What do you think?
Rate this book
Backlash
He says: You're an awful person.
He says: What makes you think I would ever ask you out?
He says: The world would be a better place without you in it.
Lara just got told off on Facebook.
She thought that Christian liked her, that he was finally going to ask her to his school's homecoming dance. They've been talking online for weeks, so what's with the sudden change? And where does he get off saying horrible things on her wall? Even worse--are they true?
It's been a long time since Lara's felt this bad, this depressed, this ugly. She's worked really hard to become pretty and happy - and make new friends after what happened in middle school.
Bree used to be best friends with overweight, depressed Lara, but constantly listening to Lara's issues got to be too much. Secretly, Bree's glad Christian called Lara out. Lara's not nearly as amazing as people think. But no one realized just how far Christian's harsh comments would push Lara. Not even Bree.
As online life collides with real life, things spiral out of control, and not just for Lara. Because when the truth starts to come together, the backlash is even more devastating than anyone could have ever imagined
He says: What makes you think I would ever ask you out?
He says: The world would be a better place without you in it.
Lara just got told off on Facebook.
She thought that Christian liked her, that he was finally going to ask her to his school's homecoming dance. They've been talking online for weeks, so what's with the sudden change? And where does he get off saying horrible things on her wall? Even worse--are they true?
It's been a long time since Lara's felt this bad, this depressed, this ugly. She's worked really hard to become pretty and happy - and make new friends after what happened in middle school.
Bree used to be best friends with overweight, depressed Lara, but constantly listening to Lara's issues got to be too much. Secretly, Bree's glad Christian called Lara out. Lara's not nearly as amazing as people think. But no one realized just how far Christian's harsh comments would push Lara. Not even Bree.
As online life collides with real life, things spiral out of control, and not just for Lara. Because when the truth starts to come together, the backlash is even more devastating than anyone could have ever imagined
336 pages, Hardcover
First published April 28, 2015
413 people are currently reading
6510 people want to read
About the author
Sarah Darer Littman
16 books525 followersSarah Darer Littman is an award-winning author of books for teens. She lives in Connecticut, in a house that never seems to have enough bookshelves.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 996 reviews
March 9, 2016
While reading this book I had to stop and look up the author. I was sure I was reading a book written by a teenager. She is not. But I'm telling you, she plops the reader down into the heads of four teenagers and it's a scary place.
Lara, the oldest daughter of a political mom who wants that perfect family. Lara was overweight in middle school and bullied for it. Called Lardo and Lardosaurus she went to counseling and was doing somewhat better. She made the cheerleading squad and was talking on Facebook to a new guy. Christian.
Until Christian openly bashes her on that Facebook wall. Telling her that the world would be a better place without her. Lara tries to take her own life.
Bree is the girl next door, who was Lara's best friend. Until she got tired of hearing Lara complain about how bad her life is. Yes, she posted that pic of Lara being hauled off by the ambulance...never mind that everyone is commenting RIP Lardo, Corpse Girl...someone had to post it.
How does it make me a loser when that post already has fifty likes?.
Sydney..Lara's younger sister. She knows the family has to tiptoe around Lara's feelings. But sometimes she would just like to matter.
Me? I'm their beef jerky kid. As far as Mom and Dad are concerned, I'm a nonperishable item, tough as old boot leather.
I don't want to give away too much of this book. Just go and read it.
These characters are real. These characters will make you feel disgusted. Don't think you are immune..this could be that girl sitting right next to you...and I'm not just talking about one side of the story.
Or that frigging mom wanting to be cool with her GD teenage kids.
Ugh. My mother isn't just a Tiger Mom. She's a freaking Great White Shark Mom. She should have her own week on the Discovery Channel.
I had not heard of this book until my friend Paige the bookdragon read it. I'm looking up more of this author's works right now.
Lara, the oldest daughter of a political mom who wants that perfect family. Lara was overweight in middle school and bullied for it. Called Lardo and Lardosaurus she went to counseling and was doing somewhat better. She made the cheerleading squad and was talking on Facebook to a new guy. Christian.
Until Christian openly bashes her on that Facebook wall. Telling her that the world would be a better place without her. Lara tries to take her own life.
Bree is the girl next door, who was Lara's best friend. Until she got tired of hearing Lara complain about how bad her life is. Yes, she posted that pic of Lara being hauled off by the ambulance...never mind that everyone is commenting RIP Lardo, Corpse Girl...someone had to post it.
How does it make me a loser when that post already has fifty likes?.
Sydney..Lara's younger sister. She knows the family has to tiptoe around Lara's feelings. But sometimes she would just like to matter.
Me? I'm their beef jerky kid. As far as Mom and Dad are concerned, I'm a nonperishable item, tough as old boot leather.
I don't want to give away too much of this book. Just go and read it.
These characters are real. These characters will make you feel disgusted. Don't think you are immune..this could be that girl sitting right next to you...and I'm not just talking about one side of the story.
Or that frigging mom wanting to be cool with her GD teenage kids.
Ugh. My mother isn't just a Tiger Mom. She's a freaking Great White Shark Mom. She should have her own week on the Discovery Channel.
I had not heard of this book until my friend Paige the bookdragon read it. I'm looking up more of this author's works right now.
December 24, 2015
"Band-aids don't fix bullet holes."
-Taylor Swift
(You'll get why I use Taylor's Bad Blood quote after you read the book :) )
There are books that you have to recommend because it was just plain awesome or maybe because it was a total mind-fuck and it was a wrecking your emotions.
But there books that you just have to recommend because the message it's telling us is too important to ignore.
Backlash is that book. It talks about bullying (on or off in cyberspace) and I know that I don't need to tell you how important that is. This book shows us the story of the bullied and the bully.
I've never been bullied and I was never a bully. Maybe because I would definitely deck the person who would call me shorty and I have enough brain cells to know that bullying is never good (and maybe because my parents would skin me alive if I tried to bully someone). So when I read this book, I had an overwhelming sense of ickyness to be reminded again that this stuff actually happens in real life.
What I really like about this book, other than the topic it's telling us, is that the characters are "humanized". They're not the cliche family that you can usually read in YA books. They're not perfect, in fact, their thoughts and actions shows exactly how fucked up humans are sometimes. The author didn't show the characters as good/bad or black/white. I salute her because she captured the human behavior at its worst and yet it's amazing.
You may find that you and a certain character in this book is the same, maybe you'll find yourself supporting an act that was done, or maybe, just for once, you'll find that you have some similar thoughts with one of the characters in this book.
No one is exempted. The characters in this book are us.
The truth fucking hurts sometimes.
-Taylor Swift
(You'll get why I use Taylor's Bad Blood quote after you read the book :) )
There are books that you have to recommend because it was just plain awesome or maybe because it was a total mind-fuck and it was a wrecking your emotions.
But there books that you just have to recommend because the message it's telling us is too important to ignore.
Backlash is that book. It talks about bullying (on or off in cyberspace) and I know that I don't need to tell you how important that is. This book shows us the story of the bullied and the bully.
I've never been bullied and I was never a bully. Maybe because I would definitely deck the person who would call me shorty and I have enough brain cells to know that bullying is never good (and maybe because my parents would skin me alive if I tried to bully someone). So when I read this book, I had an overwhelming sense of ickyness to be reminded again that this stuff actually happens in real life.
What I really like about this book, other than the topic it's telling us, is that the characters are "humanized". They're not the cliche family that you can usually read in YA books. They're not perfect, in fact, their thoughts and actions shows exactly how fucked up humans are sometimes. The author didn't show the characters as good/bad or black/white. I salute her because she captured the human behavior at its worst and yet it's amazing.
You may find that you and a certain character in this book is the same, maybe you'll find yourself supporting an act that was done, or maybe, just for once, you'll find that you have some similar thoughts with one of the characters in this book.
No one is exempted. The characters in this book are us.
The truth fucking hurts sometimes.
February 4, 2016
★★★★★
Guys this was so good. I could not out it down until I was finished. I mean damn! You guys need to read this.
This deals with some real issues that people, especially teenagers are struggling with.
