Author: Penelope Douglas

BOOK REVIEW: Bully (Fall Away #1) by Penelope Douglas

BOOK REVIEW: Bully (Fall Away #1) by Penelope DouglasBully (Fall Away #1)
by Penelope Douglas
Purchase on: Amazon
Add to: Goodreads

Synopsis:

New York Times bestselling author Penelope Douglas delivers an unforgettable romance that toes the fine line between love and hate in Bully—the first novel in the Fall Away series.

My name is Tate. He doesn’t call me that, though. He would never refer to me by a friendly nickname. No, he’ll barely even speak to me. But he still won’t leave me alone.

We were best friends once. Then Jared turned on me and made it his mission to ruin my life. I was humiliated, shut out, and gossiped about all through high school. His pranks and rumors got worse as time wore on, and I made myself sick trying to stay out of his way. I even went away for a year just to avoid him.

But I’m done hiding from him now, and there’s no way I’ll allow him to ruin another year. Jared might not have changed, but I have. It’s time to fight back....

Review:

Bully was a steamy, young adult romance.  With an enemies to lovers vibe, and lots of bullying going on in the pages, I couldn’t put this book down.  As someone who has already read Punk 57, that’s still my favorite Penelope Douglas book!  Yet this story was just as addictive, and I had so much fun listening to the audiobook!

“You were my tempest, my thunder cloud, my tree in the downpour. I loved all those things, and I loved you. But now? You’re a fucking drought. I thought that all the assholes drove German cars, but it turns out that pricks in Mustangs can still leave scars.”

Tate was so easy to connect to and adore.  She had a strong head on her shoulders, was mature, and worked hard.  Jared used to be her best friend, but she didn’t know where it all went wrong.  Somehow, she became his enemy, and the games he would play with her were cruel and hurtful.  So, I loved it when she stood up against him.  When she would put him or his friends in their place!  They deserved that and so much more!

“I want to touch you.” His words were against my lips now. “I want to feel what’s mine. What’s always been mine.”

Yet underneath it all, there used to be a friendship.  You could see tiny, fleeting, hints of it here and there.  How well they still knew certain things about each other.  But years later, there a strong sexual tension between them, even with hate surrounding them.  So when things turned steamy, it was fabulously done!  If you’re looking for a bully romance that has all of the tension, angst, and steam, then definitely add this one to your tbr.  I did have a hiccup with an issue about a friend, which is why this is a 4 instead of 5 star rating.  But regardless, I can’t wait to binge the rest of this series! 

BOOK REVIEW: Rival (Fall Away #2) by Penelope Douglas

BOOK REVIEW: Rival (Fall Away #2) by Penelope DouglasRival (Fall Away #2)
by Penelope Douglas
Purchase on: Amazon
Add to: Goodreads

Synopsis:

From the New Adult sensation and New York Times bestselling author of Until You

Madoc and Fallon. Two estranged teenagers playing games that push the boundaries between love and war…

She’s back.

For the two years she’s been away at boarding school, there was no word from her. Back when we lived in the same house, she used to cut me down during the day and then leave her door open for me at night.

I was stupid then, but now I’m ready to beat her at her own game…

I’m back.

Two years and I can tell he still wants me, even if he acts like he’s better than me.

But I won’t be scared away. Or pushed down. I’ll call his bluff and fight back. That’s what he wants, right? As long as I keep my guard up, he’ll never know how much he affects me….

*So my quotes are dead. They died. I wrote this review a month ago and have no clue where my quotes went. So…that sucks. But the review must go on :P*

It goes without saying that I basically read what I have time for and, frankly, crave this year. I don’t have extra energy to drudge through a massive fantasy (even though I so dearly miss them) or even to delve into my YA sci-fi….it’s just one of those things, guys. I love my daughter, but boy does she zap all that extra time away!

That being said, my favorite books this year have been YA/NA contemporaries…with a flair for the dramatic (if you can’t tell). It seems crazy to me, but my absolute favorite read this year has been, without a doubt, Punk 57. I don’t know why, I don’t know how, but in some ways, this book just always sticks in my mind.

When I’m trying to pick out a book, it’s always ’I really want something JUST like Punk 57, where can I find one?’….and the desperate search continues/ensues. And the only logical answer that I can find has been staring me in the face the whole time: No one does Penelope Douglas like…well…Penelope Douglas.

