This was a cute book, but I wasn't really into it. It wasn't really a story that I enjoyed, it had potential but I didn't see myself getting into the writing.

DEATH BY SOCIETY is a poignant & timely novel that explores mental health, female friendships, and bullying. this book was both hilarious & heartfelt, striking the perfect tone to explore such complex topics without ever getting too dark. the characters in this book are messy & beautifully written, their pasts having shaped who they are, for better or worse, but they're able to learn that they are more than the worst things that have happened to them—they can be who they dream of, and there's hope in their futures. healing is nonlinear & never easy, but DEATH BY SOCIETY shows that it's never too late to give up. the queer & bipoc representation was also delightful to read.

This is a YA story about bullying, self harm, mental health and attempting suicide. The book deals with some heavy topics. It is a YA book written for younger YA readers. With a hopeful ending.

[originally posted on the Storygraph]
I found this book hit close to home with bullying and mental illness aspects , but I still found myself engaging with the characters and feeling annoying at / happy for them.

I found it really interesting to have the dual POV’s of Abby and Carter and I liked how the characters had backstories almost, a darker past than one may expect. Also, it allowed an insight into their different thought processes and familial relationships.

Another bonus: it’s pretty gay w good poc rep :)

Bonus star for the last 10 pages !

all i have to say is wow. i wasn’t expecting this to be so good. i saw it on netgalley and i thought the cover looked pretty, and here we are.

i don’t even know where to start. this book was a lot, for sure (in a good way). it touched on some very important topics, including mental health, body image, sexual assault, bullying, and more. the author handled these areas very maturely and did an accurate job describing them, so props to her. i love her for adding so much diversity as well! we almost never see plus sized rep in books, so it’s great that there’s some here. the mc struggling with her weight isn’t the main topic of the story, but we still see a bit of struggle.

don’t even get me started on these characters. by the end, i had soft spot for all of them, even kelsey (don’t hate me). carter was a great protagonist. she has lots of struggles that are relatable to teenage girls and i thought even though she was portrayed as a “nerd” or a “loser”, she was still interesting to read about. next—abby. abby took a bit longer for me to like. at first, she is self obsessed, shallow, and mean. but after certain events, her character starts to develop, and she for sure grew on me. out of the two, i think i like abby more. even the side characters were still likeable by the end. slater had her annoying moments, but we definitely see some growth there. we don’t really see a lot of change with mei, her development is more subtle for sure, but it’s there. i really wish the author would have touched more on her, because i personally found her to be a super interesting and possibly misunderstood character. i would totally read a spin-off with her as the mc.

overall, i thought this was an amazing book. and for a debut??? i am so so impressed. the reason my rating isn’t higher is because i personally did not connect to the characters very much; they weren’t super relatable to me. but that obviously doesn’t mean i didn’t still enjoy it!

thank you so much to netgalley & the author for an e-arc in exhange for an honest review!

Honestly, I didn't love this book, but I think part of that was because I of my (incorrect) assumptions of what the book would be about. I went into this thinking that it would end up being a love story between the two characters, so I was surprised when the toxic relationship between Abby and Carter lasted throughout a significant portion of the novel. This book has some pretty brutal bullying and, while I think in many ways teens can relate to Carter's mental health struggles, it was difficult to read at times. I definitely think this book will be for a lot of people, it just wasn't for me.

This book is darkly funny, emotionally devastating, and for me, a trip back in time. I appreciate the candid look that Sierra Elmore gives us into what it's like to suffer so greatly from mental illness, and to feel like there's no light at the end of the tunnel; only darkness. The themes of LGBTQ+, trauma, and depression/anxiety are so needed.

Abby and Carter are two teenage girls on opposite ends of the social spectrum; Abby is a popular blonde and Carter is a loner. They both have about the same GPA, the same extracurriculars, and the same drive. But Abby bullies Carter relentlessly. This relationship between the two girls is twofold; it epitomizes the teenage experience of taking out your trauma and insecurities on others, but it also paints a bigger picture; that of Black women and white women in America. It works well as a representation of Black women having to work twice as hard to gain the same status, jobs, and achievements as white women in this country.

All in all, I really enjoyed this book. It kept me turning the pages and touched on important issues going on every day, all around us. I appreciate how Sierra was able to humanize Abby without absolving her of her wrongdoings, and normalize depression and suicidal ideations without demonizing Carter. I love that she touched on issues of public schools' inability to address bullying and the generalities of being a teenage girl, while also diving deep into the trauma that so many women and girls experience in their lifetime that go well beyond bullying.

