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A review by thebritishbibliophile
Broken Playboy by Laura Lee
4.0
A youthful tale of loss, heartache/heartbreak, addiction and a battle of wilful inner and emotional strength
Thank you to Grey's Promotions for the advanced readers ebook copy for me to read and review. This is my first time reading Laura Lee, so I'm leaving this review in full honesty for the author and her work here in this novel.
*Warning* - This review will contain subtle spoilers. I have purposely left it until release day (today) to leave an honest review which might contain minor spoilers. If you have yet to read The Broken Playboy and wish to not have anything revealed, please turn away from this review now :)
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Broken Playboy centred around Bentley 'Bent' Fitzgerald, and the issues he is now living wit based on past decisions, actions and their lingering mental consequences. Bentley's character is one that reflects many a young person in today's society, as well as those who are struggling who are not young. His character is one that showed to myself at least, for young men and men in general, that it is okay to show and express vulnerability and to seek help if needed. This is seen in the latter end of the novel and I applaud Laura for writing a character where this shift in perspective--away from the typical alpha-male written in novels--, giving us a relatable, realistic character that we can champion in the hopes that all will finally workout for them. Someone we can cheer on.
Broken Playboy focuses on many difficult topics in which we have either been through ourselves, have known someone to go through or are aware of. We will all respond and feel differently towards each topic, as I myself have done. Light bullying is a theme woven throughout the novel--usually towards the heroine, Sydney--, something I can relate to having been bullied in school myself. This is usually a sensitive topic for me, but I was happy with how Laura has broached this area and how it has been executed in the story. Namely, how in the end how Sydney is not beaten down by the bullies and how she has risen above their antics to display a show of inner and outer strength, while not letting the trauma of the bullying rule her life. I truly loved this part!
Bentley and Sydney aside, we journey through this novel with a plethora of supporting characters which for a novel based in and around a school environment, was not unexpected. Laura has managed to capture the essence of the kinds of people we went to school with and knew of. Quite literally, the school hierarchy and everyone around it. It has been almost a decade since I left school, and I was surprised to see so many familiar personalty types I used to be so familiar with. It seems that no matter where we are in the world, each school has someone like Cameron, Jazz, Kingston, Ainsley, Zach, Reed and the gang.
If I had to pick fault among the amazingly written 'light dark romance' and second chance romance of the overall story, it would be the heavy use of drugs and various other substances. I feel that the same story could have been told and the trauma and addiction in it, through other means. I'm fully aware that this is often seen in society today among young people, but it was so heavy in this book that it almost felt like it was the central theme rather than the trauma Bentley carries with him. Having said that, the positive for me that comes out of this being used, is that there is a positive recovery and outcome. That isn't often shown or talked about, so I'm glad the recovery and help sought for it was written about.
Overall for my first Laura Lee read and read of this series, I enjoyed diving back into a genre that I haven't touched for almost ten years. I would certainly not object to reading more about Bentley and Sydney if there should happen to be a follow-up novel, or novella, in the future. I would love to see where the future takes these two on the next leg of their life together as a couple.
4/5 stars!
Thank you to Grey's Promotions for the advanced readers ebook copy for me to read and review. This is my first time reading Laura Lee, so I'm leaving this review in full honesty for the author and her work here in this novel.
*Warning* - This review will contain subtle spoilers. I have purposely left it until release day (today) to leave an honest review which might contain minor spoilers. If you have yet to read The Broken Playboy and wish to not have anything revealed, please turn away from this review now :)
--------------------------
Broken Playboy centred around Bentley 'Bent' Fitzgerald, and the issues he is now living wit based on past decisions, actions and their lingering mental consequences. Bentley's character is one that reflects many a young person in today's society, as well as those who are struggling who are not young. His character is one that showed to myself at least, for young men and men in general, that it is okay to show and express vulnerability and to seek help if needed. This is seen in the latter end of the novel and I applaud Laura for writing a character where this shift in perspective--away from the typical alpha-male written in novels--, giving us a relatable, realistic character that we can champion in the hopes that all will finally workout for them. Someone we can cheer on.
Broken Playboy focuses on many difficult topics in which we have either been through ourselves, have known someone to go through or are aware of. We will all respond and feel differently towards each topic, as I myself have done. Light bullying is a theme woven throughout the novel--usually towards the heroine, Sydney--, something I can relate to having been bullied in school myself. This is usually a sensitive topic for me, but I was happy with how Laura has broached this area and how it has been executed in the story. Namely, how in the end how Sydney is not beaten down by the bullies and how she has risen above their antics to display a show of inner and outer strength, while not letting the trauma of the bullying rule her life. I truly loved this part!
Bentley and Sydney aside, we journey through this novel with a plethora of supporting characters which for a novel based in and around a school environment, was not unexpected. Laura has managed to capture the essence of the kinds of people we went to school with and knew of. Quite literally, the school hierarchy and everyone around it. It has been almost a decade since I left school, and I was surprised to see so many familiar personalty types I used to be so familiar with. It seems that no matter where we are in the world, each school has someone like Cameron, Jazz, Kingston, Ainsley, Zach, Reed and the gang.
If I had to pick fault among the amazingly written 'light dark romance' and second chance romance of the overall story, it would be the heavy use of drugs and various other substances. I feel that the same story could have been told and the trauma and addiction in it, through other means. I'm fully aware that this is often seen in society today among young people, but it was so heavy in this book that it almost felt like it was the central theme rather than the trauma Bentley carries with him. Having said that, the positive for me that comes out of this being used, is that there is a positive recovery and outcome. That isn't often shown or talked about, so I'm glad the recovery and help sought for it was written about.
Overall for my first Laura Lee read and read of this series, I enjoyed diving back into a genre that I haven't touched for almost ten years. I would certainly not object to reading more about Bentley and Sydney if there should happen to be a follow-up novel, or novella, in the future. I would love to see where the future takes these two on the next leg of their life together as a couple.
4/5 stars!