I thought I was going to read this in one day since it was written in verse, but, as soon as I started reading it, I knew that I would have to slow down to be able to take everything in. This story was heartbreaking. I just wanted to give Alicia the biggest hug the entire time I read this.

This book is about Alicia and how she was affected by sexual assault. She went from a track star to the girl who sleeps around. She lost her best friend. She struggles with family issues. She's always being sent to detention. And she has to walk through the halls of her school knowing her abuser, one of the most popular teachers there, is inside that building.

I loved the connection with Medusa and how this story also covered some topics of race and sexuality. The metaphors of the wolves and rabbits were so well done. I absolutely loved this book but know that it is also very heavy.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Children’s for this ARC in exchange for my honest opinion and review.

Dear Medusa is a story about 16 year old Alicia dealing with sexual trauma from a popular teacher. As expected, it has completely altered her as a person - making her lose her best friend, drop out of track, and begin to constantly get herself into detention. She drifts from her family as well and struggles with being alone.

Alicia slowly breaks out of her shell when she begins making new relationships at school and finds it within herself to begin healing. She also relates to Medusa, from the greek mythological woman who was an outcast from sexual trauma as well.

The book is told in a free form verse which at some points didn’t really flow for me. It felt a little disjoined which was fine, you can still follow the story. I thought some important topics are hit in here as well and it didn’t feel like the author was doing too much so that felt nice.

Thank you to Netgalley for an advanced copy for this book coming out in March 2023!

This book is a raw wound slowly healing. That makes it a difficult read, but also a very worthwhile one as it explores trauma and moving past it. There's no one solution offered, but it does an excellent job of understanding that trauma and our reactions to it are personal, and that no one has a monopoly on hate or feeling hated. That it does this through deconstructing two of the oldest stories meant to blame and shame women - the myth of Medusa and the fairy tale Little Red Riding Hood - forces the reader to think about why the predators keep being able to get away with it.

So set your red cap jauntily atop your serpent locks. These things are only power for someone else because we have not claimed them as our own.

This was a fantastic read. I blew through it in less than 24 hours because I couldn’t put it down. Books written in verse aren’t normally my go-to, but this one was worth it.

The writing is powerful and raw and emotional, and being inside Alicia’s mind felt so real. I raged with her and I felt her anxieties and her ptsd as if they were my own (because a lot of these experiences are so disgustingly common- me too). . I loved Deja and Geneva as well. Their relationships with Alicia made me look at my own friendships.

Lots of trigger warnings, mainly sexual abuse/pedophilia, grooming, racism, homophobia. The content is heavy and will elicit angry feelings, but that’s the point. We aren’t supposed to be okay with how things are, and Alicia’s journey to discovering herself as a person again and figuring out how she can fit in a world post-trauma is ultimately a story of healing and hope.

The recurring comparisons to Medusa and Greek mythology were really cool and gave the story a nice theme. I’m super into feminist retellings of myths, and revisiting Medusa’s story throughout this book, but delving a little deeper each time into how Medusa became monstrous and what it means to be a monster, tied everything together beautifully.

I read an ARC of Dear Medusa from Netgalley.

This is a collection of poetry that tells the story of a young woman in high school who is seen as the school "whore" because she sleeps with basically any guy who will ask her out, though it becomes clear through the text as we read, that this is tied to her trauma. The poetry is often explained to us as her actual writing. As often as she is narrating, she explains that she enjoys writing poetry to express herself.

Now when I say this is a poetry book, I don't mean that this book is difficult a book to understand because it is cloaked in rhymes and covert symbolism. While the protagonist often refers to the men in her life, especially the older ones, as wolves, it is clear from the beginning why she calls them that because she sees them as hunting her. That as soon as she "filled out" and started to "look more womanly" whether she actually was a woman yet or not, they started to look at her in a sexual way. The poems themselves are blunt. While they never get graphic or describe in detail a sexual encounter, they often read like a regular book might, just segmented into oddly cutoff lines.

