A novel about sisterhood and trauma Ever Since is about finding your voice when the odds seem against you.

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Moving and powerful, Ever Since is not the typical novel I would pick up. However, I’m so thankful that I did; even as challenging as some scenes were, this novel is about solidarity and survival, the lasting marks trauma leaves on the victims, and how they can overcome it.

That being said, it was challenging at times.

An Emotional Read

Ever Since follows Virginia, the girl everyone refers to as “that kind of girl,” known for making bad choices. She is part of a tight-knit group of four girls who are, for the most part, loyal to each other.

But, again, Virginia makes terrible choices, letting herself settle into the role of “that girl” because it’s what is expected of her.

Things change for her when her best friend Poppy leaves, and she begins to bond with her boyfriend, the only guy she seems to know who doesn’t want to take advantage of her. They bond, they form a friendship, and around him, she begins to ask herself questions like why she is the way she is and why she acts the way she does.

Then she meets his sister and discovers that she is being groomed by the same man who groomed her and took away her innocence, pushing her to face her past and save another from the pain she endured.

It’s not an easy story to read. It’s also not explicit. And that’s what I appreciated.

We’re still dealing with trauma here, with child abuse and sexual assault, but in a way that is not grotesque. Every line and every moment is purposely placed in the novel to grip the reader. Virginia has let the abuse define her; she has let it win and take over her life. It’s a struggle, one I’m personally familiar with, to come up above it. Sometimes, it feels like drowning, struggling to get breath.

And Bruzas captures that struggle heartbreakingly. Nevertheless, Virginia comes up for breath; she faces her past and decides she will no longer let it define her, will no longer let the monster continue his monstrous acts, and will no longer let it paint her as “that girl.”

Final Thoughts

Ever Since is the novel I wish I had read in high school. It is a challenging and emotional read, heartbreaking too, but brilliantly written, showing the fortitude and strength all survivors have.