Sell Out

by Tammy L. Gray

Like many elite private schools, Madison High has a legacy steeped in traditions, none of which revolve around learning. Survival is simple: keep your head down, don’t say a word, and never question school royalty.

Cody James, a former victim of Madison’s vicious brand of hazing, wants nothing more than to graduate without breaking the unspoken rules that could land him back in social exile. Cody has breached the elusive inner circle, and he has no intention of losing his hard-earned security. But a beautiful new student shakes up his plan to coast by and causes him question his role as sidekick to the king of the school.

As the only daughter of rock legend Donnie Wyld, Skylar has been homeschooled her entire life. Now she wants normal, and she hopes that Madison High will offer her an escape from her father’s deteriorating health. She never intended on catching the eye of the school’s self-elected king or falling for his confusing best friend. But one look at Cody James, and she is drawn in by his guarded vulnerability.

When an average Friday night party turns into a nightmare, Cody is forced to make a decision—fight or follow. But standing up for the bullied and broken means facing a past he’s long buried and risking the future he’s worked so hard to achieve.

Genres: Romance, Young Adult, Contemporary, Christian Fiction, Christian, Fiction, High School

376 pages, Paperback

First published September 26, 2015

About the author

Tammy L. Gray lives in the Dallas area with her family, and they love all things Texas, even the erratic weather patterns. Her nine modern and true-to-life contemporary romances include 2017 RITA award winning, My Hope Next Door, and show her unending quest to write high quality, culturally relevant stories with relatable and flawed characters.

When not taxiing her three kids to various school and sporting events, Tammy can be spotted crunching numbers as the financial administrator at her hometown church. Writing has given her a platform to combine her passion with her ministry all while sharing the messy, yet remarkable journey that is a faith-filled life.

Tammy L. Gray has lots of projects going on. For all the latest info, visit her website at http://tammylgray.com

I'd love to hear from all of you! Come join me on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/tlgraybooks or twitter @tlgraybooks

Reviews

[Rebekah · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am seriously impressed with Gray's writing. She writes so smoothly. You never have to reread something trying to figure out what the author was trying to say. Her characters are very well developed in this book. I have to admit I spent most of this book with my stomach in knots. The subject matter was very intense and the characters pain so very real. I very much liked the resolution in the end, there was no neat little bow, no empty promises, just an honest resolution that was very possible.
I must say I had a little fan girl moment when I realized Matt was from Mercy's Fight.
Well done!

[Tessa Palmeri aka Tonya Preece · Rating 5 out of 5]

Deeper (and better) than the typical YA book about bullying

I really enjoyed this novel by Tammy L. Gray. The plot was realistic, well paced and flowed naturally. Character development was great - there was believable personal evolvement and I cared about what would happen to them. I appreciate the author’s subtle use of Skylar’s faith to give her hope and peace without religion being shoved in the reader’s face. I can’t wait to read more from this author!

[Linha · Rating 4 out of 5]

3 1/2 Stars. Had to read because the cover is so stinkin' cute!
Triggers: bullying
Although they frustrated me in some parts of the book I enjoyed the Hero, he had struggles he needed to work through. Heroine was annoying, but was somewhat redeemed at the end.
Clean romance with no sexy time scenes.
Safety: safe with some ow/om drama. Hero was not a manwhore athlete, he's only been with one person before. Heroine is a v.

[Sarah K · Rating 1 out of 5]

There was so much that I did not like about this book: the writing, the plot, the characters...

Bullying is something I'm passionate about, and as far as messages about bullying go, I think this book may present some of the worst ones. What I got after reading this book was that adults that aren't useless are few and far between, and you shouldn't bother going to them for help. Cody goes to the principal to complain about bullying, and the principal ends up threatening Cody. In general, if the school was so notorious for bullying, you would think that one of the teachers or staff members would have stood up and tried to do something. The kids literally ran the school. Lindsey goes to her parents, they ignore her, she tries to kill herself. Lesson learned: deal with it on your own.

