title: Exit, Pursued by a Bear
author:  E.K. Johnston 
description: "This story of a cheerleader rising up after a traumatic event will give you<i>Veronica Mars</i>-level feels that will stay with you long after you finish."<b><i>Seventeen Magazine</i><br /><br /></b>"E.K. Johnston's latest gripping novel for young adults<i>. . .</i>is both a well-plotted whodunit and a tightly woven examination of how we as a society respond to  and often judge  rape victims."<b><i>The Chicago Tribune<br /></i></b><br />"E.K. Johnston has a seemingly limitless range. This is realistic fiction at its best."<b><i>The Globe &amp; Mail</i></b><br /><br />"A powerful rape survival story to make you believe in a better world."<b>The Rumpus</b><br /><br />"Soberly triumphant."<b><i>Toronto Star</i></b><br /><br />"Every girl who has ever been sexually assaulted or known someone who has, should read this book. So should every boy who has ever raped or known one who has. Every reader might try to be a friend like Polly. E.K. Johnston writes so well, showing a dark reality highlighted by compassion."<b><i>TheNews-Gazette</i></b><br /><br />A NPR<b>Best Book of 2016</b><br /><br />A<i>Publishers Weekly</i><b>Best Book of 2016<br /></b><br />A <i>Booklist</i> <b>Best Book of 2016</b><br /><br />A New York Public Library 2016<b>Top Ten Book for Teens<br /><br /></b>A Chicago Public Library<b>Best Teen Fiction of 2016</b><br /><br />A<i>Globe &amp; Mail</i><b>Best Book of 2016</b><br /><br />A CBC <b>Best Book of 2016<br /><br /></b>A <i>Quill &amp; Quire</i><b> Best Book of 2016</b><br /><br />A Bustle<b>Top 30 YA Book of 2016</b><br /><br />A Bookish<b>Best Book of 2016</b><br /><br />A finalist forAudibles<b>Best Young Adult Audiobook of 2016</b><br /><br />A Nerdy Book Club<b> Best YA of 2016<br /><br /></b>A Bank Street College<b>Best Children's Book of the Year<br /></b><br />A 2017<b> Ontario Library AssociationWhite Pine Honor Book<br /></b><br /><b>Winner</b>of the 2017 Canadian Children's Book Centre's Amy Mathers Teen Book Award<br /><br /><i>"Exit, Pursued by a Bear</i>is both a tenderly written, heartfelt coming of age and an incisive, sensitive examination of trauma after an assault. Fresh, memorable, and thought-provoking."<br /><b><b></b>Courtney Summers, author of</b><i><b>All the Rage</b><br /><br /></i>"A unflinching exploration of what it means to be a girl, what it means to be a friend, and what it means to be a survivor. A determined, transformative book that every teen girl should read."<br /><b><b></b>Tess Sharpe, author of<i>Far From You</i></b><br /><br />Gripping and devastating.<b>Anne Ursu, author of</b><i><b>The Real Boy.</b><br /><br /><i>"Exit, Pursued by a Bear</i></i>is a must-read. Bracing, intimate, tense, and delightful."<b>Martha Brockenbrough, author of<i>The Game of Love and Death.<br /><br /></i></b><i>Exit, Pursued by a Bear</i>is a story about a girl. A cautionary tale about someone who didn't want to be a cautionary tale. An important book for girls. For boys. For adults. For mothers and fathers and daughters and sons and girlfriends and boyfriends. An important book without being an 'Issue Book.' And I loved it.<b><i><i>New York Times</i></i>bestselling authorJessica Day George<br /><br /></b>"I WAS NOT WARNED THAT I WOULD CRY THIS MUCH."<b><i><i>New York Times</i></i>bestselling authorRachel Hartman<br /></b><br />"Johnstons cleverbut never preciousupdate of Shakespeares<i>The Winters Tale</i>is unflinching but not at all graphic in its treatment of sexual violence....Middle and high school readers will pass this powerful, engaging story around and around."<b><i>Kirkus Reviews,</i>starred.<br /><br /></b>"Fierce and gorgeously drawn, this is a rape story that doesnt focus on victimhood."<b><i>Booklist,</i>starred.<br /></b><br /><i></i>A beautifully written portrait of a young woman facing the unthinkable, this is a must-buy for high school collections.<b><i><b><i>SLJ</i></b>,</i>starred.<br /><br /></b>"While Hermione is a victim, Johnson never portrays her as victimized, instead focusing on how Hermione reasserts control over her life with help from family, friends, and therapy, using her own decisions to push back against something in which she had no such choice."<b><i><b><i>PW</i></b>,</i>starred.<br /><br /></b>"The reader is kept engaged, and  like Hermione  hopeful, even in the darkest moments. [...]<i>Exit, Pursued by a Bear</i>is a story of triumph, not just survival."<b><i><b>Quill &amp; Quire</b>,</i>starred.<br /><br /></b>"Johnston creates a strong female main character that will not be afraid, and refuses to be a cautionary tale or a pariah. <b><b><i>SLC,</i>starred</b><br /><br /></b><i>"Exit, Pursued by a Bear</i>is an important new novel comparable with<i>Speak</i>by Laurie Halse Anderson.<b>VOYA.<br /><br /></b>"Should a young reader ever need guidance following an assault, she could do much worse than to emulate Hermione Winters."<b><i>Bookpage,</i>Top Pick<br /><br /></b>"A raw, powerful story thatll stay with you long after its over.<b>Buzzfeed</b><br /><br />"Crisp, engaging writing, strong characterization and a steady hand distinguish this thought-provoking novel about coping and community."<b>Shelf Awareness<br /></b><br />"While assault survivors, both in fact and in fiction, often find their lives narrowed to this one designation, Johnston refuses to flatten her heroine. Instead, she insists that Hermione's joy in being thrown into the air during cheer routines, and the strength of her best friendship with co-captain Polly are just as vital to our understanding of her as the facts of her assault."<b>Margaret H. Willison, NPR book critic</b><br /><br />"I have not been so deliciously surprised by a book in a long time."<b>Grace Wright, Parnassus Books</b><br /><br />"This is a vital book about the importance of creating a strong system of support for victims of assault."<b>Bookish</b><br /><br />A 2017 Ontario Library Association<b>White Pine Finalist<br /></b>
zlib_text:  
  After Ben’s mates are murdered, Red and Quentin quickly move in to
  
  comfort the human. Their animal instinct drives them closer—because
  they realize Ben is now meant for them. They watch over and protect the
  broken man, allowing him to mourn and grieve for the love he lost, ever
  hopeful they’ll one day be able to claim what is theirs.
   
  Ben eventually senses their connection, once the haze of despair begins to
  fade. Yet he cannot stop the guilt that causes from consuming him. He
  clings to the pain and memory of what was, instead of allowing himself to
  think of what could be.
   
  When Ben attempts to leave Bear Mountain behind, his bears race to
  stop him. He knows he has nothing left to give them and demands they
  let him go. So Red and Quentin make him an offer—he can go if he
  agrees to one night in their arms.
   
  Can he possibly leave after that?
   
  
  A Second Chance with Two Bears
  Bear Mountain, 5
   
  by
  Kelex
   
   
   
  M/M/M, M/M, BDSM, BONDAGE,
  SUSPENSION BONDAGE,
  ANAL PLAY, ANAL SEX, TOY PL