*Rating: 4.5 out of 5 Stars*

Until I Break by Kara Bietz is a Young Adult Fiction Contemporary Novel. It takes an interesting approach to bullying. It focuses on two main characters, Ace and Sam. Both boys are in high school with bright futures ahead of them but one fateful day changed both their worlds. We journey through novel through the eyes of Sam and the struggles he faces dealing with his biggest challenge in life, Ace. This book brings light to bullying in high school, and the challenges young men face when tackling a bully. The struggle to face the problem on their own and the battle to try to ignore the problem. The fear of being seen as weak when asking for help. All of these struggles are in this compelling story of the fight for survival and the battle to ignore a bully.

This novel is the next read for my book club. I was excited to read it but had a few reservations after reading the synopsis. The entire novel I was on the edge of my seating waiting for the ball to drop. I was waiting for the plot twist in the end, and the build-up was terrific. The novel starts from the perspective of Sam and continues in his view the entire time. The one question answered is, ” how much can person physically and mentally take before they break?” I loved the way this novel is written and the plot twist, in the end, had me holding my break the entire time. I wanted to know more about the aftermath of the plot twist, but otherwise, this novel is well written. I recommend this novel to anyone willing to read a contemporary young adult fiction book. It has a lot of good parts and moments that make you want to yell at the ceiling screaming “wwwhhhhhyyyy.”

I give this book a 4.5 out of 5 stars. If you are interested, then you should check this contemporary novel out.