Exposed by Kimberly Marcus

Publisher: Random House Books for Young Readers
Publication Date: February 22, 2011
Pages: 255
Source: Random Buzzers
Buy It: Amazon | Borders | Barnes & Noble

In the dim light of the darkroom, I'm alone, but not for long.
As white turns to gray, Kate is with me.
The background of the dance studio blurred, so the focus is all on her
legs extended in a perfect soaring split.
The straight line to my squiggle,
my forever-best friend.

Sixteen-year-old Liz Grayson is photogirl—sharp, focused and ready to take the world by storm with her camera. But Liz's entire life is called into question when her brother is accused of a crime—and the accuser is Liz's own best friend. As the aftershocks from that accusation rip through Liz's world, everything she thought she knew about photography, family, friendship and herself, shifts out of focus. And for the first time in her life, Liz finds herself unable to trust her own point of view. Told in stunning, searingly raw free verse, Exposed is Kimberly Marcus's gut-wrenching, riveting debut and will appeal to fans of Ellen Hopkins, Laurie Halse Anderson and Virginia Euwer Wolff. --Goodreads

Liz and Kate are best friends. Well, they were best friends. After Mike, Liz’s brother, does something unforgivable to Kate, Kate can barely look at her ex-best friend. Learning how to deal with losing her best friend, Liz loses her focus and passion for photography. She must face her fears and overcome the loss of a friend; she needs to clean the lens on her camera and start over.

Exposed is a verse novel. I cannot fathom how difficult it must be to put a whole story within verses. Marcus has done a fabulous job. She captured the full emotion of the novel within the structure she used. Her delivery and placement of the plot was pure genius. Each verse was a masterpiece, bringing about rhetoric strategies that definitely fit within the piece.

Throughout the novel, Liz’s photography sparks emotion to the reader. Her passion within the field takes a turn for the worse and better when her friend leaves her. Marcus created that passion to place character development in the plot and it was a great way to show Liz’s journey without so many words. Kate seemed like an ideal best friend. It was just how she dealt with her situation that showed her true colors.

As much as I wanted justice for the crime Mike had done to Kate, I found that the theme of the novel is not justice but moving on. The plot was drawn-up nicely. It reminded a lot of Hate List by Jennifer Brown. Exposed was fantastic. It truly posed questions of what was right or what was wrong.

Overall, if you like verse novels, you need to read this one. Exposed is a unique piece of work that takes the reader through an emotional rollercoaster ride that you will not forget.

First Sentence:

"I am the first one here."

Exposed by Kimberly Marcus, p. 1

Rating:

Cover: 4
Characters: 4
Writing Style: 5
Ending: 5
Plot: 5
Overall: 5