I have this thing where I highlight lines I don't like with blue and lines I like with yellow, and pretty quickly it seemed like I had just changed the background color of my kindle to blue. First of all, this author likes similes. A lot. More than a lot. I'm pretty sure every page had at least five on it. "Pride swelled in my chest like air filling a balloon." "Her fists dropped to her hips like a scolding grandma." "His fingers danced through my hair like air through wind chimes." "My unease spun away like a musical note in a windstorm." "The giant glanced my way, his face as dark as midnight." Just. so. many. similes. Use a different literary device. Aside from the similes, there was just some really bad writing. "Laughter imploded in the back of my throat." What does that even mean?!

This may be my fault for not looking into the author, but I had not been expecting to get religion shoved down my throat. There was nothing in the blurb that suggested the religious undertones would be so strong. Every "good guy" in the book, from a famous rockstar to a high school senior to an uptight lawyer were so preachy Christian. I don't mind religious characters, what I mind is when a book prioritizes the preachiness over the story. "God doesn't give commands to torture us. He gives them to protect us." "You will mourn. You will cry ... God will be your father, your best friend and your comforter. He will heal your heart again." "I served God while experiencing more joy than should be allowed in a lifetime." "I prayed for God to heal her broken heart." "And, most importantly, you rely on the author of strength to overcome your pain." "There's nothing in you that's broken that God hasn't already fixed." "I knew she would never find any peace without God's help." "'I don't believe in God.' ... 'He still believes in you. He still loves you. Even if you can't see it." These are just a few examples and all said by completely different characters. We get it. There is also a lot of turn the other cheek, forgive your enemies stuff. Oh, and then there's the rocker's daughter who comforts her dad by telling him "I understand. And I do plan to wait 'til I'm married." Which is good because most of the girls are characterized as morons that are constantly throwing themselves at guys. There's lots of slut shaming. And when a character has a sex tape leaked by her ex-boyfriend, she says, "It's my fault. I should never have let him record us. I should have said no" and no one tells her that she's not the one in the wrong.

When the writing wasn't praising God or using another simile, it was busy being lowkey misogynistic. There are two ways to dehumanize a person: deny their existence and put them on a pedestal. When main male character sees main female character, his first thought is, "Goddess." Yeah, that's not over the top at all. She's referred to as a goddess several other times throughout the novel. Other examples of misogyny: "Most girls cut their hair often enough that the compliment always worked." Yup, those stupid girls. Just tell them that you like their hair cut and they'll be overcome with gratitude. It's not like they do anything else with their lives aside from cut their hair. "...mentally kicking myself for sounding like a teenage girl at a Taylor Swift concert." The pretentious characters are something I'll get to later, but using teenage girls that listen to popular pop music as a synonym for someone vapid and stupid is all kinds of wrong. It's done repeatedly in the text. The aforementioned victim blaming after a leaked sex tape was wrong. Describing a character as tiny and blonde is okay, having your main male character refer to another character as "the tiny blond I defended" is not. These were Skylar's thoughts in math, "My mind didn't process numbers. They floated in my head, jumbled around and then disappeared, quickly replaced with a new design for my sketchbook." Having a character not like math is fine as long as it doesn't turn into a situation where all the girls are too busy thinking about boys, gossip, and fashion to focus on hard school subjects like math and science. They should probably just leave those for the boys and just go cut their hair again. The girls are generally so vapid that the boys don't even bother listening to them. Case in point: "They walked away with Zoe still muttering about things I had absolutely no interest in." There is one female-female relationship showed in the book. (A second one turns up at the very end but is pretty much just another preachy moment.) In this relationship, we basically only see the two girls talk about boys. That's it. Later in the novel we get the line, "But as I sorted through our conversations, our gut-shaking laughter, how much she cared, even when we didn't agree, I knew our friendship was worth the risk." I dunno where the character pulled that from, because we did not see any of that.

Moving on from the writing, the main characters were so freaking pretentious. You know those people who refuse on principle to listen to any song that could even be mistaken for popular? Yeah, that's Cody and Skylar. Cody DJs a radio show where he only plays music that never made it to the top 40. Cody and Skylar also text each other songs regularly which is how they know that they're better than everyone else. Cody at one point says, "Most kids our age don't get past downloading a song to iTunes, so they wouldn't make the connection" to explain why he was the only one that recognized Skylar to be the daughter of a rockstar. Now, I know that that's just supposed to show how much Cody and Skylar are above their peers, but I have to wonder if the author has ever met a teenager in her life, especially these days. When kids find an artist they like, they hop online and discover everything about him/her. They follow them on social media and read the tabloids. They would recognize a huge rockstar's daughter in a heartbeat. They would know his wife's childhood best friend's name, not just her maiden name. The only other explanation is that Skylar's dad is nowhere near as famous as we're led to believe. Oh, and when Skylar says, "I hate this thing. Had to buy it right off the rack," I rolled my eyes so hard. On top of pretentious, they were also so self-righteous that I wanted to smack them. I was supposed to be rooting for these kids to overcome bullying and I just wanted them all to go away. Oh, and Cody said that he hated the "blasted chair" in the principal's office, like he's an eighty year old man.

