Bullying

Pippa Rathborne’s performance elevates *Bullying* from a worthwhile listen to a gut-punch experience. She nails the cadence of a middle-schooler’s voice, complete with the shaky breath before a confession or the muttered sarcasm when masking pain. Her ability to shift between raw emotion and stoic detachment mirrors the book’s best moments—like when she delivers a quiet, devastating line about a child blaming themselves for being targeted. The 2-hour runtime is tight, but I found myself wishing for even a few more seconds to process the heavier scenes; the production is clean, but the pauses between chapters sometimes feel too abrupt, as if the story’s emotional weight is being clipped short. That said, Rathborne’s commitment to authenticity makes up for any pacing quirks. The moments where she lingers on a single word—like ‘sorry’—are electric, turning what could’ve been a clinical discussion into a deeply personal crisis. If you’re a parent, educator, or anyone who’s ever been on either side of bullying, this audiobook will leave you raw but enlightened. My only critique? The ending feels slightly abrupt, as if the story’s resolution was rushed to fit the timeline. Still, the impact lingers long after the last word.