Ever Since (USED)

Ever Since by Alena Bruzas

💔 A bold, emotionally resonant YA debut about trauma, truth, and reclaiming your voice.

Ever Since is a raw and powerful young adult novel perfect for fans of Nina LaCour, Kathleen Glasgow, and readers drawn to feminist YA fiction that tackles difficult topics with heart and honesty.

Seventeen-year-old Virginia has a reputation in her small town—one she didn’t entirely earn but can’t seem to escape. Labeled “that kind of girl,” she leans on her circle of best friends to survive the whispers—until everything changes.

When she falls for Rumi, her best friend's boyfriend, Virginia breaks the one unspoken rule of their group. Their relationship unfolds in secret, but soon becomes overshadowed by something far darker: Virginia realizes Rumi’s younger sister, Lyra, is being groomed by someone the town admires.

Now Virginia faces an impossible choice—stay silent and let history repeat itself, or speak out and risk everything.

• 🗣️ A gripping story about surviving trauma and reclaiming your narrative

• 💔 Tough, tender, and timely—ideal for fans of real-life issue YA

• 🧠 Addresses grooming, victim-blaming, and toxic reputations with compassion and nuance

• 💬 An empowering novel about finding the courage to speak up—even when it costs everything

Perfect for readers of:

• Kathleen Glasgow (Girl in Pieces)

• Amber Smith (The Way I Used to Be)

• Laurie Halse Anderson (Speak)

• Fierce contemporary fiction about consent, resilience, and truth

YA books about trauma, contemporary feminist YA, young adult books about speaking out, emotional YA fiction, Alena Bruzas debut novel