Sarah Enni

A different take on the damages of Social Media. While Ivy thinks she's completing Random Acts of Kindness, she is actually "violating" the privacy of others. VEIL is supposed to be an app that users. can post their artistic interpretations without any reactions/comments, etc. Ivy is perceptive enough to deduce who some of these users are. This book is also an examination of social anxiety, the lack of willingness for someone to truly put themselves out there. Ivy uses VEIL but is reluctant to post, while at the same time she recreates posts in her own way, which turn out to be a path to her opening up and accepting the true artist that she is.… (mehr)

Literary Merit: Great
Characterization: Great
Recommended: yes
Level: High School or above

I loved Sarah Enni’s book Tell Me Everything. The main character, Ivy, is an introvert that loves performing random acts of kindness for people. The novel starts when Ivy says goodbye to her best friend, Harold for the summer. Ivy starts using a new art-sharing app called VEIL, to fill Harold’s void. The app is anonymous, but once high school is back in session, Ivy starts to figure out who some of the artists are. She sends a few gifts and she feels great!

Then someone submits an antigay post on VEIL and it causes parents and the school system to be on high alert. The school demands that VEIL release the identity of the student who posted the Hate Speech. Enni addresses many issues like freedom of speech, bullying, parental rights with tact during this book. I think it would be a great tool for parents to use when they talk to their teens about social media.

Ivy plans two more random acts of kindness for app users and they backfire terribly. She learns a lot from both experiences and finally has the courage to display her art. In addition, there is great dialogue between Ivy and her parents and an adorable romance. In additon, one of the secondary characters comes out as gay during the novel!… (mehr)