Opposite of Innocent

Description:

My name is Lily. This book is about me. And about Luke--a friend of my parents'.

I've been in love with Luke ever since I was a little girl. I used to tell him I was gonna marry him when I grew up. And he'd smile down at me and say, "I'll wait for you, Lily. I promise."

This book is about what happens when I realize Luke has kept that promise.

My friends think anyone his age who wants to be with a fourteen-year-old must be really messed up. Maybe even dangerous.

But Luke would never do anything to hurt me . . .

Would he?

Brief description:

Sonya Sones has written seven novels in verse: The Opposite of Innocent, Stop Pretending: What Happened When My Big Sister Went Crazy; What My Mother Doesn't Know and its companion, What My Girlfriend Doesn't Know; One of Those Hideous Books Where the Mother Dies; To Be Perfectly Honest; and Saving Red. Sonya's books have received many honors, but she was especially thrilled when she learned that she was on the American Library Association's list of the Most Frequently Challenged Authors of the 21st Century. She lives near the beach in California. You can visit her at www.sonyasones.com or write her at sonyasones@gmail.com.

Review Quotes:

"This novel in verse concisely examines one girl's experience of sexual abuse in a way that is both timely and relevant. A must-have for YA collections." - School Library Journal

"A series of free-verse poems full of adolsecent yearning, youthful naivete, and pubescent insecurity. Valuable for those wrestling with sexual and emotional abuse." - Horn Book Magazine

"Sones is a seasoned hand at the verse novel, varying her poetic forms and measuring pace and impact through line breaks as she develops a realistic picture of a young teen's thought patterns." - Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books

"A wonderful novel, and an important #MeToo conversation starter." - Gayle Forman, author of If I Stay and I Have Lost My Way

"A quick moving and emotionally charged novel that explores an important subject." - Kirkus Reviews

"In her signature style, Sones weaves a pulse-quickening tale of sexual abuse from young victim's view. A portrait of suffering that will break readers' hearts." - ALA Booklist