Exposure Review & Giveaway

ISBN: 978-0-345-51553-7       Publisher: Ballantine Books 
Purchase Link: Exposure: A Novel 

About the Book

In Exposure, Therese Fowler has written her most gripping novel to date—a ripped-from-the-headlines story of ardent young love and a nightmarish legal maelstrom that threatens to destroy two families.

Amelia Wilkes’s strict father does not allow her to date, but that doesn’t stop the talented, winsome high school senior from carrying on a secret romance with her classmate Anthony Winter. Desperately in love, the two envision a life together and plan to tell Amelia’s parents only after she turns eighteen and is legally an adult. Anthony’s mother, Kim, who teaches at their school, knows—and keeps—their secret. But the couple’s passion is exposed sooner than planned: Amelia’s father, Harlan, is shocked and infuriated to find naked pictures of Anthony on his daughter’s computer. Just hours later, Anthony is arrested.

Despite Amelia’s frantic protests, Harlan uses his wealth and influence with local law enforcement and the media to label Anthony a deviant who preyed on his innocent daughter. Spearheaded by a zealous prosecutor anxious to turn the case into a public crusade against “sexting,” the investigation soon takes an even more disturbing and destructive turn.

As events spiral wildly out of control and the scandalous story makes national news, Amelia and Anthony risk everything in a bold and dangerous attempt to clear their names and end the madness once and for all.

A captivating page-turner, Therese Fowler’s Exposure is also a deftly crafted, provocative, and timely novel that serves as a haunting reminder of the consequences of love in the modern age.

My Review

Wow! For awhile after finishing this novel, Wow, is all I could think. I had, and still have, so many thoughts running through my head that it’s nearly impossible to get them all out. Exposure is a must read for every teen, parent of a teen, relatives of teens, or anyone who works with teenagers. The story is not as uncommon as you’d like to think, though varying in nature. There are many teenagers and young adults who are cited with sexual abuse violations due to sexting crimes. Many of these teenagers are young and don’t realize the effect a simple photo can have on their life. The simple mistake of sending or receiving a photo via email, phone or social networking can place a young person on the national sex offender registry because of a sexting violation, even though both parties were consenting. Exposure is a novel that brings exactly this type of crime and it’s out of control spiraling nature to light.

Therese Fowler did a wonderful job writing this novel. In a note to the reader at the conclusion of the novel, she states that the novel was written based off her own turmoil and feelings regarding her son’s arrest at the age of 19, though this story is NOT his story or her story. As a reader, I could feel the personal connection Therese had with this novel. It is obvious through her writing that she was discussing issues and situations she wanted others to be aware of. The novel is written in a way that lets each characters thoughts and feelings be displayed to the reader, giving you a well rounded look at the entire situation as it unfolds. This book was engaging yet enraging. I wanted to read on and find out what happens next, but at the same time it was hard to read. I wanted to scream at points. The out of control nature of the novel and injustice, though a truth in everyday life, was hard to read. Exposure reminded me of reading a Jodi Picoult novel. Its topic is something that thousands of people deal with everyday, yet it is not freely talked about and can be controversial.

Overall, I really enjoyed this novel. I think the author does a wonderful job of bring awareness to a very important topic. With social networking, cell phones, email and so many other forms of electronic data at our fingers tips, teens are not properly educated on the dangers of sending private photos and conversations. This book shares a very real possibility of what can happen to the life of a teen, if they are not careful with their actions. It is a wonderful and useful tool for parents, teen support groups, youth groups or teen book clubs to use. The topics of open and honest communication, sexting, safe sex, and more can be discussed because of this novel. Exposure is a riveting and quick paced read that will keep you on the edge of your seat.

About the Author

Therese Fowler is the author of Souvenir and Reunion. She has worked in the U.S. Civil Service, managed a clothing store, lived in the Philippines, had children, sold real estate, earned a B.A. in sociology, sold used cars, returned to school for her M.F.A. in creative writing, and taught college undergrads about literature and fiction writing—roughly in that order. With books published in nine languages and sold worldwide, Fowler writes full-time from her home in Wake Forest, North Carolina, which she shares with her husband, four amiable cats, and four nearly grown-up sons. Her latest book is Exposure: A Novel. You can visit Therese Fowler’s website at http://www.theresefowler.com/.

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