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The Cutting Edge of Friendship
For fans of Girl in Pieces comes an empowering story about the complicated nature of friendship, trauma, and healing in the aftermath of sexual assault.
Sadie and Elana are keeping dangerous secrets.
Best friends since elementary school, they know everything about each other, but on the night of the fireworks, something terrible happened to Sadie that she hasn’t told anyone. She can’t even say the word to herself. Instead, she’s started cutting to deal with the pain.
Elana has a secret of her own; she’s texting Hunter and making plans for a clandestine meeting with him. She doesn’t know what he did or why he really wants to keep their relationship secret.
To end this dangerous cat-and-mouse game, Sadie must reclaim her courage and rescue Elana before a rapist can attack again.
Sadie and Elana are keeping dangerous secrets.
Best friends since elementary school, they know everything about each other, but on the night of the fireworks, something terrible happened to Sadie that she hasn’t told anyone. She can’t even say the word to herself. Instead, she’s started cutting to deal with the pain.
Elana has a secret of her own; she’s texting Hunter and making plans for a clandestine meeting with him. She doesn’t know what he did or why he really wants to keep their relationship secret.
To end this dangerous cat-and-mouse game, Sadie must reclaim her courage and rescue Elana before a rapist can attack again.
285 pages, Kindle Edition
Published January 22, 2022
25 people are currently reading
989 people want to read
About the author
Khristina Chess
13 books129 followersKhristina Chess is the award-winning author of several young adult novels, including The Cutting Edge of Friendship, Hollow Beauty, The Delinquent Hero, Junior Missing, and Unquiet Riot. She tackles tough teen topics and writes binge-worthy books across multiple genres, including contemporary, thriller, mystery, and adventure.
Visit her online at www.khristinachess.com and on Twitter @KhristinaChess.
Visit her online at www.khristinachess.com and on Twitter @KhristinaChess.
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Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews
March 26, 2022
I loved everything about this book — the title, the characters, the setting, and the story. Khristina Chess pulls you into the minds of her characters so you want the best for them. The setting is so vivid the story plays out like a film. In this engaging and ultimately uplifting book, the author perfectly captures the excitement, anguish, and in this case, trauma of two teens. Not to be missed!
September 9, 2023
3.5 stars. I think this book really showed how much being sexually assaulted can impact your life in every aspect, the main character drifts away from her family and friends, and her mental health drops really low. I really love the way this showed two different perspectives, like shown on the cover one of the "friends" is really happy and unaware of how much suffering her friend is going through, while the other "friend" is just straight out depressed, I feel by using 2 perspectives the author was able to really represent two very different emotions. I really, really recommend this book, but please check trigger warnings because this book has ALOT of them...
May 16, 2024
“Fear’s a good thing. Healthy. Fear can help you survive. Having fear doesn’t make you less courageous. Courage isn’t about charging into the danger blindly. It’s about understanding the danger- and going anyway.”
3.5 stars.
This is such an important story to tell and I thought the author did a great job handling it. I wasn’t the biggest fan of the writing style but I was so captivated by the story that it didn’t even matter. Overall, a really thought provoking and important read.
3.5 stars.
This is such an important story to tell and I thought the author did a great job handling it. I wasn’t the biggest fan of the writing style but I was so captivated by the story that it didn’t even matter. Overall, a really thought provoking and important read.
July 12, 2023
I loved this book but to me the ending because predictable
December 9, 2025
Heavy topics but great read
This book deals with some pretty heavy topics that some may be triggered by, and I commend the author for handling the subject matter in a delicate way. This was a very powerful story, full of raw emotion and a secret between friends. I felt so sad for Sadie, having her spirit broken, and I was equally worried about Elana who ignored the red flags when it came to Hunter. If you’re not triggered by any of the heavy themes, it’s definitely worth a read.
