Find my reviews on Blogger ~ Reviews by Bookish Sarah 
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 3.5 stars 
 Sam, a student in her senior year of high school, has been pining away for her best friend for a long time now. The problem? Said best friend, Nick, doesn't see Sam in the way that she'd like him to. Her plan? Flirt with the hottest, most coveted guy in school - Carter. 
 The book opens up with Sam & Nick on their way to a party being thrown by the one and only Carter. Sam has ditched her normal jeans & t-shirt look for a short, sexy skirt and sky-high heels in hopes of showing Nick another side of herself. Once they arrive at the party, Sam searches out Carter in hopes of carrying out her plan to flirt with him and make Nick jealous... thus making Nick realize they could be something more than friends. 
 When Sam has had a few too many beers, she ends up following Carter into his bedroom. Carter assumes that Sam wants him and turns her down in a terrible way. In her inebriated and upset state, Sam ends up tripping and hurting herself. She flees the room in tears. When a fellow female student sees her in this state, she assumes the worst. 
 The next Monday at school, Sam notices people staring, pointing, and talking about her. She assumes Carter has told everyone of her attempt to "throw herself" at him - so when asked by fellow students if "it" is true; if Carter really did "that" to her, she just agrees. Eventually she learns that everyone thinks Carter raped her in his bedroom that night. The lie has already spread all over school, people are throwing concern her way, friends she never thought she had are coming out of the woodwork to spend time with her, and even Nick is acting differently toward her. Graduation is soon, so what's the harm in just letting the lie play out? Sam is about to find out. 
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 *Beware of minor spoilers!* 
 The problems I had with this book lie within what is realistic and what is not. 
 Sam, for one.. I just don't think any high school senior in the 20th century could mistakenly think it's okay to say a boy raped her when he did not. I do not think it is realistic to have her be that dense. Just because the guy is a jerk? Because he insulted her looks? Because her new "friends" didn't have fantastic relationship experiences with him? No, just no. Her father is the head of the police department! You can't tell me she doesn't know right from wrong. The fact that she let it go the way it did, and thought of the situation in the manner that she did, makes her character seem so much younger than she was supposed to be. 17-18 years old? It seemed more like she was 12-13 years old. It didn't add up right. 
 Then there was the principal of the school. Sam's locker is vandalized by someone else. Someone slanders her and yet Sam is the one who gets in trouble and is threatened in the principal's office?! What in the ever-loving hell?! I don't care how small of a town she supposedly lives in, that is just insane. I also think that if she lived in such a small town, as was pointed out so many times in the book, that the principal would have already heard the rumors about Carter having raped Sam - and maybe, gee, I dunno, felt BAD for her? Hmmm.. *taps chin* I just don't get it. 
 Aside from these flaws, I liked this book. I loved the message it put out there. One lie, whether you think it's small or not, can ruin someone's entire life. It's not your place to judge whether or not someone might possibly deserve the consequences of that lie. It's still a lie; a lie perpetrated by you. Sam was upset over Carter saying she was ugly, so she decided it was her right to play judge, jury, and executioner to him. It's sad that there truly are girls in the world who would do this. I hope that one of them picks this book up some day and sees that a lie like that could never be harmless. 
 I am extremely impressed with this author for giving this book the ending that she did. It's much too easy to give your readers the perfect happy ending. Instead, Amanda Grace went against the grain and showed us the more likely outcome of a situation like the one Sam created for herself. The author didn't wrap the ending up in a big glittery bow. She left it open and raw - just the way it should be. I saw another reviewer get upset over this ending, but I don't understand that. It's much too naive to think that all would be well after such an enormous and vicious lie; one that changed not only the life of the accused, but the accuser as well the people who trusted her. 
 Overall, I think this book has some flaws, but the message is what is important. The flaws can definitely be overlooked for the sake of seeing the picture this novel projects as a whole. I applaud the author for making the protagonist the villain and pulling it off so well. I also applaud her for not candy-coating the subject matter and for giving this book the ending it needed to get the point across. I definitely recommend this book. 
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 Book source: Personal collection 
 Publisher: Flux Books