I started reading this a while ago and had to stop because of the hard-hitting content. I revisited it recently and was able to finish it. I wouldn't say that this was an enjoyable book but that doesn't seem to be the purpose to me. This book and the characters are meant to challenge us and make us think about the difficult issue of sexual violence and patriarchal dynamics on college campuses and how institutions react and respond. There is growing awareness of the horrific extent of this now but institutional responses are overall appalling.
The three characters' narratives are woven together mostly effectively although at time I felt like it took a long time to connect the dots between them.
They were all engaging in their own ways and the ending was definitely unexpected but felt right for the book.
Overall a good read for those looking to be challenged and wanting to think seriously about the issues presented.

A relevant and interesting title, but I feel it could have been slightly shorter. I liked the 3 different perspectives. I've read better books about this similar sort of topic (#metoo, university politics and class, gender etc.), but I'm definitely glad I read this title.

The lives of three girls come together at Carter College, a small private University in Carolina. Bea is the daughter of a doctor and an unknown father, when her mother dies she has to make her own way. Bea decides to look at Criminal Justice but her first student case opens her eyes to sexual and racial prejudice. Annie is a small town girl and scholarship student, inhibited because of scarring from an accident she is starting to come out of herself until hooking up with a boy. Stayja is not a student at Carter, she works in the coffee shop and studies at Community College trying to break the cycle of poverty she is in. All three are affected by the actions of Tyler, rich, entitled and he knows it.
Funnily enough the thing I didn't like about this book was the fact that it ticks so many boxes - #metoo, #blacklivesmatter etc - it almost seems contrived. In fact this is an enjoyable novel on many levels from the secret life of a college campus, the gap between the haves and the have nots and the prejudice around every corner. When one considers the story in the light of all the statistics on campus sexual assaults it can be seen that this is fiction that cuts close to reality.

I feel this was an important book in understanding gender and race politics on a US university campus. I think from reading several campus based novels, that the atmosphere is quite different for young women attending college in the US when compared to the U.K. So there were times when I was surprised or confused by what was going on and how the university handled sexual assault.
We follow three young women who each tell the story from their point of view. Annie is ‘lucky’ to have been accepted at Carter University with a full scholarship, Bea Powers is part of the college’s Scholar’s Justice Program and a student .Stayja York is not a student, but works in the college coffee shop, dealing with students all day.
The three women might never have crossed paths until Annie accuses a boy called Tyler of sexual assault. Bea becomes Tyler’s advocate within the justice program, but she feels torn. She wants to impress her tutors and gain experience but finds it difficult as a woman. The book takes us through the whole process of a claim like this from the college’s perspective - the police procedure would be separate. The events play out over the backdrop of the #MeToo movement and marks a watershed moment in history. This was the most interesting aspect for me, how worldwide women were standing up and saying no more and how that affects one person’s experience.
While I felt empathy for Annie, and her situation I did struggle to connect deeply with a character and that makes for a difficult reading experience. The book and the injustice of the system made me angry, which is a good thing. It was interesting how money and status can influence a Title IX case. I also liked how the author showed a ripple effect from those directly involved, to how the events affect their wider friends and family. I found it a bit bleak in terms of justice. I doubt I was the first person to read this with rising anger. Despite the fact that it wasn’t strictly my cup of tea, I do believe writers need to keep telling stories like this until someone makes a change. It’s about time.

Three women find themselves on various sides of a campus rape case. Annie, Bea and Stayja see first hand where privilege on the Carter campus can get you.

Everyone is invested in different people, and you see how their perspectives are shaped by their own connections. A book on sexual assault, the #MeToo movement, campus politics, bureaucracy, and privilege.

Easy to read style, some proper harrowing moments, characters you root for.

Thanks NetGalley and the publisher for providing the digital copy in exchange for an honest review.

Rating: 3.5/5

In this book we three different points of view: Annie Stoddard, a nice girl who was lucky enough to get a scholarship in a prestigious school called Carter University, considered "The Harvard of the South", then Bea Powers, a biracial student who is part of Carter's Justice Scholars program, and finally, Stayja York who is not a student at Carter, but works in a coffee shop in there, dealing on a daily basis with those students. One day, Annie accuses Tyler of sexual assault and their stories intertwines, since Bea has to work as Tyler's advocate - which is a kind of counsellor giving him emotional support. and obviously, she feels really conflicted and it's her first "case".

First, I must say that I really liked the author's previous book "When you read this", which is written completely in e-mails. I thought Adkin's writing style was very gripping and I enjoyed the way she dealt with grief and still made me laugh.

However, this one is much more serious in a way, since it deals with sexual assault. The way the author shows how it happens and all the psychological reaction from the victim is really well done and of course, very uncomfortable in the way it's supposed to be. So if you are extra sensitive about this subject, I wouldn't recommend this book. (Not that It's not extremely graphic or anything).

The author shows all the bureaucracy, the investigation, how the university deals with these kinds of allegations, etc. so I really appreciated all of the way the topic is developed. Not only sexual assault, but also other kinds of harassment. However, I didn't feel any special connection to the characters, so despite feeling empathy and wanting justice for all of the three main characters, they weren't characters I ultimately loved.

Overall, It's not the best book that I've read regarding this topic, but it's definitely worth the read :)

The topics covered in this book are serious: it’s hard to say that I liked reading this book.

It was compelling and I read it in one sitting. I would recommend it to everyone but it’s not a comfortable read.

The title incapsulates all the different types of privilege one would encounter on a college campus.