School should be a safe place for Jess, but at the moment it's everything she dreads. Jess's life is difficult enough without Kez picking on her. Kez's life isn't any sweeter. She has plenty of problems too but she finds comfort in knowing she is better off than Jess - or so she thinks...
(Blurb from Amazon)
When I first started reading this, I didn't know what to expect or what to make out of it. I've always believed that bullies are scum - and they are. I know everyone has problems, but I couldn't understand why people who understand what it is like to have horrible people in their life would reflect it upon others.
7 Days shows alternating points of view between Jess and Kez, starting on Monday until Sunday. I felt so bad for Jess, for her problematic home life, and on top of that Kez and her friend Marnie harassing Jess because of her weight.
You learn that Kez has a bad home life, and I felt bad for her, but unlike how I connected with Jess, I never really felt that bad for Kez, until it was the end.
I understand having Kez's point of view was supposed to make us feel sympathy towards the bully or at least understand, but all I could do was understand, until it got to the end, where I could relate to her.
After reading the book I understood that some bullies didn't mean to bully people - like wrong place wrong time. All of these things with Kez's family was happening and Jess happened to be there - it could have happened to anyone.
With that said, I still don't think there is a reason to bully someone, or that you should be forgiven for it. Because although the bully/person may be going through something, it doesn't give them the right to make other people's life worse. That isn't the way it works.
I really loved the friendship Jess had with her old childhood friend Lyn, who was Kez's boyfriend. Because in the 7 days that changed everything, he and Jess became friends again, and it seemed to be a reminder to Jess, that not everyone leaves in the end.
People will perceive this book differently, I think from the start, even just reading the blurb I was rooting for Jess, but by the end of the book I did begin to like Kez. It isn't a book I would read often, just because I think it was meant for a younger audience. The book was really quick to read, I flew through before I even realized I was over half way through.
I really enjoyed the book, and it is a book I recommend you read after something that is heavy.
The cover is really cool, I thought it was a really creative thing to do.
- Alexia
