Almost by Anne Eliot

Almost 
by Anne Eliot
Read: July 22 - 24, 2013
Published: February 1, 2012 by Butterfly Books
Source: Kindle Purchase
Category: Contemporary YA Issue/romance

At a freshman party she doesn't remember, Jess Jordan was almost raped.

...Almost. Very nearly. Not quite. Three years later, Jess has managed to make everyone believe she's better. Over it. Because she is.

...Almost. Very nearly. Not quite.

Unfortunately, until Jess proves she's back to normal activities, her parents won't discuss college. So, she lands a summer internship and strikes a deal with hockey jock, Gray Porter: He gets $8,000. She gets a fake boyfriend and a social life. 

Jess has no idea Gray signed on for reasons other than money. She also never expects to fall in love. But Gray’s amazingly hot, holds her hand all the time, and makes her forget that he’s simply doing his job. It’s like having a real boyfriend.

...Almost. Very nearly. Not quite.Gray Porter is hiding secrets of his own. About Jess Jordan. About why he’s driven to protect her, why he won't cash her checks, or deny her anything she asks. (From Goodreads)

______________________________________________________________________

Jess is a mess. She hasn't slept a full night in 3 years. If she does, she has debilitating nightmares about a freshman year party when she almost got raped. To combat her fatigue, Jess tries to nap as much as she can during the day, but usually she's barely functioning. She doesn’t have any friends, mostly because she pushes every one away in an attempt to protect herself. But the summer before senior year of high school, Jess is determined to prove to her parents that she is okay (even if she has to fake it).  As part of her plan to look like a "normal" high school girl, Jess convinces Gray Porter to pretend to be her boyfriend. While he thinks it’s a terrible idea, Gray is willing to do anything for Jess. You see, Gray was at that party too, and he feels incredibly guilty about what happened to Jess that night. 

Almost is a very honest look at one girl’s struggle with posttraumatic stress disorder due to an attempted rape. It is an internal look at Jess’s daily struggles with pain and confusion over an incident that she doesn’t remember except in nightmares, but that has shaped every moment of her life after. It is also about all the things we do to protect each other, and that often in life there’s no easy answer. But this story is not only about Jess. It is about Gray too, and his guilt over what he did and didn't do the night Jess was almost raped. Overall, though Almost is a hopeful story. 

A lot of page time is spent inside Jess or Gray’s head as they struggle to come to terms with the events of the party 3 years ago, and the ways it's changed both of their lives. While I love the honestly of their thoughts and the fact that Jess's growth comes gradually throughout this book, I thought the story became a little slow and repetitive in places. I wish we’d gotten some more dialogue and interactive scenes, because those were definitely my favorite.

What I loved best about Almost is that it managed to be really funny, despite the heavy subject matter. Jess and Gray both have hilarious inner monologues, as well as great comedic banter with each other. I think my favorite scene is when they go roller-skating. 

I also really appreciated how much of a role Jess's family plays in this story. Their concern for her and desire to both protect and help her heal, was moving and realistic - if not misguided at times. But they came across like a real family, and I appreciated the complexity and relevance they brought to the story. Despite the large amount of time we spend in Jess and Gray's heads, the author did a great job at creating secondary characters. I also really enjoyed Gray's friends, who were usually present during the hilarious moments of this story. 

Although I will admit to feeling like the narration slowed down in places where the book got stuck in Jess or Gray's heads heads, the pacing of Jess's healing and Gray's struggle to know how to tell her the truth was realistic. I am impressed with the way that Almost handles a very difficult and relevant issue with grace, interspersing humor along the way. 

Love Triangle Factor: None

Cliffhanger Scale: Standalone