You can’t keep looking for sad imitations when what you seek is HOT, dirty hate-to-love foreplay and giving as good as you get until you finally get together. Only Penelope Douglas has mastered this, for me, and I should have realized it sooner.

I had read Bully FOREVER ago and LOVED it. But I’m not the type to jump into another character’s story after being with another couple. It’s just not my thing. I don’t know why, but that’s just me. So I had bought this book FOREVER ago and just couldn’t bring myself to open it up. And then recently I was going through all my unread books on my iPad and saw this sitting at the very bottom-I could have hit myself over the head. This book was EXACTLY what I needed, even if I didn’t know it. It doesn’t help that Penelope Douglas makes me border that fine line of ‘crossing the line of what I deem acceptable’ in romance.

I won’t lie-this woman is kind of sick, if you think about it. I love her, don’t get me wrong, but this woman be twisted. The things these couples go through before they get together is depraved and just plain…wrong…but it’s just…..oh my god it’s so good. I HATE drama in any other books or series. I hate contrived situations that make no sense. I HATE adding cheese when there doesn’t need to be any…but between Penelope Douglas and Linda Kage, I am putty in their dirty minded little hands. I. Can’t. Get. ENOUGH.

As it were, I found that this book overdid it quite a bit-Stretched the story-line beyond thin. That’s most likely why my rating is lower. Actually, no, there’s A LOT more to it than that, and my reasoning really bothers me, but I’ll do that in a spoiler below. But then…..there’s the hate to love aspect. And I’m just a sucker for that. For two people who love each other but fight to the bitter end to deny it until they fall madly all over each other in love. And then I revert back to my issues: Why did she keep running away? Give me a fucking break, dude. You love him…so STAY THERE. This just plain grated on my already fragile nerves with this story. Let’s just get to my BIGGEST problem with this story and why it never could have gotten above a 3:(view spoiler) Makes me sick, it’s not up for discussion, and my opinion of the story lessened IMMENSELY after this sordid plot development. Bitch, Bye.

BUT-aside from all this? I LOVED the romance. I LOVED the sexual tension. I LOOOOVED how possessive he was of her and how Madoc reacted to other guys. I LOVED all this…I just wish I didn’t have to wade through all the bullshit to see it. I also loved Jared and Tate’s relationship in the background-with time, I loved the integrated stories and how it brought me back to the old days when I read this book. Waiting this long to read this story helped me to really fall hard for characters I had long forgotten about, and it was like taking in a breath of fresh air. Though….I must say, even though I adored Bully, I really don’t think it’s a very healthy relationship Jared and Tate share. Eh, but its fiction-I’ll just try and keep the Jareds (both book and real boy) of the world FAR away from my little nugget (Even though her mother does so love a bad boy now and again).

AH AND AND AND-The end. C’mon Douglas. Really? REALLLYYYYY? C’mon. lol. (view spoiler). I’m just sayin’. Cute? Yes. Absolutely. Cheesy? OH YEAH. Necessary? I think not.

Yeah, I rated this a three (But, at the end of the day, I was down and sad…and I just needed a Madoc. Sue me) and had more problems with it than not…but there’s just something so alluring about an extremely addictive hate-to-love romance. And when I say hate???? It’s legit hate, y’all.

YUM.

BOOK REVIEW – Punk 57 by Penelope Douglas

BOOK REVIEW – Punk 57 by Penelope DouglasPunk 57 by Penelope Douglas
Purchase on: AmazoniBooks
Add to: Goodreads

Synopsis:

"We were perfect together. Until we met."

Misha

I can’t help but smile at the lyrics in her letter. She misses me.

In fifth grade, my teacher set us up with pen pals from a different school. Thinking I was a girl, with a name like Misha, the other teacher paired me up with her student, Ryen. My teacher, believing Ryen was a boy like me, agreed.

It didn’t take long for us to figure out the mistake. And in no time at all, we were arguing about everything. The best take-out pizza. Android vs. iPhone. Whether or not Eminem is the greatest rapper ever…

And that was the start. For the next seven years, it was us.

Her letters are always on black paper with silver writing. Sometimes there’s one a week or three in a day, but I need them. She’s the only one who keeps me on track, talks me down, and accepts everything I am.

