Ever Since

April 1, 2023
The summer before senior year, friendships are fractured by secrets and a revelation of sexual abuse. Virginia has a reputation for making poor choices, including sleeping with Edison, her friend Thalia's boyfriend, behind her back. She and her close-knit group of friends are determined to spend the summer living it up, when suddenly, without explanation, her best friend, Poppy, leaves to spend the summer at her grandpa's. Virginia feels unmoored because Poppy offered her harbor from her own house, where she does not feel safe amid her neglectful parents' parties that include Him, their friend who sexually abused her when she was a child. Virginia starts spending time with Rumi, Poppy's boyfriend, with whom she develops an intense emotional connection. But when she realizes that Rumi's 11-year-old sister is being groomed by this same abuser, Virginia must find the courage to finally speak up. What follows is a harrowing journey, compounded by the fact that not everybody is receptive to her revelations. In the process of coming to terms with what happened to her, Virginia must also reckon with her revictimization and ask whether her sexual activity with Edison was consensual. Virginia, Thalia, Edison, and Poppy are cued White; ethnically ambiguous Rumi has reddish-brown skin. The supporting cast includes diversity in race, gender identity, and sexual orientation; these characters sometimes feel too perfect to be fully realized people. Lyrical prose combines with a searing indictment of how society treats young women. (content note, author's note, resources) (Fiction. 14-18)

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June 1, 2023

Gr 10 Up-Seventeen-year-old Virginia doesn't feel safe in her home. Her parents are always fighting, and she lives in fear that He may be there, so she stays away as much as possible. She knows she doesn't always make the best choices, spending her time partying, drinking, and having risky sex. She just needs a close group of friends. But when her closest friend, Poppy, suddenly moves away without warning, Virginia starts spending more time with Poppy's boyfriend, Rumi, and starts to fall for him. She becomes close to Rumi's younger sister, Lyra, and soon realizes that Lyra is being groomed for abuse by the same person who once abused her. Virginia has spent so much time hiding her secret from everyone, but she does not want Lyra to become His next victim. Virginia needs to decide what to do and who to trust to not only save Lyra but to save herself. The content may trigger some readers, but realistically presents the aftermath of childhood sexual assault and a community serial abuser. VERDICT A powerful story of childhood trauma and what it means to confront sexual assault, Bruzas's debut novel addresses the complexities of survival and the importance of a strong circle of support.-Rebekah J. Buchanan

Copyright 2023 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

Starred review from May 15, 2023
Grades 9-12 *Starred Review* Bruzas' debut novel is at once gritty and tender, exploring boundaries, friendship, and self-esteem. Virginia tells herself fairy tales and myths in search of a happy ending, a path her life lacks. She thinks of herself as "That Kind of Girl," the one who experiments with drugs, alcohol, and sex at an early age. Now, at 17, this includes hooking up with the boyfriend of a close friend, something that does nothing for her self worth. Her four best friends love and support her, but none of them knows her secret: Virginia has been sexually abused by a friend of her parents since she was one year old. When her friend Poppy leaves abruptly for the summer, Virginia starts to hang out with Poppy's boyfriend, Rumi, but their connection is emotional, not sexual, something Virginia appreciates. But then she realizes that her abuser is grooming Rumi's 11-year-old sister, and when she plucks up her courage to warn him, Rumi rejects her. Heartbroken, Virginia gets support and help from her friend Ro and Ro's parents. Virginia is a warm, sympathetic character who believes that she is responsible for her abuse until she recognizes that her behaviors stem from it and from lack of guidance from her self-absorbed parents. Bruzas handles the complex plot deftly, and the crowning achievement is when the story Virginia tells herself is her own.

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