And while we're on the topic of fame, Skylar and Cody attend a school full of rich kids. Like, really rich kids. The kind of rich kids that don't know what a consequence is. The kind that must be the sons and daughters of pretty big people. There had to be at least one famous person there at some point. And yet, when Skylar's identity comes out, it's as if she was attending some small school in the middle of nowhere. Yes, her identity would be a story, I'm not denying that, but the students' reactions were not those of kids that were accustomed of traveling in upper circles, where I have to believe they were used to being.

Anyway, the plot was predictable. Every big twist could be seen a mile away. The characters were not likable. The story was preachy about religion. The lesson I learned about bullying was that most people you'll want to help you, won't, and that you should just forgive your bullies and move on.

Also, it bugged me that the one non-white character was introduced with "She looked ethnic."

Overall, I probably wouldn't recommend this to anyone.

[Anita · Rating 5 out of 5]

What I Loved: I want to take this book and put it into the hands of every single teenager and force them to read it. If not this one, then one like it. Sell Out tackles the growing issue present in schools – bullying. As a parent of three pre-teens who attend public school, it’s a topic I discuss semi-frequently and it's one very, very close to my heart.

I feel like Mrs. Gray really took this story and wove it to make it so real and believable, and still spoke a message to the readers. The message being – take action. Do not let it continue. I cannot get behind this stance enough. If we allow people to be bullies, if we allow people to be bullied, it will do nothing but grow out of control. But the issue aside, the story itself was beautiful. I so enjoyed watching Cody grow as an individual, I felt his struggles and understood his reactions. I loved Skylar, and, gosh, she was written to be such a wonderful, down to earth individual, especially for being a rock-star’s daughter.

Not So Much: I cried in my soup at lunch. I’m not kidding.

So yes, the book was heart wrenching. And sad in all the appropriate places. But it was necessary for the story.

The Verdict:
I highly, highly, HIGHLY recommend this book. Give it to your teenagers. I would only hope it would instill some hope, and empower people to talk. It might not work – but who knows…it just might.

[Natalie · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was an amazing quick read with an amazing message. Bullying affects everyone, makes the bullied depressed. And this book showed us sometimes how depressed... I though it was well crafted with a strong message. But still made the book fun without being a lecture about bullying.

I liked how Skylar was her carefree, happy self when she was with her fathers band. It showed that happy, true side of her self. I liked Skylars character in general. She didn't let the bad stuff cripple her. Yeah, she grieved her dad and was in denial before he died. But she was still strong and was there for Cody. Cody was like able, but he needs to work on letting Skylar in instead of giving in to his anger caused years ago. But at least he fought for her after she pushed him away. I didnt like how after he changed, he started hanging out with Blake and bullied people like he was bulllied. But he realized he was wrong when Skylar walked into his life. He started to try to make up for it, and he did. He took down the infamous "king" of Madison high, Blake. Ugh, he was annoying. I don't really get why he treated Lindsay like he did when she wanted to break up with him. He was so aggressive and the made her the next laughing stock of Madison high. And he went after Skylar when he didn't even like her and got made at Cody when he started to show interest in her. He needs to get over himself and stop being such a jerk. But they got payback on Blake. He finally wouldn't bother anyone at Madison high again. Now Skylar and Cody are together and in love as ever! Defiantly glad it ended in a HEA. :)

[Emily White · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a moving story that focuses on high school bullying. The characters' emotions feel raw and real to the point that, even though I was sure things would work out in the end, I found myself torn over the fates of these poor people. And yet, there was a lot of hope and love to balance it out. It is a Christian book, but the references to God didn't feel forced. The quality of the writing was also excellent, so I would definitely recommend this one.

