I Want a Restraining Order

Expected Publication: January 29th, 2013

Nobody But Us

By: Kristin Halbrook

HarperTeen

ISBN-13: 9780062121264

Bonnie and Clyde meets IF I STAY in this addictively heart-wrenching story of two desperate teenagers on the run from their pasts.

They’re young. They’re in love. They’re on the run.

Zoe wants to save Will as much as Will wants to save Zoe. When Will turns eighteen, they decide to run away together. But they never expected their escape to be so fraught with danger....

When the whole world is after you, sometimes it seems like you can’t run fast enough.

Nobody But Us, told in alternating perspectives from Will and Zoe, is an unflinching novel, in turns heartbreaking and hopeful, about survival, choices, and love...and how having love doesn’t always mean that you get a happy ending. Described as “beautiful, heartbreaking, and exhilarating” by Kody Keplinger, author of The DUFF, Nobody But Us will prove irresistible to fans of Nina Lacour, Jenny Han, and Sara Zarr.

 

Review

     Will and Zoe run away together, hoping that they can outrun everything bad in their lives - her abusive Father, his lack of family or chances in life and the obvious fact that they're too young to be able to survive without any support.  She is educated and naieve and he is an emotional train-wreck, with so many issues that he is constantly fighting the world.  And when things get dangerous, and the FBI comes chasing after them will Zoe and Will be able to have their happy ending?  Or will their story be just another teenage tragedy?  I went into this wanting to fall in love with it.  But alas, it wasn't meant to be.  AT ALL.  This book is nothing like If I Stay, which leads me to believe that the person who wrote this blurb didn't even read the damn book!  I love a good romance, with tensions and obstacles as much as the next person.  But poor abused Zoe had absolutely no self-respect and chose to run away with a guy whose answer to every problem is to beat someone up and who blames HER when she is sexually harrassed while they're traveling.  That is so unromantic it makes me gag.  Also, several times in the book Will makes her afraid that he's going to hit her.  Zoe just basically goes from an abusive Father, to a very unhealthy and bordering on absuive relationship with Will.  Yeah, I get that Will's had a shitty upbringing and plenty of his own problems but y'all, that's NO EFFING EXCUSE!!!  Nothing makes abuse and violence okay!  The way the book ended was super unsatisfying, because even though they are split apart from each other, Zoe is basically still thinking that Will is her soulmate and the only guy for her.  This book glorified abusive and unhealthy relationships and it was disgusting to me as a reader.  Yes the relationship is intense, but in this case that's a bad thing.  Also, did they really think Zoe could enroll in high school with just a fake I.D.?  And when Will kills someone they STILL think they can get out of the situation okay.  Overall a badly written novel that I hated and would not recommend to my dog as a chew toy.  I might recommend it to my hillbilly neighbors' bonfire though...

VERDICT:  0/5  Stars

*I received an Advanced Reading E-book Copy from the publisher, via Edelweiss. No money or favors were exchanged for this review. This book's expected publication date is January 29th, 2013.*

Breaking Lauren's Face, Y'all

Published: May 24th, 2012
Breaking Lauren (The Lauren Series # 1)
By: Jordan Deen
Black Rose Writing
ISBN-13: 9781612961101

Seventeen-year-old Danny Cummings' life is far from a fairytale, but that's okay since he doesn't believe in happy endings. After spending a year in juvenile hall for maliciously beating his sister's boyfriend, Danny embraces his badass image. Spending most nights drinking, fighting and collecting gambling debts for his Uncle, Danny's life is out of control. His addiction to the bad boy lifestyle won't let him do anything about it, even with his family begging him to go straight. But, when fifteen-year-old Lauren McIntosh stumbles into one of his nightly escapades, the self-proclaimed anti-romantic can't concentrate on anything except Lauren and the fact that she's on the same path his sister was on. Danny knows true love happening for the villain is as common as gamblers paying their debt on time, but he's never backed away from a challenge before and he hates the idea that history will repeat itself.

