Careless book geek

This is just your typical, formulatic YA. You have your speshul snowflake of a MC that's better than anyone else in this small town with only small-minded people. She has not friends because she's apparently a freak but also because she's above anyone else. Then there's an asshole, but hot, mate, hot love interest that's, you know, just so HOT, like!!11!!! Then we have cheating ex-boyfriend who just wants to get back with MC and MC starts to consider it because he so sweet!!!! Of course, there's also this slut who's like so slutty because she has SEX, OH MY GOD!!! Not to mention that MC actually slut-shames her own brother because he often has sex. No. Just no. I'm sorry I don't know what people see in this. I tried reading it till the end just because of the mystery, but I ended up skipping the last 100 of pages and seeing who did it. And, to be honest, it didn't surprise me, I kind of expected it.

So yeah, this book did nothing to me. I felt as if I've read it hundreds of times already and maybe I am missing something, but this was just painful to me.

So it took me forever to read this not because I didn't like it, but because there's always that period in a year where I just kind of stop reading. Not on purpose, but I guess something in me seeks a break from reading so it just happens. I'm glad I finally did finish this, though, because I enjoyed Veronica Mars as much as I (still) enjoy a TV show as well as the movie. I can't wait to read the next one. Keep being awesome and everything will be sunshine and rainbows. :D

DNF

I think I've read thirty pages of this, put the book down, and said "never again". This is probably my personal record that I gave up on the book. I don't exactly know what it is. The premise sounds great, the title, the cover, everything is great, except from what's inside the book. In those thirty pages, there's just a lot of info-dumping and scientific facts and phrases I wasn't half assed to understand because it's written in such boring and uninteresting way I found myself falling asleep more times than not. It reads as if we need some knowledge about robots and robotics beforehand and that's not something I appreciate at all. Because I'm not a robotics fanatic who'll go research stuff about them before reading a book about robots. And I wasn't supposed to because a writer should be able to provide us the information the book needs.

I looked forward to reading this but, unfortunately, I ended up being disappointed. Eh, better luck for me next time.

Sooooo, surprisingly I liked this. Didn't expect it to but oh well. Regardless, I'm glad I tried this for myself.

A bit wary of this. It's not bad for now, but I have no opinion of it so far.

So, my very, very dear and a very, very good friend of mine did this illustration for the cover of my story/book in making (and also my Camp NaNoWriMo project) and I couldn't be happier. Seriously, she's the best thing ever.

My cover is even prettier than the original one. I keep staring with the stars in my eyes. Shame it's only on one edition which is on a foreign language.

On the other news, after the first chapter, I don't like the main character which, I guess, is a point. I need time to get used to this.

Okay, okay, deep breaths.

I still don't know what to write about this. Because it left me completely shocked and terrified for my life and everything that's dear to me. I loved and hated this more than a life itself. I'm still debating is this or "Forbidden" more mindfucking. Though I still this "Forbidden" wins the battle. Still, this barely kept me sane and I don't think I'm still sane.

This is the way you handle the rape subject and the way you write emotions and consequences from it. This is the way you write tough subject because any book that has me screaming at 2am is a good book.

Characters were on point. They weren't perfect. They weren't without a fault. They were very realistic and very connectable. I loved them. I cried and I laughed with them. I felt with them and I just... well, I just really don't know what to say. It's hard because this book is so good it hurts.

Please, just read it for yourselves. Maybe you won't feel the same way I did but that doesn't matter because this book has changed me and I loved every second of it.

Right after this I've read a book that handled rape in much better and realistic way than this one. My review will be short because I don't have much time, but what I don't understand is why that many people love this book. It's nothing special. It's not groundbreaking or heartbreaking, for that matter. It doesn't deal with emotions about rape and being almost-raped the way it should. To be honest, I didn't think about it much whilst reading the book, but when I've read "Faking Normal" right after this and in one fucking breath, I've come to realize that this book doesn't deal with the subject that way I think it should.

I found it utterly unbelievable that Jackie would be okay with sex right after the guy almost raping her. She shakes and she has traumas, sure, but she's still okay with Lucas touching her and everything. As far as I know, that would be almost impossible for her to even think about in the first few months.

Also, I hate the way this book is wrapped in a perfect little bow at the end when the rapist is arrested and suddenly, everything is fine and dandy. I'm sorry but that's not realistic. Jackie should've had traumas for much longer than she really did.

