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4.1 AVERAGE
4.1 AVERAGE
Some spoilers ahead, but nothing big. I think you pretty much know what this book is about if you read the title.
The abuse doesn't start slowly. The signs are there from the very beginning but Grace is so head over heels in love with Gavin, the ultimate Fedora rock god. I'm not talking about physical violence (at first), but mental abuse.
Grace doesn't feel like her home is actually home (with very good reason) and when Gavin starts to focus on Grace she thinks she's won the lottery. I get the appeal (at first): he says the right things, is full of big romantic gestures, gives her all of his attention, buys her presents,... He seems like the perfect loving and caring boyfriend. On the outside he looks like he has it all, but on the inside he's a depressed and obsessive narcissist who thinks that when anything good or bad happens, it's because of Grace. Everything he does or says is because of her. And I do mean everything.
And then he comments on how she doesn't have a very deep personality. He wants to read her diary. She can't hug guys anymore. Kissing a guy she's doing a play with on stage makes her a whore. He checks her phone. And things just get worse and worse.
I do have to say the two best friends Grace has are amazing. They are supportive, they tell it like it is and although they have every reason to end their friendship with Grace, they don't.
Everybody who is in a relationship where they aren't 100% comfortable with the boundaries their partner sets should read this. I think it's easy to think things are 'normal' and you do them 'because you love him/her' but it's important to have things going on outside of your relationship and keep your own identity.
G is for Grace.
The abuse doesn't start slowly. The signs are there from the very beginning but Grace is so head over heels in love with Gavin, the ultimate Fedora rock god. I'm not talking about physical violence (at first), but mental abuse.
Grace doesn't feel like her home is actually home (with very good reason) and when Gavin starts to focus on Grace she thinks she's won the lottery. I get the appeal (at first): he says the right things, is full of big romantic gestures, gives her all of his attention, buys her presents,... He seems like the perfect loving and caring boyfriend. On the outside he looks like he has it all, but on the inside he's a depressed and obsessive narcissist who thinks that when anything good or bad happens, it's because of Grace. Everything he does or says is because of her. And I do mean everything.
And then he comments on how she doesn't have a very deep personality. He wants to read her diary. She can't hug guys anymore. Kissing a guy she's doing a play with on stage makes her a whore. He checks her phone. And things just get worse and worse.
I do have to say the two best friends Grace has are amazing. They are supportive, they tell it like it is and although they have every reason to end their friendship with Grace, they don't.
Everybody who is in a relationship where they aren't 100% comfortable with the boundaries their partner sets should read this. I think it's easy to think things are 'normal' and you do them 'because you love him/her' but it's important to have things going on outside of your relationship and keep your own identity.
G is for Grace.
The main character is everything i aspire NOT to be. I personally have never been in a relationship like she was but yet i could not find sympathy for her through out the book. I blame her for being mistreated. I didn't hate Gavin in the book. I didn't go through the book hating him and wanting to hurt him. No i hated her. I hated Grace. I hated her for being weak. For ignoring all the "warning signs" as she called them. She saw the warning signs and decided to ignore them. I hate her for being the perfect example of a weak woman who men love to hurt. Its girls like her, spineless and weak, that men hurt us. I hate the person she became. The girl who gave up her dream since forever for a guy like Gavin. You don't do that shit. If he truly loves you, he wouldn't ask you to give up something important like that. She might say that you have to sacrifice things in the relationship. Fine then. Then why couldn't he sacrifice you. Why didn't he see that you deserve to be happy. He should have supported you and helped you get to your dream. Not take it away from you. I hate Grace for being so weak.
But in the end i grew to love her. Despite all those times when i just wanted to slap her myself and knock some sense into her. It took her 2 fucking years for her to grow some balls. But she grew them. And for that i applaud her. Because not everyone can grow some balls.
But in the end i grew to love her. Despite all those times when i just wanted to slap her myself and knock some sense into her. It took her 2 fucking years for her to grow some balls. But she grew them. And for that i applaud her. Because not everyone can grow some balls.
I loved this book so much. To save myself a lot of writing I’ll just leave it at that.
The only reason I docked a star is because at the use of suicide in the beginning of the book. That was not needed and I felt like it was a disgrace to use it at that time.
The only reason I docked a star is because at the use of suicide in the beginning of the book. That was not needed and I felt like it was a disgrace to use it at that time.
I absolutely love Heather Demetrios, she's become an auto-buy author, and as long as books like this one keeps coming out that won't be changing. I loved the way this book was written, where future Grace was recounting the downfall of her relationship with Gavin. I loved the strong relationship between Grace and her two best friends, Grace and her sister, and Grace and her group of friends. It wasn't an easy read, it dealt with a lot of issues, and was a very worthwhile read.
Grace was a character I felt an instant connection with due to her quirkiness and her love of Broadway. She had a huge crush on Gavin so when he started paying attention to her, she fell hard and fast. He was an escape from her bad home life and she felt a gratitude toward him for that and for picking her out of all the other girls. Grace was smart, funny, was full of theater references, had big dreams, and it was hard watching her be manipulated by Gavin.
