Survivor

by Renee Jean

When Jasmine goes to a party with her best friend she has no idea what to expect. She is only a sophomore after all. Shortly after their arrival she catches the eye of the most handsome boy she has ever seen. She is overwhelmed by his attention soaking up every moment as the most envied girl there. He is the man of her dreams.Or is he truly a nightmare? Jasmine’s best friend sees a dark side to Tyler Winegard and cannot understand why Jasmine is so blind to it. As the relationship deepens Jasmine finds herself having to fight to prove her love to him as he becomes more demanding and controlling with each passing day. Can she bring back the attentive sweet and charming boy she fell for or will he steal everything from her including her sanity and her life?

148 pages, Paperback

First published September 24, 2015

Reviews

[Rachel Barnard · Rating 3 out of 5]

Sophomore Jasmine has a best friend and aspirations as a photographer. When she meets Tyler, everything melts into the background. He is everything to her, even when his behavior isn’t understandable or nice, but he showers her with attention, even demands it. Who is she to say no?

While I appreciate stories like Survivor, I felt like this particular tale was missing much of the important parts of a good story. When I think of survivor stories I think of Speak and how amazing that book is. This book, though it ended well, glossed through much of the action. As can be seen by the lack of dialogue, most of the action was told to the reader. The narrator was not as detailed or forthcoming with thoughts or emotions like I think someone in an abusive situation would be, even if they were negative thoughts and emotions. I never truly felt connected to the characters or the plot, though I was mad as all get out at Tyler and him getting away with his behavior. To that end, the ending was immensely satisfying and the climax contained all the tension that the beginning and middle were trying to reach.

[Kate McQuarrie · Rating 5 out of 5]

This story is not for the faint of heart. I am proud beyond words of Renee for putting this story on paper, because I understand firsthand just how difficult it can be. This heartbreaking tale of a young girl, named Jasmine, you will find yourself crying and feel her pain so deeply. She is a survivor, much like the author who wrote it.

I wish that this subject matter, domestic violence, was more prevalent in our world, because it is more prevalent than most people realize. Renee has taken a stand with this novel and I feel it will do great things.

[Vicki-Ann Bush · Rating 5 out of 5]

Survivor takes us on the abusive journey of fifteen year old, Jasmine Byers. Young love should be the time in a teenagers life that marks the beginning of emotions and experiences that we will treasure for the rest of our life. But this story shows another side. A dark side, laced with violence, control, and degradation. Tyler, her boyfriend, is a monster disguised as a handsome and charming young man. But it's through the eyes of Jasmine that we see the real person behind the facade. The thoughts of inadequacy drummed into Jasmine's head by her perpetrator left me with anger, anguish and sadness. With a triumphant ending to a long three year chain of torture, Survivor should be the reading material handed out to every young woman in highschool.

[MizFig · Rating 3 out of 5]

Eye opening

Wow! What an eye opener. Sadly this happens way more that we know. This story follows a young girl and her first love. So scary at how quickly things can go wrong and how sad that it took her so long to figure out how to get help. The author did a wonderful job of telling this story.