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shadzrose's review
fast-paced
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
Absolutely hated everything about it. Couldn't stop reading because "it can't get any worse, right?" and then it did.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual harassment, Sexual content, and Bullying
Moderate: Death and Homophobia
jessanicolesingh's review
dark
funny
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
This author is quickly climbing up my favorite’s list!
This particular storyline follows a friends to enemies to lovers trope, with a little side quest of mystery. It’s filled with teen angst and a fair amount of steam, and I’m not quite sure how to categorize it; it’s much moodier than a regular romance but fluffier than a dark romance. I saw both of the main reveals coming, but was still satisfied with how all of the loose ends tied up.
This particular storyline follows a friends to enemies to lovers trope, with a little side quest of mystery. It’s filled with teen angst and a fair amount of steam, and I’m not quite sure how to categorize it; it’s much moodier than a regular romance but fluffier than a dark romance. I saw both of the main reveals coming, but was still satisfied with how all of the loose ends tied up.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content
Moderate: Sexual harassment, Homophobia, and Bullying
melissareadseverything's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
“They were perfect together. Until they met.”
I've been eager to dive into "Punk 57" for some time now, as Penelope Douglas has become my go-to author for comfort reads, pulling me out of reading slumps with her captivating narratives. Her adeptness at crafting stories within the realm of bully romances and enemies-to-lovers dynamics is truly remarkable, making her books an indulgence for fans of this genre, me included.
I’ve enjoyed getting to know both of the main characters in “Punk 57”. Although written from a dual point of view, “Punk 57” is primarily through Ryen’s POV whose depth and evolution throughout the book are expertly portrayed. Ryen’s character is portrayed in two different ways – one as a nerdy, geek-chic girl who is “one of the good ones” and helps the underdogs of the world. The other is the persona she adopts and shows to the outside world. Due to her own personal trauma and bullying as a child, she became one herself as a way to cope with the pressures of being accepted. Alongside Ryen is Misha, a character whose emo charm and tortured soul captivated me from the start. His descent into revenge adds a layer of intensity to this storyline. This could potentially be discomforting for some readers due to its portrayal of intense bullying.
It is hard to root for Ryen as she is not your typical hero. She does some pretty awful things in this book that go along with the underlying theme of acceptance and peer pressure. Ultimately, we would see Ryen’s evolution into the kind person she would like to be, regardless of outside opinions and influences. With Misha, you just want him to make better choices, but grief is a tricky thing, and he also must learn forgiveness and self-acceptance.
Although "Punk 57" didn't quite top my list of favorite Penelope Douglas books, it served its purpose as a refreshing palette cleanser. If you have read the Fall Away series already, this might disappoint in comparison. I couldn’t connect with Ryen and Misha on the same level I did with Tate and Jared. Nonetheless, this was an easy and quick read for me. I would recommend that readers check the trigger warnings as this does include intense bullying and sexual content.
3/5 Overall
3.5/5 Spice
Content Warnings:
- Heart Attack
- Depression
- Self-Hate
- Vandalism
- Bullying
I've been eager to dive into "Punk 57" for some time now, as Penelope Douglas has become my go-to author for comfort reads, pulling me out of reading slumps with her captivating narratives. Her adeptness at crafting stories within the realm of bully romances and enemies-to-lovers dynamics is truly remarkable, making her books an indulgence for fans of this genre, me included.
I’ve enjoyed getting to know both of the main characters in “Punk 57”. Although written from a dual point of view, “Punk 57” is primarily through Ryen’s POV whose depth and evolution throughout the book are expertly portrayed. Ryen’s character is portrayed in two different ways – one as a nerdy, geek-chic girl who is “one of the good ones” and helps the underdogs of the world. The other is the persona she adopts and shows to the outside world. Due to her own personal trauma and bullying as a child, she became one herself as a way to cope with the pressures of being accepted. Alongside Ryen is Misha, a character whose emo charm and tortured soul captivated me from the start. His descent into revenge adds a layer of intensity to this storyline. This could potentially be discomforting for some readers due to its portrayal of intense bullying.
It is hard to root for Ryen as she is not your typical hero. She does some pretty awful things in this book that go along with the underlying theme of acceptance and peer pressure. Ultimately, we would see Ryen’s evolution into the kind person she would like to be, regardless of outside opinions and influences. With Misha, you just want him to make better choices, but grief is a tricky thing, and he also must learn forgiveness and self-acceptance.
Although "Punk 57" didn't quite top my list of favorite Penelope Douglas books, it served its purpose as a refreshing palette cleanser. If you have read the Fall Away series already, this might disappoint in comparison. I couldn’t connect with Ryen and Misha on the same level I did with Tate and Jared. Nonetheless, this was an easy and quick read for me. I would recommend that readers check the trigger warnings as this does include intense bullying and sexual content.