A big focus of the story is that the main character has only ever been attracted to one person she's ever kissed, and that was another girl that she kissed during camp, and during the book, she also starts to form a crush and even seems to want to start a relationship with another young woman who joins their school. The problem is that she's still caring about all this angst and anger in her that she deals with in such a destructive way. It's not that she doesn't deserve love, only that it seems like any love she receives is destined to fail because of all the trauma bottled inside of her that she doesn't even know how to begin to deal with.

Then a woman comes to their school. The does a speech about how she studies the lives of young women and that she's come to this school to form a group across the grades that will meet once a week to just talk about their lives as honestly as they can together. Of course, our main character gets chosen.

Now, there's one more very important thing I left out so far, and that's where the main character has not only been sexually assaulted and then when she's approached older men, conveniently not asking her age later, but one of her teachers the year before also sexually assaulted her. She's told no one. She doesn't think that anyone will believe her, and her parents don't seem to care enough about her life that she thinks they'll care. She has such a reaction to seeing his door or the possibility of seeing him, that she often will take in school suspension than seeing him, which she gets enough from another teacher that seems to send her there over the smallest of infractions.

And I've only hit on some of the heavy things dealt with in this poetry book.

As I wrote, most of it reads like a book, but some are more like "proper" teenage poems, reflecting on her life as it ties in with her thoughts and subjects she encounters in her life. It's definitely on the heavier side, so caution for triggers while reading, but I think it can be a look into the mind of someone whose world seems spinning out of control because of all the pressures of life and incorrect information they've received, and just not allowed to be themselves by society and then by themselves as a result.

WOW. This novel was easily one of the best books I’ve read this year. It has such a heavy topic, and it’s a heavy book, but it’s so beautiful at the same time. I haven’t read many books in poetic form, and the one I read most recently (possibly the only one I’ve ever read for personal enjoyment), I did not enjoy at all. Not the case with this one.
I love how the author writes Alicia, and her coping mechanisms to deal with her trauma. The storyline with Blake also added a lot of depth to the story (although I think the ominous notes in Alicia’s locker were maybe not the best way to go about the whole Colonel thing).
This is a book that I think everyone should read. It’s very hard hitting, and it really makes you think after you read it. 100/10

I was provided an eARC through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. 

This book hit me like a truck. It's raw and honest in a way few books about sexual assault I've read have been. I felt like I was holding our main character's bleeding heart in my hands. Olivia Cole does a beautiful job of showing glimpses of the incredibly fucked up undercurrent of Alicia's life while also unflinchingly portraying the brutality of being 16 and shamed by nearly all of your peers. Cole also touches on race, sexuality, the Madonna-whore complex, and so many other things in this short, impactful book. Well worth the read, though rife with potential triggers so tread lightly.

This title was everything I wanted from a novel in verse. The poetry flowed well and it was common for me to read a turn of phrase or metaphor and have to stop and wish I had written it myself. The author continually revisited extended metaphors and built upon them as the story progressed in a satisfying way.

As for the story itself, this was an honest and visceral look into the life of an average teenager who experienced an all too common violation and dealt with the aftermath in the best way she knew how. Heavy trigger warnings for child sex abuse, abuse by a teacher, and repeated statutory rape and sexual harassment.

However, these were not the only topics that the plot focused on. The main character is bisexual and there are themes of dealing with queerness, coming out, slut shaming, and families growing apart and changing. She gets a real friend without romantic undertones and is able to explore a sapphic relationship as well. She is working as a teen, a former athlete, and is able to grow in her balance of these things and find freedom in the story. She finds out that someone she considered an enemy is in fact an ally and more like her than she expected. My only critique would be the slut shaming and women empowerment subplot was a little heavy handed, but the message was still important and well written. Overall, A really impactful and painfully beautiful story I think should be read by many.

"I am tired of salting the wound— I am ready to salt the earth."

