*Blog Tour Review & Tour Wide Giveaway] The S-Word by Chelsea Pitcher

 

Summary:

 

First it was SLUT scribbled all over Lizzie Hart’s locker.

But one week after Lizzie kills herself, SUICIDE SLUT replaces it—in Lizzie's looping scrawl.

Lizzie’s reputation is destroyed when she's caught in bed with her best friend’s boyfriend on prom night. With the whole school turned against her, and Angie not speaking to her, Lizzie takes her own life. But someone isn’t letting her go quietly. As graffiti and photocopies of Lizzie’s diary plaster the school, Angie begins a relentless investigation into who, exactly, made Lizzie feel she didn’t deserve to keep living. And while she claims she simply wants to punish Lizzie’s tormentors, Angie's own anguish over abandoning her best friend will drive her deep into the dark, twisted side of Verity High—and she might not be able to pull herself back out.

Debut author Chelsea Pitcher daringly depicts the harsh reality of modern high schools, where one bad decision can ruin a reputation, and one cruel word can ruin a life. Angie’s quest for the truth behind Lizzie’s suicide is addictive and thrilling, and her razor-sharp wit and fierce sleuthing skills makes her impossible not to root for—even when it becomes clear that both avenging Lizzie and avoiding self-destruction might not be possible.

Summary & Cover taken from Goodreads.com

Length: 304 pages (Paperback)

Source: Netgalley ARC

Available Formats: Print/E-book

Expected Publication Date: May 7th 2013 by Gallery Books

 

 

The S-Word was one of those books that is going to stay with me for a long time to come and I'm still trying to gather my wits about me so if my review seems jumbled and vague my apologies. This was such an intricate novel that I don't want to give anything major away.

 

For those of you that have been reading my blog for awhile you know that contemporary YA novels are not my most favourite books so I surprised myself for signing up for this tour in an effort to expose myself to new authors and get into other genres more.

 

The S-Word by Chelsea Pitcher was a realistic read that brought me back to my high school days (which are only 5 years behind me). The characters were very life like and some of them had me questioning weather the author had plucked people out of my past but that just goes to show that the high school experience is one that is similar no matter where you grow up.

 

The book was a heavy read and a pretty powerful one at that. The darkness, sadness and cruelty of the story line as well as the characters the author created. I wasn't expecting this one to turn out like it did even though I had seen review of it before and read the summary it still surprised me but I was most surprised by my reaction to it.

 

I really felt for Lizzie and Angie. Lizzie I felt bad for that she turned to suicide as the answer and Angie I felt bad for because she was left reeling from the suicide of her best friend, guilt for turning her back on her as well as the pressure she puts on herself investigating what drove her beloved Lizzie to kill herself.

 

When I finished the book the one thing I thought of was that it reminded me of a spiders-web. There were many seemingly unimportant threads on the outside the worked their way into the center of the web in the for of the overall plot line and I was really surprised by the complexity of it all because I wasn't expecting such a high level of skill from a debut author.

 

Emotional, raw and slightly unforgiving I thought this was a good read with good main characters and an above average plot line. My only issue with it was that it was a little too clichéd at times and I wish that a couple of the side characters had been slightly more developed. Despite the dark subject matter I thought it was a very good read.

 

I would highly recommend this book to fans of the contemporary young adult genre especially if you're in the market for an emotionally gritty novel dealing with teen suicide, the horrors of high school for today's teens and looking for a unique read.

 

Author Bio:

 

Chelsea Pitcher is a native of Portland, OR where she received her BA in English Literature. Fascinated by all things literary, she began gobbling up stories as soon as she could read, and especially enjoys delving into the darker places to see if she can draw out some light. 

 

 *I received a free copy of this book in exchange for my free and honest review. All thoughts and opinions expressed herein are 100% my own.

 

I read this book for the following reading challenges:

 

2013 150+ Reading Challenge

 

 

Really Liked It!
★★★★

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