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A review by elderlyemo
Punk 57 by Penelope Douglas
dark
emotional
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
3.5
This one had been on my TBR for a while and when I picked it up at the weekend I didn't expect to read it straight through in one sitting - but I did.
This was one of the titles by the author that I knew relatively nothing about, but after reading and loving Birthday Girl around this time last year, I thought I'd give it a go and I wasn't disappointed.
I loved that this was the first Penelope Douglas book that I had read that was two age appropriate people with great chemistry and a history, caught in a web of miscommunication and the flip of the weird kid with the lip ring taunting the cheerleader instead of the other way around was refreshing and made the seventeen year old version of me very excited.
But I think, that was the problem. As a thirty something person now I just found the characters grating at times. The lyrics were awful, as were the stereotypes however inverted and the twist at the end was lukewarm at best. Misha dragged the charade on too long and sometimes I felt like Ryen wasn't quite as lovable as the book maybe wanted me to think she was. There were also a lot of side characters in this story that I didn't really care for, but there were some interesting themes and subplots as a result.
The spice in this book was *10/10* and the characters genuinely had such great chemistry there were some moments where I completely forgot I was reading a book and yeah, if I am being honest - I really wanted them to end up together.
Overall, a pretty decent read. Same rating as Birthday Girl, and I'd probably reread it in the future.
This was one of the titles by the author that I knew relatively nothing about, but after reading and loving Birthday Girl around this time last year, I thought I'd give it a go and I wasn't disappointed.
I loved that this was the first Penelope Douglas book that I had read that was two age appropriate people with great chemistry and a history, caught in a web of miscommunication and the flip of the weird kid with the lip ring taunting the cheerleader instead of the other way around was refreshing and made the seventeen year old version of me very excited.
But I think, that was the problem. As a thirty something person now I just found the characters grating at times. The lyrics were awful, as were the stereotypes however inverted and the twist at the end was lukewarm at best. Misha dragged the charade on too long and sometimes I felt like Ryen wasn't quite as lovable as the book maybe wanted me to think she was. There were also a lot of side characters in this story that I didn't really care for, but there were some interesting themes and subplots as a result.
The spice in this book was *10/10* and the characters genuinely had such great chemistry there were some moments where I completely forgot I was reading a book and yeah, if I am being honest - I really wanted them to end up together.
Overall, a pretty decent read. Same rating as Birthday Girl, and I'd probably reread it in the future.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual assault, Homophobia, Drug abuse, and Sexual harassment