This book was so incredibly powerful in so many ways ... I really think this is something young adults need to read as they’re getting ready to enter high school. It is so important to have stories like this, where you can see what it is like to be a victim and what they go through...
As someone who has experienced assault before this book was incredibly relatable. It is so hard to come to terms with what has happened to you and it takes a lot of strength to come forward and admit it to other people. But to take it and turn it into something empowering is truly incredible.
That’s what this book does. It shows you the struggles of Ali and shows that sometimes talking about it is the best way to work through what has happened to you.
Highly recommend this book.

This book was very powerful and dealt with a lot of heavy and important topics. It definitely was a difficult and emotional read. I don't feel that a rating is appropriate for this book's premise since it is so sensitive.

I was hoping I'd enjoy this book but I just realized that this genre does not work for me. I am sure someone else would enjoy it if they are a fan of the genre.

This book was not for me. I couldn't seem to get into the story or connect with the characters. I ended up not finishing this book.

Something Happened To Ali Greenleaf by Hayley Krischer is a harrowing read. This story follows two point of view main characters – Ali Greenleaf and Blythe. Blythe is a popular senior who is member of a clique known as the Core Four. Ali is a junior and kind of a rebel. Ali has had a crush on Sean Nessel for a while and at a party hooks up with him. Unfortunately, he takes the hook up farther than she wants and assaults Ali. Sean begs Blythe to smooth it over with Ali and convince her that nothing happened, that it wasn’t a big deal.

I felt like this book was really a Speak for this generation. It is hard to read at moments, but necessary. I found that I cared for both Ali and Blythe — even though Blythe’s actions were messed up. This book was paced well and the dual point of views kept it fresh. I was glad that Ali was able to reclaim her voice and speak out about what had happened to her — that something. Also, this book does a good job exploring consent — especially in the case of Ali where you can say oh it’s murky but she said no and that is a full sentence. Of the books I’ve been reading lately, Hayley Krischer’s Something Happened To Ali Greenleaf was one of the best.

This was a good book. One that is just steadily good. No lag, no boring moments. One that flows, and makes such an easy read!

This is a difficult review to begin. Sadly, this book is very relatable. As a recent (as in a few weeks freshly) college graduate I resonated with this possibly even more than I would have in high school. I have read multiple YA books about sexual assault - Just Listen by Sarah Dessen comes to mind from my younger years - but this is the first one I have read that tackles the topic of a female friend who is friends with an abuser. This is a really permeant topic and it definitely resonated with me. That said, my own experiences definitely colored how I approached this book.

My key criticism with the book is the character Blythe. She is a difficult character to read and while she should be, I found her depiction... overplayed? I cannot quite find the right word. I do think there are people like Blythe in this world but in my personal experience, people who are knowingly friends with abusers are more nuanced in their actions and more aware. The author definitely did a lot of work to make her complex - and while I appreciate that - I think her character could have been developed in a different way. Again, this is personal experience with the topic affecting my interpretation. A book like this is so tricky to critique because there are definitely Blythes out there and her character could really strike a chord with someone else. For me, Blythe's character made this difficult to read.

Overall, this was an engaging and heart wrenching book. The secondary characters fell a bit flat to me but I did feel centered with Ali and Blythe's stories. I waver between 3 stars and 4 stars. However, I do think this book will stay with me given the handling of the subject matter.

I would recommend this book but I would not recommend it lightly. This book has trigger warnings for rape and sexual assault as well as drug use and emotional manipulation. I think this could be a really great tool for discussion in a high school or college setting. My sorority had a book club and this would have been perfect pick. If a reader actively wants to engage this topic and discourse, I would definitely put this on their radar.

Honestly, this book is just a little bit…eh? I can’t really say that I feel any particular way about it . I just read it and it didn’t really affect me in anyway.

A powerful story about a girl who gets raped at a party and everyone is trying to cover it up. They all want to convince Alli that it was a mistake. Things got out of hand. They were carried away. But Alli isn’t so sure. The story is told from two different perspectives. That of Alli and that of B, Shaun’s best friend. You hear how they can twist the truth and manipulate it to fit it to “their truth”. How one or two people can control a group of other students just because they are “popular” and “cool”. It’s a raw look into high school and teen rape.