Cyber-bullying is the most important theme here.
Everyone whose anyone has a Twitter, Facebook or Instagram account, you name it we know it. I know everyone whether directly or indirectly has been apart of this growing epidemic. It's either we've liked a status, shared it or worse post it.
It's sickening!
This generation of Youngsters are so f**ked, they are more interested in gaining likes than the feelings of another person.
Selfish, inconsiderate, childish, misbehaving little brats is what we are now and it's really really very painful and disappointing.
And the worse thing about this its that parents; the ones who are suppose to instruct us on the good and bad ARE NOT! Most times they are the ones who encourage it!
All this, this book brought light to. And the author did an amazing job.
I liked that she also showed the consequences of all the parties involved; the bully - the bullied - and both families. Brilliant!
__________________________________
Backlash is about Lara, a fifteen year old who has had a rough childhood. She was bullied and called names because she was a bit more curvy than everyone else.
She becomes depressed and begins hating herself, especially her body. So to deal with this she gets counselling and lost the weight.
Now she's happy, making friends, doing things she never thought she would; like becoming a cheerleader.
This causes jealousy and what happens next is the most thoughtless, cruel and sickening thing ever.
This leads to her almost dying and causes her to have a minor relapse.
But when she learns who betrayed her, never in her life would she believe who.
_________________________________
Trust me, I was pretty stunned about it and shaken.
You just never know who to trust.
Read it! It freakin' rocks!
Guys this was so good. I could not out it down until I was finished. I mean damn! You guys need to read this.
This deals with some real issues that people, especially teenagers are struggling with.
Cyber-bullying is the most important theme here.
Everyone whose anyone has a Twitter, Facebook or Instagram account, you name it we know it. I know everyone whether directly or indirectly has been apart of this growing epidemic. It's either we've liked a status, shared it or worse post it.
It's sickening!
This generation of Youngsters are so f**ked, they are more interested in gaining likes than the feelings of another person.
Selfish, inconsiderate, childish, misbehaving little brats is what we are now and it's really really very painful and disappointing.
And the worse thing about this its that parents; the ones who are suppose to instruct us on the good and bad ARE NOT! Most times they are the ones who encourage it!
All this, this book brought light to. And the author did an amazing job.
I liked that she also showed the consequences of all the parties involved; the bully - the bullied - and both families. Brilliant!
__________________________________
Backlash is about Lara, a fifteen year old who has had a rough childhood. She was bullied and called names because she was a bit more curvy than everyone else.
She becomes depressed and begins hating herself, especially her body. So to deal with this she gets counselling and lost the weight.
Now she's happy, making friends, doing things she never thought she would; like becoming a cheerleader.
This causes jealousy and what happens next is the most thoughtless, cruel and sickening thing ever.
This leads to her almost dying and causes her to have a minor relapse.
But when she learns who betrayed her, never in her life would she believe who.
_________________________________
Trust me, I was pretty stunned about it and shaken.
You just never know who to trust.
Read it! It freakin' rocks!
June 10, 2015
It's UNPOPULAR OPINION TIME.
Sorry, I just cannot find myself giving this book a pass. I realize it's about cyberbullying, and that is important. No argument there. What bothers me is:
1. The author writes in a very pedestrian and childish manner. It's poorly done at best. Writing prose out of dialog with "like" peppering everything is not right. Teenagers may talk that way, but that doesn't mean they think that way. Furthermore, most teenagers can understand their own actions and speak normally. I realize that I am a 24 year old woman reading teen lit, but I have never read a YA book where the dialog was so cheesy and out of place and the narration just as bad. Unlikable and utterly unimaginative characters taking the stage as well.
2. Trying to handle too many issues. Cyberbullying is one thing, but then throw in sexuality, suicide/mental illness, sibling and parent relationships, and a buttload of situations that could only be found in this book( and I just don't know where to go from there. Unfortunately, I don't think the author did either.
3. The usage of Facebook is overblown and I hate this. I don't use the social media site that often myself, but I can tell from how it is presented that it is from incomplete knowledge of the both the site and its users. Even giving Facebook a name in this novel is going to make it outdated (almost instantly since the site and other social media evolve constantly). It's true that Facebook has far reaches, that it tells you to friend others almost belligerently, and that messaging to some people is as common as texting. However, while cyberbullying exists to a huge degree online and especially on specialized forums (I've seen that firsthand myself), it is not common to see it publicly on a Facebook wall where it can be easily reported. In a private message, yes, I can see that. But the number of people that can see a public post and flag it or at least tell someone makes it a rare choice for people who choose to bully others online. Not only that, but this novel makes use of the "parents are evil, children are idiots" type of trope that I hate the most. For all the "safety" measures the parents take, they don't notice their children's behavior at all. Not realistic, and the scenes are unbearable to read. This book assumes the worst about all sorts of people.
The only thing I can say was good about this book is the idea that people who bully and are caught often endure the same kind of hurt that the people they bullied suffered. However, the mediocre writing of it makes it little more than another gimmick to extend the plot.
I'm waiting to find a good book that talks about the dangers of cyberbullying, something that kids can read to know that someone on another screen is still a person, who can feel and be hurt. It's a serious issue. But Backlash is not it. It's not a book I can recommend to anybody. It's an uninspired work of fiction (though it seems loosely based on news stories about cyberbullying) that can't live up to the apparent hype it has received here on Goodreads. Here's my backlash.
It wasn't very good.
Sorry, I just cannot find myself giving this book a pass. I realize it's about cyberbullying, and that is important. No argument there. What bothers me is:
1. The author writes in a very pedestrian and childish manner. It's poorly done at best. Writing prose out of dialog with "like" peppering everything is not right. Teenagers may talk that way, but that doesn't mean they think that way. Furthermore, most teenagers can understand their own actions and speak normally. I realize that I am a 24 year old woman reading teen lit, but I have never read a YA book where the dialog was so cheesy and out of place and the narration just as bad. Unlikable and utterly unimaginative characters taking the stage as well.
2. Trying to handle too many issues. Cyberbullying is one thing, but then throw in sexuality, suicide/mental illness, sibling and parent relationships, and a buttload of situations that could only be found in this book( and I just don't know where to go from there. Unfortunately, I don't think the author did either.
3. The usage of Facebook is overblown and I hate this. I don't use the social media site that often myself, but I can tell from how it is presented that it is from incomplete knowledge of the both the site and its users. Even giving Facebook a name in this novel is going to make it outdated (almost instantly since the site and other social media evolve constantly). It's true that Facebook has far reaches, that it tells you to friend others almost belligerently, and that messaging to some people is as common as texting. However, while cyberbullying exists to a huge degree online and especially on specialized forums (I've seen that firsthand myself), it is not common to see it publicly on a Facebook wall where it can be easily reported. In a private message, yes, I can see that. But the number of people that can see a public post and flag it or at least tell someone makes it a rare choice for people who choose to bully others online. Not only that, but this novel makes use of the "parents are evil, children are idiots" type of trope that I hate the most. For all the "safety" measures the parents take, they don't notice their children's behavior at all. Not realistic, and the scenes are unbearable to read. This book assumes the worst about all sorts of people.
The only thing I can say was good about this book is the idea that people who bully and are caught often endure the same kind of hurt that the people they bullied suffered. However, the mediocre writing of it makes it little more than another gimmick to extend the plot.
I'm waiting to find a good book that talks about the dangers of cyberbullying, something that kids can read to know that someone on another screen is still a person, who can feel and be hurt. It's a serious issue. But Backlash is not it. It's not a book I can recommend to anybody. It's an uninspired work of fiction (though it seems loosely based on news stories about cyberbullying) that can't live up to the apparent hype it has received here on Goodreads. Here's my backlash.
It wasn't very good.
March 17, 2018
3.5 estrellas
SINOPSIS:
Él dice: Eres una persona horrible.
Él dice: ¿Qué te hace pensar que alguna vez te invitaría a salir?
Él dice: El mundo sería un lugar mejor sin ti en él.
Lara acaba de ser rechazada en Facebook.
