She has a form in front of her where she needs to write her recommendations, and I sit watching, helpless as she begins to fill in one particular section: 'Incapable of meeting the demands of her NHS employment'. My fate has been decided. Money matters

Someone I Used to Know by Paige Toon | Goodreads Someone I Used to Know by Paige Toon | Goodreads

Anyway. I'm disappointed that this wasn't better, but it wasn't horrible. 2.5 stars and rounding up cuz I thought the writing was pretty good, and actually quite powerful in certain parts. Support - Therapists, support groups, family, friends! I applaud that those were all a big part of the the story and not just for Ashley but for her family as well. I think that's an important message. It's so easy for survivors to feel alone. Support is essential.

1. Excerpt from 'Somebody I used to know'

I have one issue though. I feel like their parents kind of blame Ashley too. It does not say but that’s what I’m feeling. Especially when the mother explained that Derek sure deserves some of his own time and do his own thing. However, why did they not explain these things to Ashley when they were little? You may benefit from speaking with one of our Helpline advisers. All calls are confidential and may be helpful if you're seeking information, support and advice: 0300 222 11 22.

Someone I Used to Know by Patty Blount | Goodreads Someone I Used to Know by Patty Blount | Goodreads

i LOVED how she focused the book on the family of the victim. two years after ashley's rape, and her family is still suffering on a daily basis. this book explores the trauma and guilt and anger the ENTIRE family faces and how helpless and weak they feel despite doing all they can This is a heartbreaking read in many ways, and one that highlights the sheer importance of what people like Leah's parents do. Fostering isn't easy, and neither is being a foster kid, and author Paige Toon does not shy away from showing this to the reader. I also loved that the family home also just happened to be an alpaca farm and some of the mentions of the alpacas. Some of the family traditions, such as the tree, warmed my heart, while other things, like the bit about the wrist warmers most definitely made me giggle.Blount’s writing is as appealing as ever. I love how she strings words together with beauty and ease. Initially, I was drawn into Ashley’s fears and pain. Her PTSD felt authentic. It’s been the same with every headline about dementia since I was diagnosed. I’d read one after another, my heart lifting at the thought of the miracle cure that most newspapers suggested might be on the horizon. Rape is not a socially acceptable topic, but it's been highlighted in many books, as it should be! The way this author presented the subject was brilliant - victims, their families and their communities are vastly impacted when sexual assault occurs and this book provides amazing insight into every aspect affected. The events that happened didn't feel sensationalized or exploitative- organic, easily seen as something that could unfold, especially when dealing with the mob-mentality of a team in a high school, a community that is sports-minded, and a society that believes sex sells. Truly, the author hit every note, the psychology of every viewpoint.

Someone I Used to Know by Paige Toon | Goodreads

Sean and Ally spend a nostalgic, romantic day together. Both are reminded of what they lost when they broke up. The two share a few tender moments, but Ally’s world is shaken once again when she finds out that Sean is about to get married. The matter is further complicated when Ally meets Sean’s fiance Cassidy, played by Kiersey Clemons. Cassidy is outgoing, fun, exciting, and living in the moment. Those are all the things that Ally lost over time, or so she thinks. Cassidy is the epitome of living in the moment – outgoing, fun, and exciting. This book was done so well the topics were handled in a way that I don’t think I’ve ever read in a YA book because I find with books about sexual assault if there’s a romance aspect then the romance seems to break the reality of the sexual assault trauma. This one has two different romances; Derek has a girlfriend, and Ashley has a love interest. They are both done excellently. Sexual assault is a part of each of these romantic relationships because they’re a part of these two different people. I never once felt like the actions of the couples went against the natural progression that would occur in a relationship with someone who is a survivor or family member of a survivor of a sexual assault. I'm there when the judge decides two years in prison is plenty for the boy with such a promising athletic future. The reason I’ve taken you through a Dementia Friends session is because I’ve been diagnosed with young-onset dementia and now need all your help.' The animated group that had walked into the session now appeared sad and thoughtful. Our servers are getting hit pretty hard right now. To continue shopping, enter the characters as they are shown

Reviews

In the last few days I’ve started a blog called Which Me Am I Today? It’s somewhere I can put all this new information I’m discovering and, most importantly, it serves as my memory when I know that each night my brain is deleting files as I sleep – the day before becoming as much of a mystery as the day ahead. Unfolding via a then to now style timeline interchange, Someone I Used To Know introduces Leah and George. Both characters are learning to overcome their circumstances. Despite their troubles, Leah and George forge a bond that will be strained at times but also supportive. When Theo arrives at Leah and George’s school a connection forms between the three teenagers. Over the course of a summer, this bond becomes stronger. However, when life stresses and changes get in the way this intense bond is put under strain. Will the teenagers continue to support one another into the future? An extraordinary book about a little-understood disease. Awe-inspiring, courageous and insightful. I would recommend it to everyone -- Rosie Boycott, writer and activist Although a love triangle is central to the novel, this one is so much more than that. It's also a book about the importance of family, and second chances. The novel alternates between two timeline, the first featuring Leah as a fifteen-year-old teenager, who, although she knows deep down that her parents love her, often feels resentful that her parents devote so much time to taking in foster children. The second features Leah some years later, who, as she reconnects with her widowed mother and with George, begins to see things from a more mature perspective.