Of course this may be one of the last reviews, but that doesn't mean they’re gonna be light. Nay nay. This book is titled Someone I Used to Know by Patty Blount. It has a majority (543) 5-star rating out of 1,104 total ratings. It falls into the genres of young adult, contemporary, and realistic fiction.

The following summary is given by Goodreads.com:

“It’s been two years since the night that changed Ashley’s life. Two years since she was raped by her brother’s teammate. And a year since she sat in a court and watched as he was given a slap-on-the-wrist sentence. But the years have done nothing to stop the pain or lessen the crippling panic attacks that make her feel like she’s living a half-life. It’s been two years of hell for Derek. His family is totally messed up and he and his sister are barely speaking. He knows she partially blames him for what happened, and totally blames him for how he handled the aftermath. Now at college, he has to come to terms with what happened, and the rape culture that he was inadvertently a part of that destroyed his sister’s life. When it all comes to a head at Thanksgiving, Derek and Ashley have to decide if their relationship is able to be saved. And if their family can ever be whole again”

Trigger Warning: sexual assault, rape, anxiety attacks

Simply glancing at the reviews, they are overwhelmingly positive. Although many readers feel the same way--that its highly heavy and emotional--they encourage that its an important topic and it's a worthy read. “It's really difficult to review a book like this... I didn't agree with everything presented in the book but I definitely appreciate that she wasn't afraid to tell this story and encourage readers to think about rape and the idea of rape culture,” says a user by the name of BernLuvsBooks. The same user also goes on to inform the reader that the book has multiple perspectives and jumps from past to present time. Although it jumps, it offers insightful information and and interesting point of view.

As for the main character, Ashley, she is described as "determined” and “realistic” with reasonable faults as she lashes out because of her trauma. Then there is her brother, Derek, who is the other perspective of the story. His character is apparently made to be hated at first since he views takes part of the rape culture and blames his sister for what happened to her. However, it's said that his “character arc is a total rollercoaster” as user Kate puts it. She also shares how “he tries incredibly hard to better himself.”

Looking at the other side of things, some readers shared some critiques about the characters. A user named Sydney West said that she would give the side characters themselves a 3.5/5 stars. Expressing that some of the characters didn't “stand out," especially Ashley’s love interest was “generic." The main fault to the whole story, it seems like, is how heavy it is. One user by the name of Kelly Olivia said, “I think many of my students will devour this book, especially those that love a good, sad, story, but it made me want to check out. I couldn't stay focused on such a serious topic for so long.”

Unfortunately, but finally, we have The poet X by Elizabeth Agevedo. Once again, majority (44,124) 5-star rating out of 79,913 total ratings. It falls into the genres of poetry, young adult, and contemporary.

The following summary is given by Goodreads.com:

“A young girl in Harlem discovers slam poetry as a way to understand her mother’s religion and her own relationship to the world. Debut novel of renowned slam poet Elizabeth Acevedo. Xiomara Batista feels unheard and unable to hide in her Harlem neighborhood. Ever since her body grew into curves, she has learned to let her fists and her fierceness do the talking. But Xiomara has plenty she wants to say, and she pours all her frustration and passion onto the pages of a leather notebook, reciting the words to herself like prayers—especially after she catches feelings for a boy in her bio class named Aman, who her family can never know about. With Mami’s determination to force her daughter to obey the laws of the church, Xiomara understands that her thoughts are best kept to herself. So when she is invited to join her school’s slam poetry club, she doesn’t know how she could ever attend without her mami finding out, much less speak her words out loud. But still, she can’t stop thinking about performing her poems. Because in the face of a world that may not want to hear her, Xiomara refuses to be silent”

Trigger Warning: Abuse, sexual assault, homophobia, slut-shaming

The opinions for this book were very high, all users had something positive to say about it. It's widely viewed as inspiring, beautiful and wholesome. "I felt very emotional reading this book, not just because the story and the words themselves were so beautiful, but because I knew it was going to make so many teens who felt like no one cares about them or listens to them feel seen,” as user Tomi Adeyemi warmly explained.

It was also put into perspective by a few people that the main character goes through some self discovery as well, not just with her mind and body, but her sexuality as well. The main character even helps bring on the subjects of self love and body positivity. Many people felt connected to the main character and loved how real she was portrayed. A wide array of readers also just found themselves impressed with the words and language at hand. As a user by the name of Cindy puts it, “The verse formats feel purposeful instead of gimmicky and the writing is so good without compensating with flowery language. It's simple yet effective.”

It was said that one of the downfalls was the organization of the resolution of the story. One user by the name of Emily May felt that it was “too neat,” like she felt certain plot and character developments moved at a pace where it “wasn't quite believable." However, the fast pace at the end could simply have to do with the fact that the book is indeed short. Another user expressed the ending was predictable and there were some “contradictory themes."

It's highlighted in a few places that even people who don't like poetry have found themselves falling in love with the book, so give it a chance! “Contemporary YA and poetry are usually a miss for me, so I am pleasantly surprised at the near-perfection of this coming-of-age story,” said Cindy, once again. Part of being an avid reader is taking on books outside of your comfort zone.