3.5*An interesting take on the rape survivor's story. I liked some things and I really didn't like some things so I'm on the fence about the rating. Video review to come!

I expected this one to be a really confronting and hard-hitting story. It tackles the devastating topic of rape really respectfully I feel and...wow, just a lot of emotions??? So much. Although I was surprised at how mellow the story felt overall? It wasn't just a breakdown, it was a rebuilding (which is good I think!). But I'm sure if it's because I read it over several days when I usually read books waaaay faster, but I felt a bit detached and was kind of expecting the characters to be more dy...

Ok.So Exit, Pursued by a Bear is a short book about a senior co-captain of her school's cheerleading squad, and how she deals with the aftermath of being sexually assaulted at a summer camp.I don't know what I really expected from this one, but it wasn't this. I was not even KIND OF compelled to keep reading this, but it was just so short, so I finished it if only to keep from adding another book to my DNF shelf. I just don't understand the point it's trying to make, I guess. There was no deeper...

Finally a 5 star book in 2020. And what a book it was!! Hermione Winters is about to enter her final year of high school, before that though her final Summer at cheer camp. Along with her best friend, fellow co-captain Polly; Hermione is determined for this to be their best year yet. However her entire world is rocked when her drink is spiked, she is raped and left unconscious in the lake. When she is found she has no memory of the attack - no idea who it could have been and the lake washed away...

There is something just so undeniably beautiful about Exit, Pursued by a Bear aside from the accomplished writing and powerful subject matter. I could not put this down from start to finish.Hermione Winters is co-captain of her high school cheerleading team. She is beautiful, popular, and excited to start her last year of cheer camp. It was quite contagious because even I was excited for her, yet I knew what was to come. One night everything changes when someone slips something into her drink.

I don't know what it is about this book that makes it so fucking heartbreaking. I don't know why it was so powerful or why it sat so right with me, why it left me crying at 12:30 am after I'd read the whole thing in one sitting. But holy god, if I didn't love it. What's important about this book, to me, is the emphasis on friendship between women as a process for healing. As you'll probably know from the blurb, this book focuses around sexual assault. But it is a very different narrative from so...

Have you ever read a book that was so beautifully put together and perfect that you find yourself thinking about it for days after you’ve finished? That was me with Exit, Pursued By a Bear.Starting this book, I don’t think I knew just how profoundly it would impact me. Immediately after I began reading; I felt this impending sort of doom. Everything in Hermione’s life was a little too normal. I kept waiting for the other shoe to drop. After about 50 pages, that shoe not only dropped but it broug...

I really, really liked this. For one thing, I've been looking for a cheerleading YA, so A+ for that. For another, I think it's really, really important to show different kinds of post-sexual-assault narratives, and one this full of positive support is one we really haven't had, especially with an abortion at its center. Hermione, too, is a different kind of heroine, and I think that's equally important - the more narratives and personalities we have, the more we dispel the myth that there's a "r...

This is a book that could easily be read in a day. I don't know why I waited so long to really get into this! I'm so glad that books like this exist for ALL girls/women! They need to see how people should treat sexual assault victims!

You may not believe this, but I found this book very refreshing. Yes. A book about rape. Refreshing. Because this was a book about a girl. An athlete. The co-captain of a championship winning cheerleading squad (and if you don't believe that makes her an athlete, you have clearly never seen competitive cheerleading. That @#$% is hardcore). This is a girl from a loving family, with friends and teachers who care about her, a boyfriend, a minister, a NORMAL LIFE. Hermione Winters isn't a good girl

I was provided an ARC by the publisher in exchange for an honest review. Receiving the book did not influence my opinion of the book. This was stunning. I picked it up thinking I'd read just a few pages and became so instantly engrossed, I forgot my sink faucet was running and my tea went cold. I finished it tonight. Spoiler alert: I couldn't put it down. Literally, couldn't put it down. My tea, which was right next to me, went cold again because I forgot about it. Hermione's vulnerable without

Initial reaction: I am most definitely in the minority of opinions surrounding this book. Having said that, "Exit, Pursued by a Bear" definitely has its heart in the right place and I think had the intention of being an inspiring read with a protagonist who, in the aftermath of her rape, faces life with much conviction and purpose to not allow the experience to define her or what she wants. That's awesome, I have no contention to that since every person's experience with coping with the aftermat...

If I am COMPARING this to other young adult novels that deal with rape, yes, I definitely concur with the general population that this is a 4 or 5 star read. It is an important story and by showing a contrasting reaction made by the main character and her peers compared to other books of this genre, it evokes a different reader reaction as well.However, rating it as a story on its own, I was not a huge fan. You must admit, we've all read an averagely written book but that we gave a high rating b...

Exit, Pursued by a Bear, the newest novel from EK Johnston, is a compelling, brief, yet overall captivating read. I couldn't put it down, and was Snapchatting many of my students to tell them how eager I was for them to read it. However, ultimately, this story exists in a dream world, and lacks any meaningful depth.For immediate starters: yes, I was bothered immensely by the main character's name. Thank the stars this was told in first person, so I had to interact with it as infrequently as poss...