Some possible minor spoilers so read at your own risk.

Wow, what a powerful and intense read, but if you are intending on reading this PLEASE check the content and trigger warnings before going into it, because it's definitely not for everyone. I also want to preface my review with the fact that I am not a survivor of sexual abuse, so take my comments on the representation and depiction of this and it's repercussions with a grain of salt.

This book was an intense experience. I didn't want to keep reading but I couldn't stop reading at the same time. It was intense and eye-opening and made me reflect on my own experiences and things that happened with teachers and older men throughout my high school years.

Vanessa, as a character, was frustrating at times but you can't help but feel so sorry for her as the past timeline progresses and you see how the abuse she suffered impacted her view of events and of Strane more than 15 years after the fact. I also absolutely hated Strane and it was so difficult to read every scene he was in, but this was obviously the point.

I think this book did a really good job at presenting abuse, both sexual and power imbalance, the long-term impacts of this and how it permeates through an entire person's being, without being overly preachy, for lack of a better word. I think the portrayal of every aspect of Vanessa, and not sweeping over her negative traits but also highlighting that these were a result of grooming from a young age, was done really well. I don't know if I explained that very well, though, but I hope you understand what I mean.

Though the story was powerful and most things were done well, in my opinion, there were a couple of threads of the story that I felt weren't followed as much as they could. There was a bit of insinuation regarding the nature of Vanessa's friendships with Jenny and her public school friend, whose name I have forgotten, which I felt was dropped partway through the story and could've been explored alongside the abuse and how the grooming impacted her ability to understand herself. The ending touched on her character growth, and moving through what happened, but I felt like I would've liked that to be fleshed out a little bit more as it felt a little bit rushed once she reached the realisation that what she and Strane had wasn't love.

Overall, a very powerful read that has stayed with me for the last couple days since I read it and will stay with me for a long time. It's definitely not for everyone and I do recommend doing your research into this book and it's trigger warnings to see if this book is for you.