Amazing book with a haunting premise. I think the author tackled the triggering topics within in a well thought out and exemplary written way, highly recommended with a caveat to prepare to see a lot of dark topics.

I will never get tired of reading books about girls bringing down the system and getting revenge on boys for all the shit they put us through. The only downside was how long it took to actually get to the plot of bringing down the system. It felt like there was a lot of set up with the different relationships and the crew team. I don't know if anything could have been taken out, because a huge part of the plot was Max getting caught up in the crew team and that was very necessary, but it just slowed down the book a lot.

I wasn't sure at first about having a male voice in a book about rape, but I really really liked Max's POV. I think it really added a lot to the book. Because it showed how boys, even boys who know better, can be pulled into the toxic masculinity and become part of it. It was good to see one of the "good ones" and how easy it can be to stand by and not stop things like this from happening.

In all, I think this was handled really well. I liked how the emphasis wasn't on the rape. The rape had happened before the book even started and was only shown in flashbacks. The emphasis was on the fall out and how to stop it happening again.

Definitely on my list of best feminist reads of all time.

Absolutely, overwhelmingly one of the best books I have read in years. How the author managed to pull all of these scenarios out of something originally so heinous is beyond my imagination.
A must read.

If it was possible I would give this 4.5 stars, it would be 5 stars but it started out a little slow and with lots of characters to get your head around. Saying that I am so glad I persisted with it as it turned out to be a great read, touching on taboo subjects, opening Pandora’s box on rape, sexualisation, masculinity and the age old women as sexualised objects. The storyline was well written and I found myself completely involved in the book. The subject matter dealt with in a delicate way but so that it hit home and evolved in what I believe the desired outcomes. A really great read that had you rooting for some characters and hoping other get their just deserts.

Didn’t find as interesting as I thought I would. For example I personally felt that I couldn’t connect with the characters in anyway I don’t know if it was how they were written or just the plot

A brilliantly written, gripping and searing novel about wealth, sexism and abuse of power, set in an elite boarding school. Although this is pitched as YA, I think the lessons and themes in this novel are handled at so many levels - it fits in well with the other recent #metoo novels available.

Definitely one of my best reads of 2023

”’Dear God,’ she whispers. She’s not a teacher right then. She’s a woman. A girl. A mother.”

this book was so amazing, and hit so hard. it made me feel angry and sick, and made me cry (something books don’t do often). i knew right away from the crossed out “boys will be boys” that i would love this book, and oh was i right.

the 3 pov characters in this book all had such different perspectives, but i enjoyed seeing them all. i liked how even though Max likes to think he’s different than the other boys, a “nice guy”, in the end he still realises that standing by and letting the things happen is still a bad thing.

“I told myself that what Slycroft was doing wasn’t what I thought/ valued/believed, but I just went along with it. The truth is, you are your actions. Whatever happens, I have it coming.”

Charlotte was also an interesting character. she’s determined to be the perfect student, the perfect dancer, and the perfect girlfriend. she even describes herself as being seen as the “cool girl” who doesn’t mind her boyfriend ditching her for his friends, but she doesn’t want to be that anymore. seeing her grow to be able to stand up for herself and the other girls was so important.

“You say I’m perfect. Perfect Charlotte doesn’t complain. She’s fine when I’m with the guys. No, I’m not fine. I’m not perfect. I’m just who I am, and if that’s not more interesting to you than a bunch of immature dickheads busy stealing girls’ underwear, then too bad. I’m out of this.” I can’t believe what I’m saying. I’m so mad I’m not even crying. “I’m breaking up with you.”

finally, there was Q. in my opinion, Q was the most important character in this book. her anger feels so raw and real, and she’s relatable in so many ways. the way she just wanted to ruin him as he did for her, and her blaming herself for something that was in no way her fault, hurt so much. i enjoyed seeing her both be able to heal and get her revenge, and the help she had for it made it even better.

“Yeah, of course the woman’s always the crazy one,”

under it all, a big part of this book is the fact that powerful men will always have ways to protect themselves. the slycroft group was made because they hated the idea of women getting to do what they have done for years. the boys never call each other out for their disgusting comments, even when Max says it’s obvious the others disagree. the Dean said that they had to protect the school, but really it is only the male students being protected, and women get almost no help.

overall, i highly recommend this book, but please check tws.

This is an incredible, emotional, moving story. While the blurb sets out to explore toxic masculinity and rape culture in an elite American school, it illuminates so many other themes as well. Quinn returns to school after the summer break,, broken, with the knowledge that she was raped at the end of the previous term by one of the schools super heroes on the rowing team. She is unable to confide anyone at the school and cannot forgive herself for not fighting back . Her solution is to to attempt to kill her rapist. Charlotte is dating the schools most popular male: sporty, academic, good lucking , rich and has pedigree. Somehow she doesnt have the self esteem to believe its really happening, particularly as he does not try to have sex with her. Max is a nerdy senior on a scholarship.He is friends with Charlotte but not a member of the in crowd and not part of the elite rowing team. Their stories converge as we begin to understand how a rape could happen, how it could be condoned and how it is finally faced. A pacy well written book that provokes thinking

Shocking, razor sharp and horrifying, this is a great novel and a great commentary on the times we live in.

A must read Recommend ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

A fantastic YA contemporary novel with vibes of a thriller that examines rape-culture and toxic masculinity within a prestigious boarding school. Told through multiple points of view, Rosenblum highlights the pervasive presence of 'lad-culture' and misogyny. The characters were excellently written, and felt real (something I often struggle to find with standalone contemporary YA novels).