Pensó que le gustaba a Christian, que él por fin iba a pedirle ir al baile de graduación de su escuela. Han estado hablando durante semanas en línea, entonces, ¿de dónde vino ese cambio repentino? ¿Y de dónde saca para decir esa cosas horribles en su muro? Peor aún, ¿son ciertas?
Ha pasado un largo tiempo desde que Lara se sintió tan mal, tan deprimida, tan fea. Ha trabajado muy duro para llegar a ser feliz y hermosa, y para hacer nuevos amigos después de lo sucedido en la escuela media.
Bree solía ser la mejor amiga de la obesa y deprimida Lara, pero escuchar todo el tiempo las cuestiones de Lara llegó a ser demasiado. En secreto, Bree está contenta de que Christian rechazara a Lara. Lara no es tan sorprendente como la gente piensa. Pero nadie se dio cuenta de lo lejos que los duros comentarios de Christian empujarían a Lara. Ni siquiera Bree.
Cuando la vida en línea choca con la vida real, las cosas se salen de control, y no sólo para Lara. Porque cuando la verdad empieza a salir a la luz, la reacción es aún más devastadora de lo que nadie podría haber imaginado.
-----------------------------------------------
Me gustó mucho, muy recomendado para las adolescentes y niñas en la pre-adolescencia y también para madres que tengan niñas en esas edades, para que vean lo que NO tienen que hacer.
Como pueden ver en el argumento el libro trata sobre el tema de bullying, el rechazo social y como afecta a nuestros protagonistas.
Es un tema muy actual, que cada día afecta a más y más adolescentes, eso del acoso (que de verdad no entiendo de donde nace) que junto al efecto de las redes sociales pueden dañar a una chica hasta el punto de deprimirla...
Este libro está escrito en primera persona pero son 4 POV. Tenemos a Lara "la chica que ha sido rechazada en Facebook", Sidney "la hermana menor de Lara", Bree "la vecina y ex mejor amiga de Lara" y Liam "el hermano menor de Bree".
El libro me pareció muy realista, nada es blanco y negro, y todas las familias tienen problemas... la cuestión es como intenten lidiar con ello. Se ve como los padres pueden condicionar a sus hijos a ser de tal manera y como eso los afecta. Y con sus acciones pueden perjudicar a sus hijos sin querer.
En los últimos capis se puede ver un crecimiento en algunos personajes y se recalca un gran mensaje: como te pueden afectar las malas decisiones que hagas en la vida y que toda mala acción tiene sus consecuencias y debes aprender a lidiar con ellas y no a huir ni esconderte.
SINOPSIS:
Él dice: Eres una persona horrible.
Él dice: ¿Qué te hace pensar que alguna vez te invitaría a salir?
Él dice: El mundo sería un lugar mejor sin ti en él.
Lara acaba de ser rechazada en Facebook.
Pensó que le gustaba a Christian, que él por fin iba a pedirle ir al baile de graduación de su escuela. Han estado hablando durante semanas en línea, entonces, ¿de dónde vino ese cambio repentino? ¿Y de dónde saca para decir esa cosas horribles en su muro? Peor aún, ¿son ciertas?
Ha pasado un largo tiempo desde que Lara se sintió tan mal, tan deprimida, tan fea. Ha trabajado muy duro para llegar a ser feliz y hermosa, y para hacer nuevos amigos después de lo sucedido en la escuela media.
Bree solía ser la mejor amiga de la obesa y deprimida Lara, pero escuchar todo el tiempo las cuestiones de Lara llegó a ser demasiado. En secreto, Bree está contenta de que Christian rechazara a Lara. Lara no es tan sorprendente como la gente piensa. Pero nadie se dio cuenta de lo lejos que los duros comentarios de Christian empujarían a Lara. Ni siquiera Bree.
Cuando la vida en línea choca con la vida real, las cosas se salen de control, y no sólo para Lara. Porque cuando la verdad empieza a salir a la luz, la reacción es aún más devastadora de lo que nadie podría haber imaginado.
-----------------------------------------------
Me gustó mucho, muy recomendado para las adolescentes y niñas en la pre-adolescencia y también para madres que tengan niñas en esas edades, para que vean lo que NO tienen que hacer.
Como pueden ver en el argumento el libro trata sobre el tema de bullying, el rechazo social y como afecta a nuestros protagonistas.
Es un tema muy actual, que cada día afecta a más y más adolescentes, eso del acoso (que de verdad no entiendo de donde nace) que junto al efecto de las redes sociales pueden dañar a una chica hasta el punto de deprimirla...
Este libro está escrito en primera persona pero son 4 POV. Tenemos a Lara "la chica que ha sido rechazada en Facebook", Sidney "la hermana menor de Lara", Bree "la vecina y ex mejor amiga de Lara" y Liam "el hermano menor de Bree".
El libro me pareció muy realista, nada es blanco y negro, y todas las familias tienen problemas... la cuestión es como intenten lidiar con ello. Se ve como los padres pueden condicionar a sus hijos a ser de tal manera y como eso los afecta. Y con sus acciones pueden perjudicar a sus hijos sin querer.
En los últimos capis se puede ver un crecimiento en algunos personajes y se recalca un gran mensaje: como te pueden afectar las malas decisiones que hagas en la vida y que toda mala acción tiene sus consecuencias y debes aprender a lidiar con ellas y no a huir ni esconderte.
—Aquí está la cosa, cometiste un gran error. Hiciste algo que fue bastante estúpido y muy malo. Y ahora hay consecuencias... Ojalá te hubieras tomado un momento para detenerte y pensar en las consecuencias antes de hacer lo que hiciste, pero no lo has hecho.
October 1, 2014
If you read the synopsis for this, you're probably thinking that it sounds like an After School Special, right? Or like a cheesy Lifetime movie, one that will probably involve suicide, a trial, a ton of uber-preachy lectures about bullying (both online and in real life) and lots of tears? Lots and lots of tears?
Here's the thing about Sarah Darer Littman's books: she can take a hot button topic and make you feel sympathy for everyone involved. And she can take what would be a complete train wreck of a topic by anyone else and turn it into something that's compelling and fresh, and make you absolutely feel every word on the page.
Obviously, you'll sympathize with Lara. She's treated absolutely horribly by Christian and, even worse, by people that she thought were her friends.
And you'll sympathize with Sydney (Lara's sister), who's been living in Lara's shadow forever and whose entire life, it seems, has to revolve around Lara's attitudes and whims. And with Liam, who's Bree's brother. The two of them are also friends, and their relationship is affected by what's going on between the two families. They're collateral damage in this whole fight.
But the impressive achievement is that you'll also feel sorry for Bree. This is the story that's not told in these cyberbullying cases. While Bree does some horrible things in this book and completely betrays her former best friend (and seemingly takes a complete delight in doing so), she's also a kid. And she has to deal with so much because of what was just a really, really bad decision.
And that's the heartbreaking thing about this book: so many horrible things happened because of a few bad decisions and a few misunderstandings.
This is an amazing achievement and I need to read her backlist. (So far, the only other one I've read is Want to Go Private?, which is another stunning novel and one you won't soon forget.)
Highly recommended.
Here's the thing about Sarah Darer Littman's books: she can take a hot button topic and make you feel sympathy for everyone involved. And she can take what would be a complete train wreck of a topic by anyone else and turn it into something that's compelling and fresh, and make you absolutely feel every word on the page.
Obviously, you'll sympathize with Lara. She's treated absolutely horribly by Christian and, even worse, by people that she thought were her friends.
And you'll sympathize with Sydney (Lara's sister), who's been living in Lara's shadow forever and whose entire life, it seems, has to revolve around Lara's attitudes and whims. And with Liam, who's Bree's brother. The two of them are also friends, and their relationship is affected by what's going on between the two families. They're collateral damage in this whole fight.
But the impressive achievement is that you'll also feel sorry for Bree. This is the story that's not told in these cyberbullying cases. While Bree does some horrible things in this book and completely betrays her former best friend (and seemingly takes a complete delight in doing so), she's also a kid. And she has to deal with so much because of what was just a really, really bad decision.
