I Stop Somewhere, by T. E. Carter

Summary: Ellie starts her freshman year of high school simply wanting to blend in, but when the handsome and rich Caleb starts flirting with her, she starts craving more – romantic love. But then, Ellie is brutally raped…

My Thoughts: This was a hard book for me to read, and it was clearly written by an author who is very angry at rape culture. Carter is ruthless in expressing the emotional strain – the feeling of being vulnerable and invisible at the same time – that comes after being raped. However, she also manages to never have a fully physically violent scene in the book, and for that I am grateful. It is important for teens these days to understand rape culture so that they do not get trapped in their own horror story – and also to teach them some empathy for those who are trapped. Books like this are exactly what is needed right now. At first, I felt that maybe the subject was too heavy for teens. But no. If they can read books like Hunger Games where teens are brutally murdering other teens, then they can certainly handle a book like this. And the subject of this book is infinitely more important than the average teen book these days. Good job to T. E. Carter – this was probably a very difficult book for her to write.

My thanks to NetGalley and Feiwel & Friends for providing a galley copy of this book.