The Cutting Club by April Thompson.

The Cutting Club has four simple rules, no cutting deep, no Killer cuts, tell no one and keep your distance. But sadly things can go wrong.

The Cutting Club is a YA novel about high school teenagers in America and how they cope with life. The characters self-harm for various reasons and this adds a certain darkness to the story. Slowly each character's back story unfolds and you wonder how the story will develop. I quickly developed an empathy for the lead characeter Liz and her personality was fully explored. Before the end you discover Liz's dark secret that makes her self harm.

This book is a thriller all the way to the end. It is sympathetic to readers who may self harm and does not put a negative judgement on the characters. For readers who do not self harm, it explores a lot of the reasons why and the feelings involved. The descriptions of the cuttings are very powerful indeed and the thrill rushes off the page at you. I am NOT qualified to offer an opinion if this book COULD be a trigger to a self harmer.

I think The Cutting Club is a good read. It covers emotional issues and tackles the hidden activity of self-harm. Although the book may be aimed at the YA audience, because of the darkness, suspense and tension it will appeal to older readers. The plot lines are good and this makes for a thrilling read which I will vote 4 stars.

The Cutting Club is available as an Amazon Kindle eBook and was written in 2013.