Until It Hurts to Stop

Jennifer Hubbard

- 5.0 • 1 Rating

- $8.99

- $8.99

Bullying doesn't stop just because the bullies grow up.

In seventh grade, Maggie Camden was the class outcast. Every day, the other girls tripped her, pinched her, trapped her in the bathroom, told her she would be better off dead. Four years have passed since then, and Maggie’s tormentors seem to have moved on. The ringleader of them all, Raleigh Barringer, even moved out of town. But Maggie has never stopped watching for attacks, and every laugh still sounds like it’s at her expense. The only time Maggie feels at peace is when she’s hiking up in the mountains with her best friend, Nick. Lately, though, there’s a new sort of tension between the two of them—a tension both dangerous and delicious. But how can Maggie expect anything more out of Nick when all she’s ever been told is that she’s ugly, she’s pathetic, she’s unworthy of love? And how can she ever feel safe, now that Raleigh Barringer is suddenly—terrifyingly—back in town?

PUBLISHERS WEEKLY JUL 29, 2013

Although many readers will relate to Maggie Camden's insecurities, which result from the fact that she was bullied in middle school, some like Maggie's best girlfriend Sylvie may be frustrated by her inability to move on with her life. By age 17, Maggie's situation has improved considerably. The taunting has stopped, and she has found a niche for herself, hanging out with Sylvie and hiking with Nick, the boy she secretly likes. Still, Maggie feels inadequate ("How could I forget Raleigh's words about how I make guys gag?"). When her chief tormentor moves back to town, Maggie is overcome by the fear of being targeted again. Her all-consuming worries make her unable to trust friendly overtures from classmates, support Sylvie when her friend needs her most, and become romantically involved with Nick. Hubbard (Try Not to Breathe) persuasively conveys the depth of Maggie's despair and the lingering pain bullying inflicts, but other elements of the novel come across as artificial. It is never clear why Maggie was victimized to begin with, and her archenemy feels manufactured, as does Maggie's eventual rebound. Ages 12 up.

GENRE