Wow. I devoured this in a couple hours, and it is easily one of my top reads of 2022. It is a story in prose, and while it's easy for this style of writing to feel unnecessary or overdone, I found it a poignant and appropriate format for this piece. I've honestly never had an author so inside my own head, echoing my own teenage experience, the pain and rage of girlhood transitioning to womanhood, often before we are ready-- before we understand what is happening and, all too often, with us grappling for some semblance of control.

Alicia's (MC) story immediately pulled me in. We learn quickly that she's been dealing with sexual assault at school. In the aftermath, she uses sex with classmates and with much older men to cope with the pain she's feeling. Her promiscuity makes her a pariah at school and results in harassment and the loss of her best and only friend.

This story deals with Alicia's trauma, loss of agency, pain, queerness, coping, and eventually with her self-acceptance and healing in a new circle of loving characters, and honestly so much more. Alicia's story reminds us that no one is really as they seem and of the perpetual transience of self. We are always turning into new people, especially when we are young. And that is a kind of freedom. We get to remake ourselves whenever we want.

Alicia really came alive on these pages, like she's a friend or even myself. Her pain clawed at me, her numbness felt like my own, and her rage bubbled within me. The rest of the cast of characters was deftly crafted as well. Each had a unique voice and left an impression.

The metaphors woven through this book really elevated the story. The idea of sexual predators as wolves, the tragic unfairness of Medusa's story-- they gave a richness to Alicia's experience and the world she drew us into.

I think this is a book that will stick with me for a while. And while it definitely brings up some painful memories for me, it felt cathartic, and I left Alicia's world feeling understood and a little lighter.

Thank you to NetGalley for this ARC.

Review posted on Goodreads. Amazon is not allowing reviews for this work at this time.

I did find one error at about 90%.

"Alicia: Does it makes you … mad? Sad? That everyone loves him?"

I think "makes" is supposed to be "make" here.

A heartbreaking novel that deals with heavy subject matters. The main character's journey to let others in after a traumatic event is both gripping and realistic. Although I struggled a little to relate to the main character's metaphor-heavy point-of-view, I really enjoyed the side characters, especially Deja, whose black and asexual voice is a welcome addition to the book.

I don't know that I have enough words to fully describe the power of this book. 5/5 stars will not be nearly enough. Cole has crafted an incredibly powerful novel-in-verse in which every single poem sings with the pain and emotions of everything the main character (Alicia) has been through. Cole deftly navigates the very real questions that people have as they come into their own bodies, learn how the world sees them as sexual beings, and understand the double-standards that are all around us all the time. Cole's main character Alicia offers the reader such an honest portrayal of what it means to experience sexual trauma, and the supporting characters each add their important perspectives on sexuality and asexuality, race and the specific experience of Black women (and Black girls, who are too often treated like women from a young age), and broken friendships and family dynamics. The book NEVER feels didactic. The poetry is consistently beautiful. Will be sure to buy this for everyone I know.

*Thank you Netgalley and publisher for ARC, in exchange of honest review*
Heartbreaking. Cherished.
Many more words describe this book, but that would take me all night to write. I am unsure if I can find all the words to describe how I felt about this book. Dear Medusa I had my emotions everywhere while reading the book. It was also the story I couldn’t get out of my head. I have read books written in poetic verse, but nothing like this book. Dear Medusa was filled with so many powerful emotions; they were raw, real. I cannot imagine what Alicia must feel like to go through such horrifying events. It made me angry at the teacher; they are supposed to make the students feel safe. I was angry with other students for spreading rumors about her. I was scared for Alicia that it would be too much for her one day.
I loved the way that Alicia’s emotions were portrayed in this book. I might now know what it felt like, but reading the book, I felt like I did. I was hoping that, eventually, Alicia would tell someone, like her mother or even her brother. The teacher needed to be reported before he did it to someone else. The cover and the title captured my attention when I was on Netgalley , and I couldn’t help but be curious about the story. Dear Medusa was a hard book to read at times, yet it took your breath away so that you couldn’t put it down. I couldn’t get enough of Alicia’s story, and I rooted for her to get a happy ending. Dear Medusawas one of the books I ended up reading multiple times late into the night. I needed to see how it was going to come to an end.

