Damaged: A Violated Trust

Secrets #3

by Melody Carlson

Sixteen-year-old Haley's life is about to change. With divorced parents, she's allowed to choose who to live with. Tired of Mom’s restrictions (like no dating), she picks laid-back Dad, although that means she'll have to go to a new school. But even that situation starts to look up when hottie Harris Stephens flirts with her. And when he asks her out, Haley ecstatically accepts.

Chalking up a mysterious warning about Harris to jealousy, Haley continues seeing him. But infatuation turns to devastation when Harris does something totally unexpected. Humiliation and peer pressure keep Haley from disclosing what happened, and with no one to talk to, her torturous secret is overwhelming.

Genres: Young Adult, Christian, Christian Fiction, Fiction, Contemporary, Religion, Drama

208 pages, Paperback

First published September 19, 2011

About the author

Melody Carlson is the award-winning author of over two hundred books, several of them Christmas novellas from Revell, including her much-loved and bestselling book, The Christmas Bus.

She also writes many teen books, including the Diary of a Teenage Girl series, the TrueColors series, and the Carter House Girls series.

Melody was nominated for a Romantic Times Career Achievement Award in the inspirational market for her books, including the Notes from a Spinning Planet series and Finding Alice, which is in production as a Lifetime Television movie. She and her husband serve on the Young Life adult committee in central Oregon.

Reviews

[Michelle · Rating 5 out of 5]

I couldn't pull myself away from this story until I finished the book. Yeah, I read it straight through. I love this entire "Secrets" series by NavPress's TH1NK imprint. And frankly, out of all of the Melody Carlson YA books that I've read so far, I like this one the best. I know I also said that about Shattered, and Never Been Kissed so far this year, and about several of the author's YA books last year, but they were all good for different reasons. Damaged was a realistic and empowering novel for victims, and it gives readers a sense of hope and healing at its conclusion. That is an invaluable benefit of reading fiction, and from reading this book in particular. The potential positive impact on youth and even their parents, is enormous. We need more books like this for teens.

The bottom line is this book really touched my heart. Maybe because it felt so real-life to me. The character's thoughts weren't toned down to fit what Christians think their response should be. The author pulls you deeper and deeper into the mindset of Haley and how she sees the world. That invincible, "I'm different" mindset that is so common with girls today was perfectly illustrated here. I don't think there can ever be enough books about this subject for teens.

So many girls get pulled into situations like this without realizing it. With the naivete that many young girls have regarding a sweet talking teen boy's intentions, this could be eye opening for them. If nothing else, maybe they'll be less likely to put themselves in a situation where they can be vulnerable like Haley had done unwittingly. I have to say I was proud of her for speaking up even though she was terrified. Because it's about doing the right thing and not just protecting the secret, which enables the perpetrator to continue hurting others.

Honestly, the story brought back some not-so-pleasant memories of things that happened when I was a teen. The author portrayed those feelings, emotions, etc. spot on. Why do girls tend not to tell anyone about things like date rape? If we're honest with ourselves, ladies, we all think we would tell BEFORE it happens to us. But when it happens, most of the time we don't tell anyone. We just turn on ourselves (hence all the drugs, cutting, anorexia, promiscuity, etc. that many girls immerse themselves in to block out the pain.) That said, this book would be a great tool to help girls who have experienced date rape. They will see that it was not their fault, and that they were manipulated, and even targeted, if you will. That message will help a lot of young women to heal.

[Alex · Rating 2 out of 5]

I love Melody Carlson's books, but this one really didn't work for me. I was surprised that she was willing to "go there" on the topic of rape, and I do commend her for writing this. But it felt very unrealistic to me. Honestly, Haley really didn't seem that damaged to me. I felt like this was a wasted opportunity to show the emotional fallout that an act like this can have, and Haley just didn't seem that torn up about it. For goodness sakes, she goes straight to school on Monday hoping to run into Harris and wondering why he hasn't called or texted after raping her! Maybe that is a normal reaction and I just don't know, but it seemed very unrealistic to me.

