It took me a long time to finish this book. That's pretty normal for me, since I am a student and generally have a lot of reading on my plate to do that isn't just for fun. However, I had to actually goad myself to keep reading this book instead of reading another because I just didn't see the point in it. Sure, there was conflict, but I wasn't sure where the book was trying to go with it.

I also had a problem with some of the character development. Although the book tried to get me to sympathize with Binhammer's wife, I couldn't. There was not enough reason for me to enjoy her as a person to either feel sorry for her or understand her point of view. I also had a hard time understanding why other characters were placed in the book. Sibyl, for instance, was one character that just completely disappeared about 2/3 through the book, and nothing more was said about her interactions with the other characters after that.

The students seemed to be placed there (with the sole exception of Liz Warren, perhaps) to be used for plots involving the adults or teachers. I wouldn't normally mind this--not every character has to be essential to the plot--but I don't know why the author actually put some of them there. I understood the character personalities or types, but wasn't sure why they actually mattered or were important.

My last criticism comes from the fact that the emotions and behaviors in the book seemed very shallow. Teenage girls are grittier, more emotionally charged, and deep than the book tries to depict. The only mean thing that I ever heard come out of a student's mouth in this book sounded like something I might have said as a teenager while gossiping to another friend, not in an angry confrontation with someone I disliked or was jealous of. Overall, the students seemed way more innocent than they should be in real life, and seemed to pay way too much importance to their teachers.