Fault

by Amy Ellis

Liz is a regular teenager with a best friend who can get her into the best parties which is great until Liz gets roofied and raped one night at a party and when she starts to speak up, things get messy. When no one, including her best friend, believes her story, she finds herself absolutely alone and the target of bullies, threatening her to “stop lying.” Just as Liz is giving used to getting milk poured down her shirt and being called the school slut, mysterious letters begin appearing in her locker and Liz learns that there is more power in number s and words than she ever imagined. Told in haunting verse, Fault is a story of power and taking back control when all seems completely lost.

Genres: Poetry, Young Adult, Fiction, Mental Health, Contemporary, Teen, Realistic Fiction

Unknown Binding

First published January 28, 2013

About the author

Amy Ellis lives in London and works in publishing. She has a BA in Creative Writing from Longwood University and a Masters in Digital Publishing from Oxford Brookes University. She enjoys writing poems, knitting, gardening, and playing with her dog.

You can find her online at amy-ellis.com or on social media @amesplaza.

Reviews

[Paulina · Rating 5 out of 5]

First of all thank you so so much Amy for giving me your amazing book to read for my honest review!!

This is a phenomenal, remarkable, amazing novel. I… I couldn’t think straight after I read this. It was so extraordinary; it was so moving and powerful!
The story follows a teenage girl called Liz and her bestfriend who can get her to a lot of parties. One night she gets roofied and raped. The story is told in haunting verses about how Liz loses her friends, how she is blamed for what happened to her and how she tries to get her life back on track.
I can’t describe how amazing this was, it was a very moving and beautiful short novel. It tackled the problem of rape victims being blamed and at fault for what happened to them in a very poetic and moving way.

[Hannah Reed · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am a very big fan of novels written in verse, and this one was fantastic. Whilst it is quite short, a lot of story is packed into the pages. I read it in one sitting, and it just seemed to keep getting better the more I read, and the ending was perfectly done and didn't feel rushed at all. It's a book that I pick up a lot and re-read because it's so short, and yet I still haven't grown tired of it. I'd definitely recommend reading it.

[Meghan McBrady · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was such a quick read but I decided to read it over again right away. It's a very powerful story. I loved it

[Olivia Triplett · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 stars!

First off, thank you Amy Ellis for giving this book away for free ! I really enjoyed the first description, and was not let down.

I really want to make a point on how amazing the writing was in this novel. When I first read sentances like, "they stamped lier on my forehead in invisible ink" I might be guilty of smiling like an idiot to myself in the middle of geomotry class. Hearing things like "exes and whys" when the charecter is in math class is enough to make any reader do this:



But besides the many clever and squee-worthy statements, the verse was quite well done also. It flowed and was easy to read. At some points it did get confusing or repetitive, which disappointed me with this short read, but the positives out weighed the negatives by far.

Ok, plot and charecters. Plot was good, great actually, and seems to be such a common concept to visit in realistic fiction but the way abuse was presented in this novel in an original way, with the killer verse and plot device of notes making a fabulous duo. I personally thought the focus of the book should have only been the rape storyline, and the at home part should be left out. It would give the chance to deepen and more fully explore that storyline. So yeah. Liz was an ok character, with a problem that makes you root for her, but I think she wasn't as realistic/developed as she should have been. I'll leave it at that, since my nook is low on battery. Overall, good and short read.

Round of applause for you, Amy Ellis.

[Zoey Zane · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wow. What do I even say about this book?

It's written in verse, which is one of my all-time favorite formats. It's haunting and memorable. It's nasty and heart-wrenching. It's just what we need.

After reading Girl Made of Stars last year, It's Our Secret (previously titled: She Asked For It) a few months before, books like Fault and those are so extremely important.

It's never your fault. You never deserve it. And I'll always believe you.

[Avery Northern · Rating 2 out of 5]

Ok. I don't know why I decided to try another book from this author after Thinspo. But I did. And it was the most cliched thing ever. Can't figure out why in the world everything got better for the main character pretty much overnight or why she was "the one to talk to." Instead of reading this, read Speak by Laurie Halse-Anderson. Because Fault is just a bad version of Speak.

[Corey Morris · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ellis takes the reader on a very personal journey of short-form story-telling. Meant to make one think, care, and self-reflect, "Fault" will leave you contemplating the burden of life and how others bully us into a corner.

[Miriam Rose · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a very emotional read for me, with a triumphant ending

[Sofia Marinucci · Rating 3 out of 5]

As i said before i am not a fan of verse writing but this book goes right to the point. It is quite powerful i would say

[Nikki Mcauley · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very short & to the point

Loved how short it was. Easy to follow along. Overall a pretty good book. Would love to read more by this author.

