Description: When 15-year-old Carolyn moves from New Jersey to Alabama with her mother, she rattles the status quo of the junior class at Adams High School. A good student and natural athlete, she’s immediately welcomed by the school’s cliques. She’s even nominated to the homecoming court and begins dating a senior, Shane, whose on again/off again girlfriend Brooke becomes Carolyn’s bitter romantic rival. When a video of Carolyn and Shane making out is sent to everyone, Carolyn goes from golden girl to slut, as Brooke and her best friend Gemma try to restore their popularity. Gossip and bullying hound Carolyn, who becomes increasingly private and isolated. When Shane and Brooke—now back together—confront Carolyn in the student parking lot, injuring her, it’s the last attack she can take.

Sarah Bannan’s deft use of the first person plural gives Weightless an emotional intensity and remarkable power that will send you flying through the pages and leave you reeling.

Rating: 3/5 stars

Cover: It’s really powerful in my eyes.

Review: This book took me on an emotional… well, it hasn’t been a rollercoaster. It just went down, down, deeper down. It’s really scary how cruel and thoughtless the characters were. Don’t get me wrong, the behaviour’s been totally realistic. That’s why it was so scary.

I haven’t read a pluralistic first person point of view before and I don’t think I want to read it again. While the we included the reader and made them feel as if they were a part of the group, I couldn’t get a feel for those characters. I couldn’t glimpse behind their facades, so the things I did learn about them… stereotype after stereotype. The characters didn’t even really differ from each other. Everyone was obsessed with money, appearances and popularity.

Nonetheless it was really interesting to read about the bystanders, instead of about the victim, which is done way more.

If you are triggered easily by the following things, this isn’t a book you should read: Bullying, slut shaming, body image issues, eating disorders, self harm, suicide.

Buy/sample english or german (publishing date: August, 3rd)

Droemer Knaur provided me with a free copy of Die Neue (which is weightless’s german title) in exchange for an honest review. Thank you!