And that's the heartbreaking thing about this book: so many horrible things happened because of a few bad decisions and a few misunderstandings.
This is an amazing achievement and I need to read her backlist. (So far, the only other one I've read is Want to Go Private?, which is another stunning novel and one you won't soon forget.)
Highly recommended.
October 22, 2016
WHO'S READY FOR ANOTHER UNPOPULAR OPINION? I SURE AM!
[image error]
I am really surprised by how high the rating is on this book, because it seemed to integrate every trope it could in the plot, and I don't think I am saying that in a positive way to be honest. This book was filled with bad parents, stereotypical mean girls, and the misunderstood sibling. It had it all. Before I rant about this topic for ages, I'll get into the actual review, because that's what you are here for, not for me ranting about one topic. Maybe you are, I don't know.
Backlash begins with a fairly strong start. Our main character, Lara, is found in a bathtub with pill bottles around her. She had been talking to a boy named Christian on Facebook, and he led her on then told her that life would be better without her in it and that she's a loser. Yada yada yada. The story develops from there, and it really was fairly slow paced.
For one, I really hated most of the characters. They were all disgusting, to the point it really isn't even realistic, especially Bree's mom and Lara's mom. Both were so self-centered and didn't even seem to care that Lara almost KILLED herself. I really hate how in books and movies they think it adds to the plot to make the parents horrible people. Can I actually read about a parent who isn't a total jerk for once? That would be nice!
Syd also seemed to be very selfish, and I found her character completely unrealistic. Syd was happy that she got the bathroom to herself when her sister was in a hospital and in a very fragile state. All she thought about was how, " it's always Lara who gets attention!" If I was Syd, I would have been crying and worried sick for my sister. I wouldn't care if I had to miss auditions for a play because my sister matters a heck of a lot more. She was just a very whiny character, and I found that extrememly irritating.
Don't get me started on Bree. I can't say why I hate her, but lets just say she never feels any remorse for anything. [image error]
I felt like no character went beyond one dimensional, they were more of an idea than an actual character that was supposed to jump out of the page. This made the plot suffer immensely. With bland characters, the pace of the plot was slow. It was lots of whining and not much really seemed to happen. I feel like the novel could have been explained in ten pages or so and I still would have got the same amount out of it. There wasn't enough, and it didn't do justice for the issue it was trying to get across.
I know this book has an important message, but it wasn't executed well enough. If you are going to write a book about suicide, try to understand depression or at least explain more about the character's past with it. I want more from this. I don't want a little measley explanation of why Lara is the way she is. It seems the author didn't have much of an understanding of depression, but maybe I'm just crazy. I just really don't feel like this was a realistic take on depression and suicide at all.
For this, I had to give this two stars because of suicide and depression not being handled properly.
[image error]
I am really surprised by how high the rating is on this book, because it seemed to integrate every trope it could in the plot, and I don't think I am saying that in a positive way to be honest. This book was filled with bad parents, stereotypical mean girls, and the misunderstood sibling. It had it all. Before I rant about this topic for ages, I'll get into the actual review, because that's what you are here for, not for me ranting about one topic. Maybe you are, I don't know.
Backlash begins with a fairly strong start. Our main character, Lara, is found in a bathtub with pill bottles around her. She had been talking to a boy named Christian on Facebook, and he led her on then told her that life would be better without her in it and that she's a loser. Yada yada yada. The story develops from there, and it really was fairly slow paced.
For one, I really hated most of the characters. They were all disgusting, to the point it really isn't even realistic, especially Bree's mom and Lara's mom. Both were so self-centered and didn't even seem to care that Lara almost KILLED herself. I really hate how in books and movies they think it adds to the plot to make the parents horrible people. Can I actually read about a parent who isn't a total jerk for once? That would be nice!
Syd also seemed to be very selfish, and I found her character completely unrealistic. Syd was happy that she got the bathroom to herself when her sister was in a hospital and in a very fragile state. All she thought about was how, " it's always Lara who gets attention!" If I was Syd, I would have been crying and worried sick for my sister. I wouldn't care if I had to miss auditions for a play because my sister matters a heck of a lot more. She was just a very whiny character, and I found that extrememly irritating.
Don't get me started on Bree. I can't say why I hate her, but lets just say she never feels any remorse for anything. [image error]
I felt like no character went beyond one dimensional, they were more of an idea than an actual character that was supposed to jump out of the page. This made the plot suffer immensely. With bland characters, the pace of the plot was slow. It was lots of whining and not much really seemed to happen. I feel like the novel could have been explained in ten pages or so and I still would have got the same amount out of it. There wasn't enough, and it didn't do justice for the issue it was trying to get across.
I know this book has an important message, but it wasn't executed well enough. If you are going to write a book about suicide, try to understand depression or at least explain more about the character's past with it. I want more from this. I don't want a little measley explanation of why Lara is the way she is. It seems the author didn't have much of an understanding of depression, but maybe I'm just crazy. I just really don't feel like this was a realistic take on depression and suicide at all.
For this, I had to give this two stars because of suicide and depression not being handled properly.
November 30, 2016
Backlash is an okay book, I'm glad I'm done with it. I found myself at times putting it down and not wanting to pick it up, but then other times I never wanted to put down. The book at times almost made me angry with the characters with what they would say/do. The author did a great job with the book, but I am sill undecided about if I like the book.
July 23, 2018
Release Date: April 28, 2015
Genre: Young Adult Drama (Social Issues)
Actual Rating: 4 stars
Sarah Draer pens an intense read with Backlash. This book takes an emotional look at online teenage bullying and the aftereffects that it causes (actually, the ripple effects that it has on everyone as well). I think all teens and their parents should read this book. It's certainly an eye opening read and it may make you think twice about what you do online and the affects it can have on everyone.
This book is written on multiple POV's- the victim Lara, the girl who set the cyber-bullying in motion, the brother of the attacker, and the sister of the victim. I know it seems like a lot of people, but it really makes sense for the story and I think the author hit it out of the park by doing this. Anyway, she gives readers an in depth look at both the after effects of the bullying and what lead up to it. The overall picture of it all is quite spectacular, but pretty depressing as well because so many people were hurt because of jealousies. It's scary to think that this stuff happens in the real world.
The most important components this book touches upon include cyber-bullying , and teen suicide. Nothing is sensationalized in a way that would make a reader want to do it, but rather, is shown as to what it can do to the victims and their families.
I don't need to get into plot because I think my small summation above is enough, but I will say that it's a powerful book and sends a big message- don't cyber-bully. Don't hurt people for the fun of it. And leave your insecurities at the door. A hard feat for many teens these days, but something that should certainly be considered.
I read this book as part of my TBR jar book challenge. Doing this, I am taking control of my never ending TBR every other week
Genre: Young Adult Drama (Social Issues)
Actual Rating: 4 stars
Sarah Draer pens an intense read with Backlash. This book takes an emotional look at online teenage bullying and the aftereffects that it causes (actually, the ripple effects that it has on everyone as well). I think all teens and their parents should read this book. It's certainly an eye opening read and it may make you think twice about what you do online and the affects it can have on everyone.
This book is written on multiple POV's- the victim Lara, the girl who set the cyber-bullying in motion, the brother of the attacker, and the sister of the victim. I know it seems like a lot of people, but it really makes sense for the story and I think the author hit it out of the park by doing this. Anyway, she gives readers an in depth look at both the after effects of the bullying and what lead up to it. The overall picture of it all is quite spectacular, but pretty depressing as well because so many people were hurt because of jealousies. It's scary to think that this stuff happens in the real world.
The most important components this book touches upon include cyber-bullying , and teen suicide. Nothing is sensationalized in a way that would make a reader want to do it, but rather, is shown as to what it can do to the victims and their families.
I don't need to get into plot because I think my small summation above is enough, but I will say that it's a powerful book and sends a big message- don't cyber-bully. Don't hurt people for the fun of it. And leave your insecurities at the door. A hard feat for many teens these days, but something that should certainly be considered.