[Nikki · Rating 4 out of 5]

In a school where you are either the bullied or the bully, Cody attempts to stay in the in-crowd until he meets Skylar. This was an interesting look at bullying culture.
It lost one star for me for getting religiousy. I hadn't realised this was meant to be Christian fiction until almost halfway through the book. Just when things started getting emotional, people started looking to God to fix everything for them which was quite off-putting.
Apart from all the religious stuff, it was a great book.

[Elena Johansen · Rating 1 out of 5]

DNF @ 44%. Partly because I didn't realize this was a Christian romance when I purchased it many moons ago, and when it started getting preachy, I felt relieved to have a solid reason to set it aside when I wasn't enjoying it.

Writing style gripes: Overuse of similes made all the characters sound dramatic, which is not something this narrative needed--it's already melodramatic enough because of its subject matter. The "chapters"--if you can even call them that--were short and choppy, switching between POVs sometimes as quickly as every two pages, to the point some "chapters" didn't even feel like a complete scene.

Character gripes: I never got invested because these are all flat people with little personality. And in Cody and Skylar's case, specifically, what little personality they were given was "pretentious jerk about music." How dare somebody like anything that's ever been played on the radio? My name is Cody and I can only listen to music I feel is properly "obscure" and underappreciated because I value obscurity for its own sake and think that makes me cool. Sure, people like that exist in real life, and in real life, I don't like them either because they judge me for having a Savage Garden phase or listening to the Foo Fighters. I love music. I adore music. And this book was projecting judgment of me for loving music in the "wrong" way, every time one of the characters talked about it.

Plot gripes: ....what plot? Whatever narrative through-line there was supposed to be was not particularly obvious to me when I gave up just short of halfway through. Since I found this marketed as a romance, I assume Cody and Skylar eventually triumph over Evil High School Drama and get together, but at 44% their "romance" is barely started, and most of the events that have happened are typical Evil High School Drama, making sure we know precisely how Evil everyone is, and how awful bullying is (but also making sure to point out that adults are useless and won't help you so I guess you better handle all your life issues on your own, and/or pray about it, because teachers? the principal? no help there.) But it all felt mostly formless, directionless.

I didn't find anything to like about this book.

[Carolyn · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you don't pity Fatty James, you don't have a heart. From the first page, Tammy L. Gray builds sympathy for Cody “Fatty” James, who despite his exterior transformation, remains the bitter, bullied kid degraded by his peers in the boys’ locker room.

By shedding pounds and building muscle, Cody has earned a place among school royalty, a place that once attained, he’s uncertain he wants. Despite his singular focus on getting through the remainder of high school, his wounded heart still bleeds for others relegated to the fringes of his social circle where they are derided and abused.

It’s that soft spot that sparks to life when he encounters the beautiful new girl, Skylar Wyld, with whom he shares a love of obscure guitar rock and a kind spirit.

Sell Out is a romance, but more than that it’s a tale of courage. It’s a story about doing what’s right at any cost, about living rather than surviving, and healing rather than festering in hurts, sins, and failures.

The story is populated by fully-dimensional, rich characters perfectly depicted in a world so real you’ll recognize Cody in your neighborhood high school, your family, or maybe yourself. The Christian themes run below the surface through most of the novel as a subtle backdrop until they rise to the forefront as they do in life - in moments of doubt and critical transformation.

Sell Out depicts a world so real it creates a bittersweet ache in your chest as you endure Cody and Skylar’s ups and downs, their hurts, their longings, and their unmistakable attraction. Nothing in Sell Out is sanitized, yet it’s filed with the knowledge that three things remain: faith, hope, and love.

I was provided an advance reader copy in exchange for my honest review.

