The Voice on the Radio

This story continues to be an emotional roller-coaster. It seems like nothing could be worse than the way it started but it did get worse. Of course, Cooney did a wonderful job at wrapping up. I cant wait to see what happens in the next book.

This book has so much in it that either aged poorly or was cringeworthy to start with. Lipstick Day gives me the creeps, even if it's hinted to be just something that Sarah-Charlotte created that isn't school-sponsored.

Where was the oversight for the radio station? A radio station would have had a faculty advisor. And why couldn't Reeve call campus security when Vinnie literally threatened him with a chair?? At the conclusion of the book it's still not resolved whether or not Reeve is in physical danger from Vinnie at the radio station.

Brendan's “shopping is for girls, colors are for girls” having been typical for middle-school-boy misogyny in the early 90s doesn't mean that other characters can't tell him to STFU. People like Vinnie certainly exist, but I feel like Vinnie only exists as a foil to Reeve, as if the author is trying to make Reeve out to be the good guy just because he isn't bluntly saying and doing obviously misogynist things. The choice to portray Reeve's betrayal as like how AA portrays alcohol abuse, making Reeve out to be a victim, is nauseating.

It's ambiguous whether Janie forgives him at the end. And that makes me angry, because it makes the message of the book “men are gonna do stupid shit that hurts you but that doesn't mean they don't deserve your love and forgiveness!” The speech by Janie's birth mom about forgiveness is so vague on what forgiveness even means that it even could be “pretending that no harm happened.” And that's a horrible message to give to teen girls about how to respond to partners who mistreat them.