This story was so much more than I thought it would be. The reason that Every Ugly Word ‘only’ gets 4 stars and not 5 is simply that it was a bit weird at the end. There is an episode with a mirror and a boyfriend that got a bit too odd for my taste. But besides that small part, it is amazing.

Ashley, the main character, is in therapy and the story is shifting between Ashley in the therapy session talking and Ashley back in high school. It works very well (at least until the ending) and I liked to know her both as a young girl and as a woman. The story she is telling is so insanely captivating that I was unable to put the book down. I wanted to know what had happen so badly and Therapy-Ashley has something she has to do at a certain time and I was anxious to know what that was.

The bullying was completely crazy. I cannot understand how Ashley lives though it every day. The other students are so mean and hurtful and I admired Ashley for being so strong. But I actually didn’t think that the other students and the bullying was the worst part. Obviously, it is bad and I felt sorry for Ashley. No one should have to go through a high school experience like that and Ashley tells it so vividly, painfully and beautifully at the same time. But as I said, that wasn’t the worst part. The worst part was her mother. Seriously, how can anybody behave like that? She is an AWFUL woman and I wanted to slap her and call her all those ugly words that Ashley had to endure. Horrible mother, horrible role model, horrible human being!

I believe this book will touch anybody who was bullied themselves. I think it will touch people who haven’t been bullied. And I hope that it will be read by a whole lot of people and make them think about how we treat others. It is very well written, has amazing characters and is very intriguing. I will definitely re-read this at some point and recommend it to everyone I meet! ( )

I'm not even sure where to start. There are only a few times in my life that I've wanted to literally scream with rage while reading, and this was one of them. Every Ugly Word was an intense, and heart shattering read. It took every drop of empathy I had inside of me and left me empty. This isn't an easy book to read, my friends. Be warned, you'll be living life through the eyes of a girl who is intensely bullied. A girl who is told that the world would be a better place if she just died, almost daily. A girl who is alone. It's awful, but I know it's the truth. That this really happens. So I settled in, and I let Ashley's life wash over me. At the very least, I could be there to live her story.

What's interesting about this book is that it's told in past/present narration. As Ashley recounts the hell that was her high school years, it's like she's living them all over again. See, high school Ashley was able to talk to her older self. How, you ask? Through the mirror. This creates an amazing way to see both into the past, and the present, at the exact same time. We get the information from high school Ashley, and then see that same information through older Ashley's eyes. Seriously, I know it sounds odd, but it's an amazing experience. I found myself hanging on every word that was said. Waiting for the next time her older self would give her some sort of hint as to what she should do. It was such a unique way to tell this story, and I loved it.

Oh, there's just so much to touch on that I'm frustrated that I can't fit it all in here. The fact that Matt, her best friend and only confidant, wasn't perfect. Honestly, whose best friend ever is? Or that every person Ashley tries to turn to chooses to smooth over the problem instead of handling it. It hurt, but I know this is what happens. Her "friends" letting things slide in order to stay under the bullying radar, her teachers spouting words like "oh it will get better" and "you're almost done with high school anyway", and her mother, who I will get to in just a second, because she deserves her own paragraph for sure.

Ashley's mother is a horrible human being. She was the character that I loathed more than anyone else, because she had no excuse to be as callous and as demeaning as she was. The thing that hit hardest about this story was that Ashley's mother was truly her first bully. Constantly telling her she was fat, that she should try harder to fit in, that it was perfectly acceptable to use sex as a means to an end. If the person who birthed you sees you as less, why wouldn't you start to see yourself that way too? I wanted to murder this woman. I know that seems harsh, but I did. Every time she set foot on the page, I wanted to burn this book to ashes. The problem was, it was really good. I wanted to see how it all ended.

There were little pieces of this story that didn't sit quite right with me, but I let them slide. I was too intensely wrapped up in Ashley's life to really care all that much. What ended up making Every Ugly Word a four star, rather than a five star, read for me was the ending. It wasn't a bad ending. It was actually rather unexpected. I just felt like it pushed the envelope a little more than I was willing to follow. Still, it doesn't change the fact that this is an amazing book. I'd say every single high school student out there, especially the ones like Ashley, need to read this. To know that there are others like them who are lost. To know that it's possible to be strong and fight back. This isn't an easy read, by any means, but it's an important one. I am blown away. Bravo Aimee L. Salter. Bravo, and thank you. ( )

Includes A note from the author, and Discussion Questions.

Future Ashley has been seeing Past Ashley in a mirror for five years, trying her best to get her to make different decisions without revealing her future. A psychiatrist is the only thing that stands between her release and being able to help Past Ashley with the most important decision of her life, but Doc wants to hear her whole story from the very beginning. With her heart in her mouth, and an eye on the clock, Future Ashley begins to talk.

Ashley is seventeen, and for the last 5 years has been severely and constantly bullied by former friends both in and out of school. She can’t tell her teachers what’s going on, while her mother blames her for everything. Matt is the only friend she has left, but she doesn’t dare let him know she’s in love with him because she doesn’t want to lose him too.

Spending time with Matt, hoping to get a scholarship to art school, and talking to her future self are the only things keeping her sane. Ashley just wants to make it through the rest of her senior year, but Matt’s girlfriend and friends are determined to make her life a living hell. As the bullying intensifies, will Ashley find the strength to fight back or sink under pressure?

Having been the victim of constant bullying up until 11th grade, I found it very difficult to read about Ashley’s tormented life without reacting. It is my sincerest hope that bullies will see themselves in this book, understand how deeply their actions hurt, and that they will STOP. I also hope bystanders see themselves, and know how much they are needed to help someone who’s being bullied so they don’t feel alone. Finally, I hope victims gain strength from this book and realize they are important and valued.

Recommended for ages 14 and older.

Book review link: https://shouldireaditornot.wordpress.com/2017/03/19/every-ugly-word-aimee-l-salt... ( )

A good read

I really enjoyed this book until it took a bit of a bizarre twist. It kept me interested from the beginning to the end. At first I could not put it down. ( )

I read this book that I rented from the library and fell in love with it. I loved that it told a side of bullying that I know too well then it goes into a supernatural like side that begs the question: If you could help your younger self at a most critical time even if it changes your future, would you? It happened for Ashley and because of it she stood up and kept fighting her bullies. Makes me wish I could have done that as well. I really liked as well to find out the author was bullied as well. It put things into perspective. ( )