Growing old with the man she loves—in the small town where she was born—is the only dream Lauren McIntosh has ever had; that is until her family is practically run out of town amidst rumors of arson and adultery. So, when she meets Danny at her new school and hears the rumors about his activities from her new friends, she wants nothing to do with him or the gossip that seems to follow Danny everywhere. After a dangerous and ill-fated attempt at sneaking out, she develops unwelcomed feelings for Danny that he seems to reciprocate. But, Danny’s unrelenting pursuit makes Lauren nervous, especially since he's the only one that wants to know the secrets surrounding her family’s move. Lauren can't tell if Danny's intentions are true or if he has other plans for their newfound and unlikely friendship. The only way to figure out is to let him in and that could destroy everything, including the popularity and social acceptance she desperately seeks.

Review

 

  Considering how long the above summary from Goodreads is, I'm just going to skip straight to my very large and in charge opinions about this book (if you can even call it that).  I went into this book expecting a raw, thrilling romance like Between the Lines by Tammara Webber with main characters from different sides of life.  But what I got was a decent guy caught up in a truly bad situation, who is desperately trying to hold on and a popularity obsessed, spoiled, pouty, whiny, brat who is the source of an unimaginable obsession.  Seriously, what does Danny see in Lauren?  She is so melodramatic that I wanted to wring her neck at times.  Especially when she finds out that her supposedly perfect popular boyfriend Josh trashed the reputation of one of her friends - and still chooses to be with him!  She sticks her head in the sand a lot for someone who's family has so many issues.  Even with his drug and alcohol abuse, part in his Uncle John's bookie business and family issues with his Dad, Stepmom and Sister, Danny is still more down to Earth and good-natured than Lauren by about a mile.  She idolizes her parents, wanting to be a popular cheerleader like Mom and marry a guy like Dad.  You know, they're just perfect if you ignore the fact that Dad cheated and Mom burned down the house in the town they moved away from to retaliate.  Those two have the PERFECT MARRIAGE according to Lauren.  Danny spends the whole book chasing after Lauren and trying to sober up for her, while she flat out says to his face that she'd rather have her little girl fantasy (Josh) than try to have something real with him.  I practically CHEERED when Danny's sister Sara told Lauren that he was too good for her and not the other way around like everyone else seemed to think.  She repeatedly shoved herself in Danny's face while trying to act like she was better than him, plus when she mysteriously gets the $500 Homecoming Dress she wanted, the moron assumes her parents changed their minds!!! WTF?!!  Yeah right, her parents are going to buy a dress that costs that much for a high school dance!  I actually wasn't too far behind her parent's disbelief at her utter stupidity on that one (the dress was really from Danny).  Just what-the-hell-ever people.  Not a good book in the least.  Minus Lauren it could've been a decent book about a teenage guy with some serious issues, trying to clean up his life.  With her it was a poorly written, unintelligble mess that makes me want to hurl something breakable at the wall.  I'll give it ALMOST one star for Danny.  That's all I owe this book.

 

VERDICT:  0.75/5  Stars

 

*I received an Advanced Reading E-book Copy from the publisher, via NetGalley. No money or favors were exchanged for this review. This book was published May 24th, 2012.*

Beautiful Is Never Truly Broken

Published: April 24th, 2012

Breaking Beautiful

By: Jennifer Shaw Wolf

Walker Children's

ISBN-13: 9780802723529

Allie lost everything the night her boyfriend, Trip, died in a horrible car accident—including her memory of the event. As their small town mourns his death, Allie is afraid to remember because doing so means delving into what she’s kept hidden for so long: the horrible reality of their abusive relationship.

When the police reopen the investigation, it casts suspicion on Allie and her best friend, Blake, especially as their budding romance raises eyebrows around town. Allie knows she must tell the truth. Can she reach deep enough to remember that night so she can finally break free? Debut writer Jennifer Shaw Wolf takes readers on an emotional ride through the murky waters of love, shame, and, ultimately, forgiveness.

