Well crap. This is an awkward situation that I never thought that I would find myself in, especially with this series. That is why I am not rating this book. If I rated it right now, based off of my feelings, then I would give it 1 star. I know that my emotions are pretty high though, so I am making myself take a step back, and I'll try this one again later. Hopefully. Maybe. Probably not.
You need to know that I actually LOVED the first two books in this series. I'm not kidding. I was one of the readers that was obsessively refreshing my Kindle on this book's release day trying to get my hands on this book. I even sent Amazon an ugly e-mail asking why they were taking so damn long to release it.
It took
two days
of refreshing and my agonizing over what the hell was going on to FINALLY get my hands on this book...unfortunately, it took less than two chapters for me to wish I hadn't.
Here's the thing and why it's awkward...my problem with this book is very literal, and that is a hard thing to elucidate in regards to a fictional story. I never planned on having these feelings, and I really wish that I hadn't. I loved the story line and loved where it was going...but...within the first chapter of this book, something just struck me as soo fucking wrong, that I couldn't ignore it. I couldn't keep reading and enjoy the book. Hell...I TRIED...but it didn't work, and I finally just gave up on the book and decided I might try again later in a year or so.
So here it is...
Bullying is VERY real. It happens all the fucking time, and there are kids in school who are not only attempting suicide because of it, but that are
actually
succeeding in killing themselves. All fiction aside, bullying is no joke.
I was first attracted to this story, because it shed bullying in a real light. As appalled as I was by the end of book one, I also knew that it was, while extremely revolting, a feasible truth and probable truth in our society. The major draw for me for book two was Marnye's revenge. I wanted it, hell, I needed it. I wanted a story where the bullies finally got their just dues. I KNEW this was a bully romance, so I was expecting the romance aspect of the story, I really was...but I don't think it happened in quite the way I was expecting. Or maybe it happened how it was supposed to, but I wasn't mentally prepared for it. Whatever the case, it has left me feeling a little off balance.
Here's the thing. Most people that are bullied, are not bullied by millionaires, billionaires, super stars, and princes from other countries. They don't naturally have society's standards of perfect figures or flawless skin, and they don't just wake-up looking absolutely breathtaking. I started to find it a little annoying that the ONLY reason Marnye was bullied, was because she was poor (because other than that, she was perfect). While being poor is an unfortunate and common reason for bullying, Marnye didn't seem to suffer from any other "affliction" that most bullied teens do. If you have to ask, "what else is there?" then I suggest you read more on teen bullying.
Still...I really enjoyed this series, until this book. Marnye was a character that showed backbone and, while her only flaw was being considered poor, she stood up for herself and others. I liked that. I really liked that she wanted revenge. Most people that are bullied NEVER get that. She made a plan, and she followed it through. … … that is, until this book. Within the first few pages of reading, when Marnye actually started arguing with her dad--HER DAD that was angry on her behalf, mind you--so she could go away with the "idols" because she "just wanted to be around them"...yeah, I lost it. Marnye lost being the girl I thought she was, to being just another fucking Burberry Prep girl. A girl that doesn't care about her parent(s) and cares more about herself and her wants.
I'm sorry. You KNOW your dad is sick, you also know that these guys have fucking humiliated you over and over again, but yet...you still want to argue with your dad and spend time with them over him? Even knowing he is sick and has no one else?? REALLY?? I never expected her to destroy these guys, but I really never expected her to just roll over and start panting after them because they showed a "softer" side. If I knew my dad was sick and facing treatments by himself, there isn't a fucking man, woman, thing, or person alive that would keep me from his side. He sure as hell wouldn't have to argue with me about NOT going away on a posh vacation with the boys that fucking bullied and humiliated me a few months prior...hell, he would have to bribe my ass to go out for an evening just so he could have a minute to himself. I just don't understand that bitch.
I can't fully explain in the right words why this book's first few chapters hit me wrong, but let's suffice it to say that it did. All I know is that I'm glad that as a bullied young girl, I didn't come across this book during my bullied years. Hell, I probably would have ended up romanticizing and idolizing my damn tormentors, and Lord knows, that is NOT what a bullied young girl needs to do.
This one just rubbed me wrong...and FUCK, I wish that it hadn't, because I was really LOVING this damn series. Why the hell did she have to be an ignorant selfish twat in the first few chapters????? I probably could have forgiven it if it didn't involve her dad, but anyone that can fucking choose a guy (or multiple guys in her case) who have treated her like shit over her dying dad? Yeah...I can't fucking do it.