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A review by magencorrie
Bully by Penelope Douglas
5.0
My Thoughts
I’m going to be honest; I was very weary going into this one. I wasn't sure what to expect and some of the elements in it made me a bit nervous about picking it up, but I was also very, very curious about it. And of course my curiosity won out; I'm so glad it did.
Yes, the book does deal with bullying and yes, there were some very hard moments; however, the characters and their situations won me over. They were real and very brilliantly created. The emotion flowed out of this book with a force. The characters and their stories each held their own depth.
The history of Jared and Tate was powerful; that history overshadowed everything else. And learning about them, watching them develop, grow, and overcome was a thrill to be a part of. Though I had, at times, a hard time truly understanding Jared and his actions, I did see that he held a lot of pain within him.
Jared was a jerk at the beginning of the story, but he is an emotional character with a lot of baggage. He was dealing with it the only way he saw fit; the only way he knew how to protect his heart. And though I didn’t agree with those actions, I eventually understood them. I honestly couldn't not fall in love with him, once I learned his story. I was also so very proud of him and his progression throughout the book.
And Tatum was such a straightforward heroine. At first she had her grief and pain, but watching her overcome that, learn about herself and Jared, and reconnect with him was dazzling. I loved that she tried; she never really gave up on Jared because she always knew who he really was, though she didn’t really deal with his crap. Tatum and Jared really had a strong connection and a fiery chemistry I loved seeing surface.
The book also has hot cars and drag racing. Nothing like cars, especially antique cars, and racing to get my girl parts all happy! I really enjoyed that element in the book, and watching what it meant to both characters.
I devoured this book in one sitting; I just couldn't get enough of it. I felt the pacing was just to my liking and the buildup was done well. Everything came to a head and was resolved very well. I loved everything about it. I loved the intensity and raw emotion that poured out of it, the characters that were so very dynamic, and the genuine storyline.
I don’t recommend this book to just anyone, only to readers who are open and have a love for challenging characters.
I’m going to be honest; I was very weary going into this one. I wasn't sure what to expect and some of the elements in it made me a bit nervous about picking it up, but I was also very, very curious about it. And of course my curiosity won out; I'm so glad it did.
Yes, the book does deal with bullying and yes, there were some very hard moments; however, the characters and their situations won me over. They were real and very brilliantly created. The emotion flowed out of this book with a force. The characters and their stories each held their own depth.
The history of Jared and Tate was powerful; that history overshadowed everything else. And learning about them, watching them develop, grow, and overcome was a thrill to be a part of. Though I had, at times, a hard time truly understanding Jared and his actions, I did see that he held a lot of pain within him.
Jared was a jerk at the beginning of the story, but he is an emotional character with a lot of baggage. He was dealing with it the only way he saw fit; the only way he knew how to protect his heart. And though I didn’t agree with those actions, I eventually understood them. I honestly couldn't not fall in love with him, once I learned his story. I was also so very proud of him and his progression throughout the book.
And Tatum was such a straightforward heroine. At first she had her grief and pain, but watching her overcome that, learn about herself and Jared, and reconnect with him was dazzling. I loved that she tried; she never really gave up on Jared because she always knew who he really was, though she didn’t really deal with his crap. Tatum and Jared really had a strong connection and a fiery chemistry I loved seeing surface.
The book also has hot cars and drag racing. Nothing like cars, especially antique cars, and racing to get my girl parts all happy! I really enjoyed that element in the book, and watching what it meant to both characters.
I devoured this book in one sitting; I just couldn't get enough of it. I felt the pacing was just to my liking and the buildup was done well. Everything came to a head and was resolved very well. I loved everything about it. I loved the intensity and raw emotion that poured out of it, the characters that were so very dynamic, and the genuine storyline.
I don’t recommend this book to just anyone, only to readers who are open and have a love for challenging characters.