Crossing the Line by Simone Elkeles 1.5 stars rounded down.

[Karin]

Y/A romance between an American teen boxer and the daughter of a wealthy Mexican lawyer. He manages to get to Mexico legally via the help of a friend in order to get away from his uncaring, alcoholic mother and his abusive step-father who is the local sheriff who has worked out a summer job for him shovelling manure (but his own kids have plush ones he arranged). They meet at a punck rock concert, etc--there is a blurb.

The writing just didn't cut it. It's okay in that it was professionally edited and is by a bona fide publisher, but it's often stilted, the character development poor and shallow the ending is not good. I read it for a challenge, but won't be reading another by Elkeles.