A review by legalplanner
Off the Record by Camryn Garrett

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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