Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC of this novel, releasing in March 2023!

Wavering between 3 and 4 stars, but I'll round up since I think the book sensitively deals with a whole host of traumatic issues. Content warnings for sexual assault and rape, slut shaming, racism, homophobia, drug use.

Dear Medusa follows Alicia, a 16 year old high school junior living with the trauma of being sexually assaulted by one of her teachers, and the social fallout that comes from attempting to cope with that trauma in various ways. The novel is written in verse, which I think works well for what reads as a YA book (I'm not sure how this is technically classified by the publisher but it definitely reads as YA/new adult to me). I don't think it's perfectly written. There's a couple plot points that never really resolve themselves (not the main climactic event but a couple of the side stories). The framing device of a group therapy/sharing circle with an outside researcher is good AS a framing device but in practice can sometimes come across as a bit more...reserved from the main plot? Removed? I'm not sure of the wording but something about the structure of the conversations in the group (while the content was valuable) felt a bit off as opposed to Alicia's narrative sections. The ending comes on a bit abruptly although I do like where we leave the story (you know I love an ambiguous ending even with character growth).

I do think there's a lot to like about this novel though, especially for teen/new adult readers. I've read Olivia Cole's work since her first novel released through Indiegogo and her writing just keeps getting better and more readable with every book. The content of the book can be raw and very upsetting; it took me a long time to read this because it was very difficult to get through emotionally but you really connect with and feel for Alicia throughout the story, and her friends introduced through the book are great as well; I especially loved Deja and her discussions on asexuality. Lots of great conversations throughout the book on girls' sexuality, social expectations, the male gaze, racism, homophobia and transphobia, etc. If you can handle the content, I think this is definitely a valuable read, especially for teen and early 20's readers who I think will really connect with Alicia.

This was so heartbreaking but so beautiful. Alicia feels so incredibly real and personal, and she'll stay with you long after you finish reading. This book also has amazing representation and quotes good enough that you'll need to set the book down to emotionally process.

This will easily be in my top 10 books read this year, without a doubt. An incredibly honest story told in verse about a 16 year old girl dealing with the trauma and aftermath of being sexually abused by multiple people in her life, including one of her teachers. The realistic depiction of pain when dealing with the abuse, and the way that specific pain makes it difficult to care for yourself - and even sometimes causes you to do additional damage to yourself - is so well done here, and this book made me C R Y. Was not expecting it going in -- I just thought it had a pretty cover and sounded interesting, but WOW.

In addition to the main stuff, I really loved the inclusivity here as well. Deja and Alicia's friendship is one of my absolutely favorites I've ever read in a book, and I just really loved Deja so much in general.

Thanks to NetGalley for the digital copy, I'll absolutely be grabbing this once it releases. 10/10.

Alicia Rivers has a reputation. The kind that seems to give people permission to say all the horrible things to you. Her former best friend told her that she was going to hell and she feels more alone than ever. She also is carrying a secret that weighs on her every time she looks at a certain classroom. She somehow manages to irritate one teacher more than others and is frequently sent to the on-campus suspension room. There she meets Deja, and slowly the two girls become friends. When Alicia sees a new girl on campus, she feels an almost instant attraction to her, and it turns out that Geneva is attracted to Alicia too. With the help of Deja, Geneva, and a short lived discussion group on campus, Alicia starts to process her trauma. When her mother finally looks and sees what Alicia has been carrying for so long, this also helps Alicia see that she is not as alone as she thought. A powerful book about the weight of trauma and the weight of judgement, both from within and without. A novel-in-verse, I devoured it in a single day.

Blasted through this forthcoming YA novel in verse yesterday morning.

Gripping, painful, and telling an oh-so-familiar tale of the predatory way teen girls are looked at by the world.

So after the wolf has gotten you, how do you reclaim your body, your heart, your life? How do you take the story that has been spun on you and set it straight?

A beautiful ode to power, to sisterhood, to finding peace in oneself and others, to fighting back, and to us, adults who caretaker, to keep our eyes open for the wolves among us.

Pair this with Lamar Giles' Not so Pure and Simple for an incredible discussion of gender roles, gender expectations, what is flirting and what is not.

More mature topic and wording, so more suited for older kids - but - I could also see kids in middle school needing this book.

Pre-order now for its release on my birthday, March 14th.

Thank you for the ARC @penguinkids

This book was hard for me!! As a survivor of childhood sexual assault, I struggle with stories about grooming, sexual assault, and sexual harassment, particularly when the victims are minors. Dear Medusa was gut wrenching and beautifully written tho. Absolutely stunning.

