Harmless is an intense read about three friends making up a big excuse as to why they weren’t at the movies like they told their parents. When a text comes in that says “We went to the movies and you’re not there. Where are you?” the girls were actually at a boy’s house partying. So they had to make a good excuse quick to cover them. Little did they know that the lie that was supposed to save them would actually force them to come face to face with jail time. This book shows how lying gets you in a bigger hole than just telling the truth.
 
My favorite part of this book is when the girls go party for the first time. Anna is a timid girl, not ready for the drinking scene but her friends Emma and Mariah are. Emma is the “good girl gone bad” when she looses her virginity when she so drunk she can’t hardly remember it. Which lead to another problem, Emma also questions whether the sex she shared with an older boy was what she wanted. Was it rape? Or not? She couldn’t remember which leaves Emma mad at herself and her friends that put her in the situation. Which leaves us with Mariah, the school’s “bad girl” or so they think. Yes, she dates older guys and yes, she is dating one now from another school and is having sex with him. She is a typical rebellious girl but she isn’t deep down. So my favorite part is when they first get at the party and Emma is drinking and gets a little caught up and before she knows it she is having sex for the first time on an itchy floral couch. It’s not my favorite part because of that but it definitely reeled you in. I couldn’t imagine losing something so special to me in such a non-special way. Emma first realized that she had made a big mistake. This book is definitely a page turner and a good easy read for entertainment.

My least favorite part was when Emma confessed to her therapist. She just blurted it out because it was ruining her. Once her therapist knew, she had to tell the police. It was so scary for those girls to have to be hand-cuffed and put into a police car. I know it was the right treatment but I couldn’t imagine myself handling that. I also had another least favorite part. It’s more like a least favorite person which is Mariah’s dad. He is so controlling and criticizes everything that Mariah does. It definitely bothered me.
 
Overall I loved this book. It was a quick read and I could comfortably get it done in two weeks. I recommend this book to young teens because it does touch on sexual things but it’s not graphic. It is more of a life lesson to be learned about respecting yourself and telling the truth because all and all it gets you in less trouble.