noticed until she was using her position to run to her friend's defense when she needed it. Also, I thought Deja's arc with her identity and sexuality was very thoughtfully done!

I want to say this without spoiling too heavily, but I really REALLY loved that the book/author made a point to solely focus on Alicia and her healing and her reckoning vs. the typical story plot of the villain getting their comeuppance. I don't care about the Colonel. I don't care about Sarah. I don't care about Adam. Would all of them getting their punishments have been satisfying? Sure, I guess. But the book wasn't about them. It was about Alicia, and I loved and appreciated that it committed to her voice over theirs.

Overall, I really loved this and I think it could shape up to be a pretty powerful classroom tool. Heavily recommend, but make sure to thoroughly check warnings!

This is the kind of story that burrows into your heart and scrapes you raw in the best way. Alicia’s story is relatable in the worst ways, but I love the community and friendships she’s able to develop and the strength she finds over the course of her journey.

Last year, the school’s beloved science teacher raped Alicia, but she hasn’t been able to tell anyone, especially because he is so beloved by the entirety of the school. But holding her pain and rage and sadness inside makes Alicia act out, lash out, and act in ways that hurt herself - connecting with random men and seeing if they recognize she’s just a sixteen-year-old girl or if they care, or if they see her as a sexual object. But even as she’s a burning fire turning herself to ash, Alicia makes new friends with Deja and Geneva, who help her find herself anew.

This is such a poignant story and I’m so glad it exists, even as it utterly gutted me. So many of Alicia’s experiences are too familiar - grown men looking too long, lingering touches, inappropriate comments - and I hope reading this story can be validating in showing that those experiences aren’t okay and young girls aren’t inviting those kind of interactions. I really, highly recommend picking up this book if it is content you’re able to handle because it’s so wonderfully handled and especially the ending is such a great reclamation of power and self. Also, the weaving in of the myth of Medusa and Alicia’s letters to Medusa were such a fantastic touch that just add depth and nuance to the book.

[CannonballRead will post March 11, 2023]

"Thank you Netgalley for an arc in exchange for an honest review."

"Dear Medusa" by Olivia A. Cole follows Bisexual 16 year old Alicia who is, struggling with sexual abuse while also trying to reclaim everything about herself.

I would give "Dear Medusa" by Olivia A. Cole a 5-star review because, 1; while the story was heavy it went with the overall theme of the novel 2; I really like how this talks about hard topics 3; I like the format this was written in and 4; the storytelling was quite powerful.

Told in verse, the story follows the experience of a sixteen-year-old girl coping with sexual abuse as she deals with how to reclaim her story, her anger and her body. Alicia Rivers experienced something she never saw coming from someone she never expected. When a popular teacher sexually abuses her, her life is turned upside down and she begins to change. Now she is something completely different, still coping with the trauma, with how she views herself, and who she can trust. She was abandoned by her best friend, quit the track team, and now spends her days in detention feeling isolated until a series of mysterious letters are left in her locker hinting at another victim. Alicia finds herself trying to find a way to reclaim her body, to revisit the events that happened that made her change the way she saw people, and what she is going to do with herself. She begins to make new friends and finds herself falling for a new girl in school. As the year goes on and she must deal with all the walls she created, she finds herself surrounded by people who love her and that maybe she can let her walls down. This story deals with lots of heavy topics and issues and I think its definitely an interesting one to read, particularly in the way it was formatted. Alicia has a lot on her plate and finding ways to reclaim herself and dealing with what happened to her. She is a young girl who went through something horrific and has to deal with seeing her abuser constantly as well as having people create a reputation about her as well as having difficult relationships with her friends and her family. She is someone who is trying to find a way to be herself after everything and reclaim her life.

*Thanks Netgalley and Random House Children's, Labyrinth Road for sending me an arc in exchange for an honest review*

Dear Medusa is a raw, bleeding piece of poetry that struck me to my core. Olivia A. Cole is a gifted writer who captures Alicia's experience in such a way that it's impossible for the reader to close their eyes to it. I feel like I went on Alicia's journey with her. I cried with her, I raged with her, and I loved with her. This book can be especially helpful for survivors of sexual assault to read, but it can also be pretty triggering, so if you're someone who has sexual as a trigger, please keep that in mind, and take care of yourself!

I can't wait to read more from this author, and I can't recommend it enough!

Oh my god this book was incredible. To me, this joins Speak in the ranks of books that everyone needs to read about consent, assault, and trauma. I will confess it was hard to read at times, but I greatly appreciated the author's choice not to go into graphic detail about Alicia's experiences. I think that this book is excellent evidence that readers do not need to see characters harmed on the page to empathize with them. I am so grateful that books like this exist so that YA readers who may relate can know they are not alone, and I am so grateful for the community that Cole built within her book that supported Alicia throughout her journey. This book has some of my favorite lines in any novel and I can feel I will need to sit with it for a while to fully process it. I highly recommend this book to people who are able to read it and I am so glad to be one of its supporters.

