Blog Tour: I Stop Somewhere by TE Carter (Review & Giveaway!!)

I Stop Somewhere

by T.E. Carter

Publisher: Feiwel & Friends

Release Date: February 27, 2018

Genre: Young Adult, Contemporary
Add to Goodreads!
Amazon | BN | Book Depository | Kobo | IndieBound | iBooks 

Synopsis:

Ellie Frias disappeared long before she vanished.

Tormented throughout middle school, Ellie begins her freshman year with a new look: she doesn't need to be popular; she just needs to blend in with the wallpaper.

But when the unthinkable happens, Ellie finds herself trapped after a brutal assault. She wasn't the first victim, and now she watches it happen again and again. She tries to hold on to her happier memories in order to get past the cold days, waiting for someone to find her.

The problem is, no one searches for a girl they never noticed in the first place.

TE Carter's stirring and visceral debut not only discusses and dismantles rape culture, but it also reminds us what it is to be human.

Review: 

This isn't a story of great romance or true love. It's simply a story of being lonely and how comforting it is to be called beautiful. - Loc 661, eARC 

I Stop Somewhere isn't an easy read. 

It's not light nor fluffy. 

It won't make you laugh and swoon.

It's heartbreaking.

It's gut-punching. 

It will make you question everything you know about growing up as well as the morals and ideals that are installed in us since birth. 

It will make you remember the days you felt like Ellie Frias growing up - sad, lonely, equal parts hopeful and hopeless. 

It will make you cry. 

It will make you want to scream. 

But it will inspire you - inspire you to be better, to fight for those like Ellie, to believe in a girl's act of courage. 

I Stop Somewhere is an unforgettable, poignant debut, and I can't possibly give it the justice it deserves. However, I'll try my best.

It takes a lot of things to make a girl, but breaking her? It only takes a few pretty words and a crooked smile. - Loc 358, eARC 

I Stop Somewhere introduces Ellie Frias. Ellie has always felt unremarkable as well as plain. She's never been the one to have a surplus of friends, and she can't remember a time when a boy paid attention to her. So when a boy appears that calls her beautiful and makes her feel special, Ellie drops everything. She sneaks out, she lies to her dad, she lets the parts of her that made her Ellie fade away.

From the first page, I was enamored with Ellie's narrative. It was raw as well as emotional. I wanted to give Ellie a hug. I wanted to protect her and shield her from boys with throwaway promises and girls out for blood. When the story first begins, Ellie is quiet and lonely. She's sick and tired of being sick and tired, and I could understand that. I could even relate. I think everyone's been at that place growing up, the one where they feel that they'll never start living, that they'll never have the fulfilling life the books and movies promise. As the book progresses, Ellie becomes changed, and not always for the better. It broke my heart to see Ellie's downfall occur, and while I knew it wasn't going to have a happy ending, I held out hope that something would turn around, that something would "save" Ellie. TE Carter also does something interesting here - she includes future Ellie's voice. Future Ellie is wise and I valued her reflections on that monumental year; however, a part of me wondered throughout where future Ellie was. It was mysterious as well as a tad ominous.

People don't debate what defines murder. Politicians don't argue the body's ability to fight off being killed. There's no talk of a "murder culture." No one says that you asked for murder. What you wear doesn't excuse being killed. - Loc 1419, 1428, eARC 

I Stop Somewhere tackles a lot of hard topics - rape culture, self-esteem, the ups and downs of growing up, and even a trial involving sexual assault. TE does an amazing job of fleshing everything out. Never once did I feel like the story was lacking, that it needed more details. What I appreciated the most, however, was how TE addressed rape culture. There's an pivotal scene in the book where Ellie compares rape culture to murder. Her thoughts are accurate - so accurate in fact it hurt. No one blames the victim when it comes to murder; however, when it comes to rape, everyone jumps on the blame train. It's disgusting, and I hope that books like TE Carter's will inspire people to think about this more deeply, for asking for more when it comes to the safety of their daughters, their friends, their nieces, etc.

In all, I Stop Somewhere is beautifully written addition to YA contemporary. I can't suggest it highly enough - it's a book that NEEDS to be read as well as discussed. Make sure you have a box of tissues on hand when starting it, though, because it will make you cry, no ifs about it.

When you ask what makes a girl, they tell you it's sugar and spice and everything nice, but it's not. It's regret and wishing and summer kisses and falling in love and being hurt and heartbreak and fear and fishing with your father and wearing the wrong clothes and getting drunk because you feel so bad you want to die. It's hoping and the memory of sunlight and how you can't stop lightbulbs from burning out. It's all the big things and the little things in between. - Loc 3601, eARC  

About the Author:

TE Carter was born in New England and has lived in New England for pretty much her entire life. Throughout her career, she’s done a lot of things, although her passion has always been writing. When she’s not writing, she can generally be found reading classic literature, playing Xbox, organizing her comic collection, or binge watching baking competitions. She continues to live in New England with her husband and their two cats.

Website | Goodreads 

Giveaway:

Prize: 1 hardcover copy of I STOP SOMEWHERE by T.E. Carter (US Only)

Starts: 2/19

Ends: 3/9

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Tour Schedule:

February 19th

Pink Polka Dot Books- Welcome Post

February 20th

JustAddAWord- Review & Favorite Quotes

Never Too Many To Read- Review

FANNA- Review

A Bookish Abode- Review

February 21st

Lauren's Crammed Bookshelf- Review

Blushing Bibliophile- Review

Here's to Happy Endings- Review

Storybook Slayers- Review & Favorite Quotes

February 22nd

Reading to Unwind- Review

A Thousand Words A Million Books- Review & Favorite Quotes

Confessions of a YA Reader- Promo

Reading for the Stars and Moon- Review

February 23rd

Vicky Who Reads- Review/Creative Post

We Live and Breathe Books- Review & Favorite Quotes

Belle's Book Blog- Review

Hauntedbybooks13- Review