[Tawny · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have read almost every single book written by Tammy L. Gray, and none have had the impact on me that Sell Out did. Cody James is a guy who just wants to fly by. After being a victim of bullying at Madison High, all he wants to do is finish his time in school and get out without being cast from the social inner circle. However, with the addition of a beautiful, new student in class, Cody begins to question his role. All Skylar Wylde wants is normal. Being rock legend Donnie Wylde’s daughter does not leave much room for normalcy, but she hopes that Madison High can offer her some kind. When she catches the eye of the elite circle’s “king,” things become strange in both her life and Cody’s.
I really enjoyed this book! I never realized that stories about bullying could be so intense. Once I started reading the story, I could not put it down! Cody’s story on its own was interesting, but with the addition of Skylar’s story and general high school drama, Sell Out was just awesome! Every spare moment of my time was spent reading this story. There were so many elements of the plot that I had to have answers to that I could just not stop reading. Miss Tammy has woven together a wonderful story that all should read. She includes not only the social impacts of bullying, but also the psychological impacts. Words and actions cut a lot deeper than most realize, and Tammy L. Gray has shown that in her novel. I highly encourage that you read this book, whatever your age; there is a lesson for everyone in Sell Out.
**I was provided an advance reader copy in exchange for my honest review.**

[Julie Jobe · Rating 5 out of 5]

You are not alone! Truth wins! Tammy L. Gray has done an amazing job yet again! She excels at writing about tough situations and then bringing light, truth, and hope out of it all.

Sell Out is written in such a way that you experience the tension the characters are going through as well as just how trapped they feel by the situations they find themselves in. But she doesn't leave it there! By the end, you know that no matter what you are going through, you are not alone and that truth will prevail, and when told, can set you free.

I loved getting to follow Cody in his journey to overcome the pain of the past and frustrations of the present as he steps out and becomes the leader he was meant to be. Watching Skylar's journey with her dad was precious and bittersweet. It was also a pleasure to see a little bit of Matt and Grace from Mercy's Fight.

Ms. Gray did a wonderful job with all aspects of this book! And as always, I am looking forward to more of her writing in the future, especially as she adds on to this series.

*I was provided an advance reader copy in exchange for my honest review.*

[Rachel Elisse · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's been a while since I've truly loved a YA romance novel! This one is so good. The depth of the characters and situations, the emotions, the hope, and overall message was so good. I was frustrated in the best way! My emotions were angry and rooting for characters. And I loved that it wasn't the typical shallow high school romance with cliche stereotypes. I consider this a clean, yet realistic book for high school. It contains sexual content- not graphic, and it does not promote sex. The only reason I gave this book four stars is because the ending was anticlimactic for me. The whole story builds the reader to want justice. There were so many ways to achieve this in a big and publicly satisfying and dramatic way. But unfortunately that was not the case. I'm still feeling jipped. But this book is totally worth the read! On the whole, great writing that kept me engaged all the way to the end.

[❤️Melanie G.📖💛 · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really loved this book about bullying and finding strength within yourself to break free of what everyone expects of you and do what is best for you and helping others along the way.

Cody is lost and trying to find his way. Bullied and then brought up to legend status within high school ranks is taking a toll on him because moving up the social ladder does cost.

Skylar is dealing with denial, fitting in and loss. She moves to a new area and gets sucked into the higher status by the biggest bully of all.

Cody and Skylar together find strength, hope and dealing with inner demons along with the outer ones also.

I loved the clean, wholesome and great meaning behind this book. Recommend everyone to read this book, young and old.

[Crystal · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow

I expected this book to be somewhat fluffy when you consider that the heroine is a rock star’s daughter. It is anything but that. This book touches on many deep subjects through the eyes of two teenagers. I think the author was able to capture a lot of very real emotions. I would not recommend this for very young audiences due to some of the bullying subject matter like a video being posted of a girl having sex. I do think it would be great for parents to read first and then have their teenage children read and discuss it with them. Teens need to know that they can talk to their parents. Simply put, I laughed, I cried, and the book drew me in enough I stayed up until 2am to finish it when my alarm goes off at 5:20am to get ready for a 10 hour shift.

[Janie Buckley · Rating 5 out of 5]

Again, I have added another of T. L. Gray's stories to books I hope my teens will read. I have not experienced bullying to this depth before. Nor did I contemplate what could be going on for teens in today's world of social media when it comes to bullying. I was excited to get to know Cody on a deeper level and Skylar...well I was impressed with her on many levels. No spoiler's from me. Awesome book! Thank You to the author for writing in a way that shows us pieces of our own selves that can grow and give us new insight.

