Thank you to Wednesday Books and YALLSTAYHOME for providing this book as an uncorrected bound manuscript.
This might be the single most negative and longest review I’ve written ever.
One-Sentence Summary:
Gracie tries to navigate life at her school after defending a new student changes everything.
My Review:
*sigh* Okay, let’s do this.
Hello, actual teen here, and I’m here to talk about SLINGSHOT.
The story opens with Gracie, the main character, crying in the bathroom. Why, you ask? Because her 30+-year-old science teacher doesn’t reciprocate her love. SHE IS 15 YEARS OLD. “Oh, just an innocent crush,” you say, but it is not. She yells at him and his fiancée and genuinely hates him because he isn’t in love with his underage student. People. It gets worse.
Throughout the story, there’s a senior student who essentially mentors her. I forgot her name because I read this book a few months ago, sorry! She frequently gives TERRIBLE, extremely questionable advice and gives Gracie terrible habits and Gracie practically worships her! An example of said habits and advice? Well, first of all she introduces Gracie to smoking, which is obviously a personal choice that is entirely up to the individual, but Gracie is also 15. An even worse example, the girl encourages Gracie to seduce the biology teacher! I’m not going into details because her idea is clearly horrible, and Gracie doesn’t go through with it, but I’m appalled that this book is supposed to be a wonderful tale of first love when it’s so problematic and terrible.
Gracie is the queen of bad choices. She constantly has those thoughts of, “I’m a terrible person,” like most characters, but seriously. Gracie treats her “best friends” horribly, and when her so-called-best-friend leaves for break, she has sex with a senior who:
1. Is three years older and a legal adult.
2. Has literally bullied her best friend/boyfriend.
It’s also implied that the bully been sleeping with other students for a few years at least and never been with a virgin before, so let’s not even talk about how concerning that is when you think about it for more than a few seconds.
Everybody is so casual about EVERYTHING in SLINGSHOT and it bothered me so much. This is that book that just makes you really uncomfortable, especially as a teen who has friends the same age as if not older than Gracie. I only finished it because I needed to review it and I was curious if it could somehow get worse. It did. Please, spare yourself and avoid this book. I really don’t get why it’s being praised when it has so many issues.
⭐️/5.
The Fiction Feature 