Tabitha Suzuma

The gripping new novel for teenagers from award-winning author, Tabitha Suzuma. Ideal for fans of Jodi Picoult and Jenny Downham. At seventeen, Matheo Walsh is Britain's most promising diving champion. He is wealthy, popular -- and there's Lola, the girlfriend of his dreams. But then there was that weekend. A weekend he cannot bring himself to remember. All he knows is that what happened has changed him. Matheo is faced with the most devastating choice of his life. Keep his secret, and put those closest to him in terrible danger. Or confess, and lose Lola for ever."

Hurt

Eleanor Luhar

I am going to try to avoid spoilers as much as I can in this book, but I'm afraid there will be some. I'd also like to say that this book includes a lot of graphic details and references to rape and suicide.

At first I felt that Mathéo was a bit too in love with Lola - he's only seventeen, and his adoration for her was bordering on sickly. But then I suppose young love does feel as all-consuming and important as Mathéo made it out to be. Lola, his girlfriend, was a beautiful young lady who moved into Mathéo's rich town. Unlike him, her house is small and cluttered and comfy - very different to his strict and orderly lifestyle.

First, Mathéo's rich-boy lifestyle is too much for him; he's not happy. But then his memory of the most awful night returns, and things get a whole lot worse. After a diving accident (Mathéo is expected to win an Olympic gold medal in a year's time) and a couple of near-death experiences while on holiday, I really thought Mathéo's life couldn't get any worse. But it did. Oh god, it did.

I will not give away the ending, but it honestly made me cry. Maybe it just hit a little too close to home, or maybe the contrast of such a lively, bright character with such a dark event was just too much for me. Either way, the ending was so unexpected and so, so sad. But I liked how the epilogue sort of tied things up, without being too sappy or "feel-good". I felt like this was a brutally honest story. Not to mention that the events/themes in this book are incredibly important to talk about - I really appreciated that this focused on a male rape victim. 

Although I kind of felt like Suzuma had written the openening this book with a theosaurus on hand, seeing how many new words she could include, I got sucked in really quick. I really wanted to know more about what had happened, what was going to happen, and I really got emotional for Mathéo. His relationship with his little brother, and the development of their relationship, was really nice. And the epilogue... God, it's sad, but it's honest. Most people don't stay in touch after school. Most people do move on and forget each other.

The ending was fantastic, so I'm going to have to give this 5 stars.

Joana.Mourinho

Phoebe Tzani

At seventeen, Matheo Walsh is Britain’s most promising diving champion. He is wealthy, popular - and there's Lola, the girlfriend of his dreams. But then there was that weekend. A weekend he cannot bring himself to remember. All he knows is that what happened has changed him. Mathéo is faced with the most devastating choice of his life. Keep his secret, and put those closest to him in terrible danger. Or confess, and lose Lola for ever . . .

Hurt

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