This book deals with some pretty heavy topics that some may be triggered by, and I commend the author for handling the subject matter in a delicate way. This was a very powerful story, full of raw emotion and a secret between friends. I felt so sad for Sadie, having her spirit broken, and I was equally worried about Elana who ignored the red flags when it came to Hunter. If you’re not triggered by any of the heavy themes, it’s definitely worth a read.
April 20, 2022
I received a free copy of this book through Goodreads Giveaways.
This book has me of two minds. I found that it could likely be a balm for those who have experienced sexual assault in certain places, while I think it could also be potentially very triggering in others.
I found the narrative of the book to be hard to get a solid grasp on; there is a lot of time spent summarizing the past when I would have preferred being in scene. On the other hand, there are scenes I felt like I really didn't need to see. Many scenes are interrupted by flashbacks, most of which are paragraphs of summary - my least favorite method of info-dumping.
That being said, there are certain scenes that make reading through the book feel worthwhile, and provide a better look at the main characters and their lives. Sadie and Elana felt like real people for the most part, and I think a lot of this was helped by these scenes. I do wish there had been more of them instead of flashback summaries. Trust the reader to grasp what has happened in the past instead of laying it all out for them; we're more perceptive than you'd think!
Normally I'd leave it up for the reader to research what if any content warnings are present in a book, and the summary does mention sexual assault as the primary theme of the book, but I was still taken aback to see the actual scene laid out fairly vividly. So, to avoid any unwanted surprises for other readers, here is the main content warning of concern: I think the author wanted to show just how awful and how large of an impact this has on those who undergo such trauma, which is undoubtedly important, but I also think it's important for readers of the target age to know just how detailed these scenes can be.
If you don't think the content warnings will affect you, this could very well be a good read for you that covers the subject matter. It wasn't the right book for me personally, but I'm hopeful it will be for someone else.
This book has me of two minds. I found that it could likely be a balm for those who have experienced sexual assault in certain places, while I think it could also be potentially very triggering in others.
I found the narrative of the book to be hard to get a solid grasp on; there is a lot of time spent summarizing the past when I would have preferred being in scene. On the other hand, there are scenes I felt like I really didn't need to see. Many scenes are interrupted by flashbacks, most of which are paragraphs of summary - my least favorite method of info-dumping.
That being said, there are certain scenes that make reading through the book feel worthwhile, and provide a better look at the main characters and their lives. Sadie and Elana felt like real people for the most part, and I think a lot of this was helped by these scenes. I do wish there had been more of them instead of flashback summaries. Trust the reader to grasp what has happened in the past instead of laying it all out for them; we're more perceptive than you'd think!
Normally I'd leave it up for the reader to research what if any content warnings are present in a book, and the summary does mention sexual assault as the primary theme of the book, but I was still taken aback to see the actual scene laid out fairly vividly. So, to avoid any unwanted surprises for other readers, here is the main content warning of concern: I think the author wanted to show just how awful and how large of an impact this has on those who undergo such trauma, which is undoubtedly important, but I also think it's important for readers of the target age to know just how detailed these scenes can be.
If you don't think the content warnings will affect you, this could very well be a good read for you that covers the subject matter. It wasn't the right book for me personally, but I'm hopeful it will be for someone else.
June 10, 2025
I loved this book. If you are looking for beautifully written YA novels that take on some very serious topics in a sensitive and adventurous way, this author and her books are for you.
April 26, 2022
This book was a bit different than what I thought it was going to be. By the title alone, I figured that to be the topic explored within the story line, and I was not wrong, but it turned out to be even more than that. Which is why, like others have, I must include a trigger warning for those who are unaware or don't want to be caught unaware. My warning is posted at the very bottom below to help avoid ruining the story for others, but again, the notice needs to be there. With that said, this is a story of friendship, of secrets between lifelong friends, and the devastation and even healing that can happen when you close yourself off from or open yourself to a close friend. It's a typical scene of young teenagers and their antics. The story doesn't feel forced nor fake. One teenager is a bit shy while the other is a bit wild in nature. The combination of them together helps the shy one branch out and the wild one kept at bay, so to speak. My personal favorite character is Maverick, just because I liked the sense of calm and justice he represented within the story. Overall, I commend Khristina for her attempt at building a story around a topic that is very hard to talk about, but discussions really need to be had, and this is definitely one way of getting people talking about just that. Bravo!