3/5 Overall
3.5/5 Spice
Content Warnings:
- Heart Attack
- Depression
- Self-Hate
- Vandalism
- Bullying
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content
Minor: Death
samantha914's review
emotional
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content
Moderate: Bullying
Minor: Death, Drug abuse, and Alcohol
everythinginbetween's review
emotional
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual harassment, Bullying, and Sexual content
Moderate: Homophobia
Minor: Drug use
mouwuol's review
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? N/A
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
1.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Drug use, Sexual assault, Gaslighting, Sexual violence, Violence, Toxic relationship, Homophobia, Cursing, Classism, Child death, Sexual content, Sexual harassment, Toxic friendship, Hate crime, Grief, Drug abuse, Misogyny, Emotional abuse, Eating disorder, Addiction, Blood, Alcohol, Bullying, Sexism, and Death
clareasday's review against another edition
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content, Bullying, and Gaslighting
Moderate: Drug use, Abandonment, Alcohol, and Death
jasfieldx's review
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Punk 57… what can I say, this book has been on my TBR for at least 2 years and after mixed reviews and putting it off I finally bit the bullet and jumped in.
This book takes you on all sorts of twists and turns that really aren’t expected! There is a lot of suspense and tension built up within this book and a lot of wtaf moments that, tbh I’m not entirely sure were very relevant to the story line and the book may have flowed slightly better without so many paths that the characters went down
The spice in this book was good, it wasn’t too cringe and didn’t happen on every single page so when if did happen, it was creating a moment between Ryen and Misha that made their relationship feel special and created depth between them.
3 stars because it’s a good, fast paced book with a good storyline, likeable FMC but the book has some flaws like the MMC romanticises fairly toxic behaviours from the start that don’t really improve until the end of the book, the bullying across the board just isn’t really needed and the ending is just a bit flat but, I’d still recommend this book because I did enjoy reading it and will be reading more from Penelope Douglas soon
This book takes you on all sorts of twists and turns that really aren’t expected! There is a lot of suspense and tension built up within this book and a lot of wtaf moments that, tbh I’m not entirely sure were very relevant to the story line and the book may have flowed slightly better without so many paths that the characters went down
The spice in this book was good, it wasn’t too cringe and didn’t happen on every single page so when if did happen, it was creating a moment between Ryen and Misha that made their relationship feel special and created depth between them.
3 stars because it’s a good, fast paced book with a good storyline, likeable FMC but the book has some flaws like the MMC romanticises fairly toxic behaviours from the start that don’t really improve until the end of the book, the bullying across the board just isn’t really needed and the ending is just a bit flat but, I’d still recommend this book because I did enjoy reading it and will be reading more from Penelope Douglas soon
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying, Toxic relationship, and Toxic friendship
Moderate: Death, Sexual harassment, Sexual content, and Cursing
essie__reads's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
⚠️⚠️⚠️THIS REVIEW CONTAINS MAJOR SPOILERS⚠️⚠️⚠️
Minor critique - I hate the way she spelled both "Masen" and "Ryen."
Review:
When I started reading this, I couldn't put it down. Buttttt the more I thought about it, the less I liked it. For starters, I really wish these characters were college-aged and not in high school, but more on that later. 🥴 I could suspend reality for some of the plot lines, like the kid sleeping at an abandoned theme park and the constant vandalism at the school. But some of the plot just doesn't make sense. Like him getting a fake identity to come to a school 30 minutes down the road from where he lives...? 🙄 (Would his biological mom really not google his name and recognize him at all?!) The way she started vandalizing the school because her pen pal stopped writing her? Lmao...what? The fact that she was at an event to promote a local band at the beginning of the book and didn't know who the band was or who the band members were is also unrealistic. 🤦♀️
Misha's dad allowing his son to sleep outside his on a nightly basis and not freaking out and worrying about him also seemed very unrealistic. If Misha really came from such an affluent family, I highly doubt his go-to reaction at the loss of his sister would be to start acting like a homeless person. That was an unnecessary aspect of the book. It seemed like it was added so the cove hide-and-seek scene could play out.
My biggest qualm is the sex scenes. They're well written but extremely unrealistic for how inexperienced teenagers would talk and engage in sex. These sex scenes are written as if these are very experienced, older characters, and not horny teens. I also really wish they were older because it's cringey to go from sex scenes to petty high school events/drama and this is borderline a YA novel in my opinion, and I prefer not to read open door sex scenes about teenagers- ew! Also, Ryen, having the hots for "Masen" after knowing he broke into her house, seems unrealistic, too. That's borderline stalker behavior. The way the men talk to and about women is also unrealistic for teenagers and extremely misogynistic. The girls calling each other sluts and the way Ryen doesn't stand up for her friend Layla when she's being slut-shamed at school is not okay either. I know Ryen wasn't a genuine friend to Layla but still, that didn't make me, as a reader, like Ryen any more. I think Ten is the only likable and somewhat realistic character in this whole cast. She didn't hear from her pen pal for 3 months and despite being pen pals for several years and knowing his full name and address, she never once googled him?! Unbelievable 🫠
A student having a key to the high school and that not being investigated after weeks of consistent vandalism taking place? Also there were secutity gaurds at the school the night that Misha and Ryen fucked in the library. Where were those gaurds the night of the prom???
