The Worst Thing She Ever Did

Author: Alice Kuipers
Genre: Young Adult
Pages: 210
Title in the USA: "Lost For Words"
First Published: May 2010
Other Book By This Author: "Life on the Refrigerator Door" (2009)
First Line: "I look at the words, black like inky spiders, and watch the webs they weave."

Synopsis: Remembering the tragedy that happened the previous summer is the last thing that Sophie wants to think about. Unfortunately everyone else is tippy-toeing around her and constantly asking if she's ok. Meanwhile, her mother, the one person who is supposed to support Sophie during this crisis, locks herself in her room for hours at a time leaving Sophie alone to deal with her pain. For the past year Sophie has been retreating into herself because she doesn't know how to deal with the feelings of guilt she's been experiencing. She doesn't confide in her best friend, she has a very strained relationship with her mother and doesn't even open up to her therapist. On the advice of her therapist Sophie starts to write a journal to document her feelings. It's only when she finally decides to confront her feelings of loss does she truly begin the healing process.

My Thoughts:
This was a good read but, unfortunately, I didn't fall head over heels for it. I think it mainly had to do with me not connecting or embracing the main character, Sophie. She was likeable ... I just couldn't put my finger on it.

I did enjoy the diary format of the book. It helped this reader get to see how the tragedy truly affects Sophie, in her own words. From clearly describing Sophie's feelings to her increasingly common panic attacks, I felt that the author successfully and authentically got into the head of this emotionally damaged teenage girl.

I also liked how Kuipers slowly lets the reader in on what the tragedy was that changed Sophie's life. Done the wrong way, the author can irritate and bore the reader but Kuipers let enough information dribble out throughout the story to keep me interested. While it did, admittedly, lag a bit in the middle, it was still an emotional and sensitive portrayal of how a teenage girl would feel and live in the aftermath of such a tragedy.

My Rating: 3/5 stars