Review

   Allie is devastated by an accident that left her fighting for her life and her boyfriend Trip losing his.  Now dealing with the loss of her memory from the time she was getting ready for the dance until she woke in the hospital, Allie is losing herself in an unexpected emotion - relief.  Because no one knows that Trip used to abuse Allie, verbally and physically.  Except for a few of his friends that just stood by and watched.  Allie was too ashamed to tell anyone and she still is.  But someone doesn't want Allie to move on and is leaving threatening messages in her locked.  When it turns out that Trip's death might not have been completely an accident. both Allie and her best friend Blake (who might be becoming something more) are thrown under suspicion by the entire town.  Can Allie remember what happened and save them both from uncertainty?  But will it turn out to be what she expected when she finally does?  Allie was a very strong main character.  It takes a lot of strength to deal with being in an abusive relationship, especially when your self-esteem is as low as hers obviously was.  Her twin brother Andrew, who suffers cerebral palsy, was another very strong character in the book.  He supported Allie, even when she felt like giving up on life and not trying anymore.  I think the reality of the plot was surprising because a lot of authors skate over the fact that not every parent notices when something like this is happening.  And when they find out not everything turns into rainbows and puppies either.  I loved Blake for being angry, but unwilling to stop trying to save Allie (even from herself near the end of the book).  This was definitely worth the read.  The only complaints that really keep this from being a five star book are the cheesy ending and Allie's block-headed whining for the first half of the book.

VERDICT: 4/5  Stars

*I received an Advanced Reading E-book Copy from the publisher, via NetGalley.  No money or favors were exchanged for this review. This book was published April 24th, 2012.*

Don't Breathe My Name...

Published: January 3rd, 2012
Don't Breathe a Word
By: Holly Cupala
HarperTeen
ISBN-13: 9780061766695


Joy Delamere is suffocating...
From asthma, which has nearly claimed her life. From her parents, who will do anything to keep that from happening. From delectably dangerous Asher, who is smothering her from the inside out.

Joy can take his words—tender words, cruel words—until the night they go too far.

Now, Joy will leave everything behind to find the one who has offered his help, a homeless boy called Creed. She will become someone else. She will learn to survive. She will breathe... if only she can get to Creed before it’s too late.

Set against the gritty backdrop of Seattle’s streets and a cast of characters with secrets of their own, Holly Cupala’s powerful new novel explores the subtleties of abuse, the meaning of love, and how far a girl will go to discover her own strength.

Review

   Joy Delamere had a pretty good life, with a decent family and some close friends.  All that changed when she started going out with Asher, a rich boy with a cruel streak.  But after overlooking all of the problems with their relationship, one night Asher goes to far.  Joy decides to run away because she knows that Asher will never let go of her any other way.  Making it look like she was kidnapped, Joy escapes from her house and disguises herself by bleaching her hair, wearing goth-like clothes and calling herself Triste.  Joy only takes some basics with her, including her asthma medication.  Without it, there is a possibility that Joy could literally suffocate to death, because her asthma has already almost killed her before.  Joy sets out to find this homeless boy named Creed, who promised to help her (when he saw her and Asher fight outside a club one night).  Creed, along with his friends Santos and May who are equally messed up, take Joy under their wing.  As they school her on the ways of the streets, Joy learns to value herself  and begins to fall in love with Creed.  Evnetually each of the group's individual issues catch up with them.  Will having one another be enough to survive?  Joy's journey was so heartbreakingly real.  While sympathizing with her situation, at the same time you want to grab her shoulders and shake some serious sense into her!  All of the problems and family issues of each of the kids is realistic and painful to read about, especially Santos.  The book evolves in a way that stays true to the characters, but I did feel disappointed with how neatly things wrap up for Creed and Joy.  Overall a good read that I had a hard time putting down.  Recommended for those who want a realistic fiction book that packs a punch.

VERDICT:  4/5  Stars

*No money or favors were exchanged for this review. This book is now available in stores and online.*