Title: Love, Heather by Laurie Petrou
Publisher: Crooked Lane Books
Genre: Contemporary, Young Adult
Length: 240 pages
Book Rating: B
Complimentary Review Copy Provided by Publisher Through NetGalley
Summary:
Award-winning author Laurie Petrou makes her YA debut with this atmospheric thriller exploring the addictive pull of revenge.
What you see isn’t always what you get.
Stevie never meant for things to go this far. When she and Dee–defiant, bold, indestructible Dee–started all this, there was a purpose to their acts of vengeance: to put the bullies of Woepine High School back in their place. And three months ago, Stevie believed they deserved it. Once her best friend turned on her, the rest of the school followed. Stevie was alone and unprotected with a target on her back. Online, it was worse.
It was Dee’s idea to get them all back with a few clever pranks, signing each act Love, Heather–an homage to her favorite 80’s revenge flick. Despite herself, Stevie can’t help getting caught up in the payback, reveling in every minute of suffering. And for a while, it works: it seems the meek have inherited the school.
But when anonymous students begin joining in, punishing perceived slights with increasingly violent ferocity, the line between villain and vigilante begins to blur. As friends turn on each other and the administration scrambles to regain control, it becomes clear: whatever Dee and Stevie started has gained a mind–and teeth–of its own. And when it finally swallows them whole, one will reemerge changed, with a plan for one final, terrifying act of revenge.
Review:
Love, Heather by Laurie Petrou is an emotionally compelling young adult novel that deals with bullying.
Fourteen year old Stevie and her friend Lottie Sherman are excited about starting high school. The two teens have been friends for most of their lives but cracks begin to emerge when Lottie begins hanging out with the popular crowd. Stevie is also included in a few outings with the girls, but without warning, she is suddenly viciously bullied by group members. The attacks on Stevie are relentless and the bullying occurs both at school and online. Lottie turns her back on Stevie who is then befriended by new student, Dee. Thrilled with their budding friendship, Stevie is nonetheless a little concerned when Dee turns into a vigilante and begins targeting the students involved in the bullying. Suddenly other teenagers also join in with the pranks and the situation becomes even more volatile as the bullying intensifies.
Stevie and Lottie have always spent a lot of time together and Stevie feels like she is part of the Sherman family. Her own parents are divorced and she lives full time with her mother. Visits to her father are sporadic and Stevie’s mom is involved in a new relationship. The schism between the friends happens just as the Sherman family is dealing with their issues which leaves Stevie without her usual support from Lottie’s mom.
As her feelings of alienation continue to deepen, Stevie and Dee are inseparable. Dee’s revenge pranks resonate with other classmates who have been bullied and an all out war ensues. School officials appear to be oblivious and as the months pass, Stevie has doubts about Dee’s vigilante justice, but she does little to rein in her friend. With the end of the school year fast approaching, Stevie becomes even more isolated but she accepts an invitation to an end of year party at one of her classmates’ house. This fateful decision sets Stevie on a desperate path that careens out of her control.
Love, Heather is a poignant young adult novel that offers an insightful but dark portrait of bullying. Stevie is a sympathetic character who feels like she has no one to count on as she falls victim to vicious bullies. The storyline is engaging but the pacing lags a bit about the halfway through the story. With a stunning plot twist, Laurie Petrou brings the novel to an intense conclusion. A gritty young adult novel that I recommend to older teen and adult readers due to mature subject matter.