I read this book as part of my TBR jar book challenge. Doing this, I am taking control of my never ending TBR every other week
March 11, 2016
27.05.2015 I have a feeling that Marco Mengoni and Backlash by Sarah Darer Littman will make a good mix. =)
28.05.2015.
Real rating: 2.5
Yeah...Marco Mengoni was so much better than this book.
The main problem with this book is that I couldn't connect to or relate to any of the characters:
••There's Lara,who is bullied by this guy Christian on Facebook and who was really depressed in middle school-she decides to take her own life by taking pills.I understand that she was hurt but taking her own life because of what some guy she has never met said?I don't get it.
••There's her younger sister Sydney,who feels like she's constantly in the shadow of her elder sister-she is a fucking prat.How can you not really care about your sister?How can you not want to truly help her?Her sister almost killed herself,she is feeling really bad while she's in a hospital and this is what Syd's thinking...
Your sister tried to kill herself and you're grateful for that because now you can have bathroom and computer all for yourself?And she doesn't really get any better at all.Why can't I read a book with fucking supporting siblings?I'm a younger sister and I would probably die if something like this happened to my sis.
••There's Bree,who was once best friends with Lara and who used to listen to her saying how she hates life and just wants to die.She felt like she was suffocated by Lara and her depression and she wanted to break free.Now,when Lara is finally getting better,she gets all jealous and crazy.So she
••There's Liam,Bree's younger brother,who is kind of ok,I guess.He's the only character I kinda liked.He is angry at his sister and his parents,he actually cares for Lara and Sydney and he's pretty funny.Without him this book would be sooooooo bad.
••And there are their parents.Those fucking idiots.What the hell is up with all these idiotic parents in the books nowadays?The relationship between parents and their kids in this book was too Dessen-ish for me.I could kind of understand Lara's and Bree's actions,they're just kids after all,but their mothers?I was completely disgusted by their behavior.
••So yeah,I'm frustrated and disappointed.I'm giving this book almost 3 stars mostly because of the moral of this story.Cyber-bulling is wrong and disgusting on so many levels and everyone should be aware of that.
Favourite quotes:
“She’s improving every day.”
Considering we’ve just left Lara having to be given something “to calm her down” because she was crying her eyes out, I have to wonder if my mother is living in some kind of alternative reality.
-Anything I can do?
-Tell everyone to shut up about Lara? Make the world go away?
I wish I could do that. But I can just see me standing up in the middle of the cafeteria and shouting, “Could you all just shut up about Lara Kelley? And now, back to your regularly scheduled programming ...” That would only make people talk about it more — and then they’d be talking about me, too, and how crazy I am.
28.05.2015.
Real rating: 2.5
Yeah...Marco Mengoni was so much better than this book.
The main problem with this book is that I couldn't connect to or relate to any of the characters:
••There's Lara,who is bullied by this guy Christian on Facebook and who was really depressed in middle school-she decides to take her own life by taking pills.I understand that she was hurt but taking her own life because of what some guy she has never met said?I don't get it.
••There's her younger sister Sydney,who feels like she's constantly in the shadow of her elder sister-she is a fucking prat.How can you not really care about your sister?How can you not want to truly help her?Her sister almost killed herself,she is feeling really bad while she's in a hospital and this is what Syd's thinking...
“The doctor tells us you can come home tomorrow,” Mom says.
Wait, what? How come nobody told me that?
This place is so awful that I feel like the world’s worst sister for even thinking this, but I’ve been kind of enjoying being the only child at home these last two weeks. No having to wait to use the computer or the bathroom. No Lara using up all the hot water before I get to take a shower. And best of all, even though my parents still talk about Lara constantly, they seem to notice me more.
Your sister tried to kill herself and you're grateful for that because now you can have bathroom and computer all for yourself?And she doesn't really get any better at all.Why can't I read a book with fucking supporting siblings?I'm a younger sister and I would probably die if something like this happened to my sis.
••There's Bree,who was once best friends with Lara and who used to listen to her saying how she hates life and just wants to die.She felt like she was suffocated by Lara and her depression and she wanted to break free.Now,when Lara is finally getting better,she gets all jealous and crazy.So she
••There's Liam,Bree's younger brother,who is kind of ok,I guess.He's the only character I kinda liked.He is angry at his sister and his parents,he actually cares for Lara and Sydney and he's pretty funny.Without him this book would be sooooooo bad.
••And there are their parents.Those fucking idiots.What the hell is up with all these idiotic parents in the books nowadays?The relationship between parents and their kids in this book was too Dessen-ish for me.I could kind of understand Lara's and Bree's actions,they're just kids after all,but their mothers?I was completely disgusted by their behavior.
••So yeah,I'm frustrated and disappointed.I'm giving this book almost 3 stars mostly because of the moral of this story.Cyber-bulling is wrong and disgusting on so many levels and everyone should be aware of that.
Favourite quotes:
“She’s improving every day.”
Considering we’ve just left Lara having to be given something “to calm her down” because she was crying her eyes out, I have to wonder if my mother is living in some kind of alternative reality.
-Anything I can do?
-Tell everyone to shut up about Lara? Make the world go away?
I wish I could do that. But I can just see me standing up in the middle of the cafeteria and shouting, “Could you all just shut up about Lara Kelley? And now, back to your regularly scheduled programming ...” That would only make people talk about it more — and then they’d be talking about me, too, and how crazy I am.
October 17, 2021
Ένα βιβλίο που θα μπορούσε να κυμαίνεται σε βαθμολογία από 1 έως 5 ⭐ μιας και το θέμα του κυβερνοεκφοβισμού (cyber bullying),σχεδόν υποχρεωτικά περιλαμβάνει στερεοτυπικές συμπεριφορές και χαρακτήρες. Στόχος, όπως συνήθως συμβαίνει,είναι το άτομο που διαφέρει με οποιονδήποτε τρόπο, και ο λόγος που καταφεύγουν σε κακοποιητικές συμπεριφορές οι έφηβοι νταήδες είναι σχεδόν πάντα ίδιας βάσης.
Συνηθισμένο θέμα πια της young adult κατηγορίας,δεν είχε τίποτα πρωτότυπο σαν σύλληψη και πλοκή, είχε όμως όση ένταση χρειαζόταν για να περάσει τα μηνύματα που ήθελε στον νεαρό αναγνώστη.Ενδιαφέρουσα ήταν η απόδοση των οικογενειών των εμπλεκομένων μερών, με αρκετές δόσεις υπερβολής αλλά ωστόσο με αρκετή αληθοφάνεια.
3,5⭐
Συνηθισμένο θέμα πια της young adult κατηγορίας,δεν είχε τίποτα πρωτότυπο σαν σύλληψη και πλοκή, είχε όμως όση ένταση χρειαζόταν για να περάσει τα μηνύματα που ήθελε στον νεαρό αναγνώστη.Ενδιαφέρουσα ήταν η απόδοση των οικογενειών των εμπλεκομένων μερών, με αρκετές δόσεις υπερβολής αλλά ωστόσο με αρκετή αληθοφάνεια.
3,5⭐
April 19, 2015
I really want to dismiss this outright as a ham-fisted after school special of sorts, but even adult novels are filled with blunt force cautionary tales, so it's really not fair to single out this young adult title about cyberbullying.
Based on some true stories regarding cyberbullies convincing teens to kill themselves or act out, this story takes place over multiple points of view, both from the aggressor, the victim, and family members of both. The pacing is quick, and the story ultimately wastes no time and holds little back.
Where does this story fall apart a bit? For one, the characters seem less realistic and more like caricatures. The fact that the mother joins in (even though, unfortunately, that is a direct correlation between the tale and the real-life incident that sparked it) feels forced and out of character. The actual character growth feels less realistic and more forced than anything, and the end results feel a little too pat.
I don't know. I get why this book exists and is getting attention, I just also feel like the actual topic perhaps deserves a better treatment. Especially in the wake of more recent incidents of harassment and cyberbullying and the media's irresponsibility in its treatment, it's difficult to simply accept this narrative simply as is, never mind how relevant it may or may not look in a short amount of time.