Definitely worth a read!

TW for suicide attempt, depression, bullying
As someone who could relate a little too much to this book, it was hard to read due to triggers. I think it was well written, but I guess I just can't see the bully being redeemed in my mind
Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review. All opinions expressed are my own.

3.5 stars.

Death by Society is a dark and compelling look into the lives of two teenage girls, Carter and Abby, who start off on opposite sides of the bully/victim relationship. With an amazing portrayal of mental illness, this book definitely provides good representation for those who see themselves reflected in the protagonists. One of my favourite things about this book was Carter's character arc and her journey - I thought it was handled really well and I found myself really rooting for her throughout the book. I really enjoyed the writing style and the humour, which made this book highly enjoyable to get through, even with the more serious subject matters.

The only thing I wasn't a fan of was throughout this book was the character motivations - it felt like some characters switched up a little too quickly. Relationships were formed and broken throughout the book - often with little to no difficulty - and, although it kept the book moving, it sometimes felt a bit too convenient.

Overall, a hard-hitting book about mental health and societal pressures with representation that is so important. Dark but hopeful - I'd definitely recommend.

Carter is a depressed and lonely teen, socially isolated and the victim of extreme bullying at the hands of her school's most popular clique of girls. Spiralling after a particularly hateful incident, Carter attempt suicide, as her guilt-stricken bully Abby races to save her life before it's too late. Little by little, Carter and Abby navigate mental health challenges, trauma, recovery, and even unlikely friendship and the possibility of forgiveness.

A dark and difficult read, Death by Society does an excellent job at demonstrating the bleak existence of someone trying to cope with major depressive disorder and chronic suicidal ideation. Carter's experience of intense bullying and social isolation is drawn painfully well, and I'm certain will be intensely relatable to anyone who experienced bullying in school. Some incredibly hard-hitting lines made Carter's struggle with suicide and her general journey mental illness enough to bring me to tears. Her character arc was done incredibly well, and the first half of the story was excellent.

Alongside Carter, the victim of bullying, one of her bullies, Abby, also gets a point of view perspective. Abby is a victim in her own right, and is dealing with the associated trauma, and I am very glad Carter makes the point that her terrible experiences don't offer enough for Carter to forgive Abby's behaviour. Personally, I don't think enough was done to engage with Abby's trauma. She seems to argue that her trauma is why she bullies Carter, but this feels like a random excuse rather than a real reason, because little or no time is dedicated to unpacking Abby's experiences at the hands of Tom. Maybe this storyline hit me personally because I'm the Carter who had Abby's trauma, and it makes me physically sick to think of treating anyone how Abby treats Carter. I think because I genuinely hated one of the narrators, and because I'm too close to the subject matter, I may struggle to provide an objective account of whether Abby deserves more sympathy. I will say I was concerned that Carter and Abby seem enmeshed in a sort of victim/bully trauma bond by the end of the novel, and I was internally screaming at Carter to get as far away from her abuser as she could. I hope she has the best life at university because she deserves the world.

This book will be important for readers who see themselves reflected in Carter. I thought it was a smart move for the author to include a list of helplines at the back of the book, as this is a novel that will get under your skin.

cw: attempted suicide; suicidal ideation; suicidal thoughts; depression; mental illness; references to underage rape; trauma; bullying; unsupportive school; forced psychiatric institutionalisation

I am grateful to the publisher and NetGalley for providing an ARC of Death by Society. These opinions are my own.

i’m a simple girl. i see courtney summers in the blurbs and i’m down to read. i mean, what else do i love than reading about toxic teenage girls who are *gasp* GAY!!!

okay but on a serious note. this book. jesus.

