No Virgin by Anne Cassidy

Synopsis (from Goodreads) 

Pages: 192

Publisher: Hot Key Books
Released: 3rd of November 2016 

My name is Stacey Woods and I was raped.

Stacey is the victim of a terrible sexual attack. She does not feel able to go to the police, or talk about it to anybody other than her best friend, Patrice. Patrice, outraged, when she cannot persuade her to go to the police, encourages Stacey to write everything down. This is Stacey's story.

What I Have to Say 

This was one of those books that is very hard to read because of the subject matter, while also being so compelling that you don't want to put it down. It showed Stacey's innocence and naivety as her story unfolds but it also shows how much she is overlooked in her life. It interested me a lot how mistreated she was by her sister and how much her talents were undervalued by those around her. 

In a lot of ways it was the simple story of a girl running away and getting into trouble. But it was the background of the story that fascinated me the most. It was the way Stacey was treated by her family and why she ran away that I liked reading about the most. 

This is a very sad story, but it was also very beautifully told with a lot to read into the background. I would love to read more about Stacey and what happens to her after she wrote her story down. 

My thanks go to Netgalley and Hot Key Books for providing me with this copy for review. 

Changers: Drew by T. Cooper & Allison Glock-Cooper

Synopsis (from Goodreads) 

Pages: 288
Publishers: Atom 

Released: 12th of January 2016 

The Cheerleader, The Nerd, The Jock, The Freak. What if you had to be all four?

Changers book one: DREW opens on the eve of Ethan Miller's freshman year of high school in a brand-new town. He's finally sporting a haircut he doesn't hate, has grown two inches since middle school, and can't wait to try out for the soccer team. At last, everything is looking up in life.

Until the next morning. When Ethan awakens as a girl.

Ethan is a Changer, a little-known, ancient race of humans who live out each of their four years of high school as a different person. After graduation, Changers choose which version of themselves they will be forever - and no, they cannot go back to who they were before the changes began.

Ethan must now live as Drew Bohner - a petite blonde with an unfortunate last name - and navigate the treacherous waters of freshman year while also following the rules: Never tell anyone what you are. Never disobey the Changers Council. And never, ever fall in love with another Changer. Oh, and Drew also has to battle a creepy underground syndicate called 'Abiders' (as well as the sadistic school queen bee, Chloe). And she can't even confide in her best friend Audrey, who can never know the real her, without risking both of their lives.

What I Have to Say 

This book was very different from what I expected, in a good way. I expected it to be an interesting look at a boy who changes into a girl overnight, looking into the difficulties of adjusting to that. What it actually is, is a deep intense look into issues such as male privilege and the experiences other people have 

I was surprised by how feminist this book came across. But the change that Ethan/Drew had to go through, from a boy to all the expectations and social judgement that a girl gets in high school? It really highlights how many more expectations there are on females than males.

 Even through reading through all of this, I didn't expect the scene at the party, so I feel this needs a trigger warning but it's a spoiler, so highlight to read: There is attempted rape in this book. For such an intense issue, I felt this was treated respectfully and sensitively, though I feel that I would have like to see more of how Drew coped in the aftermath. 

I cannot wait for the next book in this series. I have so many questions and can't wait to see who Drew ends up as next.