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Rabbit & Juliet

ebook
1 of 1 copy available
1 of 1 copy available

*SLJ Best Book of the Year*

*Kirkus Best Book of the Year*

"Toothsome, smart, and darkly glittering, Rabbit & Juliet is a tour de force and one of my favorite reads of the year." —Brittany Cavallaro, New York Times bestselling author of A Study in Charlotte

Mixing the complicated queer love from People Like Us and the dark snark of Do Revenge—with searing commentary on misogyny and rape culture à la The Female of the Species—Pushcart Prize–winning author Rebecca Stafford wraps a haunting story inside an irreverent contemporary novel about agency, grief, and toxic first loves.

Seventeen-year-old Rabbit has been struggling to stay above water since her mom died. In the span of a year and half, her small Georgia town has become unbearably hellish: Her ex-boyfriend, resident golden boy Richard, turned into an unrelenting stalker; her friends are nonexistent; and her dad is campaigning hard for Functioning Alcoholic of the Year.

But all that changes when the sarcastic, gorgeous, and frustratingly impenetrable Juliet Bergman walks into Rabbit's life. All hard angles and James Dean bravado, Juliet throws Rabbit a life preserver just before her depression threatened to sink her.

Then one morning, Rabbit's ex-best-friend Sarah—Richard's current girlfriend—shares a horrific discovery about Richard and his crew that pitches Rabbit back into darkness. The three girls vow to enact revenge on the boys for what they've been doing to unsuspecting girls at parties. With Juliet leading the charge and demanding blind loyalty from the girls, Rabbit falls harder for her than she thought possible. It isn't until Rabbit is faced with a startling act of violence that she must decide how far she's willing to go—for herself, for Juliet, and for justice—when love and grief threaten to topple everything.

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    • Kirkus

      Starred review from September 1, 2024
      A small-town teen meets a promising new friend. Both Sadie, who goes by the nickname "Rabbit," and her dad are mired in grief, but they're coping in different ways: Her dad's remedy is gin, while Rabbit attends group therapy. Rabbit is lonely--her sorrow over her mom's death is so all encompassing that she's alienated herself from her friends. It's summer break when Juliet, the daughter of the only movie star in Hart's Run, Georgia, turns up in her bereavement group. Rabbit is immediately bowled over by Juliet. Early in their friendship, Rabbit spots Richard, her wealthy ex, at the local diner. Without yet knowing the details of how awful Richard was, Juliet senses from Rabbit's discomfort that something troubling happened, and she slams a food tray into his face. Rather than setting off warning bells, this moment solidifies Rabbit's awe of Juliet. Told with wry humor and unfolding with a sense of impending dread, the narrative homes in on how easy it is to misplace your trust--whether in people you've known your whole life or someone shiny and new. The impact of misogyny reverberates throughout the book, which centers on girls who want to speak out but are cautious to do so. It also offers a window into the complexities of how vengeance feels while taking a hard look at the consequences of revenge. The leads are cued white. A thrilling ride into the heart of a dangerous friendship.(Fiction. 14-18)

      COPYRIGHT(2024) Kirkus Reviews, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

    • Booklist

      September 1, 2024
      Grades 9-12 Self-described cinephile "sad girl" Rabbit's mother is dead, and her father struggles with alcoholism. Withdrawn and alienated from even her once-best friend, Sarah, Rabbit finds her primary social outlet in grief support group meetings, so when Juliet and her Camaro arrive in Hart's Run and upend Rabbit's world, the change is welcome. Rabbit and Juliet's relationship is only part of the story, however; where once Rabbit lived only vicariously through movies, her summer suddenly is full of screen-worthy events evoking the social dynamics of a John Hughes film and the dark revenge plot of Heathers or Twin Peaks. Rabbit narrates in a voice imbued with wisdom and maturity beyond her years, attributable to hindsight and being a lifelong New Yorker reader. Older teens may find her inspiring, young adults may see some of the best and worst parts of themselves, and movie lovers of all ages will be delighted by Easter eggs throughout. Hand this darkly comic coming-of-age psychological thriller revenge fantasy to readers who love movies like Bottoms and Do Revenge.

      COPYRIGHT(2024) Booklist, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

    • School Library Journal

      Starred review from October 4, 2024

      Gr 9 Up-When Rabbit (whose name is really Sadie, but nobody calls her that) lost her mom to cancer, her world narrowed. These days, she tries to manage her father's barely functional alcoholism while floating through small-town life in a haze of loneliness. Enter Juliet: wealthy, beautiful, and impulsive, drawing Rabbit into her orbit hard and fast. By the time Rabbit's stalker-ish ex-boyfriend Richard's new girlfriend Sarah (who is also Rabbit's ex-best friend) brings a dangerous secret to their attention, the hook has been set, and Rabbit is no match for Juliet's vengeful machinations. Juliet's desire to sufficiently punish Richard and his cronies for their crimes pushes her to increasingly violent acts as Rabbit and Sarah's loyalty to Juliet, each other, and themselves is called into question. Toxicity in first loves and in masculinity, and the compounding effects of grief and loneliness are explored through deeply affecting and sympathetic characters who fight hard for their own moral footing in a world where people often don't get what they deserve. Despite such heavy topics, the central romance is as compelling and authentic as they come, and Rabbit's white-knuckle grip on her sanity despite her deep and bruising depression will suck readers right in. VERDICT Gritty and gripping; give to fans of Courtney Summers and Mindy McGinnis immediately.-Allie Stevens

      Copyright 2024 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

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