This well-written book is much more than a typical mystery or psychological thriller! It surprised me with its sensitive exploration of issues such as trauma, consent, and belonging. I really related to the main character and her efforts to fit in with her peers at university, sometimes hiding her true self. I will definitely watch for more from this author.

I very much enjoyed the first part of this book. Rosalind is very much a person who’s hard to like, and honestly, her whole crew of friends at Regis seemed like such awful, small-minded people. The retrospection in the narration was good at highlighting her selfishness without necessarily redeeming it. I thought later, the way she thinks of her younger self was really similar to how I look back at my own younger self. In the second half of the book, I was also fascinated by her uncertainty about if Lukas was actually responsible vs her own commitment to feminism. It was great for Ros to also eventually see the ugly parts of Lukas and Sue but also the good parts of herself and Val and her mother. What missed for me were the long passages talking about and spelling out the ways in which Ros has moved beyond who she was a now knows better.

Full disclosure - I had an automatic affinity for The Damages as I immediately recognized Regis as my alma mater in disguise. I am a very nostalgic person and absolutely loved my time at uni and specifically my school. I could talk about all the clever pseudonyms and how spot on her descriptions are for days. I am so happy I was out of res for our big ice storm!

And my goodness Genevieve Scott was spot on about murky lines of consent and our naiveite. To be honest, I don’t even recall consent being a "thing." Going to school in the early/mid 2000s "cool girl, mean girl, oversexualization of women in the media and sex and the city" era was a whole experience. Off the top of my head, while at school Lululemon legitimately had a contest where you had to line up outside in your underwear to get free clothes. We had shirts that said "save a car, flip me over"……. And the list goes on.

Back to the book…the Regis scenes were the most compelling to me for obvious reasons. I also think they were the strongest from a plotting perspective. The second half of the book takes on a lot and sometimes the narrative gets a little messy. But life is a little messy too. I would have loved the entire book to take place at Regis, but I'm also completely biased with my combined love of the school and dark academia.

The Damages has stuck with me. While this book won’t be for everyone, any book that makes me reflect and reconsider is time well spent. I look forward to reading Genevieve Scott's next book.

A big thank you to Penguin Random House Canada & NetGalley for the gifted ARC.

This book completely took me by surprise. It was not at all what I was expecting but it luckily managed to exceed my expectations!

I initially picked this up thinking it would be a thriller of sorts (a prestigious university campus setting, a missing roommate, an ice storm of epic proportions... it piqued my interest) but once I realized this was a heavier, deeper read than I was expecting I settled in to embrace the interesting and original story.

Since this takes place just a few years before I myself began university, I found that I was able to relate to this book so much. It brought back a lot of feelings and memories of a bizarre period of time when fitting in was crucial to survival. Being young and vulnerable, on the verge of adulthood, decades before the #metoo movement was ever brought to light... it was a lot, and this well written novel captured the time and sentiment expertly.

I found The Damages to be suspenseful and poignant. A truly thought-provoking and important book.

Thank you Netgalley and Penguin Random House Canada for my e-copy in exchange for an honest review!

An engrossing and thought -provoking read!

"The Damages" deals with many important and relevant issues like the #metoo movement, Covid, and more. I found both timelines interesting and I really liked that the story took place in Canada. I didn't care for the main character, Ros at first but as she grew, I found her to be a bit more relatable.

This was an engaging and well-paced read that held my interest. I think this book would be excellent for book clubs. Although the ending was a tad rushed and left me with a couple of unanswered questions, I still thought it was an excellent novel.

I'm looking forward to reading more from Genevieve Scott.

I'd like to thank the publisher and NetGalley for providing me with a copy of this novel. All opinions are my own.

Thank you Netgalley, Penguin Random House Canada, Random House Canada and Genevieve Scott for free e-ARC in return of my honest review.

"The Damages" is a page-turning and thought-provoking novel that delves into the intricate web of lies we tell others and ourselves. The story revolves around Ro, the main character and narrator, as she unravels the mystery behind her roommate's sudden disappearance.

From the very beginning, the author skillfully captures the reader's attention with a captivating narrative. Ro’s introspective voice draws us into her world, where she grapples with her own secrets and the desire for absolution. The author's exploration of the human psyche and the lengths we go to hide our true selves is both intriguing and unsettling.

Ro’s relentless pursuit of answers drives the plot forward, keeping readers on the edge of their seats. The author masterfully weaves together suspense and psychological depth, creating a story that is as thrilling as it is thought-provoking. The constant twists and turns in the narrative make it difficult to put the book down, as each revelation brings us closer to the truth.

However, while the protagonist's journey is captivating, the relationships between the other characters can feel somewhat strange. The dynamics between Ro and those around her are often ambiguous, leaving readers questioning their true intentions. While this adds an element of mystery to the story, it can also be slightly confusing at times.

