[Review] We Know It Was You by Maggie Thrash

We Know It Was You by Maggie Thrash

Series: Strange Truth #1

Version: ARC Paperback

Rating: 1 star

Release Date: October 4th 2016

Goodreads Synopsis:

Twin Peaks meets Pretty Little Liars in acclaimed author Maggie Thrash’s new Strange Truth series.
It’s better to know the truth. At least sometimes.
Halfway through Friday night’s football game, beautiful cheerleader Brittany Montague—dressed as the giant Winship Wildcat mascot—hurls herself off a bridge into Atlanta’s surging Chattahoochee River.
Just like that, she’s gone.
Eight days later, Benny Flax and Virginia Leeds will be the only ones who know why.

So I went from reading The Female of the Species by Mindy McGinnis to this. Both books dealt with rape (this one less so, but still) and had really dark themes, but this one really took the cake for being really shitty with POC characters.

I just was really put off by the fact that the two really creepy perverts were Asian. The English girl who was from Nigeria was a rapist and creepily hypnotized everyone into fulfilling her sick fantasies. It was literally a story of - everyone who is good is white, and everyone who is a POC is a villain. Why would that be okay?

There was also stereotyping going on in this book, with the cheerleaders being "vapid and dumb" and blonde/beautiful. Virginia was also never one to stand up for herself (until the end), letting Benny do all the talking. 

I could have given another star for the story being okayish, but it went from plot twist to plot twist until I just wasn't interested anymore in the end, with the whole truth of the matter sounding ridiculous (hypnotism, really?).

There was also a lot of creepy scenes that just rubbed me the wrong way... just... why...

But what really puts me off is how the rape is handled. Here's how it was handled.
...
...
...
...
See how there's nothing in this space? NOTHING HAPPENS. No calling of cops, no one in jail, NOTHING.

His calling was to make the unknown known, and he'd done that. What the world needed more than justice was truth.
"So, what next?" Virginia asked.
"I have no idea," he said. "I think... I think we're done."
"Okay, cool."
Benny looked at her. The casualness of her reply confirmed it - Virginia didn't really care about this, did she? She was just along for the ride. She'd proved she could be useful to him - she was dauntless and resilient and relentlessly observant - but what use was he to her? What was she getting out of this? 

Smooth transition from the fact that A POOR GERMAN EXCHANGE STUDENT was raped by his ex without him knowing.

I was going to give this two stars, but that's really too nice of me. Honestly, and let's be honest, this is not how to resolve the mystery. And treat our POC characters. And our female leads.

I am not happy.