*I won this on Goodreads Giveaway. My opinions are my own*
SPOILER ALERT **This story is more about the aftermath of an assault and flashbacks before, and even during the very vivid details of the assault.**
*I won this on Goodreads Giveaway. My opinions are my own*
SPOILER ALERT **This story is more about the aftermath of an assault and flashbacks before, and even during the very vivid details of the assault.**
January 29, 2022
Sadie and Elana are starting their summer before Senior year and have promised to make it just about them; no boys, no distractions. They want to spend their summer at the swimming hole, trekking through the woods and planning and executing their epic adventure. Elana is dealing with a difficult home situation and Sadie is preparing for senior year and beyond when she plans to enter the military in hopes of one day becoming a fighter pilot. But secrets between friends have a way of coming back around and each of the girls are harboring deep secrets from the other.
You’ll have the chance to know the girls’ families, walk the woods with them and feel the water and dirt beneath their feet. You’ll feel like you’re right back to being a teenager; with all of the hopes, dreams and angst that come with those years. It’s no surprise to me that Ms. Chess has hit it out of the park again as a strong voice in YA fiction. BRAVO!
You’ll have the chance to know the girls’ families, walk the woods with them and feel the water and dirt beneath their feet. You’ll feel like you’re right back to being a teenager; with all of the hopes, dreams and angst that come with those years. It’s no surprise to me that Ms. Chess has hit it out of the park again as a strong voice in YA fiction. BRAVO!
April 10, 2022
The last part of the book and the themes were presented in a way that could help anybody struggling with these issues start to speak up and feel seen. However, I feel like the author embellished too much with analogies and it made the book feel very cringy and almost cheap. Additionally, the writing could be improved. It didn't seem to flow well in places. This could be questionable editing, though.
All in all, a pretty okay read.
All in all, a pretty okay read.
February 10, 2023
I received a copy of this ebook in a Goodreads giveaway.
I really loved the emotional resonance of this story. While there where some slow parts in the middle the ending brought it home and got me in my feels.
I really loved the emotional resonance of this story. While there where some slow parts in the middle the ending brought it home and got me in my feels.
March 15, 2022
A really interesting teen novel approaching a difficult topic.
March 31, 2022
Though this book deals with tough themes, I really enjoyed it. I started and finished it in one sitting!
May 13, 2022
Really good read. I wasn't expecting the trauma. I have to admit, this book had my eyes sweating.
There are still good guys.
There are still good guys.
July 27, 2022
Hard hitting
This book is beautiful and well executed. I loved it and it enlightened me. I learned a lot about trauma.
This book is beautiful and well executed. I loved it and it enlightened me. I learned a lot about trauma.
January 10, 2023
Very good book but the ending was predictable :/
May 16, 2023
4 ⭐️!
This book was better than I expected. This book explores some very heavy topics such as rape and sa and the trauma that comes with it. I felt this book handled the topic very well and got the seriousness of the situation right considering this is YA book. This book also did an amazing job at showing the ups and downs of friendship, especially when boys become involved in teenage life. Only thing I didn’t like was the ending, the ending felt very… unrealistic.
Overall a very good book!
This book was better than I expected. This book explores some very heavy topics such as rape and sa and the trauma that comes with it. I felt this book handled the topic very well and got the seriousness of the situation right considering this is YA book. This book also did an amazing job at showing the ups and downs of friendship, especially when boys become involved in teenage life. Only thing I didn’t like was the ending, the ending felt very… unrealistic.
Overall a very good book!
Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews