Alexis by Alexis Singer

In six words, an instant message changed Alexis forever.

After a rocky junior year of high school, Alexis Singer was lonely, stressed out, and vulnerable--the ideal target for an older man with bad intentions. When a message popped up on her computer screen one night from a message board acquaintance, she could never have known that by responding she was making a choice that would change her forever.

By posing as a friend and confidant, the man gave Alexis the attention she desperately craved and weaseled his way into her life in an unimaginable way. Within weeks, Alexis was sucked into an emotionally dependent relationship, engaging in cybersex and sending him explicit photos of herself. Somewhere along the way, she lost who she was and put her dreams for the future, relationships with friends and family, and psychological well-being on the line.

'Not much about that first online conversation we had sticks out in my head except for his surprising interest in me. I probably would have forgotten about it if it weren't for that. I would have dismissed him as just another creep.'

Because Truth Is More Fascinating Than Fiction

I’ve always said that it’s hard to review someone’s life, and that still rings completely true. Alexis tells the story of Alexis Singer when she was a junior in high school. This is the second book I’ve read as a part of the Louder than Words series and it didn’t disappoint. The stories in the series are all emotionally heavy books that everybody should read. Not only do they tell you about these amazing people’s lives, but they also make you aware of various things people around you could be going through. A good example of this is in Alexis. The people around her don’t know that she’s in this a part of this relationship.

I think it’s important to remember that Alexis is a real person, when you read this book. That’s the really mind-blowing part. Normally when I read fiction that includes any form of abuse (or anything else considered “edgy”), I can console myself with the fact that the characters I’m reading about are fictional. With this, I couldn’t do that. I think as readers of YA novels or just novels in general, we need to remember that even though the books we normally read are fictional- there are still people who go through the things we’re reading about.

Alexis is a great book. Not only will you learn about the brave author Alexis Singer, but I think it will help teach people how to be more cautious when online. I have immense admiration towards Alexis for sharing her story with the world. I recommend this to anyone, really. It is an impeccable memoir that I can’t stop thinking about.

FTC- Received it from Erica of The Book Cellar.