Book Review: The Maverick by Jennifer Valenti

 

Goodreads Summary: Jane Valiante had put so much of her life on hold to care for her father and little brother back in Florida since her mom died that she’d all but forgotten she once had ambitions of her own. She had nearly resigned to a life of ordinary when the hottest tech company in the world offers to fly her to New York for the job of her dreams. After what shapes up to be a whirlwind of an interview, Jane starts to feel overwhelmed and insecure about her chances. Feeling defeated, she’s surprised to receive an invitation to the holiday party from the CEO and Founder, Peter Wright, planned for that evening. Hoping this could be her opportunity to seal the deal, she happily accepts. That’s when everything in her world turns upside down as she finds herself back at her hotel room with Peter after the party. What started as a drunken misunderstanding leads to a brutal sexual assault that leaves Jane shattered.

Torn by the violence of what happened that night and the shocking choices she inevitably makes, Jane embarks on a precedent-setting journey to right the wrongs she has endured that could ultimately define the fate of a generation.

Goodreads Rating: 4.38 stars with 16 reviews

Genre listing: Contemporary, Adult Fiction, sexual assault 

Goodreads Challenge: 40/60 (Quick, someone get me some 150-page cozy mysteries on KU!)

2020 Reading Challenge: #48 Free Space! (Find the full challenge here)

Book Review:

First, the legal thing: I received a free arc copy of this book in exchange for an honest review through the Author's publishing team/net galley.

Trigger warning: This book details rape. My post will also talk about it because of its relevance to the book.

I was really hesitant to agree with reading the Maverick by Jennifer Valenti. I almost didn't accept the request. The book is about a woman's rape and sexual assault experience, and truthfully I didn't know if I could bring myself to read it without triggering memories of some assault/harassment experiences I've had. Also, without even reading the book, I could tell that this experience was based on the author's life. I was worried that I'd hate it and then be stuck writing a review, essentially trashing someone else's experience. It's a little different when it's entirely fiction, and I can provide constructive feedback. It's an altogether different thing to provide constructive feedback on something the person went through. 

All of that being said, I think that this is a book that a lot of people should read. If you've been in a  similar situation, it will make you realize you're not alone. Somethings have happened to me starting from the time I was a teenager into my thirties. I struggle with what to classify them as, but I don't think that I was raped (long story...) Assaulted? Maybe. Harrassed? Absolutely. Regardless of what you call it, this book helped me feel not alone. If you haven't been in the situation, you may gain some (more?) empathy for those who have been and even start to understand why so many sexually-based crimes go unreported. 

Obviously, I hate the situation that Jane went through. I was disgusted, and all I wanted to do was hug her and tell her she would be ok. What I liked most about Jane was how strong and brave she was. Jane may not have felt like it, but she was. She had moments of weakness and was so incredibly relatable. She did something a lot of people can't do- stand up for themselves. I was cheering so hard for her to get justice. I wasn't quite sure what that justice was going to look like, and I think that the approach taken was an interesting one. Sorry trying to not give out spoilers. 

Overall, despite the topic, I enjoyed this book. It felt like I was sitting down with a good friend over coffee, and she was catching me up on what had happened to her. Jane was strong, brave, surprisingly funny, and relatable. I like that she starts figuring out a way to use her situation to help others in the end. The book's topic is hard to read, but beyond that is a story of a strong woman overcoming something that happened to her and using it to protect others and better the world around her.