Then, the big surprise ending happened and it lost a lot of credibility with me. I was definitely expecting Harris to be a serial rapist, but the explanation given on why was ridiculous. When he gets sick of his pure girlfriend Emery holding out on him, he goes and rapes other women? THIS MAKES NO SENSE! If he is as sick as they are making him out to be, why would he not just rape Emery? Why would he rape other girls and then come back to Emery until the "urge" strikes again? This story would have made a lot more sense if he just dated other girls that were willing to sleep with him, and THEN goes back to Emery after they give up the goods. And then maybe Haley just didn't give it up fast enough, so he raped her and her only. Or even if it had been one or two other girls - that would make more sense. Having it be that he has raped EVERY other girl just seemed absolutely ridiculous and convoluted.

[Carissa (Regency Woman) · Rating 5 out of 5]

Just as I was moved to grief by Enticed and Forgotten, Damaged reminds me of how desperately victims of sexual abuse need support and compassion. When Haley petitions the court to live with her dad, she's hoping that this will be the start of new beginnings. Sure, dad has a girlfriend who's closer to her age than his, but it's awesome being able to dress in clothes she likes and have a little freedom from her mother's overprotective nature. Within a few days of being at a new school, it feels like she's finding acceptance amongst the in-crowd. Never mind that they don't know the real Haley, the Haley who can't stand action movies or vinegar on her fish and chips, the Haley who really doesn't like football and listens to Taylor Swift. And that's the first step down a very dangerous road of pretending to be something she's not just so she can fit in. And when Harris Stephens casts his eye her way after a nasty break-up with his girlfriend, she couldn't be happier because he's everything she's ever dreamed. Or is he?

I know that one of the arguments against this book will be Haley's mother. The woman is a legalistic Christian whose focus is on judging instead of forgiveness. She's resentful, bitter, and beats her children and ex-husband over the head with the Bible instead of showing them the love of God. This might just upset a few folk from a legalistic background, but I couldn't agree with Melody's conclusion more. What Haley and her Dad need is a church founded in forgiveness and the love of the Lord. They found it in the arms of a non-denominational church and that can be something of a touchy subject for some Christians too. Since I attend a non-denominational church and find the teaching to be sound, I'm thrilled for Haley and her dad. Others might not agree or like their need for a non-denominational setting.

A few aspects of the story are also a bit contrived, such as the circumstances surrounding Haley's bad experience. I didn't buy into it completely and if you read the book, you'll see why. But, just as with Melody's other books in this series, she addresses a very real topic that is relevant to teen girls today. She braves a topic that most Christian authors give a very, very wide birth, and I applaud her for it. While this book might not be useful to a girl who has had Haley's experiences, it might help a friend of someone who has, give them insight into what their friend is going through, and maybe help them find a way to prove to their friend that they are not damaged beyond repair.

[Sharon · Rating 2 out of 5]

The character development for the first half of the book is bad. I also found it annoying how she jumped from thought to thought without any smooth transition. It kept making me lose my concentration and interest in the story.

About Haley....She moves to a new town and meets a boy. That's fine, but why does she insist she knows better than EVERYBODY else when they try to warn her away? She didn't know anybody or their history and she's completely in love and dreaming about marriage one week after meeting the guy?

About her dad....I didn't like him at all. But at least he sort of redeemed himself halfway through and started before Haley told him about what happened.

Also...state law mandates that teachers are required to report crimes against minors. Ok, fine. But her teacher should have told her about that law when Haley told her what had happened. That way she wouldn't have gotten blindsided later.

One last thing...based on the title and the description, I was expecting more backlash against Haley when everything came out. The way the story was written is really how you hope people would treat victims, but the title was a little too dramatic. I was expecting a story closer to the plotline of the movie "Fear" with Mark Wahlberg.

[Amanda Gilmore · Rating 5 out of 5]

Overall Amanda rating: A

I really am enjoying this series. I think that this book hit home for me on so many levels. I hated the subject topic but needed it all the same. Sadly we never truly see how often things like that happen to the people around us. This book was very well written, it stayed on the topic very well, and painted a very real picture. Overall I loved this book, I just hate that this type of thing still happens around us all the time.

