Tradition by Brendan Kiely [BLOG TOUR + GIVEAWAY (US Only)]

Once again, I’m participating in an awesome blog tour, this time hosted by the Fantastic Flying Book Club! I’m so excited to be working with them to bring this awesome book out to everyone!

Book Title: Tradition

Author: Brendan Kiely

Publisher: Margaret K. McElderry Books

Release Date: May 1, 2018

Genre: Young Adult, Contemporary

Synopsis:

Prestigious. Powerful. Privileged. This is Fullbrook Academy, an elite prep school where history looms in the leafy branches over its brick walkways. But some traditions upheld in its hallowed halls are profoundly dangerous. Jules Devereux just wants to keep her head down, avoid distractions, and get into the right college, so she can leave Fullbrook and its old-boy social codes behind. She wants freedom, but ex-boyfriends and ex-best friends are determined to keep her in place.

Jamie Baxter feels like an imposter at Fullbrook, but the hockey scholarship that got him in has given him a chance to escape his past and fulfill the dreams of his parents and coaches, whose mantra rings in his ears: Don’t disappoint us. When Jamie and Jules meet, they recognize in each other a similar instinct for survival, but at a school where girls in the student handbook are rated by their looks, athletes stack hockey pucks in dorm room windows like notches on a bedpost, and school-sponsored dances push first year girls out into the night with senior boys, the stakes for safe sex, real love, and true friendship couldn’t be higher.

As Jules and Jamie’s lives intertwine, and the pressures to play by the rules and remain silent about the school’s secrets intensify, they see Fullbrook for what it really is. That tradition, a word Fullbrook hides behind, can be ugly, even violent. Ultimately, Jules and Jamie are faced with the difficult question: can they stand together against classmates— and an institution—who believe they can do no wrong?

BOOK LINKS

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/36373518-tradition

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/1481480340?tag=simonsayscom

Barnes & Noble: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/tradition-brendan-kiely/1127208788?ean=9781481480345&st=AFF&2sid=Simon%20&%20Schuster_7567305_NA&sourceId=AFFSimon%20&%20Schuster

Kobo: https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/tradition-13

The Book Depository: https://www.bookdepository.com/Tradition-Brendan-Kiely/9781481480345?ref=grid-view&qid=1523363168209&sr=1-2

Review: I honestly cannot tell you enough how much I loved this book. It was gripping from start to finish and addresses so many issues in such a conscientious way! TW: rape and sexual assault.

This story is told from dual perspectives, and I really loved this part of the story. Both James and Jules are going through their own struggles at Fullbrook. James is struggling to figure out the nonchalant way people act about wealth and how they use their money to solve all problems. I really liked James’s character, who is slightly timid and is scarred from his own past experiences. He knows better than these privileged students: money can’t solve everything. I didn’t love Jules’s character as much because I found her a little too in-your-face. Of course, I didn’t want her to be someone very submissive, but at times, I found her attitude to be a bit … annoying, and perhaps not the best way to describe a feminist.

I also wish that James and Jules had a stronger friendship. At times, the story felt like it was telling two separate tales – which is really fine, because it would have worked well and connected well at the end. However, the author kept expressing that they were good friends. If this had been established better, I think my rating would have gone up.

I absolutely loved the writing style and flow of this novel. It was tense and engaging and it took the reader to places that could be uncomfortable, but were ultimately necessary in order to shed light on topics like consent, privilege, assault, and respect for others. Yes, there are other books out there that also speak about these issues. But I think that the more books that bring this to the forefront, the better. The novel handles these issues with delicacy and does a fine job of getting people to really understand what it must feel like for those stuck in similar situations to Jules and James.

This is a thought-provoking and gripping tale and I urge everyone to go give it a shot! I’m giving this book a solid 4/5 stars!