Breakable by Aimee Salter Blog Tour - Review

Released Monday, November 4th! Breakable, by Aimee L. Salter, is the unique and compelling story of a young woman learning to value herself when no one else does. Oh, and she can talk to her future self…

Breakable by Aimee Salter

November 4, 2013

From Goodreads:

If you can’t trust yourself, who can you trust?

When seventeen-year-old Stacy looks in the mirror she can see and talk to her future self. “Older Me” has been Stacy's secret support through the ongoing battle with their neurotic mother, relentless bullying at school, and dealing with her hopeless love for her best friend, Mark. 

Then Stacy discovers Older Me is a liar. 

Still reeling from that betrayal, Stacy is targeted again by her most persistent tormentor. Only this time, he's used her own artwork to humiliate her - and threaten her last chance with Mark. 

She’s reached breaking point.

Literally.

"Original. Authentic. Heart-breaking. BREAKABLE has officially become one of my favorites!" -New York Times Bestselling Author of Losing It, Cora Carmack

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Meredith's Review:
A raw, emotional, must-read debut by Aimee Salter. Stacy will warm your heart, break it, and do it all over again. 

It took me a while to write this review. Stacy's story really affected me. She isn't a character you will easily forget or move on from. Her story is heartbreaking, enough that it's almost hard to completely get through. But you have to, you have to keep turning the page just like she has to keep going to school and seeing her tormentors each and everyday. You want to finish the story in hopes that she will beat her bullies, fight her demons, and find happiness. Because she has to, right? There is always a happy ending, right?

Stacy can be an infuriating character at times. She puts up with a lot, and you'll want to scream at her to fight back harder. You'll tell yourself that if you were in her shoes you would do just that. But when I was reading her story, putting myself in her place, I wondered if I would. I mean, being a teenager is hard enough with the raging hormones and being stuck between being an adult and being a kid. Just figuring out how you fit in is hard enough, add in a few of the worst freneminies you could ever imagine would make it all near impossible. 

But don't look at Stacy as weak, she's anything but that. Maybe she doesn't fight back, or stoop to the levels her tormentors do, but there is one thing that she does well...she survives. She doesn't cower in the corner or hide away. She faces her bullies over and over again, even though each time chips just a little bit more of her soul away from her. 

The voice in this is just so authentic and real. Stacy doesn't read like an adult (which is seen to often lately), nor is she a whiny teenager (also so cliche). She does act out at times, or over react to what some may seem as insignificant situations, but it's never over the top. With all that this character deals with, the author easily could have taken that route and turned Stacy into the drama queen she had a right to be, but she didn't. Instead, Stacy's story felt real, almost as if I was reading someone's diary. 

Each character in the story is authentic. Karyn and Finn will make your skin crawl. They know how to play dirty while keeping their hands clean. They ooze hatred through creepy smiles that most classmates fall for. Even Mark will make you scream. As good as he is to Stacy, as much as he defends her, even he isn't perfect. He only sees what he wants to see. He thinks he's doing the right thing, and while I don't think he ever intends to hurt Stacy, he chooses to wear blinders when it comes to how his friends treat her. But if we're all honest, isn't that exactly how any teenager would act? 

I commend the author for how she takes us through the story and for how it ends. Unlike most movies today, Stacy doesn't get the "ultimate" revenge and turn the tables on the bully. Isn't that really the easy way out? To stoop as low as those that hurt you to hurt them back? That is the message we often see. But Stacy doesn't do that. In a way, she does get her "revenge," but in a more real way. In a way that those that hurt her may not ever truly see. 

I'm not going to lie, reading this book was hard. My heart broke and I spent many pages brushing the tears from my eyes, but I'm so glad I pushed through. I tend to read stories that take me out of reality, that make me laugh, or make me swoon. This one doesn't do that. But it does remind me that things aren't always perfect, and while escaping is good (and needed), you can't always ignore the real life happening outside. 

I couldn't help but think about real kids out there, right now, that are suffering at the hands of others. I want to shake those that find pleasure in someone else's pain. To tell them that you don't have to accept and love everyone, but you don't have to hurt and humiliate those that aren't like you either. I like to pretend it isn't this bad, that kids aren't this mean. But all I have to do is look at the headlines; read about the children that are dying in pain and despair. Read about hateful comments posted behind the anonymous wall of the internet, laughing at someone's torment or death. It is real, and it is happening.

I can't say I I've ever been through anything like this. I'm so thankful I was never singled out so publicly and relentlessly. That doesn't mean I don't know what it's like to be someone's target. But I'm sure most of us have been through that at some point in life. And I like to think no one at my high school was this horrible. But that would probably be a lie. The truth is I most likely chose not to see it, like Mark. I'm guessing a lot of us are like that. It's just easier to hide in your own social circle and not see things happening around you. 

This is one of those books I wish you'd see on a high school reading list. This is a book that makes you think. I'm not so blind to believe everyone would be enlightened, but I'm not so jaded that I don't believe it couldn't help someone either. I wish reading lists included more contemporaries that talked about subjects relevant to what kids are going through. Don't get me wrong, I love the classics and I think it's important for kids to read them, but what's wrong with including books they could relate to more? 

So I'll get off my soapbox now. Sorry for that. I highly recommend this book. Whether you're in school or those years are behind you, Stacy's story is one you aren't likely to forget. It's raw, it will break your heart, but it will also remind you that there is hope. Hope that things will get better, hope that people can change, and hope that the bully won't win. I wish I could tell every teenager going through something like this that it will get better. That high school is such a short time in your life. But I still remember what's it's like, and I know those words only provide a tiny sliver of comfort. But I do hope that anyone that's bullied won't give up, won't let the bully win. Because that's what they want and why would you want to give them that? Besides, if you can push through a situation like Stacy's, you will be left with unimaginable strength. Strength that I, for one, envy and admire.

Read the opening chapters at Goodreads. Click HERE to enter to win a SIGNED copy of Breakable from Goodreads!

Aimee L. Salter is a Pacific North-Westerner who spent much of her young (and not-so-young) life in New Zealand. After picking up a Kiwi husband and son, she’s recently returned to Oregon.

She writes novels for teens and the occasional adult who, like herself, are still in touch with their inner-high schooler.

Aimee is the author behind Living the Write Life, a popular blog for writers. 

You can also find her on Twitter and Facebook.

Aimee’s debut novel, Breakable, released November 4^th for Kindle, Nook and in paperback. You can add Breakable to your to-read list on Goodreads.