One of the novel's strongest themes is the universal desire to fit in. Ro’s actions and motivations are driven by her longing to belong and be accepted. This relatable aspect of the story allows readers to empathize with her struggles and reflect on their own experiences of conformity and self-acceptance.

In conclusion, "The Damages" is a compelling and thought-provoking novel that explores the complex nature of lies and the human desire for absolution. The author's skillful storytelling and well-developed characters make for an engaging read that will keep readers hooked until the very end. While the relationships between the characters may be somewhat peculiar, the overall narrative is a captivating exploration of the human psyche.

The Damages takes an in-depth look at issues of sexual assault and men's abuse of power throughout the decades. It compares the definitions of what was "right" or "wrong" in 1998 vs 2020. The topic of consent is explored as the main character in the book struggles to raise her son to understand true consent, while her ex-husband, a now rich and famous man, battles with accusations of sexual assault that occurred in college, decades earlier. This story delves into the MeToo movement, and how women are often not believed, or accused of lying or exaggerating, in order to "ruin a man's life" or gain a financial incentive.

While this book wasn't perfectly written - for example, the transition between the past and present were a bit abrupt, and some side stories, like the 1998 ice storm and the 2020 pandemic were not necessary to the story as a whole - this book is an excellent discussion-starter for bookclubs, or anyone wishing to delve into important current social issues.

⚠️ Potential trigger warnings: bullying, sexual harassment, rape (may not be an exhaustive list)

🙏 Thank you @netgalley and @penguinrandomca for the gifted electronic copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I found it to be a slow burn that built suspense gradually. The main character, Ros, started out to be very unlikeable, but as she began reliving her past, I watched her evolve into someone more in tune with her reality. It shows that we don't have to let the past define us. I would definitely recommend it. I received a free copy of this book via NetGalley and I am voluntarily leaving my review.

DNF at 100 pages. I really tried to enjoy this one, but unfortunately the main character Ros is extremely annoying, mean and obnoxious for absolutely no reason. I just cannot get into it.

It is 1997 and Ros’s first year of university. Ros has never been part of the “in crowd“ and is wishing university will be different. Ros hopes her roommate might prove to be way in. Unfortunately, Megan thought extremely nice and easy to get along with is a bit too strait laced to be part of the popular set.
Ros does become friends with Supriya Verma known as Sue. Sue turns out to be Ros’s way into one of the cool crowds.
A terrible ice ice storm hits Regis University and the surrounding area after the Christmas break. All students are confined to campus unless they can get home safely. Classes are canceled and the parties begin. After days cooped up in their dorms Ros’s group decides to head into town to go to the only bar that has had their power restored. Since a buddy system has been implemented Ros needs Megan to come along. Megan hesitantly agrees to join the group.
Later that night unbeknownst to Ros, Megan goes missing. All eyes look to Ros as the person responsible for Megan’s disappearance and Ros is dropped from the group.
The story moves to 2020. Ros’s ex, Lukas has been accused of a sexual assault that occurred that fateful night during the ice storm. The accusation brings back many painful memories for Ros and all the guilt she felt at the time.
I liked THE DAMAGES. The characters were realistically portrayed. The story moves at a good pace which keeps the reader wanting to know what is going to happen next.
Thank you to Penguin Random House for the opportunity to read an advanced digital version of THE DAMAGES.

This was an interesting read. Set in two distinct times in a woman’s life that carved out her self worth and the acceptances she thought she needs and didn’t get. The emotions she portrayed as a 18 year old rang so true in her quest to be a part of a cool inner circle and the sacrifices she thought she had to make to get there. Loved the Canadian settings and the many conversations the second part of the story opened up about the #metoo movement and how it’s perceived by everyone differently.

Thank you NetGalley for this arc

This book was really good you were never sure where it was headed and finally it all came together. It was very relatable as a teen in the 90s and very accurately showed how times have really changed. Totally recommend this book.

This is a nope for me. And it all has to do with the unlikable main character Ros. No maturity growth between Then and Now. Is it insecurity? Maybe, maybe not.
A lot of strings were left unattached, like what was Megan’s point of view in all this? The end felt rushed and didn’t resolve anything.

Thank you to Netgallery for the advanced copy.
I enjoyed The Damages by Genevieve Scott.
I loved that the story takes place in Canada, has a correlation to the ice storm of the century, the #metoo movement and the Covid pandemic.
I found Ros to be an unlikeable character. To weak for my liking.
Lukas to is an unlikable character but for other obvious reasons.
The story pushes issues of sexual assault, a tough story for any author to tackle, Genevieve Scott did it very well.

A complex, challenging and thoroughly mesmerizing read.

