I don't have a super strong feeling for this book. It's a pure YA novel aimed towards middle grade students. I felt conflicted about Agnes's choice to release their classmate's secrets even though the other kids were terrible to them. This book feels like it was meant to be read to a classroom of middle schoolers with the request or lesson planned for responses. I don't know that my students would read this novel on their own.

Really loved reading this book.It was awesome and very much realistic.

“I was an In. Always had been, always would be. And Agnes… she was an Out.”

Agnes’s young life has been full of daily taunts and rejections, so when the opportunity arises for her to get a little payback from the people who’ve hurt her, she takes it. But serious questions arise when her online revenge spirals quickly and irreversibly out of control. At what point does retribution go to far? Who is responsible in an online world where no one is willing to take blame?

Let me start by saying this was a very short book. That’s not a bad thing, as sometimes a quick read is that much needed kick up the bum to get you out of a reading slump. I managed to finish this one in one sitting – which for me is pretty unheard of!

This book paints a realistic picture of what school life is like today – this I know, for I am a teacher myself. It is raw, meaningful and emotive. It highlights how unkind teenagers can be to one another and has a solid message about the importance of doing the right thing. We live in a society where social media is becoming increasingly important. It’s impossible to walk down a school corridor without seeing a child on Facebook on their phone, tweeting, or snapping their latest instagram photo. But what happens when it all goes wrong? Children will, and do, unfortunately mess up, mistakes are a part of growing up, and with internet activity at an all time high it is often at the forefront of these mistakes. It is so easy to post something hurtful on social media as there is a lessened sense of accountability. It almost doesn’t feel as mean because you can hide behind your computer screen. But what children don’t often understand is that it is still as hurtful, it will reach a wider audience, and theres almost always no way of taking it back. This book tackles this issue well and really makes the reader think. Ultimately I enjoyed the characters internal debate about what is right and wrong, and was proud when they finally found their voice.

This is a strong book that could be used within then education system to touch upon the issue of bullying and social media as it really does provoke thought and conversation.

★★★★★