Only Ever Yours Paperback – March 8, 2016

Wow, the world that Louise O'Neill creates puts even The Handmaid's Tale to shame. It was scary and creepy and so disturbing. Freida lives in a world where women are appreciated for beauty and nothing else. These women are created in labs. They are then are raised in schools and taught how to please a man. They are raised to be either a companion or a concubine A companion is the wife of a "Inheritant" and her only duty is to give birth to sons until the age of 40, at which point she has a "termination date" so her beauty is always preserved. A concubine lives with many other women and never has children, but is there solely for the sexual pleasure of men. The girls in the school all have eating disorders because they are told repeatedly that "fat woman must be obsolete." These girls are so mean to each other. They put each other down if they are too fat and they put each other down if they are too skinny These women are told repeatedly that men didn't like women who cried, men didn't like women who were angry or showed emotion of any kind, men don't like women who are academic, etc.I felt equal parts frustrated and sad for Frieda. She would make these decisions that would make me want to scream at her. But I could also relate to her. I don't live in the kind of world Frieda does (thank goodness) and yet, I think all the same ugly things about myself that Frieda does. It's sad. Towards the end, when she was striving so hard to become a companion I could feel her desperation so strongly. The ending left me just as frustrated as the entire book. It is not the kind of book that leads to a satisfying resolution, much like The Handmaid's Tale. But this is a book that you need to read. This book will stay with me for a very long time.I received the ARC from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review

This story is about the perfect utopia world that really is more of a dystopian world. The main character is Frieda or number #630. Well Frieda comes from a perfect society where Rich men rule and Women are only ever use for baby making or for being a concubine. All women are taught that all they want to be is wives. As the book continues it shows you that our world is a lot like the society in this book. For example how our old society traditions are put forth even in modern times. This book reminded me of the Hunger Games Series, in the way it describes the world and how history can be seen in it.Now I must warn you as I read this book it was unbelievably painful. I felt a mixture of emotions for what Frieda was facing, while she was learning how to agree with her dystopian society standards. I finally realize the emotions where coming because I have seen these standards, maybe not as extreme as present in this book but I have seen similar standards among society today. For example women are told, even in modern times, that your life will be a happier one if marriage and kids are involved. How by doing those simple things, you will contribute to the world and make it better. To be honest I don't believe society realizes how such standards exist because they have been around for so longing the world history. This book also help me to understand so many things I do that are double standards and those realizations hurt like heck. I was always told that the things that hurt you the most usually help change you the most. I am hoping that this book has change me in some ways, for the better. I think that even though this book was painful, it should be read by both men and women. It is a classic in the making, for me. This book should be read in every junior high and high school as assignment, because its will change the world.The reason for the four out of five stars is because there where a few things, that I was unsure about as I read the book. Also a few things in the book that I wish had been more talked about such as some of the abusive relationships with a few of the characters. But overall an excellent must read hands down

First of all let me say that I am an adult and I know this book is meant for young adults, but the story could have been betterThe book begins with a group of young women in a dystopian society that literally grows women to be either the mate, concubine, or teacher. The girls we are introduced to are teens that are vying for the few positions of mates to a small group of young men. The story leaves to many details out. We never understand how the girls are raised, how they are made, why there are so few of them, why the roles are not already assigned, why they are forced to compete. There are slight racial and homophobic undertones with the protagonist being "darker" than the other girls, and she fears she is a homosexual because she had feelings for a friend. If darker skin is an unwanted trait wouldn't it be bred out. The girls are encouraged to be shallow, and unintelligent but are clearly literate and strong. If the goal is to create perfect mates for the few men that will be mated wouldn't the scientists just create them perfectly. The girls are portrayed as lab experiments but are treated as if they have free will. The best friend of the protagonist does the unthinkable, in a society where no person would even have the knowledge to do what she did. It really just didn't make a ton of sense.I treated myself to this book and was dissatisfied, I think I was expecting something a little deeper but this was just ok. It would be good for preteen girls that are obsessed with boys, looks and social media.