These Violent Delights

The publisher provided me with the opportunity to read this in exchange for providing feedback. (via NetGalley)

“Don't you find it interesting that these types of crimes against women –whether it's violence, sexual assault, rape– are the only kinds where we force the victim to make a case about their own innocence before even investigating?”

That quote really stuck with with me throughout the book. In light of recent revelations, this topic of this book is kind of telling of how those react to an event similar to what occurs in the book. The victim shaming. The denial that there is a problem because they seem like a “nice person.” How the victims react and cope with the trauma. Though there were some formatting issues that I suspect are largely due to this being an arc copy, I found the story to be well written and moved at a good pace and illustrated a topic that is often swept under the rug.

I wasn't quite sure what to expect when going into this book. I loved the cover and when I skimmed the blurb, it definitely seemed like something up my alley. While the book had several positive points, it was overall underwhelming for me and kind of fell in the middle of the road as far as enjoyment went.

Overall, the message in the book was great. It was extremely supportive of survivors from all over the spectrum. I also like how all of the survivors were their own people, they had different experiences, different histories, and different reactions. I felt like the writing itself could have used some more work. I didn't feel emotionally connected to any of the characters, and so the book wasn't as hard-hitting for me as it should have been.

I wouldn't steer anyone away from this book if they're interested, but I also don't see myself recommending it to anyone. I feel like there are better portrayals of assault survivors out there to read.