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graysonfan12's review against another edition
4.0
this was an amazing book. I am a huge fan of Jennifer brown.
michelle_pink_polka_dot's review against another edition
5.0
Alex, whose mother died when she was quite young, is on a mission to go to the place her mother was headed when she died: Colorado. She's been making plans to do so with her 2 BFF's Zack and Bethany since forever.... but then she meets Cole. Cole is the new guy. He sings to her, complements her on her poetry, and always seems to be around. It makes Alex feel good... like for the first time in her life someone understands her. But Cole isn't exactly what he seems. He's jealous of her friendship w/ Bethany and Zack (especially Zack). He starts showing up at all her work shifts, trying to control her every move, and eventually he starts physically and emotionally abusing her. At first she tries to justify it by telling herself he was just stressed (his home life is far from perfect, so that has to be the reason right?), but then after promising he'll never do it again, he does. And Alex starts wondering just how much she is willing to risk for love.
This book was great! I really really got into it. Jennifer Brown's writing is so easy to get lost in!!
I have to admit I connected with this book because I was in an extremely emotionally abusive relationship which was exactly like Alex & Cole's but without the bruises/broken bones/teeth. I lived through it and can honestly say I am embarrassed by how much I allowed someone to control me... I mean ME! I am the biggest b*tch some of you would ever meet, and I let some guy tell me what to wear and who to talk to and even what to look at while I was out in public! I seriously believe it can happen to anyone if you meet that person at the right time in your life and they wean you into it. People like Cole are masters at their trade... they know what to do to keep you coming back and make you think it's YOUR fault. The best advice I can give (and I'm NO expert) is that you have to know that there are other people out there for you... you will find love again. Because that's what keeps people tied to these people, it's the love thing.
But back to the book. I loved the book and the message it sent was awesome. I liked how the wedge in the 3-way friendship led Alex to feel like even if she wanted out, no one would be there to help her. It made the whole thing more real. The only thing is I wish we got to know Alex a little bit more before she met Cole. It kind of felt like the idea of the book came first and then the characters... I would've preferred just a little bit more depth there. Besides that it was a great follow up to The Hate List!! (I have to say though I kind of liked Hate List a smidge more)
My Blog:
http://pinkpolkadotbookblog.blogspot.com/
This book was great! I really really got into it. Jennifer Brown's writing is so easy to get lost in!!
I have to admit I connected with this book because I was in an extremely emotionally abusive relationship which was exactly like Alex & Cole's but without the bruises/broken bones/teeth. I lived through it and can honestly say I am embarrassed by how much I allowed someone to control me... I mean ME! I am the biggest b*tch some of you would ever meet, and I let some guy tell me what to wear and who to talk to and even what to look at while I was out in public! I seriously believe it can happen to anyone if you meet that person at the right time in your life and they wean you into it. People like Cole are masters at their trade... they know what to do to keep you coming back and make you think it's YOUR fault. The best advice I can give (and I'm NO expert) is that you have to know that there are other people out there for you... you will find love again. Because that's what keeps people tied to these people, it's the love thing.
But back to the book. I loved the book and the message it sent was awesome. I liked how the wedge in the 3-way friendship led Alex to feel like even if she wanted out, no one would be there to help her. It made the whole thing more real. The only thing is I wish we got to know Alex a little bit more before she met Cole. It kind of felt like the idea of the book came first and then the characters... I would've preferred just a little bit more depth there. Besides that it was a great follow up to The Hate List!! (I have to say though I kind of liked Hate List a smidge more)
My Blog:
http://pinkpolkadotbookblog.blogspot.com/
jhahn's review against another edition
3.0
It would be good for someone who is in a abusive relationship to read. I found it pretty predictable.
exhaleartist's review against another edition
3.0
After reading Hate List, I was super excited to read another book by Jennifer Brown. This book tackles another hard-hitting issue, abuse. I am getting the feeling that Ms. Brown is going to be an author who is not afraid to write about serious issues, which really, really excites me!
