ONE NIGHT

One night of horror leaves a lasting problem for 17-year-old Luna and her family.

Canadian Luna, who is of First Nations descent, is not in the habit of going to parties, but one night she promises her younger sister, Issy, to go along to one at the home of a privileged prep school boy. When she meets Jon, Luna is impressed by his friendliness. Unfortunately, the boy is not as nice as he seems. Jon rapes Luna once she's drugged enough that she can't resist. Luna keeps the assault a secret until her sister guesses that she's pregnant. Her family is supportive, but many of her peers react with racial slurs and bullying. The book tackles an important topic, but the characters do not become fully realized and instead come across as wooden. While Luna is portrayed as a smart girl who gets good grades, her lack of basic knowledge about pregnancy, such as weight gain, feels more like a glaring opportunity to provide an education for readers than an organic experience for the characters. In the same way, her mother's ignorance of rape culture feels like a manufactured chance for readers to learn about what can happen to victims.

A weak if well-meaning addition to a genre in need of strong books.