Lara’s life seems to finally be taking a turn for the better. She’s been accepted into cheerleading, she now has a best friend and maybe-boyfriend, Christian, and she’s starting to make new friends after what happened in middle school.

Then, out of the blue, Christian texts her. 

 “The world would be a better place without you in it.”

Bree, Lara’s former best friend, has grown tired of hearing Lara’s rants about how she’s overweight and depressed. After Bree and Lara drifted apart in high school, Bree has felt freer than ever of Lara’s emotional baggage. While she’d never admit it out loud, she can’t help but agree with what Christian’s telling Lara.

But no one realised how strong the backlash that could come from a few hateful words uttered online could be. As the consequences begin to haunt everyone involved, and as the truth starts to reveal itself, Lara, Bree and their families have to come to terms with the damage a few cruel messages are capable of inflicting. 

This book was narrated from Lara and Bree’s points of views, as well as Lara’s sister, Sydney and Bree’s brother, Liam’s point of view. 

All of the characters were fairly well-written and all had clear flaws, and all of the main characters are clearly distinguishable from each other. If I opened a chapter at random and didn’t read who the narrator was, I could probably still tell who was narrating from the way they spoke in the story. I think Sydney and Liam’s perspectives were a nice break from Lara and Bree’s much more intense points of view. Their relationship felt like a reminder of perseverance in the face of adversity, which also felt like a central theme in the story with Lara’s overcoming the bullying she faced. In addition, I appreciate that the story gave us an insight into what Bree feels; while the reader can sympathise with what she experiences, they can still disapprove of and reflect on what she did. 

I wasn’t a huge fan of the writing style used for the four narrators, as despite being a teenager, I couldn’t really relate to how they spoke. Some plot points didn’t feel very realistic either, and some of the plot twists were predictable with the way that the book was set up. 

This book focused on both perspectives of cyberbullying - the bully and the bullied. The story is in itself a discussion of cyberbullying and its effects on those involved, which may be distressing for those who have been affected by it in the past. Suicide is also frequently mentioned throughout the book, while self-harm is mentioned briefly at one point. Backlash can be a rather overwhelming read at times, and if it ever gets too intense for you, please take a break from reading the book. 

I would give this book an 8.5/10 overall for a good premise and insight into all sides involved in cyberbullying.