Alex is just your average teen, although she is still grieving over the loss of her mother years ago. The lack of a loving home environment has made Alex vulnerable in love. It is for this reason that Cole is able to take advantage of her. In the beginning Cole tends to treat Alex wonderfully, but slowly his true nature begins to show. Alex loses touch with her friends and becomes increasingly isolated. It’s horrible how cruel humans can be to each other. Alex’s friends were definitely favorite characters of mine. They were both as unique and well-fleshed out as Alex herself.
The writing and storytelling are very solid and well done. Despite how horrible he can be, there are moments when Cole is a sympathetic character. That is a triumph of the writing. I was very impressed out how well such a delicate subject was handled. The scariest part is seeing how easy the average person can fall into an abusive relationship, and how hard it is to get back out.
Overall, I enjoyed reading Bitter End, but it did not quite live up to how much I adored Hate List. This is a book I’d recommend, especially to fans of Dreamland by Sarah Dessen or perhaps, But I Love Him by Amanda Grace.
Alex is just your average teen, although she is still grieving over the loss of her mother years ago. The lack of a loving home environment has made Alex vulnerable in love. It is for this reason that Cole is able to take advantage of her. In the beginning Cole tends to treat Alex wonderfully, but slowly his true nature begins to show. Alex loses touch with her friends and becomes increasingly isolated. It’s horrible how cruel humans can be to each other. Alex’s friends were definitely favorite characters of mine. They were both as unique and well-fleshed out as Alex herself.
The writing and storytelling are very solid and well done. Despite how horrible he can be, there are moments when Cole is a sympathetic character. That is a triumph of the writing. I was very impressed out how well such a delicate subject was handled. The scariest part is seeing how easy the average person can fall into an abusive relationship, and how hard it is to get back out.
Overall, I enjoyed reading Bitter End, but it did not quite live up to how much I adored Hate List. This is a book I’d recommend, especially to fans of Dreamland by Sarah Dessen or perhaps, But I Love Him by Amanda Grace.
chrissireads's review against another edition
4.0
This is the second novel of Jennifer Brown’s that I have read. I’ve come to understand that she writes a lot of ‘issue’ books. Nothing wrong with that, I like reading issue books! Especially when they’re as well written as Bitter End (and Hate List). Bitter End tackles a subject that is unfortunately quite common in relationships.. abuse.
As a reader, you can begin to pick out the signs that Cole is becoming abusive. Cole is charming, affectionate, understanding and showers Alex with presents at the start of the relationship. Everything seems so perfect, that Alex, understandably, is in denial about Cole’s change of behaviour. I found myself wanting to like Cole even though I knew it wasn’t going to be a nice relationship.
Alex is such a likeable character, I found myself really feeling for her. Also, no matter how nasty Cole was, I also really wanted him to get the help he needed. I loved Alex’s friends Bethany and Zack. Although they had their ups and downs, they were still always concerned for Alex. Everyone needs friends like those!
Jennifer Brown has created some incredibly real characters, which just adds to the story. It shows that abuse is not acceptable, but it’s never easy for the person that’s being abused to just walk away from. This book felt so real, and for that reason, at times it was so hard to read. The physical and emotional abuse that Alex experienced felt utterly believable. It was like I was there, just watching it happen to her. If you do feel sensitive about this subject, then you might find Bitter End a tough read. For those that are up for it, it really is well written and worthwhile.
As a reader, you can begin to pick out the signs that Cole is becoming abusive. Cole is charming, affectionate, understanding and showers Alex with presents at the start of the relationship. Everything seems so perfect, that Alex, understandably, is in denial about Cole’s change of behaviour. I found myself wanting to like Cole even though I knew it wasn’t going to be a nice relationship.
