I Stop Somewhere ~ T.E Carter

Purchasing this book on a recent visit to one of our favourite local bookshops I couldn’t wait to devour it and soon as I had finished my current read. The blurb intrigued me instantly and knew it would be my cup of tea. What I didn’t realise when I started was just how difficult this book was going to be to read. Not due to the writing style or annoying characters, but just how it beautifully covered such raw subjects of horrific violence, sexual assault and murder. This book hits hard and at points, I had to stop reading in order to divulge what I had just read.

This book follows Ellie Frias who is telling her story from beyond the grave. Missing for six months, no one knows what happened to her or where she is. No one knows she is in the ground of an abandoned house by the river. She is a spirit telling us the story of how she was sexually assaulted, by someone she thought she could trust, and ultimately killed. Now, Ellie is trapped in the house where it all happened and is having to watch/listen to all the unfortunate girls who have come after her. None of which meet an end like Ellie’s but have to go on living with what has happened.

Carter has honestly written a book like no other that I have read before on a similar topic. It is explicit but for all the right reasons. It is a book that I think everyone should read. Carter ensures that you feel great empathy for Ellie, never putting the blame on her but still letting the guilt she carries nonetheless to seep through the pages. She unflinchingly explores topics in such a heartfelt way, real-life events that are happening every day and showing how much wealth and privilege can make people untouchable. In a small town setting everyone takes their sides. Ellie’s far less disadvantaged upbringing compared to her attackers leads you to believe that they could get away with it all. Money, unfortunately, equals power.

Almost written is a dreamlike state, this story is far from any fairytale. What these girls go through is harrowing but they still have hope. And, at heart, that’s what matters the most. Carter dedicates her book to ‘the girls who survive, to the girls who are found too late, to the girls who are never found’. I highly suggest after finishing that you read the author’s note. The book will become even more powerful.

Truly, I Stop Somewhere, deserves nothing less than a ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ star rating.

M🌸