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Review: Exit, Pursued by the Bear by E.K. Johnston

Title: Exit, Pursued by a Bear
Author: E.K. Johnston
Year Published: 2016

Genre: YA Fiction
Pages: 243
Rating: 4.5 out of 5

Location (my 2016 Google Reading map)Canada

FTC Disclosure: I borrowed this book from my school library

Summary (from the back of the book):
 Hermione Winters has been a flyer. She's been captain of her cheerleading team. The envied girlfriend and the undisputed queen of her school. Now it's her last year and those days and those labels are fading fast. In a few months she'll be a different person. She thinks she's ready for whatever comes next.

But then someone puts something in her drink at a party, and in an instant she finds herself wearing new labels, ones she never imagined. Victim. Survivor. That raped girl. Even though this was never the future she imagined. One essential thing remains unchanged: Hermione can still call herself Polly Olivier's best friend, and that may be the truest label of all.

Review: Gosh, there are so many good YA books out there! This one has a good and really important storyline, a story and message that girls (and boys) need to hear.

I like Hermione (and I LOVE that her name is Hermione). She is super smart, grounded, athletic, a leader, and isn't back-stabbing. I was going to say she made a mistake, but that is so wrong. She should be allowed to drink at a camp dance. The boy who drugged her is the one who made the mistake and the book makes that point, which is great!

The story is also smart that Hermione can't remember what happens due to the drug she was slipped. It means she can remain strong (mostly) and be at school, which moves the story forward. I think all teenagers should read this book and think about how they view rape, how they support their friends (or don't), and how they should pursue the truth no matter what it takes.

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