Review: Random

Aug •  20 •  2014

I received this book for free from FTC: Exchange for honest opinion, Publisher in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

Review: RandomRandom by Tom Leveen
Series: Stand Alone
Published by Simon Pulse on August 12th 2014
Genres: Young Adult-Contemporary
Source: FTC: Exchange for honest opinion, Publisher
Goodreads

Who's the real victim here? This tense and gripping exploration of cyberbullying and teen suicide is perfect for fans of Before I Fall andThirteen Reasons Why.

Late at night Tori receives a random phone call. It's a wrong number. But the caller seems to want to talk, so she stays on the line.

He asks for a single thing—one reason not to kill himself.

The request plunges her into confusion. Because if this random caller actually does what he plans, he'll be the second person connected to Tori to take his own life. And the first just might land her in jail. After her Facebook page became Exhibit A in a tragic national news story about cyberbullying, Tori can't help but suspect the caller is a fraud. But what if he’s not? Her words alone may hold the power of life or death.

With the clock ticking, Tori has little time to save a stranger—and maybe redeem herself—leading to a startling conclusion that changes everything…

Alright, when I first received this book I was excited to read it because I love stories that showcase true, realistic characters/situations. I did enjoy the book but the ending is not what I expected.

Plot: This story is about a girl how bullied a kid online and he killed himself. In the midst of court/school/family drama, Tori receives a phone call that changes her life forever. I felt like this plot is a good plot that not only flows well but tells a really good story. So many times we see these situation in the news and it can be hard to understand yet this story places the reader where the can see it from every point of view.

Bullying: Before I go on to my last point, I want to say that what this girl did is wrong. She may have thought she was “playing around” but words hurt. I definitely do believe that she should have consequences for what she did.

Ending: This is a major spoiler alert, so please highlight is you want more detail. HIGHLIGHT BELOW:

At the end of the book, it has come out that Tori’s brother set her up. He had a friend call her, keep her up all night threatening to kill himself all to  “teach her a lesson.” This the part that really grinded my gears. I get what he is trying to do, but it is not up to him or anyone to “teach” someone a lesson. If people are going to learn from their mistakes, THEY must learn it. This part reminded me of the Saw movies. And those movies make me sick. Who in the right mind can go around “teaching people lessons” with torture. I mean really, who will learn from that!! I’m not a fan of the ending and the fact that someone thinks that they have a right to do that to someone is just…idk. I don’t like it. As I said, I get the reasoning behind it because Tori did need to understand that what she did is wrong but do to it that way..to take matters into your own hand to “teach” someone is not right. It seems more of a revenge than a lesson. Like, the only way your going to learn is to have someone do it to you. No. Just no.

Anywhoo, I’m not sure if anyone else felt that way but the ending just threw me off. Overall, the book is still quite good in the lesson it is staying. Don’t bully. Even if you think that it is a joke, words can not be taken back once said.

I give it 3 BITES!

3bites

Happy Reading!

6 Comments

  1. roro
    Aug 20, 2014

    I loved patty blount’s send, which has the samish premise. i rather enjoyed it . 4/5 infact
    maybe you’ll like it more

    i think i’m giving this a pass

    tnx for the review, Savannah

  2. Giselle
    Aug 20, 2014

    I didn’t check the spoiler but I’m curious about this ending, now. It sounds like it could make or break the book. I think bullying is a very important subject nowadays so this book was on my radar. Great review!

  3. Hiii!!! I’m so incredibly behind on your blog but I LOVE the new design you have up!

    I’ve seen the cover for this image all over my twitter feed the last week or so but haven’t actually read what it was about or have seen any reviews. It sounds like a good concept but that ending would make me so mad. I don’t want to go into for the people who didn’t read the spoiler, but seriously, that is not okay. I didn’t really like Tom Leveen’s other books I tried to read so I’ll probably pass on this, especially with that ending.

  4. Yea… I would have the same problems as you did with this book. This one isn’t for me. Thanks for the great review!

  5. Kate @ Ex Libris
    Aug 21, 2014

    Hmmmm….sounds like and interesting and challenging book.

  6. Candace
    Aug 26, 2014

    There’s been a lot of bullying books this year and some are really excellent I do think it’s important to show some consequences though.