[Karen J Hone · Rating 5 out of 5]

Riveting

This well-written story is an uncomfortable, emotionally intense exploration of high school bullying. Through Cody, Blake and Lindsey the author explores many aspects of abuse within a sphere that outwardly appears wealthy, attractive and comfortable but is actually a nightmare. Once chubby Cody, and everyone else, is deftly manipulated by societal pressure and codes of silence until it all breaks open in vast ugliness. The ending was a bit too neat but happily satisfying.

[Rhonda Moore · Rating 5 out of 5]

Tear Jerker!

This book really hits close to home. I was bullied when I was younger. I did heal, but I know others going through this now. I will recommend this to all my friend's children, my nieces, and every one of my friends! I give this a five star rating because I think Tammy Gray hit the nail on the head. She shows how it only takes one person to be sting to bring down a bully. Others will follow suit to know that they do indeed have a voice!

[Pat · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beautiful and thoughtful story with real-life issues of facing peer pressure and bullying . . . as well as issues of grief, faith, honesty and love. I admit to feeling some intense anxiety throughout much of this book as I waited to see the outcome of Cody's dilemma.

As always, Tammy L. Gray gives us more than a story . . . with issues and characters whom I will remember with heartfelt emotions.

[Paula Bothwell · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sell Out - Mercy's Fight
PG13 (subject matter)
Triggers: bullying, suicide, cancer
Violence: a physical attack
Language: some crass high school boy phrases, <5 swears
Sex: mentioned, but no details; some kissing.
Christian story that is comforting, not judgmental or preachy. The characters are very obviously flawed, but are striving to improve. This is a powerful story. I really adore Tammy L. Gray's work!

[Lootz · Rating 2 out of 5]

Definitely not my type of book. Somehow I missed in the description that there would be religious undertones which I do not like in my romances. If you are looking for a YA Christian romance, give this a shot. If you like some sexy times in your romances, do not read this book. The characters are interesting, if not fully fleshed out and the bullying storyline is well done.

[Linda Syman · Rating 5 out of 5]

Author is great at stories about tough issues.

This was a powerful book about bullying and forgiveness. The characters are written for high school audiences but I loved the story! In fact don't just stop at this story, read all of the books in the series.

[Chelsie williams · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved it!

This story was real, raw, and unfortunately what happens in real life. It's a great story of what happens when your bullied and pressured into doing things you don't want to. Its all in how you handle the bully and mentally move on.

[Megan Besing · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book entraps you and doesn't let you go.
Love.
Yes, like a typical Tammy L. Gray book--it has a message, but you're so caught up in the characters lives: their personalities, their struggles, that you feel like you're living it all out. Can't wait for the next in the series.

[Alyssa]

My most anticipated New Adult book of the year!!

[VANESSA · Rating 5 out of 5]

An amazing book by an amazing author. Sellout addresses the issue of bullying in a realistic and eye-opening way. Tammy you went above and beyond as usual.

[Connie Salzman · Rating 5 out of 5]

A real eye opener

Great read. Couldn't put it down. A realistic story of how bullying really hapoens.

Kept me interested all the way through.

[Mojade Adejokun · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved

Bullying is something that will always drive me nuts. This book did a fabulous job addressing it! This is a must read

[Jamie (The Kansan Reader)]

This has too many sexual references for me. I'm quite uncomfortable. Don't know if I'll give Tammy Gray another chance.

[andrea · Rating 5 out of 5]

The lines that stood out to me.

“Not everyone will betray you. At some point, you have to start trusting outsiders again.”

“Now listen to me. A man who’s worth your time, energy and affections won’t want to kiss you in secret. He’ll want to kiss you in front of the world so everyone knows you are his. Don’t you dare settle for less.”

“God is never cruel, Skylar. We may not understand His ways, but it doesn’t change who He is.”

You need to figure out who you are. What you stand for. Until you do that, nothing in your life is going to make sense.

“I know your generation takes sex lightly, thinks the idea of waiting for marriage is archaic. God doesn’t give commands to torture us. He gives them to protect us.”

“You will mourn. You will cry. And I know you will hurt. But Skylar, I promise you, you will never be alone. God will be your father, your best friend and your comforter. He will heal your heart again.”

“You have it backwards. Forgiveness is strength, not weakness. Letting go means giving up your rage. It means allowing yourself and the other person to have grace. It means giving up the hate and facing the pain of what you went through. Because only then, will you truly find peace.”