Rosalind Fisher is eighteen years old, a freshman at a preppy Ontario University. An unlikable character, Rosalind is self-absorbed, shallow, and focused on the single-minded pursuit of the ‘cool’ kids, who she believes will automatically bolster her own insipid image. And Rosalind is a liar. A fact that becomes particularly damaging when Ros is involved in the unexplained, and somewhat mysterious, disappearance of her teenage roommate, during a terrible ice-storm.

At first glance, as her unfolding story plays out, Ros can be seen to be one-dimensional, unsympathetic and thoroughly unpleasant. But is this view appropriate? As Ros, our first person POV narrator, hyper-shunts us between then (her University drama) and now (twenty two years later, viewing her life from a cottage in Ontario, isolated with family members during Covid-19 lockdown), her story settles itself into layers, upon more layers, each as thin and subtle as the pastries Ros as baker will eventually learn to master. All in service of the ultimate reveal of a character as flawed and vulnerable and wounded as we all are, and perhaps more than a little deserving of our empathy.

I loved this book, and the skill the author displayed in crafting it, as she leads us, inch by inch to ask the question, “Are our own memories (really) the best way to understand who someone is?”

Can we count on memories to construct our own sense of who we actually ‘were’ and now ‘are’ - or can time, and life, and learning, move us on, to a better, more compassionate place from which to understand our story? And the ripples of those we seek to understand around us.

A fascinating read, and one which will sit with me.

A great big thank you to Netgalley, the publisher and the author for an ARC of this book. All thoughts presented are my own.

It took me awhile to decide what I was going to write about this book. To be honest, I really didn't like it very much. The characters I found unlikable, and so into themselves they didn't seem to have any time for anyone else. When Megan a young woman goes missing for a few days from her dorm, When she does come back, she leaves school for good, barely speaking to anyone.
Her roommate Ros, had told her to get lost the night she went missing because she was with a guy in their room. Originally they had been at a bar together, but when she hooked up with this guy from school, she left her roomy at the bar, telling others to take care of her.
The next day, she is no where to be found. Her family is worried and Ros now feels guilty because she fears something has happened to her. But again, no one is talking.

Years later, this resurfaces, and Ros's husband is brought in for questioning, for sexual assault of Meghan when she went missing from school. After all they did all go to the same school.
This is about consent. If a woman says No that is exactly what it means.
If said woman is too intoxicated or has passed out, that is not giving consent. It is rape, plain and simple.

It is a diificult time for everyone. For Megan, finally coming to terms with what happened to her. For
Ros and her husband, seeing themselves in a whole different light. The only person that was at all likeble was Megan. She seemed very sweet and innocent. I found Ros to be shallow and her husband was a jerk then and now.
Thank you to Netgalley and the Publisher for allowing me to read this
this story in advance. The story was important and I'm glad that I read it, as it was very well written.
I give it a 3.5 out of 5. This book would be excellent for book clubs and English reading courses. Lots to talk about.

I absolutely loved this book!! I couldn’t put it down.
I just loved all the characters. I highly recommend this book.

Thank you NetGalley for the advanced copy of this novel to review.

I don't often enjoy a novel if I cannot relate to or even like the main characters. This one is different. The two main characters are very flawed. I cannot think of any redeeming qualities in either of them. That said, the novel kept me invested and engaged throughout. I really was hoping that at least one of the couple would surprise me with some character improvements but was also satisfied that the story was believable and realistic.

First year University student Ros desperately wants to be popular. And one thing standing in her way is her assigned room-mate, Megan.
When Megan goes missing during the 1998 Ice Storm, Ros is very nonchalant about the whole thing, convinced Megan is fine, and when Megan doesn’t return, Ros is blamed.

Twenty five years later Ros finds herself in the middle of a scandal when her ex is accused of sexual harassment. And she finds herself thinking about Megan and the role she played in her disappearance.

Ros is such an annoying character.
So juvenile and unlikeable, and while she does grow up in the second half of the book I still found her insufferable.
In fact all the characters in this book are kind of the worst… but it works.
I couldn’t stop reading. I did find it to be a bit top heavy as I enjoyed the 1998 half significantly more than the 2020 half, but all together I thought it was a great read.

The setting for The Damages takes place at Regis University in the late 1990’s. The main character, Rosalind, has a roommate who goes missing during the infamous Canadian ice storm. Twenty years later Rosalind's ex (and a former alumni of Regis) is accused of sexual assault.
Rosalind was a totally unlikeable character for me right from the beginning and I didn’t change my mind by the time I’d finished the book.
She tried too hard to fit in and lost herself in the process by lying and making up stories. I’d hoped she’d matured by 2020 and in some respects she had. I was also hoping the book pace would pick up in the second half which centred around 2020 but sadly, it didn’t. The Damages was supposedly a thriller but not in the usual sense. All in all, not one of my favourites.

Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Random House for my eARC.