[Amy Cox · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book deals with sexual assault, which is an improvement over many Christian teen books, and I can sort of imagine using this book to educate preteen girls on that issue, but I don't believe it would be very helpful for anyone who has actually experienced sexual assault. Everything is tidily wrapped up by the end in a very idealistic, unlikely way.

[Mel Ramirez · Rating 5 out of 5]

Rereading this as an adult I really appreciate how the author handled this topic. She also did a great job of showing the difference between religion (the legalistic nature of it) and a personal relationship with God. While I'm not a big fan of some of her other series, I'm glad I found this one again. It's my favorite by her.

[Kristy Hetzel]

Mixed feelings on this one. Really enforces the need for present parents. Wasn't sure the "damaged" feeling was handled as fully/well as it could be. Didn't like that the way the post-event bullying was handled by the school was presented as ok.

[Anomi Anne · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’ve read this book over and over as a kid it’s incredibly sad and realistic but has a happy ending

[Hannah:) · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not many ppl cover taboo topics like these and she's done a decent job of it so:)

[Halle Rajkumar · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great story. Really was rooting for Haley!😁

[Jen · Rating 3 out of 5]

I want to preface this by saying that this book talks about a serious issue, date rape, which is a difficult topic to approach. I think the book does a good job of showing how grey of an area date rape can be, as evidenced by the main character’s thought process afterward. However, the author writes the book from a religious (Christian) point of view, which is great for some audiences, but can be off-putting for others. I thought the way the character deals with the aftermath of the situation was wrapped up too quickly and to “perfectly” for it to ring true, which seems like a missed opportunity.

[Paula Phillips · Rating 4 out of 5]

One of my favourite Christian Teen Writers happens to be Melody Carlson, I find all her books target those edgier issues that happens in teens lives, the issues that many feel ashamed or are unable to write about them from human trafficking to drugs and teen pregnancies to rape. Damaged is Book #3 in her latest series "Secrets" and focuses on the issue first of a strict Christian household as her parents are now divorced and her mum is focused strongly on religion , so much that it can almost come upon brainwashed and too by the book. When Haley decides to go and live with her dad, she is happy to be free of the christian spouting and looking forward to freedom . When Haley arrives, she discovers that his dad has a new girlfriend called Estelle and has created a new life for himself, this new life gives Haley the freedom to make new friends etc. One of those new friends is popular guy Harris Stephens - Haley soon falls under his charm and starts to hook up with Harris , despite all the warnings that she receives from others. When Harris takes advantage of Haley one night when she is drunk , his true colours start to shine through. Will Haley be able to let those who care about her know the truth or will she become more damaged inside by letting the pain fester ?
Damaged is another amazing and heartfelt book by Melody Carlson and touches on the issues of Divorce, Betrayal and Rape.

[Audrey Grant · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is not an easy one to write a review on. It is well written and the Author gets inside the heart, mind and feelings of the main character but the subject matter is pretty rough and so I would have to recommend discretion on who reads this.
Having been (SPOILER ALERT) raped as a young teen myself, Melody did a good job of writing the emotions, thoughts, fears and PTSD that comes from it.
But I think it would best be read as a recovery tool for those who have gone through it than as a preventative. It is a little to detailed and graphic for girls like my daughter whom I am trying to keep innocent as long as I can.
That being said, the difference is, my husband and I both are very checked into what and who is in our children's lives. There is no on their own for hours to let trouble find them, or them find trouble.
I do think that this is a book that every parent of a teenager should read! Whether they be boy or girl. It will make them far more aware and maybe able to watch, teach and prevent something like this happening in their child's life!

[J. · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is the first book I've read by Melody Carlson, and I'm not really sure why I decided to read it, except that it sounded interesting and was free on Amazon.

The first thing that struck me was that the verb tense was uncomfortable to read; the actions had the feel of being told in a past sense, but the thought and character voice was painfully present tense. That may be why I felt so detached from Haley through out the story.

The characters felt cardboard and predictable. All of Haley's story felt so contrived. The only part that felt true and real for me was Haley's disclosure to her father. Even the trial, which those of us in the real world know, was more of a postscript than an actual part of the story.

