Hermione Winters is captain of her cheerleading team, and in tiny Palermo Heights, this doesn't mean what you think it means. At PHHS, the cheerleaders don't cheer for the sports teams; they are the sports team-the pride and joy of a tiny town. The team's summer training camp is Hermione's last and marks the beginning of the end of... she's not sure what. She does know this season could make her a legend. But during a camp party, someone slips something in her drink. And it all goes black.
In every class, there's a star cheerleader and a pariah pregnant girl. They're never supposed to be the same person. Hermione struggles to regain the control she's always had and faces a wrenching decision about how to move on. The assault wasn't the beginning of Hermione Winter's story and she's not going to let it be the end. She won't be anyone's cautionary tale.
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[I START RUNNING AFTER SCHOOL]***
(Dutton Books for Young Readers, 15 March 2016, hardback, 248 pages, Around the Year in 52 Books 2019, a book you stumbled upon, bought from @AmazonUK)
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This is different than other YA books I've read that deal with the subject of rape. Other books tend to focus on the victim falling apart, becoming depressed and suicidal and that sort of thing. This book stands out because Hermione is not what you expect from a teenage victim. This is a book about rebuilding and pulling yourself back up after something terrible happens. Hermione is incredibly brave. She refuses to let what happened define her or destroy her. Maybe her experience is different because she was part of the popular crowd and other books I've read have the victim as an outsider? One of the best bits about the book is Hermione's friends who rally fiercely around her. Yay to female friendship and being a bad ass. This is a terrific read.
