by Amber Smith
Edy was fourteen when she changed herself completely. And, although it was at the same time as she entered highschool, that was not the reason for her to change. She entered it in a very innocent way, you could say, she was still very happy. Although she wasn’t everything she wanted to, she had people around she could trust, and she did. However, after someone she looked up to, admired, or even love, betrayed her trust, all that changed.
The morning after the assault, Edy is really scared. She doesn’t know how to act, can’t really believed anything happened at all. However, it did, and she had to share it with someone.
When she did try to, though, she found that, maybe, he was right. Something he had told her, and had stuck with her, made her scared to tell anyone. No one would believe her.
And this is how Eden becomes a completely different person, someone who is just trying to forget everything and find herself again. This leads her to do many different things, which all end up making it worse for her, thus completely erasing the girl she used to be.
Personally, I started reading the book expecting something, not really sure what, but at first it wasn’t at all what I expected. I already knew the topics it would be covering, but I didn’t know the approach the book took, which is why, in the beginning, I didn’t really get too much into the book, and didn’t really like it. However, once I started to understand better the perspective Amber Smith was trying to show, I actually really liked the book. I was really excited to read this book, as it covers a topic that, personally, I find extremely important to acknowledge. Assault is something that I believe can absolutely ruin a person, and, while I am not talking out of experience, I do believe that she manages to portray it perfectly, rather than making it seem as a «small» violation against someone. It shows how it can change a person completely, regardless of how long it happens for. Even if it’s for a minute, the person’s life can be completely ruined. This is why I think assault is something very important to discuss and stop, and I believe that «The Way I Used To Be» managed to really show the effects of it.
If you are interested in the book, you can get it here.