The Mockingbirds by Daisy Whitney
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
It's both rare and surprising to see a book that is basically a "teen issues" book handle its topic with a light touch while still retaining the message in a non-cluebatty way.
The book takes place in a boarding school. A girl has too much to drink, wakes up naked with a guy and she doesn't remember the night before. She realizes that she was likely date raped, and since the boarding school (somewhat inexplicably) lacks the ability for recourse, she goes to the secret student organization that deals out justice for those wronged in the student body, the Mockingbirds.
There are plenty of To Kill a Mockingbird nods throughout, which is interesting when you catch them, and the book is very well-paced throughout. Putting aside the weird administrative structure at the school that doesn't sit right, the book feels pretty realistic for what's effectively an issues vehicle, and it hits the right notes in the right way. What could have been a social justice eyeroll-worthy screed ends up succeeding at being obvious at being subtle. It definitely works.
Glad I read this, and will be looking up the sequel sooner rather than later.
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