Based on some true stories regarding cyberbullies convincing teens to kill themselves or act out, this story takes place over multiple points of view, both from the aggressor, the victim, and family members of both. The pacing is quick, and the story ultimately wastes no time and holds little back.
Where does this story fall apart a bit? For one, the characters seem less realistic and more like caricatures. The fact that the mother joins in (even though, unfortunately, that is a direct correlation between the tale and the real-life incident that sparked it) feels forced and out of character. The actual character growth feels less realistic and more forced than anything, and the end results feel a little too pat.
I don't know. I get why this book exists and is getting attention, I just also feel like the actual topic perhaps deserves a better treatment. Especially in the wake of more recent incidents of harassment and cyberbullying and the media's irresponsibility in its treatment, it's difficult to simply accept this narrative simply as is, never mind how relevant it may or may not look in a short amount of time.
September 8, 2015
This book was so realistic that it was practically taken from the pages of the newspaper. Shows the way that social media can be taken too far and destroy not only one life, but the lives of everyone around them. I really could not put this one down.
January 6, 2019
This book was supposed to be about cyberbullying but instead got turned to a bunch of nonsense from the author who does not know the difference between depressed and spoiled child.
March 14, 2019
4 ⭐⭐⭐⭐ - Liked it!
#cyberbullying #bullying
#cyberbullying #bullying
It’s not easy being Lara’s sister. If she weren’t my sister, I probably wouldn’t be her friend. But she is my sister. And nobody, nobody, sister or no sister, deserves what I just saw on that page.
“That’s Miss ‘I’ll Do Anything No Matter How Sick to Get Likes on Facebook.’
You said you loved me, but it was all a liiiie. Now I’m so lonely, all I do is crrrry. That’s when I get the idea. The genius idea of how I’m going to get my revenge on Lara for laughing at me.
I’ve been chatting with Lara as this Christian DeWitt guy for a few weeks now, and it’s getting kind of weird because Lara is flirting with me.
“Wait — Christian DeWitt is you?” she said. “Yeah. Well, actually, he’s this Abercrombie model,” I told her, bringing up the model’s website. “But the ‘guy’ Lara is crushing on? That’s me.”
“It’s a joke I’m playing on Lara, ’cause I was pissed she made cheerleading and I didn’t,” I explain, fully expecting the grounding guillotine to be lowered the minute I’m done. “I’ve been pretending to be this guy Christian for a month or so, and she’s developed a major crush on me. Well, I mean on him …”
laughing. “That’s priceless,” she says. “Lara actually believes you’re this guy?”
“Oh dear. Poor Lara. She’s so needy and gullible,” Mom says. “Tell her, ‘You could never say the wrong thing, baby.’ ” “What?”
I almost killed myself because of Bree and Mary Jo Connors.
“Bree started this. And when you discovered what she was doing, instead of giving her consequences, you didn’t just encourage her, you took part in it yourself.”
“Here’s the thing, honey: You made a big mistake. You did something that was pretty stupid and very wrong. And now there are consequences.”
“Do you think life can ever get back to normal after this?” Liam asks. “Or will I always be Son of Monster Mom?”
May 15, 2015
Honestly, This book is complete shit plot wise. The writing, charterers, diction, etc were all fine and did not bother me one bit but the story was shit. 200 pages of this book follow the perils of a teenage girl and her cyber-bully (Don't even get me started on the bitch of the lady that the bullies mother was). The book does do a good job at explaining cyber-bullying and its affect on young woman, however, the book had a piss poor ending. I read this entire book just to learn that the bully and the bullied resolved their differences with a mere hug. I mean you have got to be kidding me. This horrible bitch made a fake Facebook that led a girl to try to kill herself and they resolve their difference with a fucking hug! I read this whole book waiting for some huge confrontation between the bully and bullied but no, nothing. I wanted a fight, a screaming fit, or at least more than just a hug. I mean I do understand this book was meant for young teen girls but honestly the way the book was ended is going to help no one. The only thing I have to say about this book is if you want the perfect literary example of something "anticlimactic", read this book.
-Z.
-Z.
July 19, 2017
I think that this book has an important message and I can appreciate it for that reason. It also had enough drama to keep my attention. The characters were pretty well developed and I appreciated all of the different point of views. The author seems to write teenagers believably. She is able to capture all of those teenage emotions. It took me back to days in high school.
But there were quite a few grammar/spelling errors. I don't know what was up with that. And sometimes I just wanted a little bit more than it delivered.
But I'm happy that I read it and I think that counts for something.
There's not much that I can say about this book because there's a pretty big twist that I don't want to spoil. It's a good conversation starter about bullying and the consequences.
If you're on the brink of reading this I would recommend giving it a shot. You might enjoy it. It's certainly not a long read.
But there were quite a few grammar/spelling errors. I don't know what was up with that. And sometimes I just wanted a little bit more than it delivered.
But I'm happy that I read it and I think that counts for something.
There's not much that I can say about this book because there's a pretty big twist that I don't want to spoil. It's a good conversation starter about bullying and the consequences.
If you're on the brink of reading this I would recommend giving it a shot. You might enjoy it. It's certainly not a long read.
February 28, 2015
I have never heard of or read Sarah Darer Littman but I love her now. She writes beautifully with so much passion and feeling. I can't wait to read her previous stories. I have already recommended BACKLASH to many readers and I know they are going to love it just like I do. It is just that kind of story. We've all heard of cyber bullying but to have a birds eye view of what happens to the people involved, really makes you wonder how you would react if it happened to you or someone in your family. BACKLASH would make a great book club or classroom read.
December 1, 2017
This is one of my favorite books and I really enjoyed reading this. I didn't take me that long to read it because I thought it was really good. There is mixed emotions going on throughout this book. I also like Sarah Darer Littman as an author and like reading her books.
February 28, 2019
I have listened a lot of emotional YA books since I started listening to audio, and this one deals with cyber bullying and suicide.
People are awful. Anyone who thinks that we ever will live in a nice world is sadly delusional. Ugh people! I understood one of them because people are idiots, but then this other bully, wtf is wrong with you! But then people are evil.
The books starts with Sydney finding her sister Lara in the bathroom. Lara who used to be overweight and has struggled with depression. And who was on her way to getting better. Poor Lara. Poor Sydney too, she is left behind at times when it was all Lara Lara. They both matter.
Then the book jumps back 2 months and we get to see how Lara meets the cutest boy online and starts to fall for him, until he posts on FB how she should just kill herself...
In that 2 month back we also get the POV of her evil ex bestie Bree, grrr, Bree! No, I could not feel sorry for you.
And Liam, Bree's brother. Him I could feel sorry for.
These 4 POVS deal with the aftermath. It makes me angry, it makes me sad. I will not mention the person I was maddest at, but it was so low, so low.
A good book about cyber bullying and the ramifications it can have.
Narrators
It had two. Liam got his own narrator, which worked well. There were 3 girl POVs anyway that had their own narrator.
I did like both, they did well with female and male voices. Young and old.
People are awful. Anyone who thinks that we ever will live in a nice world is sadly delusional. Ugh people! I understood one of them because people are idiots, but then this other bully, wtf is wrong with you! But then people are evil.
The books starts with Sydney finding her sister Lara in the bathroom. Lara who used to be overweight and has struggled with depression. And who was on her way to getting better. Poor Lara. Poor Sydney too, she is left behind at times when it was all Lara Lara. They both matter.
Then the book jumps back 2 months and we get to see how Lara meets the cutest boy online and starts to fall for him, until he posts on FB how she should just kill herself...
In that 2 month back we also get the POV of her evil ex bestie Bree, grrr, Bree! No, I could not feel sorry for you.
And Liam, Bree's brother. Him I could feel sorry for.
These 4 POVS deal with the aftermath. It makes me angry, it makes me sad. I will not mention the person I was maddest at, but it was so low, so low.
A good book about cyber bullying and the ramifications it can have.
Narrators
It had two. Liam got his own narrator, which worked well. There were 3 girl POVs anyway that had their own narrator.
