Snapped

The main message of this story (sexual harassment and the fallout thereof) is a good one that fits well with the current state of affairs. There's just a few problems with the execution, unfortunately. I liked that Ari had a strong support system and even enjoyed the idea of the German exchange student “sister”.

Most of the problems came in the form of characterization. There was a lot of focus on skin tone or hair color, but very little in personality. So many times I wanted to love characters, like Shyla and Meike, but they fell flat and were difficult to connect with. I prefer character-driven stories and this one felt a bit like it was meant to be sparse so that anyone could fit themselves into the shoes of whichever character they felt they associated with the most. I would've loved to see the relationships flesh out in real time, especially with the boys, would've made the book so much more. The insta-love plot device is done to death and this particular instance felt wrong. Ari has just realized the position she's inadvertently found herself in, all because of one boy, but here she is blurting out her vulnerabilities to another two seconds after meeting him? It's unrealistic. Top that off with a glossed over introduction to his Chinese-American parents that lacks any kind of cultural identity aside from food, it just made the diversity in cast seem forced rather than inclusive. And before that, I would've loved to have felt the real fear and shame Ari felt when confronted with the reality of what all those snaps actually culminated into. Then there's Thea, the one friend that apparently every girl in every teen book has whose a huge b***h but they still keep her around for some unknown reason. And Meike, the biggest missed opportunity of them all. I had the pleasure of getting to know a German exchange student in high school and never once heard her say Americans were stupid. She did point out various things she thought were silly or strange, but had no trouble fitting in (the same can be said about the Polish exchange student a year later). There was no real cultural exchange in the book, is what I'm getting at, and that's a real shame when the point of the differences was made so blatant.

(And what is with the whole thing about America being the only country with these kinds of problems? It's said repeatedly, as though rape culture isn't the global horror that it is, which serves to make this book feel less inclusive than the author was going for.)

That said, this story does feel like a long call to action for youth who might otherwise remain silent. It inspired me to look into the statistics myself and they are abysmal. I do hope that the message is received by the right people. While I feel like the author put the cart before the horse in this instance and could've fine-tuned various aspects, I liked the premise and writing style. Ending on a positive, sweet note was a nice way to go out and, though he was barely in the book, I loved Wilson. Probably because he was an actions-speak-louder-than-words type.

Snapped is about an unassuming freshman girl named Ari with a close, loving family and circle of good friends. Ari begins to receive attention from Cade, one of the most popular senior boys in her school, and she is excited by it, but it quickly turns into something she was not expecting, and Ari must learn to be strong and stand up for herself and others. As she does, Ari learns who her real friends are and meets some new ones as well.

I enjoyed this book more and more as I went on—Ari seemed a little judgmental and vapid to me in the very beginning, and I thought a lot of the details about her life and day were unnecessary, but by the end, she was able to develop so much as a character that I can understand why the beginning of the book was the way that it was. I think this is an important and excellent read for middle-grade and high school teens. It's not very often that media intended for young people effectively portrays their world of social media, but I think that Snapped did an good job doing just that.

In books for this demographic, there is a fine line between 'teaching' and 'storytelling' and Snapped did a really good job of not tripping over it. There were moments which I sensed as being more 'teacherly' than others, such as when Ari thinks about all the things she could do to help herself when she is feeling depressed, literally going over her counselor father's advice in her head. Yet none of them were so egregious as to take me out of the story, and all of them were things that I thought were important to know, so I don't think this is really a negative. Generally it stayed entertaining—the hook that the blurb promises was what I thought would take up the majority of the book, but there is a lot of other action, such as Ari's friendship and relationship development, which I was not expecting but enjoyed. It also served to make this more of a novel than a PSA. Snapped is a much more real look at the psyche of a teen girl, and the other elements of the book aside from the 'cautionary tale' aspect are interesting and not as 'safe' as a reader might expect from a story that wants to communicate a moral. It communicates a moral, yes, but it also tells a story.

But the cautionary tale aspect is also compelling. I did think that all of the things Ari did were not exactly unrealistic, but were slightly optimistic for the situation—but I don't think that's a negative, and I thought it made much better storytelling sense, as well as a practical sense, helping the ultimate message of the novel along. I don't think a Murphy's Law type realism is necessary for a story to be 'good'. I was very satisfied with the ending and how everything was resolved, and when I had finished reading Snapped I was happy that there is a book like this in the world right now! I hope it gets a lot of readers.

