Reviewed by Amber Gibson for TeensReadToo.comEveryone's told lies. Most lies aren't even that bad. They don't hurt anyone...they're just harmless. One night, Mariah, Anna, and Emma are off at an older boy's house, instead of at the movies like they said they would be. But when their parents show up at the movies and can't find them anywhere, they are caught in their lie. They're okay, but they don't want to be grounded for life. Telling a little lie would be a lot easier than telling the truth, and nobody would get in trouble. So for fear of getting in huge trouble with their parents, the girls concoct a simple story. They were on their way to the movie, walking along the river, when a man attacked Emma. They didn't get a chance to see his face, and they don't remember what he looked like because they were scared. Luckily for Emma, Mariah and Anna threw a rock at the man's head and they were able to get away. The three best friends vow to stick by this story, but they have no idea how much this one lie will envelop their lives. They didn't count on their parents involving the police. They didn't count on everyone at school finding out. They didn't count on the entire community rallying around the girls and calling them "heroes." And they definitely didn't count on anyone being arrested for their imaginary crime. The girls are in too deep, buried in their lie. The lie that was supposed to be their savior now nags their conscious with every waking moment. But will they be able to find the courage to tell the truth? I could really relate to the characters in this book, and see how under a pressure situation, I might have made the wrong decision, too. HARMLESS by Dana Renihardt is the story of how a seemingly small lie can take on a life of its own. But, more importantly, it shows how anyone can make a stupid mistake, and that everyone deserves forgiveness.
Ever since the 3rd grade, Emma and Anna have been best friends and still strong. But till this new girl, Mariah, comes along. Mariah, a speedy wild beautiful girl, enters this town with a reputation already! As the girls grow closer and become more like sisters, they all let each other in on their secrets and whole life. Having a college year boyfriend, Mariah believes she has to impress and stay with him. The girls plan to have a sleepover with Mariah's older boyfriend and his friends at their house. Seeing how Mariah acts with the other gender, the other girls get influenced with her steps. But when the parents catch them lying one day, they have to make a plan to get out of trouble! Instead of telling the truth, the girls plan a lie setting story about how Emma got attacked by a man by the lake. With the parents worried, they tell the police... and shortly the whole town hears about it. Everyone honors the girls for their braveness to leave and get into a safe environment without getting hurt by the man. The lies and lies add me, and the girls feel horrible and disturbed by who they became. This book was heaven! Without a doubt it's my favorite! I say that about a lot of books... but I want to recommend this book to everyone! It has such great tension and the author, Reinhardt, really knew how to grab the reader in! It's amazing how attached I got with this book. I felt like I was in the scene with the girls! Wonderful book, everyone should read this! Wow !
Do You like book Harmless (2007)?
Harmless, by Dana Reinhardt is about three best friends Anna, Mariah and Emma and a life changing lie. When the three girls lie, and go to a party they shouldn't have gone to, and their parents find out, their plan falls apart. They end up telling a lie, and their parent are determined to punish someone. The police are involved, and the girls have to work together to get through their rough times. This is an exciting book with a lot of romance throughout this story. Many times there was too much drama and romance for me. Readers who enjoy romance, mystery and suspense will like reading this book, and other books by Dana Reinhardt.
—Lilah
I'm gonna be blunt: I am straight-up grateful that this book exists.I've seen loads of YA lit about rape and general assault and the seriousness and fallout from that, but this is actually one of only a few I've seen that deals with the seriousness of false accusations and the potential consequences of it.It doesn't get talked about as much; there are a lot of people who are made very, very uncomfortable by the idea that a woman would lie about the kind of assault like the girls lie about in this book. They want to assume that if someone makes an accusation like this, well, gosh, it's so serious, so it must be true.And the thing is, it's not always. False accusations happen, and the reality of it needs to be addressed more. People need to be aware that lies like this can really mess up the accused person's life.I'm glad that the author wrote this book, and I'm glad that she did it with characters that people can sympathize with and understand. I'm glad that she approached it with all of the seriousness the topic warranted.
—TJL
Didn't enjoy it.I felt the major conflict, 3 girls lying about being nearly raped as a cover for being out partying, was unrealistic. I would hope that 15 year old girls wouldn't believe such a story is taken lightly and craft that sort of lie. Sure, they'd fib, say they met up with someone and got a ride someplace, but claim to be attacked? Doubt it. (Being a teen myself, I wouldn't concoct such a story.)The characters were highly unlikeable, by not only sticking to their lie, but reeling in and enjoying the benefits. It's a small town so the news got out. Anna felt popular, enjoyed others sympathy, went shopping with daddy's credit card. Mariah was distracted with trying to snag a fellow friends brother for a boyfriend. The only character who had any redeemable qualities was the guilt-stricken, withdrawn Emma and I didn't even like her. (Obviously, she's the one that busts and tells the truth.) The story itself, and the characters were cruddy, and the writing joins that circle, as well. Did the author try to make this story boring, or was it completely unintentional? At least each characters chapters were relatively short, so you got to take breaks from them.Skip this or pick it up at the library. Fortunately, I did.
—Kristen "Kirby"