I did like both, they did well with female and male voices. Young and old.
April 14, 2024
Fucking good
February 17, 2016
Als Lara die Worte auf ihrem Computerbildschirm sieht, bricht ihre Welt zusammen. Ein Junge, in den sie sich verliebt hat, schrieb öffentlich auf ihre Pinnwand "Die Welt wär besser ohne dich!". Alle ihre Facebook-Freunde haben es gesehen. Verzweifelt schließt sie sich im Bad ein, wird darauf hin in der Badewanne gefunden und ins Krankenhaus gebracht. Sie hat versucht sich mit einer Medikamentenüberdosis das Leben zu nehmen.
Das Thema des Buches 'Cybermobbing' fand ich schon immer sehr interessant und ich habe schon einige Bücher darüber gelesen. Dieses hier ist definitiv eines der besten! Auf sehr einfühlsame Weise, aber trotzdem sehr schockierend, erzählt die Autorin von der wundervollen Lara, die versucht glücklich zu sein und dann durch einen Angriff über Facebook versucht sich das Leben zu nehmen. Während des Lesens konnte ich mich nicht nur gut in die Protagonisten einfühlen, sondern mich auch gut in die Situation versetzen. Ich wurde schockiert, durchgerüttelt und durfte zwischendurch auch etwas aufatmen.
Die Geschichte wird von vier verschiedenen Personen erzählt. Zuerst Lara, ein zauberhaftes Mädchen das leider kein leichtes Leben hat. Schon in der Middle School hatte sie mit einigen Problemen zu kämpfen, da sie von ihren Mitschülern aufgrund ihres Gewichts gemobbt wurde. In der Highschool wurde dann wieder besser. Doch plötzlich wendet sich alles wieder zum schlechten und das Mädchen wird online beschimpft. Unter diesen Angriffen leidet auch ihre jüngere Schwester Sydney, die aufgrund ihrer Schwester immer einen Schritt zurück machen muss und die zweite Geige in der Familie spielt. Außerhalb der Familie erleben wir die Geschichte aus der Sicht von Liam und seiner Schwester Bree. Liam ist gut mit Sydney befreutet, während Bree früher mit Lara befreundet war. Durch die vielen Sichtweisen kommt man einen guten Zugang zu der Geschichte und lernt auch die Charaktere sehr gut kennen.
♥ FAZIT:
Eine schockierende Geschichte die mich sehr beeindruckt und bewegt hat. Für mich war es eines der besten Bücher die ich bis jetzt über Cybermobbing gelesen habe, da die Autorin daran dachte die unterschiedlichsten Seiten der Geschichten festzuhalten.
Das Thema des Buches 'Cybermobbing' fand ich schon immer sehr interessant und ich habe schon einige Bücher darüber gelesen. Dieses hier ist definitiv eines der besten! Auf sehr einfühlsame Weise, aber trotzdem sehr schockierend, erzählt die Autorin von der wundervollen Lara, die versucht glücklich zu sein und dann durch einen Angriff über Facebook versucht sich das Leben zu nehmen. Während des Lesens konnte ich mich nicht nur gut in die Protagonisten einfühlen, sondern mich auch gut in die Situation versetzen. Ich wurde schockiert, durchgerüttelt und durfte zwischendurch auch etwas aufatmen.
Die Geschichte wird von vier verschiedenen Personen erzählt. Zuerst Lara, ein zauberhaftes Mädchen das leider kein leichtes Leben hat. Schon in der Middle School hatte sie mit einigen Problemen zu kämpfen, da sie von ihren Mitschülern aufgrund ihres Gewichts gemobbt wurde. In der Highschool wurde dann wieder besser. Doch plötzlich wendet sich alles wieder zum schlechten und das Mädchen wird online beschimpft. Unter diesen Angriffen leidet auch ihre jüngere Schwester Sydney, die aufgrund ihrer Schwester immer einen Schritt zurück machen muss und die zweite Geige in der Familie spielt. Außerhalb der Familie erleben wir die Geschichte aus der Sicht von Liam und seiner Schwester Bree. Liam ist gut mit Sydney befreutet, während Bree früher mit Lara befreundet war. Durch die vielen Sichtweisen kommt man einen guten Zugang zu der Geschichte und lernt auch die Charaktere sehr gut kennen.
♥ FAZIT:
Eine schockierende Geschichte die mich sehr beeindruckt und bewegt hat. Für mich war es eines der besten Bücher die ich bis jetzt über Cybermobbing gelesen habe, da die Autorin daran dachte die unterschiedlichsten Seiten der Geschichten festzuhalten.
June 10, 2015
This book is a cautionary tale that delves into the very topical issue of cyberbullying. It is the story of Lara, who befriends a boy she doesn't know personally. Full of insecurities, Lara is very flattered when this "hot" boy from a nearby school asks to be her friend on Facebook. His attention increases, and Lara finds herself fantasising about meeting him until he rejects her in a very public post and many of the kids at Lara's school 'like' the post.
The repercussions of inappropriate online behaviour and relationships are widespread and these are explored throughout the novel. The consequence is that Lara’s life spirals out of control and this affects her health and emotional wellbeing. The further implications for Lara’s friends and families are also significant.
The storyline is structured in four parts: Part 1 - now (the present); Part 2 - two months earlier; Part 3 - now; and Epilogue - twelve months later. This structure allows readers to appreciate how such events can come about.
The strength of this novel lays in the characterisation and the reader can relate to the feelings and actions of the teenagers in the book. None of the characters are perfect and the flaws of teens and adults alike are realistic and thought provoking. The message in this book is very powerful and it will appeal to many young teenagers who are living the reality of social media and digital lives.
The repercussions of inappropriate online behaviour and relationships are widespread and these are explored throughout the novel. The consequence is that Lara’s life spirals out of control and this affects her health and emotional wellbeing. The further implications for Lara’s friends and families are also significant.
The storyline is structured in four parts: Part 1 - now (the present); Part 2 - two months earlier; Part 3 - now; and Epilogue - twelve months later. This structure allows readers to appreciate how such events can come about.
The strength of this novel lays in the characterisation and the reader can relate to the feelings and actions of the teenagers in the book. None of the characters are perfect and the flaws of teens and adults alike are realistic and thought provoking. The message in this book is very powerful and it will appeal to many young teenagers who are living the reality of social media and digital lives.
February 3, 2016
Grade: A-
When Lara tries to kill herself after a nasty online breakup, her next door neighbor and former best friend Bree videos her being wheeled on a stretcher into the ambulance and posts the clip on Facebook. Told through Lara's, her sister Sydney's, Bree and her brother Liam's points of view BACKLASH is a cautionary tale about online bullying and it's unintended consequences.
Sarah Darer Littman brilliantly crafted a timely story that will appeal to both teens and tweens drawing upon some recent stories that have made the news. Each of the narrators had positive and negative traits and multiple layers. Liam was my favorite character, wise beyond his years. The parents had fewer dimensions. The mothers were integral to their daughters' issues, while the fathers were more supportive and nurturing. Despite Bree's meanness, I could see how she came to be that way.
THEMES: bullying, depression, suicide, mental illness, parent, siblings, families
BACKLASH should be required reading for parents and kids before they're allowed to touch social media.
When Lara tries to kill herself after a nasty online breakup, her next door neighbor and former best friend Bree videos her being wheeled on a stretcher into the ambulance and posts the clip on Facebook. Told through Lara's, her sister Sydney's, Bree and her brother Liam's points of view BACKLASH is a cautionary tale about online bullying and it's unintended consequences.
Sarah Darer Littman brilliantly crafted a timely story that will appeal to both teens and tweens drawing upon some recent stories that have made the news. Each of the narrators had positive and negative traits and multiple layers. Liam was my favorite character, wise beyond his years. The parents had fewer dimensions. The mothers were integral to their daughters' issues, while the fathers were more supportive and nurturing. Despite Bree's meanness, I could see how she came to be that way.
THEMES: bullying, depression, suicide, mental illness, parent, siblings, families
BACKLASH should be required reading for parents and kids before they're allowed to touch social media.
