By: Jamie Steinberg
Seventeen year old Jess Lanza is being cyberbullied by her classmates at Stone Bridge High. Chloe, an autistic theater nerd, made a mistake with her best friend’s boyfriend and someone has been posting nasty things about her online ever since. To counterbalance the blog being posted that trashes her, she has created her own where she lists the reasons for people to truly hate her. Reasons to Hate Me reminds us that when something bad happens there are two sides to every story, and not all labels are valid.
Jess knows she has messed up. While practicing a theater scene she crosses the line with her best friend Chloe’s boyfriend, Noah. No longer able to keep what happened to him a secret, Noah decides to send a text blast to all of his contacts to let them know what went down (from his point of view). Now Chloe refuses to talk to Jess (not even allowing her to give her side of events) and some of her classmates have begun labeling her a “slut.” Jess blames herself for what went down and falls into a serious depression. She tries her best to make things right with Chloe, but it lands on deaf ears. To combat the unkind words being said Chloe decides to create her own blog that lists her failures and life letdowns to truly give them something to talk about. While exploring reasons to hate her, Chloe confronts her Autism and the events of her life where she gains clarity on what really went down with Noah and if she really needs Chloe’s friendship.
Author Susan Metallo tells this tale through a series of blog posts that explores the themes of friendship, Autism, sexuality, consent and so much more. Readers will find themselves entranced, turning pages to find out Chloe’s own reasons for why someone should actually hate her (valid or perceived). Plus, you’ll learn more about happened between Noah and Jess’ from BOTH perspectives. And, might I add, it highlights whether forgiveness and friendship have limits.
Reasons to Hate Me is a great read for high school students. Gossip has a way of getting around and it is never more damaging than at that age. Young women, especially, will gain a lot of insight from this book about themselves, self esteem and the bonds and boundaries of teenage besties.