jaywithwhiskey's review
3.0
I wish I saw more of Grant and Sydney together in the end. And I do wish SO much that I saw more confrontation between Grant and Trevor.
Even though looking back I can't remember much happening. But I read the whole story straight through. Between Trevor and Grant scenes, it kept me interested.
I absolutely loved the fact that Trevor wasn't written off as the bad guy at first. I mean we know he is going into the book but you start off the first few times you see him and go "Aw, I like him. What's wrong with him?".
Oh yeah, and after 163 books I've read before this, this is the ONLY book I will probably always remember the first chapter. It just stuck to me. I read it and immediately said "DAYYUM". It was real shit, people.
But I think it's worth noting that I liked this book a lot better than Grounding Quinn, although I like Quinn's outspokeness much better just as a character trait. I felt like Sydney barely spoke to her friends.
Even though looking back I can't remember much happening. But I read the whole story straight through. Between Trevor and Grant scenes, it kept me interested.
I absolutely loved the fact that Trevor wasn't written off as the bad guy at first. I mean we know he is going into the book but you start off the first few times you see him and go "Aw, I like him. What's wrong with him?".
Oh yeah, and after 163 books I've read before this, this is the ONLY book I will probably always remember the first chapter. It just stuck to me. I read it and immediately said "DAYYUM". It was real shit, people.
But I think it's worth noting that I liked this book a lot better than Grounding Quinn, although I like Quinn's outspokeness much better just as a character trait. I felt like Sydney barely spoke to her friends.
heidi_boyles's review
5.0
I read this from to start to finish in one setting. It was that good. I think I held my breath more than I actually breathed while reading. Love being able to see back stories of characters that I've connected with.
the_local_dialect's review
2.0
I don't usually read young adult fiction but picked this one up because it came up in my search of gymnastics books (which it isn't really, the gymnastics subplot is secondary).
I guess I should read YA books with a teenager in mind. What I liked about this book was the subject matter. Lots of teens are involved in abusive relationships and I think it is great that there are books like this one which tackle what is an important and difficult issue.
I didn't particularly like that Sydney's escape from her abusive boyfriend came at the hands of a perfect cute new boy. Young girls should know that they can leave an abusive guy even without a knight in shining armor swooping in to save the day (literally, several times). I think that the author introduced the new boy as a counterpoint to the abusive guy, to show girls healthy and unhealthy behavior in contrast, so I appreciate the motive, but question the execution. While the new boy basically told her to do an "I choose me," they do end up together in the end and it is clear that she would have jumped straight into a relationship with him if left to her own devices.
Also, as a parent, I was really irritated by the fact that Sydney's father just went along with her request not to press charges against the boyfriend who, among other things, pushed her down the stairs and punched her in the face. What message does that send? That it is more important to keep quiet and avoid embarrassment than to keep an abuser from abusing again? That being abused is shameful? By all accounts Sydney's ex was happily living his life while she was laid up in a hospital. I can understand that at that point the author probably wanted to wrap up the book and didn't want to get into a drawn out legal thing, but there are ways (I can think of several off the bat) she could have dealt with this.
In the end, YA fiction is YA fiction. This one is not bad but the author probably could have been a little bit more conscientious about the message she sends.
I guess I should read YA books with a teenager in mind. What I liked about this book was the subject matter. Lots of teens are involved in abusive relationships and I think it is great that there are books like this one which tackle what is an important and difficult issue.
I didn't particularly like that Sydney's escape from her abusive boyfriend came at the hands of a perfect cute new boy. Young girls should know that they can leave an abusive guy even without a knight in shining armor swooping in to save the day (literally, several times). I think that the author introduced the new boy as a counterpoint to the abusive guy, to show girls healthy and unhealthy behavior in contrast, so I appreciate the motive, but question the execution. While the new boy basically told her to do an "I choose me," they do end up together in the end and it is clear that she would have jumped straight into a relationship with him if left to her own devices.
Also, as a parent, I was really irritated by the fact that Sydney's father just went along with her request not to press charges against the boyfriend who, among other things, pushed her down the stairs and punched her in the face. What message does that send? That it is more important to keep quiet and avoid embarrassment than to keep an abuser from abusing again? That being abused is shameful? By all accounts Sydney's ex was happily living his life while she was laid up in a hospital. I can understand that at that point the author probably wanted to wrap up the book and didn't want to get into a drawn out legal thing, but there are ways (I can think of several off the bat) she could have dealt with this.
In the end, YA fiction is YA fiction. This one is not bad but the author probably could have been a little bit more conscientious about the message she sends.
bookhoarder76's review
3.0
I give this one a 3.5 not quite a 4 in my book but a very good, quick read. Diving right into Grounding Quinn!
More...