My only qualm was that there were some punctuation and grammar mistakes, especially the leaving off of the second set of quotation marks when it wasn't grammatically correct to do so. I really do not care about this and it did not impact my enjoyment of the book, however, an editor was credited, and I think with an editor on board these were things which could have been caught.

(Full disclosure: I received this book for free from the author, and am voluntarily providing an unbiased review of all my own opinions. Thank you Ms. Turner for the copy of 'Snapped'.)

Outstanding, personal take on a very tough subject. If this story saves one young, naive teen from becoming a victim, every syllable is pure silver. As a teacher, I chose this YA read to brush up on my high school lexicon. Turner proceeded to knock my socks off with a riveting tale that stays true to the hormonal highs and lows of a high school hallway near you. Well done!

After reading the title Snapped, I thought the story was a horror/thriller, but I was wrong -- the title refers to a popular social media site. The story itself is well-written and realistic; the prose captures the essence of today's youth. I can’t reveal anything about the theme without spoiling the story, but I can mention it is appropriate. Despite a few errors that a spell check wouldn’t catch, the quality of the writing is good. My only issue is the length of the story – I felt it was too short. All in all, Snapped is a worthwhile read.

**Actual Rating 4.5 Stars**
Characters

Ari was blah at first. By the end of the book she blossoms and I almost missed her. I rallied behind her as she proved herself to be stronger then she thought. Shyla, her best friend, was a delightful addition. I also liked the relationship with her 'German exchange sister' as it developed throughout the book. Thea is thankfully a mostly two dimensional character that helped Ari find who she is in her own way. Clayton is such a gentleman and a catalyst for her but I'm happy to say Ari is eventually able to make her decisions for herself. Cade is exactly what you thought he'd be...or is he?

Plot

I'll admit, when I started this book I thought "here we go again, another high school story about the 'shy normal girl' and the super popular guy." I mentally rolled my eyes but dug in, sometimes they are still fun. Boy was I way off. The author does a good job lulling you into a state of calm and then throws a curve ball. Then a few more for good show and I was sucked in. This book is NOT at all what you think it is. All I'll say is it was a delusional teenager in love with the idea of the person or what I like to call 'The Prince Charming Trap.' I'm afraid to say more but give this book a chance, it might just surprise you in a good way, too!

Overall

The writing was enjoyable and straight forward—I read it very quickly. After the initial plot pointed me in one direction I significantly lowered my expectations.The plot could have gone really two ways and this one was very lighthearted and hopeful. Then it hit on themes that young girls are dealing with today and gives them a voice through a fourteen-year-old girl who doesn't think she's anyone special. It isn't perfect but it has the right tone and lots of right messages that I could stand behind. I'd highly recommend picking this up for a teenage girl you know. My only compliant was everything seemed to come together quickly and in a nice neat bow. Not really realistic but it was a positive message!

Rating

4.5 Stars (rounded up)

Sometimes you want the edgy tragedy, sometimes you want the high school romance, and sometimes you want the Hallmark story with an actual point. This is the teenage equivalent of a Hallmark read with life lessons to be learned.

This is a voluntary review. More reviews at creatingworldswithwords.wordpress.com.

This book is amazing my daughter loves Jaccis books and she just started reading this book and she already fell in love with it

Cyber bullying is for real and Jacci Turner makes its wrongness plain in this very readable story about a courageous freshman at Sierra High. #sextingisdangerous #selfrespect #eyesoffmybody

*Book provided in exchange for honest review from Voracious Readers Only*

This book is something I feel all teens, especially young teens should read. As a step-Mom to a 13 year old girl I highly discouraged her Snapchat and she thought I was crazy, but this book paints the perfect picture as to why I asked her to get rid of it. Social media is a scary place for young kids and they tend to think they’re invincible. This is a story of something that could happen to anyone, any where with any social media platform and it’s something that needs to be talked about more.

That being said, I found this book to be increasingly easy read and I flew through it in maybe an hour or hour and a half. I like how Ari realized her worth and who her friends really were and was able to find her voice at the end to tell people they were not welcome. The only part I was a little leery of, is that her boyfriend ended up being a senior and she’s a freshman. Which I’m aware happens a lot, it happened when I was in school too, but as a parent it just makes squint a little bit and reallllly look at the person you know. The author did a good job of making this boy a likeable person though who had Ari’s best intentions at heart