Reviews with content warning for Sexual harassment - Off the Record

This book is a good, well rounded take on the #MeToo movement for a young adult audience. As a journalist, some suspension of disbelief was required as things jus wouldn't progress like that in real life but I understand it is fiction and the genre doesn't really lend itself to being too accurate on all those boring details. I loved the complexities of Josie and the diversity found throughout the book, goes to show its not hard to just write characters that are reflective of our diverse world.

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_ava_summer_reads's review

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funny hopeful reflective tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

I thought this book was really good! I finished it in about four days. It was a really good moving story that reminded me of the #metoo movement and Harvey Weinstein. I loved how much the main character loved her job and it inspired me to start blogging again. Plus the bond between her and the other characters especially Marius was adorable. I also liked how she pointed out the nuances in acting while Black and how that adds another element. I also liked how even though she loved her body she was still insecure sometimes, I think that was really relatable as someone who doesn’t have the typical “bikini body” myself.

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legalplanner's review

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dark emotional informative inspiring reflective tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

Holy crap did this one take me by surprise. I knew going in what the heavy/triggering topics were going to be. I was not prepared for how they were handled in this novel.

Josie is our anxious narrator in this novel, we meet her in her senior year of high school. She’s working on getting into her dream school, winning a journalist competition, and surviving the holidays. Once she wins the contest she meets the teen actor and realizes journalism isn’t always objective.

The writing of this was great. I liked that Josie didn’t feel like having anxiety was just a “thing” to have. We literally saw her having panic attacks and anxiety attacks because she was overwhelmed. This was not just a throwaway illness. I liked that she was constantly trying to over come it and deal with her own body issues.

I knew the majority of the action was in the second half. But wowzers I was not prepared for the last 25%. I stayed up far too late in the evening to finish this because I had to know what happened.

The way sexual assault and harassment was handled was very well done. It was interesting that even when we’ve been assaulted we try to reframe it in our own mind, rather than admit assault. I also think that we forget that sometimes what’s right for one survivor is not right for all. People in positions of power should not be able to take advantage of individuals like in this novel.

I’m left feeling some tears in my eyes, a bit of hurt in my heart for all survivors who have experienced something like the characters in this book, and a desire to share this with anyone who will listen. 5/5 stars

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cranedphoenix's review against another edition

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dark emotional hopeful tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.75

do not appreciate this books comparison of anxiety to homophobia in the being sent away line.

the fact that josie doesnt believe what happened to her was assault is extremely important because a lot of survivors and such in general tend to think that what happened to them wasnt as bad as what happened to others.

its interesting when they introduce julia morrison and how everyone thought she was a crazy person very similar to britney spears and how a lot of people i grew up with were told she was just crazy.

i like how the book brings up separating artists from their work because i truly do not think you can do that because how they are and what they do is often in their work when theyre movie directors or writers etc etc. and i truly think trying to separate them is a cop out excuse to enjoy things you ised to mostly because of nostalgia.

theres difference between cheating which is shitty and being full on racist anti semitic rapist pedo etc etc.

i also absolutely hate how the main character says shell never have "good hair", being grown i know she meant straight hair but black hair IS good hair and that teed me off.

its like yeah ive felt down about some of those things as a kid cuz other people made me feel down about them and the line was supposed to be relatable which im sure it is/was but dang i got mad.

pennys line about waiting to see how they are when they arent nice is so important because thats when true colors start showing, anyone can pretend to be nice its not hard.

chapter 33 just rubs me wrong, i just dont like the josie marius side story like thats not what i picked the book for also the "ill just get crushed" joke is old and tiring its like when people tell buff women to step on them its gross.

next chapter was interesting how they made marius one of the victims and they touched on biphobia when marius said people would think he wanted it since he was bi.

josie and savannahs interaction when she gets the random calls is also annoying like how tf are you going to groan and push her when her life is practically being threatened

It was overall a semi good read but I feel like the two stories clashed more than fully went together

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mme_carton's review

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challenging dark emotional inspiring fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

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longlost's review

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emotional hopeful inspiring reflective medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

wow. wow wow wow. with this book camryn garrett has solidified her place as one of my favourite authors. her writing style is ENTRANCING and her character craftsmen-ship is incredible. josie is so strong and reading her story,

seeing her succeed in the thing she loved, succeed in uplifting the voices of other women,

was so fucking powerful. i swear by the time

savannah called to tell her she'd found the NDA they needed

i was on the verge of tears. this book might be about a heavy subject but it is so so important

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