A review by kidisitor
Bad Cruz by L.J. Shen

5.0

I'll be honest, this book gave me high anxiety. The Heroine is the town's outcast. Labeled as a 'whore' ever since she got pregnant in high school. (After having sex for the first time.) The father immediately leaving town, not only leaving her to raise the baby on her own, but leaving her to defend herself. The things she put up with from everyone who knew her (and it is a small town so everyone knew everyone,) including her own family is appalling. The Hero is the town's Golden Boy who can do no wrong... and that means not getting involved with the towns black sheep. What they don't know, is that he's had a thing for her since they were kids. In general this is a lighter read, but with frustration you'll feel on behalf of the Heroine (and Hero for that matter,) it makes it a little heavy. All that keeps you invested though, so you'll want to see it to the end to see if she finally sticks up for herself. There is some humor so there is a little stress relief throughout. There is sexual content. Despite (or perhaps because of) all that anxiousness the story delivers, it is well written and hard to put down.