Okay not gonna lie I did NOT expect the principal to be Misha's mom, though. Penelope got me on that one lol. But Misha yelling at the principal for abandoning him and Annie and blaming her for Annie's death? That's ridiculous! Also the way this author writes about addiction is not the greatest. It seems like she uses it as a plot device, and the bit about Manny was so minor and felt unnecessary to the storyline. Douglas also doesn't include any content warnings or helpline info for readers who may be experiencing addiction issues, that seems like a basic courtesy that should be included at the beginning of the book when writing about the topic of addiction.
In a 10 month period he went on a short tour and recorded and released an album? His first album, that quickly? 🙄
Overall, I feel like Douglas couldn't decide how she wanted to write these characters, and due to that, they don't feel well fleshed out to me. I think this book could have been edited more, too. Hopefully, her writing has evolved as she has continued her career because she has a ton of potential. It just felt like too many ideas were thrown in. It wasn't edited well, and the character's identities/personalities were a bit all over the place. I'd definitely read more books by her, but I am not sure I would recommend this one.
Not her pregnant in the epilogue, too - bleh!
Minor critique - I hate the way she spelled both "Masen" and "Ryen."
Review:
When I started reading this, I couldn't put it down. Buttttt the more I thought about it, the less I liked it. For starters, I really wish these characters were college-aged and not in high school, but more on that later. 🥴 I could suspend reality for some of the plot lines, like the kid sleeping at an abandoned theme park and the constant vandalism at the school. But some of the plot just doesn't make sense. Like him getting a fake identity to come to a school 30 minutes down the road from where he lives...? 🙄 (Would his biological mom really not google his name and recognize him at all?!) The way she started vandalizing the school because her pen pal stopped writing her? Lmao...what? The fact that she was at an event to promote a local band at the beginning of the book and didn't know who the band was or who the band members were is also unrealistic. 🤦♀️
Misha's dad allowing his son to sleep outside his on a nightly basis and not freaking out and worrying about him also seemed very unrealistic. If Misha really came from such an affluent family, I highly doubt his go-to reaction at the loss of his sister would be to start acting like a homeless person. That was an unnecessary aspect of the book. It seemed like it was added so the cove hide-and-seek scene could play out.
My biggest qualm is the sex scenes. They're well written but extremely unrealistic for how inexperienced teenagers would talk and engage in sex. These sex scenes are written as if these are very experienced, older characters, and not horny teens. I also really wish they were older because it's cringey to go from sex scenes to petty high school events/drama and this is borderline a YA novel in my opinion, and I prefer not to read open door sex scenes about teenagers- ew! Also, Ryen, having the hots for "Masen" after knowing he broke into her house, seems unrealistic, too. That's borderline stalker behavior. The way the men talk to and about women is also unrealistic for teenagers and extremely misogynistic. The girls calling each other sluts and the way Ryen doesn't stand up for her friend Layla when she's being slut-shamed at school is not okay either. I know Ryen wasn't a genuine friend to Layla but still, that didn't make me, as a reader, like Ryen any more. I think Ten is the only likable and somewhat realistic character in this whole cast. She didn't hear from her pen pal for 3 months and despite being pen pals for several years and knowing his full name and address, she never once googled him?! Unbelievable 🫠
A student having a key to the high school and that not being investigated after weeks of consistent vandalism taking place? Also there were secutity gaurds at the school the night that Misha and Ryen fucked in the library. Where were those gaurds the night of the prom???
Okay not gonna lie I did NOT expect the principal to be Misha's mom, though. Penelope got me on that one lol. But Misha yelling at the principal for abandoning him and Annie and blaming her for Annie's death? That's ridiculous! Also the way this author writes about addiction is not the greatest. It seems like she uses it as a plot device, and the bit about Manny was so minor and felt unnecessary to the storyline. Douglas also doesn't include any content warnings or helpline info for readers who may be experiencing addiction issues, that seems like a basic courtesy that should be included at the beginning of the book when writing about the topic of addiction.
In a 10 month period he went on a short tour and recorded and released an album? His first album, that quickly? 🙄
Overall, I feel like Douglas couldn't decide how she wanted to write these characters, and due to that, they don't feel well fleshed out to me. I think this book could have been edited more, too. Hopefully, her writing has evolved as she has continued her career because she has a ton of potential. It just felt like too many ideas were thrown in. It wasn't edited well, and the character's identities/personalities were a bit all over the place. I'd definitely read more books by her, but I am not sure I would recommend this one.
Not her pregnant in the epilogue, too - bleh!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying, Grief, and Sexual content
Moderate: Sexism, Violence, Panic attacks/disorders, Addiction, Alcohol, Misogyny, Abandonment, Sexual harassment, Homophobia, Infidelity, Toxic friendship, and Self harm
Minor: Alcohol, Stalking, and Pregnancy
laurakwiecinski's review
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content
Moderate: Toxic friendship, Death, Mental illness, Child death, Abandonment, and Violence
Minor: Pregnancy