Definitely one of the best 2023 books I've read so far. It's rage-inducing and will make you cry, and manages to do more in verse format than some similar books have done in overly detailed prose.
I loved Alicia and just wanted the best for her. I read this author's first book, The Truth about White Lies, earlier this year, and that main character, Shania, was completely different: privileged, selfish, and has to learn to listen when she's called out by others. In contrast, Alicia is looked down on by almost everyone at her school and has to learn to find strength in herself to move forward.
There are definitely triggers in this book, but the abuse is never described in graphic detail, which added to the focus on life after trauma rather than the trauma as it was happening.
As for the other victim of the teacher's abuse, I guessed who it would be pretty early on, but I don't even mind this, nor did I have any issue with the reveal. I think it was done perfectly-- it shows that the dichotomy of "school slut" vs. "good girl" is bullshit and that abuse is never the victim's fault, and isn't brought on by sexual past or reputation.
I also really liked Alicia's friendship with Deja (who is asexual, and there are a lot of really good conversations brought up by her about how women are shamed for both wanting sex and not wanting sex) and how they both stand up to the teachers who punish them for unfair reasons. And her romantic relationship with Geneva, the new girl in her art class. I wanted to see more of a resolution with David, Alicia's brother, but at least it's implied.
The ending is better than that of "The Truth about White Lies," too. It definitely feels like it was resolved more, even if there are things left open.

For fans of Lawless Spaces, The Way I Used to Be, Speak, and Girl Made of Stars.

I knew going in that Dear Medusa was going to tackle some difficult topics, but I was unprepared for how deeply this story of girlhood/womanhood, trauma, and healing would impact me. Novels with this particular type of trauma have always been a difficult spot with me, so I thought that I was going in prepared for the battle. I was not. This is a book that I needed to read, and I didn't even know it.

There's something eerie and comforting about seeing your own thoughts voiced on paper. If I didn't know better, I would think that I had written some of these words myself. I have never been a particularly vocal person as Alicia, our protagonist, is, and I dealt with my trauma in drastically different ways. However, at their core, these were the thoughts that I had. That I sometimes still have. This story took me back to a place I haven't let myself revisit in years. It's not just the wolves and the trauma, though. It's the loss of people you once trusted because they can't handle who you've become. The failure of the people who are supposed to protect you to see what's happened. The ways in which the world is built to not believe us when we know that the person on the other side of the table is a predator. A hunter. A wolf.

Dear Medusa eviscerated me in a way that I needed. To clean and cauterize a wound that I thought had fully healed. This is a story that will linger in my mind and body in a way that not many have.



***I went into this story with eyes open, and I read this less with my mind and more with my gut. My eyes were not criticizing the prose or the ways in which Cole utilized various tropes. (Although, in my opinion, it was well done). I read this with emotion and memory at the forefront, and I feel that, for some, it is a book that needs to be read, to feel seen and heard.

A very powerful story about finding oneself in the depths of trauma and clawing your way out. A story of discovering strength that can come from bonding together and relying on support systems. A positive message that every young girl should read about finding your tribe and being there for one another.

Summary: Alicia has a reputation. Actually, Alicia has secrets, traumas, that she's running away from. Secrets that involve a beloved teacher. Hence the "slutty" reputation. Because this is high school. This book, written in verse, follows Alicia as she navigates her own sexuality, sexualization, and sexual reputation. Is she the monster, the Medusa, everyone makes her out to be? Or is there more to her story worth telling?

Review: I loved this book. I knew going into it that it was going to be hard to read. I think Cole handled the subject matter so well. Throughout the book theres a rabbits/wolf metaphor, that I think anyone who has interacted with an (inappropriately) older male ogling them like a piece of meat can relate to. There are some moments that were hard to read, hard to feel (because you will feel so much for these characters). There are moments where you just want to shake Alicia, and then hug her, and then shake her again. At the end of the day, this book is going to make you feel. Some of those feelings will, and should be, uncomfortable, but that's why they, and this book, are important.

This dealt with deep topics really well, especially when you read the Medusa myth it really works well in the story being told. I thought the characters felt like real people and the choices were done really well. I was glad I read this and it worked so well in a young adult novel.

This book was fine. The medusa imagery and motif added another layer to make it more interesting. There was nothing particualry compelling about the book, however. It felt like a repeated trope. It was a fine read, just not one I couldn't put down.

Greek Mythology's golden child for feminist retelling has been The Taking of Persephone, but Medusa is where it's at. While this book isn't about mythology really at all (sorry for the bait and switch) the themes line up. Rupi Kaur meets CW drama in a coming of age book about running from big problems. I loved who they wanted me to love, hated the rest, and hit me with a mirror shield that knocked loose a whole host of feelings.

I received this book as an ARC through netgalley for an honest review and I was worried this wasn't going to sing to me based on my almost exclusive consumption of YA Sci fi/fantasy... but this book flew by. The poetry told a story but still held some delicious morsels of prose.

Tw: SA

This is a book that needs to be in every high school classroom. This novel in verse is fierce, heart wrenching, brittle, and a totally necessary gut punch. It’s a raw, slicing tale of sexual assault and who really is the monster in all of our stories.
I feel like we all know Alicia, our main character. A girl full of life until something happens. Something that alters her chemistry and existence. Now the question the reader should ask themselves is how did they respond to their Alicia. Her poetry is powerful, and I am so thankful for her journey. I also have to say the ending of the book? Perfection. I truly loved being invited on Alicia’s journey. I cannot wait to hold a physical copy in my hands and share it with my students!