Every guy except Lucas and adults is presented as an uncaring dick when it comes to the subject of rape and getting Buck arrested. Why does the main hero always have to be the only sane one? Can somebody please explain it to me? Not all guys are jackasses and not all of them will agree to something as covering up the rape.

Moreover, Lucas was your perfect, tattooed, damaged NA hero with a dark past, and that's the part that annoyed me the most. Maybe it's my fault I went to read this soon after finishing "Beautiful Disaster" so I couldn't help but to compare. And while the writing is much better than in BD, there are still issues with this book I could not look away from.

This wasn't a bad book, but it also wasn't my kind of a book. I hope someone else enjoys it more than me.

I feel like throwing up, screaming and crying all at the same time. I hate this book, I really really do. Deep breaths, okay, deep breaths.

Apparently, the story/book/whatever I'm working on right now MAY have too strong of a language and context for Wattpad community. Apparently, all I should write about is cute, fluffy romance and cliches after cliches. Put in a reality and you get a restricted sign and a possiblity of your story being removed. Wow.

Oh my god, what have I gotten myself into?

Much better than Beautiful Disaster, thank god.

Adored and loved everything about this. Review to come.

Times I hit my head with this book: I stopped counting after 15 and I didn't even get to the half way mark

I've never felt more relief after I'd finally put the book down. The usual scenario is that I don’t even want it to end or I just feel very meh or very pissed off. Right now? I’m mad, furious, feel disturbed and disgusted that I’ve even read this, and I feel slapped over and over again. I blame my curiosity for wanting to read this and my fucking pride for not putting it down when I felt like I’m going to throw up. This book is so problematic and disturbing in not a good way and I honestly, honestly do not understand its appeal or its popularity.

I almost never do this but I need to write this review in parts because I don’t want to miss anything out. Hopefully, two parts will be enough and I’ll manage to wrap everything up in a pretty, little bow just like this book did. Oh man, here we go…

Travis Maddox

He has everything, right? He’s a bad boy, he’s tattooed, he’s so hot that everyone is falling on their feet, there are also dimples, he has muscles, he’s so, so hot oh my god, he’s perfect, he’s charming, he’ll go absolutely crazy for the girl/woman he loves, and oh, did I mention that he’s so, so hot? Except that he’s also a possessive, obsessive, beating-the-shit-out-of-people, controlling, tempered and abusive motherfucking psycho that needs to end up in prison as soon as possible. This is not how a normal guy would and should behave. This is not your perfect boyfriend. He’s absolutely terrifying in his behaviour and in his ‘show of love’. He treats women like trash, he has no respect to any other human being and especially females, he beats up people whenever they look or say something wrong to his ‘precious’ Abby, he’s sexist, possessive and everything of the above. You know what? I don’t care how hot the guy is, or how hard his muscles are, or how big his dick is (I’m not even going to apologize), this behaviour is not fucking normal. This is crossing every single invisible line there is and it’s horrible, absolutely fucking horrible, that this is accepted.

My mother dated, even married, a guy similar to him. He was hot and he was the one every woman wanted. He got his high school sweetheart pregnant, just to break up with her afterwards. My mother didn’t care for any of that because he was HE and nothing else mattered. At the day of her wedding she was crying. She couldn’t leave the house because, deep down, she knew it wouldn’t end up well. But she still married him. And do you want to know how she ended up? Being beat up, every day, by him or by his father. And then, after he’d beat her up, he’d fall on his knees and start crying and telling her how much he loves her and how he didn’t mean it. Does this means it’s okay? Were all those bruises she had afterwards worth his ‘I love you’ and ‘I didn’t mean it’? Tell me please, because if you think that yes, it was, please go get some help.

When the war hit our country, he went to the other side and imprisoned and killed his friends and family and my mum barely got away with my brother without him taking him from her. Now, he can never get back to our country because he’d be imprisoned the moment he’d step into it. I’m not making this up. This is my life – the life of my family. Abusive psycho that beats everyone that has a wrong look is a problem. It’s a problem because no love, no woman can cure him. He’ll always stay the same and he can only get worse. I’m glad I’ve never met that man my mother was with and I never wish for anyone to have to deal with someone like that.