Overall a fantastic YA novel with a poignant writing style and a nuanced exploration of mental health, misogyny and the "boys will be boys mentality".

The Sharp Edge of Silence is a dark, sometimes disturbing and powerful read. The subject matter is difficult to write about but the author does an excellent job. I couldn’t put this amazing book down as I needed to know what the outcome would be. Five stars from me!

I was given the opportunity to read this book, its not a genre I would normally choose but I'm glad I did. The plot is very apt. A few of the bits went over my head but I'm guessing I'm older than other readers.

This book had me fully engaged. Working with survivors I thought it really showed the barriers and challenges faced. Being a YA novel it is set in an American school which was very well written and described. While the subject of mental health, rape and misogyny is never going to be for an easy read, this book certainly handled the topic well and I will be highly recommending this book to all

When I requested this book I didn’t realise it was classified as a YA book. No matter, I was interested in the premise so gave it a go.

The book follows the experience of Quinn and a big trigger warning of sexual assault and misogyny is needed.

Quinn is a student at a fictional prestigious American boarding school. Sections are written from pov of various characters throughout. This makes it quite a fast read.

It’s an interesting exploration of the impact of trauma and institutions attempting to protect themselves in the aftermath.

Some of the pop culture references missed the mark for me though I am aware I am not the target audience for this book.

A timely, challenging read that shines a light on toxic masculinity, r**e culture and the huge pressures on survivors, set in a prestigious American school with three POVs.
Given the theme, I’d strongly recommend potential readers check content warnings, but it’s well-worth the read. As someone who works to support survivors, I found this riveting and emotional, whilst remaining well within the realms of fiction which allows the author to really hammer home their points.

I found this book a disturbing read but the book should be an essential read in all schools. I worked in schools most of my working life and am glad that I was not aware of any form of abuse especially abuse of girls by boys or indeed the other way around. However, I have heard that ranking girls still goes on. I am also aware of the “Everyone’s invited” website which aims to “expose and eradicate rape culture with empathy, compassion & understanding”. Stories are reported although they no longer name and shame the school. This very much follows on from the Me Too movement.

This book is set in an elite school which has not always been coeducational. The story reveals what can happen when a girl is raped. The book also centres around rowing and how it brings together groups of boys and makes them feel a part of a team. However, it is taken further in that certain boys are initiated into a club which is more like a cult where boys are encouraged to sleep with as many girls as possible and steal their underwear. The book is told through the eyes of the girl who was raped (and how this drove her to want to kill her attacker) and through the eyes of another girl, Charlotte and of Max, a scholarship boy who wanted to please and wanted to fit in and it shows the lengths he would go to, to be included. There is a satisfactory ending but I fear that this is not always the case.

There were elements of this books I really enjoyed, but others that just fell short.

I thought Quin's character was brilliant. Everything she went through, and how she was "dealing" with trauma was done brilliantly. I wanted to read on, I needed to know how this panned out for her.

I found that there were pages that didn't need to be in it. It felt sometimes I was reading pages and pages of pointless stuff to get back to the issues. I know it was to help cement the pressures the characters were under and to help understand them, but I think it could have been shorter. Also I felt the book set out to be a thriller, but it wasn't.

I think it handles the topic of assault really well. It's very sensitive to it. There was a continuity issue with a film, that I let annoy me for some reason. They were watching avengers but apparently it only last less then 1hr 30 mins if the timings of the security guard finishing and them being back in their dorms is correct. This sounds silly but it made me feel that the details were thought of, and considering there was a lot of detail I didn't think needed to be in it, I just found it strange.

Give this book a go if you like YA reads that have a bit more depth and tackle hard topics.

An incredibly powerful book about toxic masculinity, rape culture, and mental health. It’s a series of topics that are spoken about frequently with students at the moment, so a highly important read for staff, students, and parents. Will 100% be buying a copy for my classroom bookshelf.

There is no doubt that this story packs a punch. Q’s story is one that will sadly resonate with many and I thought it was extremely well written from her POV. This book tackles some difficult topics as we learn about Q being raped and see how she deals with the trauma and ultimately takes control back with the help of her friends. It’s a sad, anger inducing but hopeful and powerful story which really made me stop and think. Misogyny is brought to the forefront and there were some scenes that actually made me feel sick with how vile the Slycroft Society and their ideas are. The down side for me was that this book was quite slow. I thought the last half of the book was fantastic so I was glad I stuck with it but there were definitely moments in the first half where I considered putting it down. Overall a gut wrenching but powerful read.

TW Rape
After a traumatic event that changed Qs life she is alone and won’t open up to anyone.
We follow the journey of her and her 3 friends trying to navigate their way through Lycroft Phelps social world. Full of ‘rich white men’ and toxic masculinity just brushed under the carpet because ‘boys will be boys’
As the friends slowly uncover the truth what will they do with it? Will they accept it like the rest of the world or will they fight against it
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OH MY GOD I loved everything about this book, I’m currently unwell and managed to finish it mostly in a day. It had me hooked line and sinker
The plot was easy to follow, the characters were all likeable but with depth and flaws and general humanity
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As someone who worked within Victim Support for years within the sexual assault team and in my degree studied the treatment of rape victims I was so excited but also apprehensive to read this - it 100% hit the nail for me - the victim blaming themselves ‘if I’d have just fought back’ the friends blaming themselves ‘if I’d have just stayed with you that night’ the ‘it’s done now just move on’ attitude from people who live that sheltered life - it was all there and the ending was just perfection 🤌🏻
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I cannot rave about this book enough I LOVED IT