Review: Exposure by Therese Fowler

ISBN-10: 0345515536

ISBN-13: 978-0345515537

Page Count: 384

Copyright: May 3, 2011 (Ballantine Books)

Book Summary:

(Taken from ARC)

High school seniors Amelia Wilkes and Anthony Winter are deeply in love, though until she turns eighteen, Amelia is keeping their relationship a secret from her overbearing father.  But their passion is exposed much sooner than expected when Harlan Wilkes finds naked "sexting" photos of Anthony on his daughter's computer.  Furious, Harlan calls the police and presses criminal charges against Anthony for disseminating harmful materials to a minor.  Anthony is arrested, expelled from school, and labeled by the salacious media as a sexual predator.  He becomes a walking pariah.

A headline-seeking DA launches a crusade to bring this burgeoning "sexting" crisis to light, and Amelia is arrested as well.  With blind justice settling two families at odds, common sense swiftly becomes a casualty.  Even Anthony's mother, Kim, finds herself under investigation, her teaching job and financial future in serious jeopardy.

As events spiral wildly out of control, with love seemingly the only consolation in an unjust world, Anthony has no choice but to enact a bold plan to stop the madness once and for all.

Mandy's Review:

Cover/Title

You get the feeling that the couple on the cover is trying to hide each other ... to prevent the risk of the other being exposed.  It also makes you think of the love that each of them feels for the other to want to try and protect each other like they are.

Exposure is such an apt title for this book.  There are so many definitions to this title within the story, which I love.  It makes one think outside of what one would normally think of when thinking 'exposure.'

Plot

I don't usually describe books as 'gripping,' but this one is.  It grabs you from the first few pages and doesn't let go until the end.  The book flowed smoothly from one incident to the next.  The characters were so realistic they could be a member of anybody's family.

You could feel the love between Anthony and Amelia, the anger and self-righteousness of Harlan, the angst and worry of Kim ... the book was wonderfully written.

Main Characters

Anthony - An eighteen-year-old who fell in love with Amelia.  He's romantic, poetic, respectful and hard-working.

Amelia - A seventeen-year-old who fell in love with Anthony.  She's overly protected by her parents.  She's determined yet a dreamer.  She wants to fight the injustices of her father, but is so much of a daddy's girl she's unsure how.

Harlan - Suffice it to say, this man made me angry.  He was bound and determined to believe his daughter an innocent and that she was coerced by Anthony ... although Amelia tried to tell him differently on several occasions.  Harlan wanted Anthony jailed for what he did, but was upset when Amelia's turn came to be arrested and tried.

Kim - A teacher at Anthony and Amelia's school, but also Anthony's mother.  She knew about Anthony and Amelia's secret relationship, but did not feel the need to get involved ... until the legal ramifications began.  Kim is a single mother, being left by her husband (Anthony's dad) a month or so before Anthony was born.  She raised Anthony quite well, but felt she failed as a mother somehow when Amelia's and his legal problems began.

Overall

I love this book.  Therese Fowler has become a new must-read author for me.  I recommend this book to everybody ... especially those who have teenagers or are teenagers.