Exit, Pursued by a Bear by E.K. Johnson

Exit, Pursued by a Bear is a YA novel by E.K. Johnson. It was on Publisher's Weekly list for top YA novels in 2016. This book is about Hermione, a senior in high school and competitive cheerleader. While at cheer camp, she is drugged and raped and left pregnant.

Sex: The main premise behind this story is Hermione's rape. Because she was drugged with a date rape drug, she can't remember the actual incident, so it's not described in detail. Her boyfriend, before the incident, pressures her some to have sex. He's a fellow cheerleader and plants condoms in her bag. Also, Hermione's best friend, Polly, comes out as gay in the book and she and Hermione discuss sex in that context. It's not graphic, though.

Language: I would say it's mild to moderate. There isn't a ton of language, but when it's used, it's pretty strong.

Violence/Gore/Frightening Scenes/Death: Hermione is raped and left halfway in a lake, to destroy evidence. She later discovers she is pregnant. She decides to have an abortion and the fetus is collected as evidence to try to convict someone of the crime.

Alcohol/Drug Abuse: Alcohol at parties is just mentioned in passing. Hermione is at a dance at cheer camp when she's drugged. The punch is non-alcoholic and the rapist puts a date rape drug in it.

Final Note: This was an incredibly difficult book to read. But, it's an important book to read. Many teenage girls go through this exact situation and it's not talked about nearly enough. Even though everyone knows Hermione was drugged and raped, rumors are still spread around school that it was her fault because she was too big of a flirt. This book did an excellent job of showing the horror of rape and how it effects the victims.