My Dark Vanessa

I really enjoyed this book even if the main subject of it was not exactly amusing.
Indeed, Vanessa's story is pretty hard, and she's traumatized. But even so, Kate Elizabeth Russell managed to grab my attention from page 1 until the end of her novel, and I read this book in two days because I was so engrossed in the plot.
This novel talks about a really actual subject and that's probably why it's so fascinating. But at the same time, the trauma of the victim could potentially harm younger readers, so I wouldn't recommend it for people under the age of 16.

This book is not an easy read, it's an exploration of one girls life during and after being groomed by a teacher, stretching out into her future and into the #MeToo movement. The book doesn't shy away from the huge impact that abuse has, the rippling effects both internally and externally.

I do recommend this but for obvious reasons be gentle with yourself around the content warnings.

Skillfully and sensitively written but still a very difficult book to read. A male teacher seduces a fifteen year old female pupil and this is her heartbreaking story. The characters are fully developed, complicated and real and they present a powerful, unflinching exploration of an abusive relationship with all its ambiguities and uncertainties. Questions about discovery, disclosures and being believed are also explored in what is a compelling and convincing story. Highly recommended.

A hard book to "enjoy" but it was just so compelling, no wonder it took the author years to write!