There were some great female friendships in this book and I loved them. Grace's two closest friends were always there for her, ready to support her, ready to tell her the hard truths she needed to hear, ready for whatever Grace needed. Her sister lived away at college so we saw less of their relationship but her sister was still a great support system. I also loved the addition of Grace's male friends who showed that there were still good guys left and they all weren't like Gavin and her stepfather.
I loved all the theater references through the whole book. I'm a huge Broadway fan so that was fun plus it made sense since Grace wanted to direct plays. She had dreams and plans on how to achieve them so when she would prioritize Gavin over herself, it was frustrating but also easy to see how she was manipulated into it. This book showed how easy it can be to get into an unhealthy relationship and how hard it is to get out of one. It didn't pull any punches or sugarcoat anything and is definitely one I will remember.
*I received a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
Grace was a character I felt an instant connection with due to her quirkiness and her love of Broadway. She had a huge crush on Gavin so when he started paying attention to her, she fell hard and fast. He was an escape from her bad home life and she felt a gratitude toward him for that and for picking her out of all the other girls. Grace was smart, funny, was full of theater references, had big dreams, and it was hard watching her be manipulated by Gavin.
There were some great female friendships in this book and I loved them. Grace's two closest friends were always there for her, ready to support her, ready to tell her the hard truths she needed to hear, ready for whatever Grace needed. Her sister lived away at college so we saw less of their relationship but her sister was still a great support system. I also loved the addition of Grace's male friends who showed that there were still good guys left and they all weren't like Gavin and her stepfather.
I loved all the theater references through the whole book. I'm a huge Broadway fan so that was fun plus it made sense since Grace wanted to direct plays. She had dreams and plans on how to achieve them so when she would prioritize Gavin over herself, it was frustrating but also easy to see how she was manipulated into it. This book showed how easy it can be to get into an unhealthy relationship and how hard it is to get out of one. It didn't pull any punches or sugarcoat anything and is definitely one I will remember.
*I received a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
This book is set in a perspective I never quite got over. The characters are really really really well-designed and I liked the slow buildup, although at times it seemed too slow.
This book was good, but infuriating to read! It actually put me in a bad mood. I had to force myself to read it in one sitting so that I could just be done with it.
A powerful, though slightly overlong, book about relationship abuse and how the cycle begins, perpetuates, and becomes hard to escape. One to put up there with Jennifer Brown's BITTER END.
dark
emotional
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
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Grace feels trapped. Trapped in her abusive household and her small Californian town. That's when she meets Gavin, who promises to take her away. Everything is perfect and she quickly falls in love, but things change when Gavin becomes an angry and jealous boyfriend as their relationship grows. Grace needs to escape her relationship in order to find herself again.
This was hard to read, but had such an important message. I was so angry most of the book... I wanted to scream and shake so many of the characters in this book... Grace's parents were ridiculous and I hated them so much. I hated that her mom was spineless against the Giant. I hated Gavin and how at times he was so sweet and loving but then would turn into a monster 2 seconds later. I just wanted Grace to stand up for herself, which I know is difficult in her situation... BUT IT DROVE ME CRAZY. The book took me a while to get into, but once it started picking up and the relationship between Grace and Gavin started, it became addictive. I wanted Grace to kick Gavin to the curb and not go out without a fight. I hated watching her get beaten down and feel broken over some stupid boy. I loved how the story was told as a letter to Gavin and how Grace overcame her hesitation and the abuse she faced in that year. I loved the book even more after I read the author's note and saw that it was inspired by the author's own relationship in high school. I think she did such a good job portraying an abusive relationship, it was so raw and emotional and it is definitely a story that will stick with me for awhile. I think it is an important story that everyone should read.
Grace feels trapped. Trapped in her abusive household and her small Californian town. That's when she meets Gavin, who promises to take her away. Everything is perfect and she quickly falls in love, but things change when Gavin becomes an angry and jealous boyfriend as their relationship grows. Grace needs to escape her relationship in order to find herself again.
This was hard to read, but had such an important message. I was so angry most of the book... I wanted to scream and shake so many of the characters in this book... Grace's parents were ridiculous and I hated them so much. I hated that her mom was spineless against the Giant. I hated Gavin and how at times he was so sweet and loving but then would turn into a monster 2 seconds later. I just wanted Grace to stand up for herself, which I know is difficult in her situation... BUT IT DROVE ME CRAZY. The book took me a while to get into, but once it started picking up and the relationship between Grace and Gavin started, it became addictive. I wanted Grace to kick Gavin to the curb and not go out without a fight. I hated watching her get beaten down and feel broken over some stupid boy. I loved how the story was told as a letter to Gavin and how Grace overcame her hesitation and the abuse she faced in that year. I loved the book even more after I read the author's note and saw that it was inspired by the author's own relationship in high school. I think she did such a good job portraying an abusive relationship, it was so raw and emotional and it is definitely a story that will stick with me for awhile. I think it is an important story that everyone should read.