This book is told in alternating chapters. Amber and Tyler were best friends all through school. But he wanted more - he was also in love with her. She struggled with an eating disorder in high school and he struggled with an emotionally abusive father. She goes away to college and comes home after four years engaged to Daniel. But is flirting with Tyler. Then there is a 4th of July party where the flirting goes too far and she kisses him. Once they are in a room alone she says no, but he is drunk and they have sex. He rapes her. The book starts with 6 month after the rape when Amber has a gun pointed at him, but then goes back to their childhood and tells the story chronologically in alternating chapters told by each of them. There are some chapters interspersed with present day where they are in the car, and then the cabin, with a gun. We see her fear and how emotionally scared and upset she is by the incident. We also see her blaming herself because she was drunk and kissed him. We also see her eating disorder taking over her life again. We see in the chapters told by Tyler how confused he is, how he doesn't recollect the details of the night because he was drunk, how he keeps saying he loves her and would never hurt her. All of that was very real. I did not think the ending (he voluntarily confesses to the police) was very realistic. unfortunately. I am glad that nothing came of the gun incident except she forced him to confess and that she was in counseling and eating again at the end. While I do think these instances of date rape happen all the time (hence the title) I don't think the men usually think twice about it and let it haunt them like it did Tyler and like the experience does to women.

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