I finished this book last week and I'm still thinking about it. This is a very powerful book that definitely needs a trigger warning for rape and sexual assault. It also takes a close look at the toxicity that comes with high school female friendships. Krischer does a great job in her debut novel developing the storyline, the characters and not skirting around the hard stuff. Ali and Blythe are both such complicated and flawed characters that feel so real! I definitely feel like I went to high school with a few girls like them. I'm really excited to see there is going to be a sequel and will be interested to see what Krischer writes about next.

Please be sure you're in the right head space before reading this one!

Something Happened to Ali Greenleaf is an incredibly heart-wrenching and emotional YA read. This is without a doubt one of the best YA books I've ever read. It was difficult to read at times, but still entirely gripping from beginning to end.

I didn't like nor dislike <u>Something Happened to Ali Greenleaf</u>. It wasn't horrible and I liked it enough to finish, so there's that.

We follow along after Ali is raped by Sean -- her crush to end all crushes -- at a party. Ali is struggling with the trauma, the guilt, etc. of having been through all of that. And along the way, Blythe comes along and befriends her. All because Sean is her best friend and wants Blythe to control Ali from coming forward and saying something.

I disliked Blythe with every fiber of my being. I don't even care if there was a reason behind her behavior and personality. Trauma, what have you. Blythe was a bitch in sheep's clothing and I felt bad for Ali even forming a "friendship" with her.

And for Blythe to protect Sean the way that she did? What girl does that to another girl, another girl who has been through similar experiences that she has also experienced?

This was a hard read. Anything with these topics should not be taken lightly.

I want to start out this review by saying that this book deals with a very sensitive and triggering topic-rape. In my opinion, I don’t believe the content is too graphic but I also don’t feel as though I am able to make that distinction since rape and sexual assault are not things that I have ever encountered. If this is a triggering subject for you, then I would suggest maybe skipping this one, and the author even states in her acknowledgments that if this is not a topic that you are comfortable with to please stop reading.



I don’t even know where to begin with this book. There were so many incredible things about it and I really felt as though it was an incredibly impactful read. I haven’t read “My Dark Vanessa” because although I can handle a lot, I fell as though that is one book I would struggle with. From what I know about the book, however, I would say that “Something Happened to Ali Greenleaf” is the YA version of “My Dark Vanessa.”



This book was in a dual POV which I really enjoyed and felt like it really added to the story. The first POV is Ali Greenleaf, the quiet girl that goes unnoticed but has a huge crush on soccer star Sean Neelan. Through most of the book, we see Ali fighting to admit what happened and her confusion surrounding the whole situation.



The second POV is Blythe Jensen, the girl who seems to have it all and rules the school. She also happens to be one of Sean’s best friends. I loved that we were really able to get inside Ali’s head and feel all of the emotions she was feeling like confusion, helplessness, embarrassment, and disgust. We were also able to see all of Blythe’s internal struggles and some of the conflicts she faced such as her loyalty to him and her trying to justify what he had done to Ali and convince herself and everyone else that he was a good person.



I really loved the friendship that developed between Blythe and Ali. Even though it was a plan that Sean had concocted to get Blythe to smooth things out with Ali, it turned into a very real and genuine friendship. Both girls had trauma that they had dealt with in the past and were able to connect on a very different level than they were able to with any of their other friends.



I also really enjoyed how we got to see that just because someone looks perfect or acts like their life is perfect, you never really know what they're going through. Blythe seems like she has it all but her family and life at home is a mess which is another way that she and Ali are able to connect. It was great to see the contrast between Ali and Blythe both at the beginning of the book and throughout as we experience the rise and fall of both girls.



The book starts out with Blythe on top of the world as Ali's life is crumbling, but then Ali begins to pick up the pieces and put her life back together while Blythe begins to realize that Sean is not a good person and that he isn't her friend, causing the life she knew to fall apart.