Thank you to NetGalley for this advanced readers copy. 5/5 stars.

Finally, a book with my name in it!! Dear Medusa by Olivia A. Cole is a deep dive into the life of Alicia Rivers, a sixteen-year-old high school track student who was sexually abused by a well-loved teacher. Written in verse, this story explores Alicia's thoughts and emotions from a first-person perspective.

Her parents are divorced, her mother is mentally absent, her brother has new shitty friends that Alicia doesn't like, her best friend backstabbed her, and she works at Meat Palace. More than anything, Alicia feels alone in the world. But with a new budding friendship and a new (crush?) girl at school, Alicia finds the community she needs to reclaim her anger, her body, and her voice.

This book had me in TEARS!!! It is such a raw, unfiltered look into the horrors that this character faced while being beautifully written in verse. Be warned that while this book will make you laugh, it will be heavy and dark, but completely worth it. I am recommending this to everyone!! What really got to me in this book was the mending of all different sorts of traumas. Throughout the book, one trauma that is brought up by many characters is what it means to be a woman in a world full of wolves- predatory men who make women suffer.

The representation in this book made it all the more realistic and enjoyable . I loved seeing bisexual, lesbian, asexual, Black, & Pakistani main characters shine and find peace. Please check the TW: racism, lesbophobia, biphobia, sexual assault, molestation (mentioned), drug use, alcohol, teacher-student assault. Overall, 5/5 stars. I am recommending this to everyone! Just be mindful of the TW <3

An immense thank you to NetGalley and Random House Children's for the digital ARC of 'Dear Medusa' by Olivia A. Cole. I wish it were possible to rate this more than 5 stars.

I started reading this evening and couldn't put 'Dear Medusa' down. As soon as I finished I started it all over again... and honestly I'm probably going to read it again tomorrow. I can count on both hands the number of books that have made me cry, and this was one of them.

But unlike other books, there was so much in here that broke my heart, but also so much that resonated. I kept thinking about how every person desires to be loved and not alone - but experiences can warp and change how you perceive 'love' and 'acceptance'. I have partially healed from some of the wolves in my earlier life, but every day, I see my students not fully aware of the danger that lurks. Some are like Alicia at the end, and it's taken time to speak because of the fear, the uncertainty, and the judgment they've faced before.

This novel in verse is a 'must read' for 2023 and pretty much any year. Will be recommending to everyone. There are so many people out there who need this extra voice to let them know "you're not alone".

This will be the book I beg someone to get me for my birthday this year.

5/5

This was a very beautiful and heartbreaking story following 16 year old Alicia who was sexually assaulted by her teacher. You follow her as she falls apart, spirals out of control, deals with other "wolves", and comes to terms with how to take control back. This is about found family and overcoming grief and dealing with slut shaming and lots of conversations about rape culture. I felt for Alicia throughout the whole story and the novel in verse was a very powerful way to tell the story and felt like it fit for Alicia as a character. One thing is I wanted is a different ending. I love the "freedom" she felt but I still had questions and wanted other closures. Maybe the point is Alicia felt closure but I still wanted more as the reader.

And Alicia - we hear you, we see you, we believe you, we have your back.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Children's for a free copy in exchange for an honest review.

This book is phenomenal, stunning, emotional, raw, and just... wow.
Thank you to Random House Children's publishing and NetGalley for an eARC in exchange for an honest review.
Dear Medusa is a coming of age story following Alicia, a high schooler learning that to be a female is to be preyed upon in this society. After experiencing sexual assault, Alicia struggles with moving on with her life, loving herself, and finding her voice. When a new girl comes to school that catches her eye, a new friend is made, and her mother begins trying to connect with her, Alicia begins to face her fears head on.
This novel in verse is pure perfection. It's an all time favorite for me, and such a powerful read that I think has the opportunity to reach people at a time in their life where it could help them- even if it's to not feel alone. Every page had something inpactful, emotional, quotable, beautiful, or heart wrenching. I was holding back tears several times, and towards the end I didn't even try to hold them back.
While my life is not the same as Alicia's, I relate to her in several ways and that always makes for a more impactful story. I can only imagine how much someone who relates more to Alicia could get out of this. I don't think I've ever saved this many quotes from a single book before, and I probably didn't even save all the good ones.
The correlation to Medusa and how Alicia's learning of Medusa's story was weaved into this novel was exceptional. It was done at just the right moments and packed such a punch. There were other metaphors used throughout the story, and once again, they were all done so well.
Beyond the discussion of sexual assault, there were also many impactful moments concerning religion and how it can exclude people, bullying, the LGBTQ+ community, racism, and sometimes, how these topics intersect to affect a person's life. There are so many things a reader can get from this book, and I'm so thankful to have found it.

