Blog Tour: Tease by Amanda Maciel

I'm glad to be part of the official blog tour for Tease!

Title: Tease

Author: Amanda Maciel

Publisher: Balzer + Bray
Publication date: April 29, 2014

Genre(s): Young Adult (Contemporary)

Source: Publisher

Format: ARC

Pages: 336

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Emma Putnam is dead, and it's all Sara Wharton's fault.

At least, that's what everyone seems to think. Sara, along with her best friend and three other classmates, has been criminally charged for the bullying and harassment that led to Emma's shocking suicide. Now Sara is the one who's ostracized, already guilty according to her peers, the community, and the media.

During the summer before her senior year, in between meetings with lawyers and a court-recommended therapist, Sara is forced to reflect on the events that brought her to this moment—and ultimately consider her role in an undeniable tragedy. And she'll have to find a way to move forward, even when it feels like her own life is over.

I went into this book without really knowing exactly what it was. I actually thought it was a murder mystery, but I was wrong. Tease was much more than that.  If you actually don't know what this book is about, it's about bullying. But this time, it's from the bully's POV! I actually found that very refreshing and different, and I really wanted to read a book that takes on the bully's POV instead of the one getting bullied. I actually know a few people who just couldn't stand reading this book because they couldn't relate to the main character, Sara (bully) or whatnot. I didn't think I really had to understand Sara's actions or agree with them to enjoy this book. 

Sara, along with a few of her friends, have been bullying and harassing Emma Putnam, a girl in their school who they think is a major slut. The book goes from now and then, which is from before Emma's death, and after Emma's death. I really thought the characters were believable, and the ways they bullied here actually happen to a lot of teenagers right now. Everything was really realistic, and that made me enjoy the book even more. Despite this book being from the bully's POV, that does not mean that the author wants us to feel sorry for the bully or any of that. In my opinion, I think it's to show how wrong bullying is, and what it can do for the one being bullied and sometimes for the bully him/herself. Even though Sara did bully Emma, and caused her to commit suicide, there were times where I knew she didn't want any of that to happen. 

Overall, this book was definitely different than most of the books I previously read about bullying. I like that it shows a different spotlight of it. I think Amanda Maciel did a fantastic job in her first novel, Tease, which was also beautifully written. I really do recommend this book to all contemporary readers out there. Even though you might not be able to stand the characters and the bullying you, I really advise you to go on. The ending will be worth it all.  

Amanda Maciel has worked in book publishing since graduating from Mount Holyoke College and is currently a senior editor at Scholastic. She spends her free time writing, running, or riding the subway with her young son. She lives with him, her husband, and their cat, Ruby, in Brooklyn, New York. Tease is her first novel.