📚⌨️: starting this review off with my absolute fav character, carter. first let’s talk about the rep. a black bisexual girl who deals with mental illness?? you are basically describing me (i mean except the bi part, i long decided to stop labeling my sexuality, but still rep!!!) definitely go into this book knowing heavy subjects will be touched i mean duh, our main character is very heavily suicidal. i want to crack jokes but i want to be serious for a second so i will. mental health has such a negative stigma around it, oh you need pills? you’re crazy. like yada yada, as if the reason most teens aren’t depressed isn’t society’s fault but anyways. sierra touches into this, and it’s so brutal and sad to be in carter’s head, feel what she’s feeling, see what drives her to do what she does. i don’t typically cry reading books, but mental health ones always speak deeply to me. i have been there in carter’s place multiple times, i’m still a work in progress, we all are. though i can’t relate to her trauma surrounding bullying, it was still nice to finally have healthy realistic rep dealing with mental health, depression, ptsd, medicine, therapy, all that glamorous stuff. also carter’s like REALLY funny, maybe it’s because i obviously share the same fucked up humor she does sometimes, but i found myself laughing heavily at things i maybe shouldn’t find funny. i’m not sure if this was the authors purpose or not but the comedic relief was very nice, especially concerning the books heavy topic. seeing her journey & willingness to find hope was so touching. i may of shed a tear or two.

before i go on, did i mention how gay!!!! this book is. fruits everywhere. someone get my girl carter a gf asap. 👩‍❤️‍💋‍👩🍓💘


👑📝: now onto our next protagonist (antagonist too really). abby was harder to like. i disliked her heavily. i felt for her past, but it does not excuse her actions at all and i’m glad this story touched on this. you never have to forgive you’re abusers or the people who treat you like shit. but yes, i admit, abby did get to me in the end. i even find myself shockingly relating to her, i guess none of us are perfect. she went through a lot (you have to keep remembering these girls ages, age isn’t an excuse at all, but seeing how young girls are and how cruel they can be, you have to admit it’s concerning) for her age, and her relationship with her mother was one of the things i connected with the most. she’s the definition of tough love: her circumstances made her the way she is, and you have no one to blame but society itself. monsters aren’t created. and she’s no monster, she’s not a saint either. though she still makes snide comments (it’s really her personality i can’t blame her at this point), it was nice to see her development as an actual human being who has actual human emotions. like whoahhhhh she was giving a little psychopathic vibes at first, glad we sorted that out. it was also a nice touch to have the pov of the bully. i always love seeing two sides of every story, and that’s what drag my attention to this book in the first place. her growing relationship with carter was done and fleshed out so well, and i’m glad in the end she decides to get help, cause the girl REALLY needs it.

🎨👛: we have our side characters of course, who’s not really side characters, but they didn’t have their own povs so i’m referring to them as that. it focuses on girls who aren’t bullies themselves, but bystanders. girls who aren’t perfect, and don’t even try to be. girls who don’t defend themselves or others. girls who don’t really understand. girls, girls, girls. every single one of these girls have a story. maybe they’re the hero in some versions, the villains in others. it doesn’t really matter. you have girls like mei, you hate her, then you like her, then you dislike her, then you tolerate her. you can’t really see her motives in certain situations, but she’s not evil. not really. then you have slater, you knows she a good person deep down but it’s takes something truly horrific to happen to understand her role. & yes it sucks that a certain thing had to happen to get these girls to understand their actions, but that’s how life works. bad shit happen, and with that you truly see peoples colors. there’s kelsey, the girl you love to hate. the regina george in peoples story. and yes, the hate is 100% deserved. i do not like the girl. but even in the end you feel for her, because you have to ask yourself, how come girls as young as they are so terrible? what happened to them to make them like this? either it being parents not being around, or divorce, being hurt by the people who’s meant to protect you, falling into society’s harmful arms, needing to release your anger or someone, anything, anyone, needing to find your voice or control somewhere, everyone has a story. and that, i think is one of the most important message you can get out of this. you don’t have to forgive, you don’t have to accept, but you can understand. and with understanding, you can move on.

for many people, this will be a hard book to read. please check the content warnings because even i, who doesn’t get trigger by much, can admit this book is a lot. it deals with toxic teenage girls, mental health, suicide, sexual assault, toxic parents, VERY toxic homoerotic friendships (yes i fear this needs it own warning because whew… but also 🤭🤭). there just A LOT going on here, and i’m thankful for the author for putting content warnings in here. let’s start normalizing warning your readers shall we!!!

this books comes out september 13, buy it for the gays!!!

5 stars!! absolutely amazing.
☆☆☆☆☆/☆☆☆☆☆

thank you to netgalley & sierra herself for granting me access to this e-arc in exchange for an honest review.

Elmore's debut is a fierce slap to mean girl culture and the pressure of being a teenage girl by deeply delving into the psyche of both the bully and the bullied.