The inclusion of God and a broken faith felt disingenuous and a little "hand-wavey" in that Haley's mom was portrayed as a typical crazy Christian and oh, finding a new non-denominational church solved all the problems. There was no depth in Haley's recovery of faith.

All in all, I was a bit disappointed.

[Dawn Turner · Rating 5 out of 5]

Melody has really outdone herself with this book! Not only does she handle the first person point of view beautifully within its pages, she handles the topic so incredibly well that I'm blown away. Date rape is a very real danger in the life of today's teens (and that threat doesn't end when you hit 20 either!).

The main character, Haley, shows the reader what it's like through her eyes, and the incredible struggle to overcome the brokenness that such a trauma leaves in a life. Accountability and forgiveness are important elements of this story and so beautifully handled.

I would recommend this not only for young adults but also for any adult who remembers what it was like to be a teenager - the insecurity, uncertainty, peer pressure of trying to fit in and belong while balancing what we've been taught to be right. Excellent read!

[Jennifer · Rating 3 out of 5]

More of the same from Melody Carlson. Unfortunately, she is getting a bit predictable. She used to be on the cutting edge of Christian fiction, addressing topics that other authors in the genre shied away from. One positive about this book is that it did a good job of addressing the aftermath of the "Very Traumatic Event" - you very rarely read about the court case for example. Still, I wish I didn't feel like she dashes off two to three young adult books a year just to make some money.

[Catherine · Rating 2 out of 5]

I was torn on the rating of this book. I wanted to give it a higher rating because I feel the issue of rape is important and seldom addressed in YA Christian fiction. But the whole book kind of fell flat, really. I don't know exactly why I feel this way, truthfully. I wish I could say more but even a couple weeks after reading it I can't sort my thoughts out. Maybe I'll write a more cohesive review later.

[Jennifer · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a quick read, but decently written. The thing I found best is it is one of the more realistic books I've read that involve rape. I have read quite a few where when the survivor opens up about it, everyone is all sympathetic and loving, etc. I feel like this book showed what is more likely to happen (people say you lie; it was your fault). The ending was really rushed, but overall it was decent.

[C.J. Darlington · Rating 3 out of 5]

3 1/2 stars. A solid novel from one of the top YA authors in the CBA market. The Secrets series books are all about issues, and that at times seems a little forced (here's a book about date rape, here's a book about homelessness, etc.) so it feels preachy in spots. Very well written though, and certainly a topic worth discussing with teens.

[Grant · Rating 4 out of 5]

I thought that it was a good book. I stayed with the story. I felt along with the words and really stuck close to this one. I recommend it but the subject matter can be disturbing. Playing with emotions is one thing but taking advantage as with this subject matter takes it far from playing. I did like the book though, and getting around each page to see what was going to happen next.

[Hannah · Rating 4 out of 5]

Melody Carlson is just about the only one I trust to write Christian teen fiction. She manages to tell good stories without getting trite or preachy, and she handles a tricky subject here with truth and compassion. Nicely done.

[Courtney Starks · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked this book ok and even though it seems to have been Christian fiction it didn't beat you over the head with it. I honestly wouldn't have probably read it had I known it was a Christian story, but I liked it well enough to finish it.

[Kimmie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Quick read and well worth it. The topic is so relevant to how today's teen girls can get mixed up in something and not know how to find their way out. Every person needs someone to talk to and confide in.

[Bec · Rating 1 out of 5]

It's good that a teen christian-fiction author has decided to look at an issue such as this one, but the story is not good and the second half of the book is far too rushed. Not one of Melody Carlson's good books.

[Brookie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read this in 2 days. It's a really quick read. I think a lot of teenage girls should read this book and take a more proactive approach in preventing date rape.

[Becky Pierce · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book. It could very well be a lifetime movie!! I read and read and read - staying up way too late on a work night to read and see what would happen. Very engaging -

[Mari Aaliyah · Rating 5 out of 5]

it was pretty good. these charactors are real a**es, tho

[Laura Ramsey · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a good teen read. Hope to get my girls to check it out.

[Lizziepeps · Rating 3 out of 5]

So sad:(