Alex is such a likeable character, I found myself really feeling for her. Also, no matter how nasty Cole was, I also really wanted him to get the help he needed. I loved Alex’s friends Bethany and Zack. Although they had their ups and downs, they were still always concerned for Alex. Everyone needs friends like those!
Jennifer Brown has created some incredibly real characters, which just adds to the story. It shows that abuse is not acceptable, but it’s never easy for the person that’s being abused to just walk away from. This book felt so real, and for that reason, at times it was so hard to read. The physical and emotional abuse that Alex experienced felt utterly believable. It was like I was there, just watching it happen to her. If you do feel sensitive about this subject, then you might find Bitter End a tough read. For those that are up for it, it really is well written and worthwhile.
lazygal's review against another edition
3.0
I wanted so much to love this book the way I loved The Hate List but, well... it's so much about the message that it just gets lost there. What I mean is, there are other books (like Cut or Wintergirls) where I felt that the author had a character who, as she developed, had a problem, but in this one I felt that the author had a problem she tried to fit characters around.
Alex's relationship with Zach and Bethany is so close that they're the Terrible Three, in and out of each other's homes all the time. Then, senior year, Cole transfers and things change. He doesn't like Alex hanging around with Zach, and he's not fond of Bethany either. As he and Alex get more involved, he starts isolating her from her friends... and then he starts being violent. Of course Alex believes him when he says that he's sorry, and that it will never happen again.
The problem isn't that this is an issue that teens should be aware of (just think about all those Team Edward fans) but that, as I said, the book doesn't feel organic to me. Cole never hits the obsessive calling every few minutes stage until the very end, and while we hear he's stalking, it seems very low key. Also, how did the news about him not spread from high school to high school? That seems very odd - particularly if he played sports, someone should have spilled the beans.
ARC provided by publisher.
Alex's relationship with Zach and Bethany is so close that they're the Terrible Three, in and out of each other's homes all the time. Then, senior year, Cole transfers and things change. He doesn't like Alex hanging around with Zach, and he's not fond of Bethany either. As he and Alex get more involved, he starts isolating her from her friends... and then he starts being violent. Of course Alex believes him when he says that he's sorry, and that it will never happen again.
The problem isn't that this is an issue that teens should be aware of (just think about all those Team Edward fans) but that, as I said, the book doesn't feel organic to me. Cole never hits the obsessive calling every few minutes stage until the very end, and while we hear he's stalking, it seems very low key. Also, how did the news about him not spread from high school to high school? That seems very odd - particularly if he played sports, someone should have spilled the beans.
ARC provided by publisher.
cmdc325's review against another edition
4.0
I read this book because i read her other book Hate List. I had high expectations because of the other book, but it wasn't as good as Hate List. It cam really close though. I felt like the beginning was a little slow but then it picked up towards the end. This book made me cry at the really intense part towards the end. I would recommend this book to people who don't understand what abuse is like. Also for those who have read Hate List.
books_plan_create's review against another edition
3.0
Another book that covers domestic abuse very well.
Spoiler
My biggest complaint is that the story ended too easily, too cleanly. What happened between Alex and Cole after Alex woke up in the hospital? How did she get away from him? Every abuse story ends at the fact and jumps into the future. I want to see the difficult part where the victim actually leaves and their struggle with it.kickpleat's review against another edition
3.0
While I thought it was a well written novel and the characters all dealt with things realistically, it didn't have me invested enough to love it. A good read, nonetheless.
cowmingo's review against another edition
3.0
This book made me miss after school specials and Lifetime movies with Tracey Gold. Seriously though, I like Jennifer Brown. She tends to write books about teenagers and does it in a way that comes off real and not artificial like many other writers out there. In this book, she tackles abusive relationships. I think she did a great job showing how easy it can be for anyone, especially vulnerable teenage girls to get into a relationship they think is perfect and convince themselves that abuse = love. At times this book was hard to read but it had a good message. The ending was a little cheesy but fitting.