July 20, 2012

Review: Scars by Cheryl Rainfield

Scars
Scars by Cheryl Rainfield
Paperback, 233 pages
Published May 25th 2011
By WestSide Books
ARC provided by Netgalley

Kendra, fifteen, hasn't felt safe since she began to recall devastating memories of childhood sexual abuse, especially because she still can't remember the most important detail-- her abuser's identity. Frightened, Kendra believes someone is always watching and following her, leaving menacing messages only she understands. If she lets her guard down even for a minute, it could cost Kendra her life. To relieve the pressure, Kendra cuts; aside from her brilliantly expressive artwork, it's her only way of coping. Since her own mother is too self-absorbed to hear her cries for help, Kendra finds support in others instead: from her therapist and her art teacher, from Sandy, the close family friend who encourages her artwork, and from Meghan, the classmate who's becoming a friend and maybe more. But the truth about Kendra's abuse is just waiting to explode, with startling unforeseen consequences. Scars is the unforgettable story of one girl's frightening path to the truth.

          My Review:

     Scars is definitely a book that was mind boggling. While reading the first few chapters, I thought I might DNF it. And my reason for that was because I thought the author was trying to fool the readers in making us believe Kendra was being followed when in reality she was just plain paranoid. But I decided to give it a shot and keep reading. And I'm glad I did.

     Scars was a raw and emotional read. It takes you inside the mind of a person who was abused. You clearly see the results of abuse with Kendra. Dealing with it wasn't easy. And sadly she didn't really have anyone to turn to when things were happening. And as result of not having anyone, she had to find an outlet to help her cope which ended up being cutting.

     The cutting issue in this story left me heartbroken. Just to think of how counseling and a lending ear can be just enough to help them. Like Kendra, she just really needed someone to hear her out without judgement. And lucky for her she had counseling and she had Meghan. Having counseling and Meghan in her life plays a very important role in her development.

     Rainfield didn't sugarcoat anything in her novel. She gave it to you raw and uncut. She painted a descriptive picture for the reader to understand exactly what was happening and exactly what Kendra was feeling. At the end of her novel, Rainfield wrote a note to her readers and note had me choking back tears. The subject of cutting was emotional and personal to her. I'm happy I gave this book a chance. I give Scars a 4 stars and a definite Good Choice for Reading.

**Below I want to share the trailer for Scars**





10 comments:

  1. This book was powerful, and I agree she gave it to us gritty and raw, and that added to the reading experience.
    Thanks for review,
    Brandi from Blkosiner’s Book Blog

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  2. I love Cheryl! Her writing is amazing! Have you read Hunted? It was one of my favs.

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  3. I somehow have a feeling this book is like Choked. I'm a little frightened to read this book, but I'll give it a try.

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  4. Thanks for your review :) This book has been on my TBR list for a while. Such topics, although difficult, should be required reading for students and their caregivers. It's sad to think that, many times, all these kids needed was a trust-worthy, non-judgmental listener to prevent such self-destructive behavior.

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    1. Exactly Mona, all these kids need is someone they can trust and confide in.

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  5. Sounds scary. This book reminds me of Break by Hannah Moskowitz.

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    1. I haven't read any books of Hannah Moskowitz but I definitely want to give her a try.

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