All the Rage is a very realistic book that deals with rape and how female teenagers (heck, not even teenagers have to face this fear or even females specifically, for that matter) deal with it. I have always liked Courtney’s novels and this one was no exception. However, it was a little difficult for me to get into this book – I’m not entirely sure why – perhaps it had something to do with the writing or the way the novel was formatted. I had received a netgalley version from the publishers so perhaps it was the way how it got put onto the e-book that threw me off. Again, not entirely sure why but it took me a few chapters to really get into the flow of the book and really understand what was going on.

It was never really mentioned what exactly happened and, me being stupid, read the synopsis weeks before I actually read the book and didn’t read it again so when I actually picked my kindle up to read the book, I wasn’t 100% sure what this book was about. It was hinted at many times what had actually happened to Romy – that she was raped – but it didn’t go into the details of what she said or did afterwards that made her so ostracized and hated by all of her classmates. And honestly, it was never really mentioned. That was something I wished Courtney went more into – yes, I understand that sometimes the purpose is just to hint and have the readers guess for themselves but at the same time, I just want to know, you know?

Regardless, Romy was a very strong character despite what had happened to her. She was still able to face her classmates on a daily basis and even though she tried to stay away from them as much as possible and didn’t want any confrontation, the fact that she still tried to have a normal life and be herself was what made her strong. And when she was pushed, she was able to get up and face her demons and her fears and confront those who had detested her so much and to finally make them believe her story.

This book dealt with a very real topic – rape. It’s certainly something that happens on a regular basis and to read about it written so descriptively and realistically in this book is something that will definitely hit home with the female readers out there. It was interesting to see how Courtney was able to weave this topic in with other real-life issues such as drinking, bullying and small-town issues.

If there was one thing I had an issue with in this story, it would be the small-town issues. How is it possible that the adults in this small town were able to put a blind eye on one of the largest parties for high schoolers that had drugs and alcohol in it? And the fact that they don’t see a problem with it? Or the fact that they assume nothing serious would come out of it? I just find that incredibly disturbing. How are these parents even parents? I understand it’s great to have a tradition and that teenagers are teenagers but if the fact that this party has copious amounts of alcohol and drugs in it, shouldn’t the parents or, at the very least, the authorities, have some sort of precaution? Not only that, but the fact that even the policeman (the rapist’s father) looked and treated Romy with disgust. I thought that was a huge problem. The fact that even a policeman could not believe her – a young girl who was just raped –only added to the problem of her being hated by the other townspeople. It truly disgusted me how narrow-minded these people were.

So I have figured out why it was difficult for me to get into the book in the beginning – there was this weird time-lapse that I had forgotten which completely threw me off. It started with NOW and TWO WEEKS LATER which I felt like it was supposed to be TWO WEEKS BEFORE but I’m not entirely sure because the NOW chapter totally threw me off guard and got me a little confused. I wish that time gap was not there and was more in chronological order.

Overall, it wasn’t my favorite Courtney Summer’s book but it was still very good. It definitely had the feels and made me really see what Romy was facing without getting too attached to her. There was that sense of clarity and distinction that Romy was a character in the fictional world while I am out here in the real world but at the same time, Courtney was able to make Romy’s story relate to real life issues and problems.

The book that I was expecting and excited for wasn't the book that I got so I DNF'd this one. It just wasn't for me. Sorry.

Sorry, requested but did not find the time to review.