March 9, 2015
Wow. This was an incredibly powerful book that tackles an issue that we hear the devastating effects of far too frequently today: cyber bullying. My heart broke not just for Lara, but also for Bree, Sydney, and Liam. Hearing the story from all 4 of these characters helps the reader explore his/her own thoughts about the situation, while also becoming increasingly disgusted with the mothers in the book. I binge read this book in an afternoon, because I had to know how the situation was going to resolve. The way Littmann crafted this book was wonderful - the use of flashback helps the reader become more emotionally invested. I also appreciated the realistic ending - sometimes, endings aren't always happy, and I think that's important for young people to see in their reading. Bravo to an absolutely stunning novel by Sarah Darer Littmann.
October 18, 2014
Read as part of an assignment. Viral bullying is an important topic for bibliotherapy but this book really felt like an 1980's era after school T.V. special.
Read
May 3, 2021This book is really good but there is a lot of bad language and some bad parts in it. Everyone who doesn't care about that stuff is welcome to read it but if you don't like reading stuff like that don't read it.
May 17, 2019
it was a good book it is really emotional and sad but it is a good book.
December 7, 2017
4 stars
Warning This book does contain an attempted suicide scene.
Backlash talks about the issues of cyberbullying, suicide, and the consequences of our actions. It's something that has been seen before in various books and even those Lifetime original movies. Though the story is repetitive, it is important that people know that cyberbullying is still going on and it does lead some people into committing suicide.
(Confession time: I've had this book on my shelf for over 2 years and I am now just got done with it. 😕)
Even if this is a repetitive story to some, it's important to keep in mind of what goes on in a teenagers head when they are being bullied constantly to the point where they attempt or commit suicide. I still believe it's an important topic to talk about.
Not that I think it's one of those philosophical books. It's a good book, don't get me wrong, but the story has been told several times before so it's nothing new. It's not gonna win any awards or be on the best sellers list.
Backlash is about Lara who just got dumped by a guy named Christian on Facebook and with it came insults from him and others liking his public post. Lara then attempts to commit suicide but is saved. Alongside her, there's Sydney, Lara's younger; Bree, Lara's former friend; and Liam, who is sort-of friends with Lara. Lara's attempted suicide makes them think about the events before and after what Lara did.
Despite the cheery looking cover, this is a dark book. This is a book that is more than just another tale of cyberbullying. It's also about grief, family dynamics, and learning to recover. This book tackles not only the bullying itself but also the consequences of the aftermath. I appreciate how Littman wrote Backlash and going in-depth with the characters.
Speaking of the characters, they were the shining stars in this book. They are neither good or bad. It's not all black and white with them since they react to Lara's attempted suicide in different ways. It's easy to paint some as the hero and the villain but it's more complicated than that regarding their emotions and motives.
To further into the book, there's also the generation of kids and teenagers who do horrible things to each other. Why does someone bully another person? What do they get from it? People can be really shitty and teenagers are worse since they're still trying to find out who they are only to be hindered by ignorant and hateful people.
This may be something akin to an after-school special or a Lifetime movie (which I can see how others may not like it), but I still think this is a good book.
Verdict
A very quick and short read dealing with a dark subject. IT may not be everyone's cup of tea, but the message behind it is important as well as the family dynamics of coping.
Thanks for reading my review!
-Cesar
Warning This book does contain an attempted suicide scene.
Backlash talks about the issues of cyberbullying, suicide, and the consequences of our actions. It's something that has been seen before in various books and even those Lifetime original movies. Though the story is repetitive, it is important that people know that cyberbullying is still going on and it does lead some people into committing suicide.
(Confession time: I've had this book on my shelf for over 2 years and I am now just got done with it. 😕)
Even if this is a repetitive story to some, it's important to keep in mind of what goes on in a teenagers head when they are being bullied constantly to the point where they attempt or commit suicide. I still believe it's an important topic to talk about.
Not that I think it's one of those philosophical books. It's a good book, don't get me wrong, but the story has been told several times before so it's nothing new. It's not gonna win any awards or be on the best sellers list.
Backlash is about Lara who just got dumped by a guy named Christian on Facebook and with it came insults from him and others liking his public post. Lara then attempts to commit suicide but is saved. Alongside her, there's Sydney, Lara's younger; Bree, Lara's former friend; and Liam, who is sort-of friends with Lara. Lara's attempted suicide makes them think about the events before and after what Lara did.
Despite the cheery looking cover, this is a dark book. This is a book that is more than just another tale of cyberbullying. It's also about grief, family dynamics, and learning to recover. This book tackles not only the bullying itself but also the consequences of the aftermath. I appreciate how Littman wrote Backlash and going in-depth with the characters.
Speaking of the characters, they were the shining stars in this book. They are neither good or bad. It's not all black and white with them since they react to Lara's attempted suicide in different ways. It's easy to paint some as the hero and the villain but it's more complicated than that regarding their emotions and motives.
To further into the book, there's also the generation of kids and teenagers who do horrible things to each other. Why does someone bully another person? What do they get from it? People can be really shitty and teenagers are worse since they're still trying to find out who they are only to be hindered by ignorant and hateful people.
This may be something akin to an after-school special or a Lifetime movie (which I can see how others may not like it), but I still think this is a good book.
Verdict
A very quick and short read dealing with a dark subject. IT may not be everyone's cup of tea, but the message behind it is important as well as the family dynamics of coping.
Thanks for reading my review!
-Cesar
May 7, 2015
I just picked it up due to the cute cover and the intriguing synopsis, and I didn't expected much from it either.Simply I just liked this book but I didn't loved it that much. It was really a thought provoking story and related to cyber bullying happening now a days.
What I liked most about this book was the moral of the story and it also shows that, how by taking certain actions can effect each people in your life whether they are family,friends or the people you may know.It seemed very realistic and well detailed.The story is about Lara who attempts suicide after reading hateful comments from christian, who she met in facebook and chatted with him through online and she never even met him face to face.The twist with the Christian I didn't saw it coming.
What i didn't like in this book was the female protagonist who seemed too much dumb to me, I mean you don’t attempt suicide for a guy who you met through online only.The thing with Bree and her mother didn't seemed right to me.Sometimes I got too much annoyed with Sydney’s tantrums, she always behaved like she was 6 years old. Liam is the character I liked the most in this book because he seemed more mature than his mother and sister.
The main aspect of the story is cyber bullying and how it can affect the young minds which makes them fall into depression and social withdrawal which ultimately leads them to attempt suicide.Now a days it’s all about how many likes you got in Facebook or any other social website and commenting mean things without any care or thinking.
The whole book is narrated in multiple POV which I basically don’t like much, but I think it was necessary for this book.Even though it was well written plot I felt something lacking with the character’s emotions.Even if there were some flaws i’d still say it was a good book and I do think it should be read by everyone.
What I liked most about this book was the moral of the story and it also shows that, how by taking certain actions can effect each people in your life whether they are family,friends or the people you may know.It seemed very realistic and well detailed.The story is about Lara who attempts suicide after reading hateful comments from christian, who she met in facebook and chatted with him through online and she never even met him face to face.The twist with the Christian I didn't saw it coming.
What i didn't like in this book was the female protagonist who seemed too much dumb to me, I mean you don’t attempt suicide for a guy who you met through online only.The thing with Bree and her mother didn't seemed right to me.Sometimes I got too much annoyed with Sydney’s tantrums, she always behaved like she was 6 years old. Liam is the character I liked the most in this book because he seemed more mature than his mother and sister.
The main aspect of the story is cyber bullying and how it can affect the young minds which makes them fall into depression and social withdrawal which ultimately leads them to attempt suicide.Now a days it’s all about how many likes you got in Facebook or any other social website and commenting mean things without any care or thinking.
The whole book is narrated in multiple POV which I basically don’t like much, but I think it was necessary for this book.Even though it was well written plot I felt something lacking with the character’s emotions.Even if there were some flaws i’d still say it was a good book and I do think it should be read by everyone.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 996 reviews