[Grace · Rating 5 out of 5]

I would not say I enjoyed this. It's the the kind of book u enjoy. I also would not recommend this to anyone. But not because it's not good. Just because the subject matter.
The writing style is so good. I knew it would be but wow. This is so sad and so real. I absolutely LOVED the father. He was so supportive and he just made this book for me. Really liked how it ended with Lucy and Liz, I probably would have given this like a 2 star if it had ended the other way between those 2. So glad it happened like it did.
On one hand I really like the way it ended. But on the other hand I wanted more. But it didn't really need more. It said what it would to say and it packed a punch. I just wanted more of the writing. So I guess I've gotta go read all the other books by Amy.
Based on this one and another one I'm in the middle of by this author, her books aren't books I'm going to want on my physical shelf to look at everyday. But I definitely want to read everything she comes out with. It would just make me sad to see her books on my shelf given the subject matter of them.

[Jamie (TheRebelliousReader) · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a heart breaking book to read. It's written in verse which I will honestly say I have not read too many books written in verse. This one I enjoyed thoroughly and it makes me want to read more. The main character went through something so terrible and then everyone turns on her, including her best friend. I think that was the hardest thing for me because I felt for her so much and she had nobody but her father. Even though this was a short read, I still had no idea how it was going to turn out because the main character went through so many emotions it was hard to keep up. The ending didn't feel as solid or complete as I had wanted but it was good for what it was. I really enjoyed this book so I would definitely recommend it.

Thanks to the author for sending this to me for review.

[Medeia Sharif · Rating 5 out of 5]

Liz is at a party when she's roofied and raped. Everyone turns on her, calling her a liar and a slut. Her former best friend loathes her, her car gets vandalized, and she's bullied at school. When she goes to the police days later, they tell her she must be mistaken, that she wasn't raped. She files charges and then cancels them. The bullying gets worse, but then mysterious letters appear in her locker. These letters tell her that she's not alone, that other girls in the school have been raped by her rapist and other men. Liz stores all of these messages, because they will prove she's not a liar. She can stand up for herself and others who have been sexually assaulted. This short verse novel was powerful. I read it in one sitting not just because of the brevity, but because it was absolutely riveting.

[Catastrophe Queen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Amazing. This tale gave me shivers. I'm really thankful to the author for allowing me to read her work. I hope it gets published here in my country so my friends could read it too. Liz, the protagonist went through a heart-breaking experience and when she tried to do the right thing she was labelled as a liar and a slut. But soon she gained the silent support of others who were victims just like herself and in the end she gained the courage to make a difference. To be the voice for those who could not speak up. *Sigh* A beautifully written tale in verse. I was a little disappointed about the length of the story though, because it seemed like an appetizer and that left me waiting for the main course. I hope I get to read more books by Amy Ellis soon.

[Jessica · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was extremely powerful. I found this an easy read, and finished it in probably an hour, but I loved every minute of it. I felt extremely close to Liz, she let us in to her deepest thoughts and feelings; you end up understanding everything she is feeling, and become frustrated because no one else around her sees the truth. This book gives hope to everyone who has been used without their permission...extremely powerful. I would definitely recommend this to people.

[Olivia (Bookcomet) · Rating 2 out of 5]

I was surprised at how much I liked the way the book was set out. This was the first book that I have read in verse, so I wasn't initially sure what to expect. This book was quite deep and very emotional. Even though it was a small story and there wasn't many pages, I still felt like I understood the characters featured in the story. I would recommend is book to people who like realistic fiction and verse books.

[Jess Mountifield · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was given a copy of this story by the author in exchange for a review.

This is the first time I've read a book in verse and it took me a little while to get into the style but as soon as I did I gulped the book down. I just couldn't put it down and it tugged my emotions all over the place. Loved the ending too.

Very good book.

[Lauren · Rating 2 out of 5]

First off i want to thank the author for giving me a copy of the book to review this book only took me a day to finish i really enjoyed this book from beging to end i love how the chacter grew she did not let what anyone said reuin her life as it would anyone else.

[Christie Ramsey · Rating 4 out of 5]

I had the pleasure of getting to read and review this book. Starting off I was a bit Leary as to how it was being written. The format is different, however, you begin to read and understand the context of the story. You hear her thoughts. The ending with the thank you note and names was perfect.

[w :) · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was incredibly powerful and moving. As it it, I can't resist novels in verse, and this one was perfect. Even though I only rated it a 3/5, it is still one of my favourite books and I would recommend this to anyone!

Thank you Amy for giving this for free.

[Liv · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very beautiful, very haunting. This story is a truly touching story about a girl dealing with the severe aftermath of getting raped. On top of it all, no one believes her. The format really adds to the emotion. Overall, this is a very short, but very well written story. Everyone should read it.

[Mark · Rating 5 out of 5]

For the first time reading a book written in verse, I feel I didn't make a mistake in doing so. I was impressed by Fault, a fantastic, yet harrowing story enough to give it a five star rating.

[Angela · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was given a copy of this from the author through a group.

I really do love books in verse! This book has its ups and downs but overall it was a pretty good read :)

[Alicia Weaver · Rating 3 out of 5]

Free Verse poetry novel that tells the struggle of one girl after she is raped and no one believes her. Such a quick read I almost need to read it again because I feel like I missed something.