Innocent

by Amy Kulp

Chloe - or Tanner as she liked to be called - was the type of girl who appeared tough on the outside but was broken on the inside. She was the girl that took boxing lessons and never complained when she got a bloody nose. She was tough. She was a warrior. She had survived through traumatic experiences but they still haunt her.

Tanner is the girl who can't let any boy get close to her. She won't even talk to her brother or father but nobody knows what happened. Every time someone attempts to get close to Tanner, she shakes them off and hopes they'll never return.

That's not the case with Aaron. Aaron knows something is wrong with her and he's determined to know what. No matter how much he's kicked, punched, or is thrown insults.

He will break Tanner, whether she likes it or not. He has to crack a warrior. He has to break someone who's already wounded. He has to earn trust from Tanner, something she hasn't done since her incident.

Paperback

Published March 17, 2022

About the author

Amy Kulp is a middle school STEM teacher and theatre director with a passion for writing novels that break YA genre norms. An avid reader and writer since childhood, Kulp now enjoys creating stories that investigate darker, more challenging topics and help young adult readers feel less alone in their struggles. She is especially passionate about championing sexual assault survivor justice, promoting LGBTQ+ rights, and lessening negative stigmas around psychotherapy. When she isn’t writing, Amy Kulp loves watching cartoons recommended by her students. Check out her newest YA
thriller, Missing, today!

Reviews

[Larissa Yay · Rating 5 out of 5]

I hated this ending, but I am starting to see a theme with this author's endings. The recovery that Chloe had was startling and made me realize that not everybody heals in the same way.

[Billy Buttons · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was entered in The Wishing Shelf Book Awards. This is what our readers thought:
Title: Innocent
Author: Amy Kulp

Star Rating: 3.5 Stars
Number of Readers: 15
Stats
Editing: 8/10
Writing Style: 7/10
Content: 6/10
Cover: 1/5

Of the 15 readers:
9 would read another book by this author.
2 thought the cover was good or excellent.
15 felt it was easy to follow.
10 would recommend this book to another reader to try.
Of all the readers, 3 felt the author’s strongest skill was ‘plotting a story’.
Of all the readers, 9 felt the author’s strongest skill was ‘developing the characters’.
Of all the readers, 3 felt the author’s strongest skill was ‘writing style’.
12 felt the pacing was good or excellent.
9 thought the author understood the readership and what they wanted.

Readers’ Comments
“I felt so sad for the girl, Tanner. I think this was a very good story. I enjoyed getting to know Tanner and I liked how the story and the characters developed.” Girl, aged 15
“I did think this was a well-written novel, but I didn´t like the subject. I think there are so many books for teenagers that are depressing. I prefer books that make me feel good, not sad.” Girl, aged 15
“The best character in this novel is Tanner, although she´s sort of messed up. This is not a happy story; it´s full of anger, so I wouldn´t recommend it to teenagers who get upset by things. But if you are looking for a gritty, hard-hitting book, this could be for you. The writing style is sort of pacey, and I did feel I got to know the two central characters well.” Girl, aged 16
“This book is all about broken characters and trying to develop trust between them. I thought it was a very depressing story, but the second half is better. It´s not what I´d call an exciting book, it´s a thought-provoking book that´s all about the characters and what happened to them and how it effects them.” Boy, aged 15

To Sum It Up:
‘A thought-provoking, often gritty novel for teenagers.’ The Wishing Shelf Book Awards

[Jessi Hoffman · Rating 5 out of 5]

**spoiler alert**

The author is my friend so once I read this book, I knew I had to give it a review since there weren't so many of them.

From the very first italicized paragraph, I was hooked. I hate how you learn about Tanner's background and learn about what had happened to her - why she is the way she is. I'm glad that we didn't learn about her molestation all at once. There is one graphic scene in the end of the book - but it wasn't done tastelessly.

I did find it a little hard to figure out the timeline of events that happened in the book, but once I did, they made sense: 1. Tanner & Summer 2. Her molestation 3. Where she is now.

I really felt for Tanner, but I know the end emotions were part of the author's own journey with what happened to her.

[Maisey · Rating 5 out of 5]

I liked the trope for grumpy x sunshine which usually portrays the girl as sunshine and boy as grumpy. I was shocked that Chloe was the grumpy and Aaron was the sunshine. I really liked it though. I also like how it didn't necessarily revolve around the relationship of Chloe and Aaron. I'm not even sure if they were in a relationships at the end! Seems like it could be brooding though?

[Vanessa · Rating 5 out of 5]

Rating of five stars mean I couldn't put the book down. I loved learning about Tanner's pasr and trying to put the puzzle pieces to fit into a timeline. My heart completely shattered at the end.