An incredible, inspiring story. This is my first book by Olivia A.Cole , and I am so happy that I got a chance to read an early copy of her newest book. I am eager to see what else she has in store for us.

Wow. While reading Dear Medusa, I kept thinking to myself, "this author really gets it." Olivia A. Cole's deep and resonant novel in verse features Alicia, a teen who has been sexually assaulted, who is fighting (sometimes literally) to reclaim her power and her selfhood. She is a strong, interesting, well-rounded character in a book filled with great characters.

Dear Medusa somehow covers a variety of important issues: racism, homophobia, slut shaming, divorce, and friendship without feeling preachy or overbearing. Teens deal with so many things at once, and this was both heartbreaking and empowering in the best ways. I cried while reading, then cried again after. And yet, the feeling I walked away with was one of hope, that girls who experience this kind of trauma could rise from it like Alicia does.

The figurative language, especially the overall Medusa metaphor, brought this book to another level. This will be one of my top favorites of the year, no question. I give it 10/10 stars.

THANK YOU to NetGalley for the eArc of this incredible book.

This book was well written but it didn’t seem to flow like poetry should. Perhaps if I heard it read to me instead of reading it on the page I would understand the way the author intended the words to flow better. The story was difficult and also uplifting to read. I loved the friendships found and formed in this book. Thank you NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read this book as an ARC.

Dear Medusa addresses a subject I would generally consider to be "taboo"- sexual abuse by a teacher. In Alicia's case the teacher is well-liked and popular. Exactly what is a student to do when they aren't sure they will be believed if they come forward?
This book is filled with trauma and healing and many more things than what I can adequately describe. I appreciated the story and Cole's willingness to take on this topic.

Dear Medusa completely blew me away. It is a top-five book of the year for me, just stunning. The story is about sixteen-year-old Alicia Rivers who has a reputation that precedes her. There is so much more to her than meets the eye. She puts up a tough defense for a good reason, she is hunted by "wolves" all the time. One wolf was a popular teacher and that sexual assault completely changed her life. The story is about sexual violence, but also takes a look at, sexuality, love, and a young woman discovering her voice. I absolutely loved this story, it is truly one of a kind. I can't wait to read more by this author.

What a heartbreaking and important story. This one deals with a lot of different triggers so look into those if you need to and take care of yourself while reading. Beautifully written novel.

Dear Medusa by Olivia A. Cole was freaking heartbreaking but so damn beautiful all at the same time.
This story shook me to the core.
Alicia was phenomenal, honest, realistic and her story moved me!.
This thought provoking, unconventional, powerful book is absolutely a MUST READ.
And one I devoured. I loved everything abot this one.
The writing, characters, story.... Everything was done so well!
Also, I can't wait for this to be released. The cover is so beautiful and will sit so pretty on my shelf.

"I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own."

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Children's & Labyrinth Road for my ARC in exchange for my honest review.

One of my weakness the last couple of years has been books that are written in verse. I am drawn to them like a moth to a flame. There is just something magic in this medium of telling stories. I wish they were more popular and prevalent than they are. Because if this, when I saw this title on Netgalley, I was immediately excited and intrigued.

I have always felt a connection to Medusa for a number of reasons. Because of that, I was automatically drawn to this book, but then I read the synopsis and knew I needed to read it.

It was beautiful. I feel like those are not adequate words to describe this book, but they're all I've got. The story was gripping, lyrical, and honestly? a punch to the gut. It is a hard book to read for all the reasons you probably thought of when you first thought of Medusa. Medusa, in recent years, has been heavily associated with survivors of SA. She is their protector. That extra layer to the story was beautiful.

I thoroughly enjoyed this and can't wait for anything else Olivia A. Cole writes.

Such a difficult but GOOD read. I loved Alicia and I hurt right alongside her. There were some cliches I could have done without, but amount of feeling Cole was able to convey was impressive.