There are so many metaphors and similes in here it’s like a 9th grader wrote it. It’s as a river of comparisons. It’s a veritable sea. Am I doing that right? I made it about 20% through and I couldn’t take one more forced metaphor. Done.

This was a very middle-of-the-road book for me. But I do know people I can recommend this book to that will love and enjoy it.

So raw and lovely. Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC.

This was one of the few books I’ve read that is written in free verse and it suited the story so well. I personally connected to this story, at some parts it felt like I was Alicia. Her feelings, her processing of her trauma, her disconnect and reconnection with peers, all of it was so realistic to how a teen truly responds in these situations.

Dear Medusa is about a girl, Alicia, who is struggling to find herself after being sexually assaulted. After leaving her life as she knew it behind, she learns the struggles of being able to love herself in the same way while navigating high school with a bad reputation to everyone around her. She does this by relating to Medusa from Greek Mythology, realizing that they have similar traumas. This is such a heavy and challenging book to read, but it turned into something so healing and educational. There are a lot of triggers in this book and they are hard hitting so be sure to look into them before reading!

The characters are so beautifully written and so diverse. Since this book was written in verse, I felt like I was able to connect to these fictional people in a way that makes them seem so realistic, and I truly loved that about this story. There is such good representation that is unlike anything I have ever found in a book like this before, and I think this will be especially inclusive to the audience Dear Medusa will be attracting.

Olivia A. Cole's ability to create a world like this is something very special. I feel like I am taking away so much from this book; anger that we live in a world where events that happen to Alicia still happen every single day, hope that people will learn that even though sharing your story is scary, it can help move past the things that haunt you, and overwhelming joy that even in times of trouble, there will be people who are meant to help you through it, even if no one realizing just how much of a difference they are making.

I already know that this book will be in my top 10 for 2023 and I hope everyone gives this book a chance because it is one of a kind in so many amazing ways.

4.5 rounded up

This book is stunning. It's beautiful, it deals with a lot of heavy topics, and it keeps the reader captivated.

I really loved seeing how the narrative unfolded. Even though this book is in verse, the story feels robust and impactful with layers slowly peeling away to reveal what is happening.

Alicia is struggling after being sexually assaulted by a popular teacher at her school. She starts to grapple even more as it seems she might not be the only one.

This novel had an interesting structure as it was written in verse instead of prose. I didn’t mind this, but I felt like it took me longer to get into because of this!

This book is haunting. Olivia A. Cole's stunning verse is the perfect vessel for Alicia's story. Though there are more and more young adult novels that discuss sexual assault and abuse, Dear Medusa examines an effect of such trauma that I've never seen explored in YA. One response to sexual trauma is hypersexuality, and the fact that Alicia's increased desire for sex has less to do with what makes her feel good and more to do with what gives her a sense of control is a really key part of her story, and the stories of so many survivors of sexual abuse. I appreciated how Cole gave Alicia so much more than her trauma while still handling it with the severity and grace it deserved. The surrounding characters of this book were as interesting as Alicia, if not more so, and I loved that our main character got a positive friendship story line as well as a healthy romantic relationship. Though I understand why, I would have liked more of Alicia's relationship with her mother and David. I think teens are going to connect with Alicia's story in a variety of ways and I hope that this book is able to spark some tough and much needed conversations.

This book made me *feel* in a way that I haven't felt in a long time. Alicia's story shares many similar threads as my own, and it resonates so much. I think this book would be so helpful for other girls who have gone through it too, for them to see their strength to go on reflected in the pages. Love the bi and ace rep.

The wolves are out there, but so are we.

This read was heavier than I anticipated, but not in a bad way. It was empowering to have someone young talk about their, trigger warning, sexual abuse situation. While not an easy topic to read about, knowing that you are not alone while reading was comforting. I also think the set up in verse was super interesting and made it easy to follow along with. Overall, recommend for an emotional read.

This was an interesting read. I feel like it had a good storyline, and it’s a storyline that needed to be told. My biggest issue is something about the voice didn’t click with me, and certain things didn’t wrap up in a way I feel it should’ve been. I do think it’s a story that needs to be written and read, just not for me.