Waiting on Wednesday: THE WAY I USED TO BE by Amber Smith

I feel like I don't talk about enough contemporary novels on here even though I devour those like crazy. So this week is all about a new contemporary novel that I am really excited for. It is said to be in the vein of SPEAK so I am excited to be able to read...

THE WAY I USED TO BE by Amber Smith

Title: THE WAY I USED TO BE

Author: Amber Smith

Publisher: Margaret K. McElderry Books

Publication Date: March 22, 2016

Summary:
In the tradition of Speak, this extraordinary debut novel shares the unforgettable story of a young woman as she struggles to find strength in the aftermath of an assault.

Eden was always good at being good. Starting high school didn’t change who she was. But the night her brother’s best friend rapes her, Eden’s world capsizes.

What was once simple, is now complex. What Eden once loved—who she once loved—she now hates. What she thought she knew to be true, is now lies. Nothing makes sense anymore, and she knows she’s supposed to tell someone what happened but she can’t. So she buries it instead. And she buries the way she used to be.

Told in four parts—freshman, sophomore, junior, and senior year—this provocative debut reveals the deep cuts of trauma. But it also demonstrates one young woman’s strength as she navigates the disappointment and unbearable pains of adolescence, of first love and first heartbreak, of friendships broken and rebuilt, and while learning to embrace a power of survival she never knew she had hidden within her heart.

Purchase:

Amazon | Chapters | TBD