The author did such an incredible job of portraying Sean. I knew what he did was wrong but second-guessed his character at times because I always want to see the best in people and I thought that he could have genuinely felt sorry and regretted what he had done. However, a small piece of me always knew he didn't truly regret what he had done, he just regretted the fact that Ali might say something, and his world could come crashing down. By the end of the book, it was so evident that Sean was just a self-absorbed guy who was used to getting anything and everything he wanted in life and that he would never change. The moment that Blythe realizes Sean is not a good friend or a good person is one of my favorite parts of the book and also contains my absolute favorite quote from the book, “You’d take the moon if you could, wouldn’t you? You would lasso the stars right from the sky just to brighten your little section of the soccer field while the rest of us sat in the dark.”

It is at this moment that *spoiler alert* she slams the door in his face, FINALLY seeing him for what and who he truly is and I proceeded to jump up and down like a child screaming with joy.



Overall, I really enjoyed this book. Although it is a very difficult topic I don’t feel like it was glorified or overdramatized as sensitive topics sometimes are. I felt as though the author did a fantastic job of getting us inside both Blythe and Ali’s heads so that we were able to feel all of their struggles, fear, pain, and confusion as if it were our own.

Something Happened to Ali Greenleaf is a dark tale about the complicated nature of sexual assault. It mainly alternates between the two main female characters Ali and Blythe, both victims of sexual assault who are coping in vastly different ways. Blythe takes Ali under her wing in a somewhat sinister plan to protect her friend Sean. I thought this was a solid read, but at times graphic and overall very heavy.

This was a difficult book to read as it deals with rape and its aftermath. Ali was raped by her crush Sean, and because she liked him, she had a hard time admitting it was rape. His friend Blythe sets out to stop Ali from reporting anything, and the two become friends. They both have been hurt by absent mothers, and Blythe has her own story of sexual assault. The writing was very lyrical. There is also descriptions of drug use. The author's note at the end is very important, and she mentions that Sean could easily become a Brett Kavanaugh type figure. Hopefully Ali standing up for herself will prevent that from happening in this fictional world at least.

This book is heavy, heavy, heavy and contains all the trigger warnings, but it was so good and so important. At a party where there is underaged drinking, Ali Greenleaf finds herself following her crush upstairs to a bedroom. Things get out of hand and Ali ends up running out of the house in tears, and Sean Nessel runs to his best friend, Blythe, to help him out of this situation he finds himself in. As Blythe and Ali become friends, they learn they have a lot in common, and everything they’re carrying eventually comes to an explosive conclusion.

Not only are there strong content warning themes, this book also has subtler themes of friendship, loyalty, and the challenges high schoolers face these days. My son is just finishing up his freshman year of high school, and while some of the scenes in this book don’t seem to run true to our local high school, I, as a parent, want to be as informed of the things going on with young adults these days. I thought that Krischer did a great job of relaying the confusion, angst, and pain that a victim of rape goes through, and I’m glad I finally picked this book up!

This book was tough to rate for me. The subject of sexual assault and rape is so important to spread and share so victims are comfortable standing up for themselves. But the character development was lacking.

Ali was raped by Sean. Blythe is Sean's friend and becomes close to Ali in order to get her to forgive Sean.

Ali's story was important. I wish this was just her story. Her relationship with friends, her parents, and other kids at school make a complete tale.

Blythe shot out of the movie Mean Girls. But there was nothing redeeming about her. She didn't have an ideal childhood, but we didn't spend a lot of time there. Her boyfriend is Sean's best friend - but why are they all tight in the first place? Though she and Sean have things in common; they are both selfish jerks.

I wish I just heard from Ali. Her story is important. I don't need to read about more Blythes.

This book took me so long to get through. i ended up putting the book down for a while because the main characters and r*pist sympathizers pissed me off. however, when you think about it, that’s the reality. there’s victim blaming, sympathizers to the attacker etc. it’s messed up but the author did really well creating a story that seemed pretty accurate to how it is. i gave it 3.5 stars only because there were some parts i didn’t think were necessary to put in but all in all not a bad book.

Something happened to Ali Greenleaf was an eye opening book and one that I will remember for a long time

I won this book at a virtual book fair. I didn't know much going in which is usually good, but unfortunately in this case I wish I'd known a little more about the book before I accepted because unfortunately this was just a little too young adult for me (meaning def meant for a much younger audience which made it very difficult for me to relate to and/or care about most of the characters). Had I known this I likely would have passed on it and hope it would be given to someone it was more age appropriate for. It was still well written, just much too young for me to really appreciate.