Unfortunately, this book romanticizes everything and everything Travis does is forgiven. Everything is made to make perfect sense and everything is valid. It’s sickening, to see that, absolutely sickening. Because this book would’ve worked if this was actually showed as legit, dysfunctional and problematic relationship. Instead, we’re shown – or told – that this is normal. That this relationship is the one that works perfectly and every problem is resolvable. Travis is never at fault because he had a hard home life without the mother and with all those brothers. No, his behaviour is completely forgiven because he doesn’t know better. Right.

Also, the way he treats every other woman but Abby is sickening, as well. They don’t deserve to be fucked in his bed because they’re just little sluts who don’t deserve any care whatsoever. They all just want a piece of Travis Maddox so they’re whores and bitches and are just dumb and stupid. Wow. What a gentleman.

I would never, ever wish for Travis Maddox to be my boyfriend. I would never, ever wish to meet him. And nothing could prove me that he’s anything more than disgusting. There are actual, nice guys out there, one of them being my best friend, and they’re all being overshadowed by this. Unbelievable.

Abby Abernathy

Abby is exactly the kind of a person I hate. She’s snobby, selfish, manipulative, batshit crazy, slut-shames all the girls right and left, thinks that having a boyfriend and break-up are the worst thing in the world, and doesn’t see the difference between a reality and a delusion. Most of the reviews mention Travis and his abnormal behaviour and, as said above, I absolutely agree, but can we talk about Abby for a minute? Because Abby Abernathy is just as bad. Abby is not a victim. Oh man, she’s as far from the victim as it gets. She’s the bitchiest heroine to the date, and not in a good way. She’s one manipulative person that will take and never give back. She’s also perfect and every fucking guy wants her. She has no shame. She plays with both guys at once, cheats on the one with the other and feels good about it. She doesn’t care about people’s feelings – except for Travis’ of course. She thinks her best friend is a bitch and a slut and the other way around, too. She slut-shames the girls who have sex, or any other girl for that matter. Everyone is a whore. Even the girl, Kara, she’s a roommates with, is a bitch and a dumb idiot. Not to only say that Kara is probably one of the only normal characters in this book, but she’s also done nothing wrong. I’d slap Abby a long time ago if I were Kara.

I’ve never felt any remorse for Abby. I did not care for her problems with her shitty father or her problems with Travis, when there were ones. Maybe this will sound harsh, but fuck it, she deserves what she got. She was always the one to leave everyone hanging when Travis were in question. She did not care for Parker’s feelings at all. All she cared about was Travis, sex, Travis, sex. If she hurt someone in the process, who the fuck cares? Because she’s always right and nobody else who tell her differently have a point. She loves Travis so fuck them all, right?

Her friends are also of no help. America (America, seriously??) is just there patting her on the back and saying she’s right every time or pushing her to get with Travis or whatever the hell. She’s as annoying as Abby, maybe even more. I’d never want her in my fucking life. Abby and she both come off as shallow and stupid – exactly the way they’re describing all the other girls. Reality check, you’re no better than them. Finch is just your stereotypical gay character who’s just there to be there. He’s as pointless as a statue.

All of the other characters are pretty fucking useless. They are there to be there and there’s no depth to them whatsoever. Actually, all of the characters lack any real depth and trying to connect to them was impossible.

Serious situations are also done badly. Like Abby and her past. There is not an actual mention of how dangerous the poker or Vegas, for that matter, is and that way it can actually affect the person’s life and things it can do to a person. It’s all just wrapped up in a nice little bow and Abby is even more perfect than she was before. I can’t take that seriously. I can’t take Travis lusting after her even more than before when he finds out who her father is. No, just no. That’s nothing to be lusting after and it’s absolutely disgusting. Abby and Travis… you’re just so fucked up it’s not even funny.

You know, the more I think about it, the more I think they’re perfect for each other. They’re both crazy and manipulative and controlling. Perfect couple, right?

I’ve already spent more than enough time on this book so I’m finishing up here. If I forgot something, I truly am sorry. I’m just really disturbed and really pissed off. I think I’ve learned a lesson from this though and that is – never read something just out of pure curiosity because it can end deadly. Almost.

I’m out.

Taking a break from Beautiful Disaster because it's too disgusting, and West is a perfect answer for a cute, light read.