We only had three rules. No social media, no phone numbers, no pictures. We had a good thing going. Why ruin it?

Until I run across a photo of a girl online. Name’s Ryen, loves Gallo’s pizza, and worships her iPhone. What are the chances?

F*ck it. I need to meet her.

I just don’t expect to hate what I find.

Ryen

He hasn’t written in three months. Something’s wrong. Did he die? Get arrested? Knowing Misha, neither would be a stretch.

Without him around, I’m going crazy. I need to know someone is listening. It’s my own fault. I should’ve gotten his phone number or picture or something.

He could be gone forever.

Or right under my nose, and I wouldn’t even know it.

Review:
I don’t know what I did, but it had to be something, because when you find that everyone hates you, it’s not them. It’s you. – Ryen

Punk 57 was beautifully deep, insanely seductive and emotionally raw.  I was addicted just from the first page, and this book was impossible to put down.  Between the emotions the characters made me feel, to the story-line that kept begging for me to read one more page, I loved everything about this book.  Especially since Ryen and Misha’s story is brutally honest and showed the multiple sides of hurting people and even ourselves.  

Fuck. I put the pen to the paper and scrawl what my goddamn heart can only whisper.
I miss you every day,
I write. You’re my favorite place.
And then I drop the pen and tear the paper out of my notebook. – Misha

Learning about their past was so adorable.  Ryen, a girl, and Misha, a boy, ended up becoming pen-pals in the 5th grade.  It all started when their teachers mixed up thinking Ryen was a boy and Misha was a girl. And even after school ended, they continued to write to one another.  For the last seven years they created a beautiful friendship with an unbreakable bond through their letters.  They poured their hearts out to one another.  They told each other their fears, hopes, thoughts and would even argue about everything from pizza to music.  But they always had three rules.  No phone, no social media and no pictures.  And even if they both wanted to break those rules at times, it becomes a moot point.  Because some of those rules are about to get thrown out the window.

What am I going to do with this girl? Just when I think I have her figured out, she pulls at me a little more.
Just when I think I can’t stand her, and I can leave, never looking back, I turn right around and want to make sure nothing hurts her. – Misha

You see, as far as Ryen knows, Misha has disappeared for the last three months.  His letters have stopped, but she hasn’t given up hope.  She continues to write to her best friend and refuses to walk away from him, even when her sister thinks she’s crazy.  But the thing is, Misha hasn’t disappeared.  He’s right in front of her.  And he hates what he sees.

She straightens and turns to fix me with a look. “You called me a cunt and cut my hair. You think I’d actually trust you to protect me? Don’t blink too hard, Shit-for-Brains. You might lose your last few brain cells.” – Ryen to Misha

And this is where Punk 57 was both scorching hot and utterly heartbreaking.  Misha is brutal to Ryen.  He’s hurtful, mean and viscous to her with his words.  The scenes and situations between the two of them would leave my mouth open.  I couldn’t believe how he had just treated her.  Oh gosh, it felt as though my heart would burst and I just wanted to crawl into a hole and curl into a little ball.  But at the same point, I got why he acted the way he did.  And you learn early on, why he is the way he is to her.  So it was hard to be upset at him.  Especially when their sexual connection constantly exploded and was hard to ignore.

I part my lips, running them over the lip ring and savoring the feel as he groans and digs his fingers into my thighs. I tighten my legs around him, needing to feel him.
“Bitch,” he whispers.
“Loser.”

Misha has this sexuality that is subtle and insanely addicting.  He came off not only confident but intoxicating too.  Whether it was the looks he would give, or the words he would choose to use, he always left me wanting more.  And Ryen couldn’t help but be pulled in again and again, no matter how bad Misha hurt her.  The scenes between the two of them were beyond sexy, and so, so, so good!

“They don’t get you and me. I know that’s what you’re afraid of. You’re perfect. I’m never in line. You’re beautiful, and I’m bad, right?” – Misha to Ryen

Since we got to be in both Ryen and Misha’s head, we got to crawl into every single dirty, forbidden and brutally honest thought in their mind.  Nothing is held back, and it’s so addicting!  So Punk 57 easily went into my favorites list!  If you adore hate to love stories that are scorching hot, then you definitely want to discover this book!

PS Thanks for buddy reading with me Chels!

BOOK REVIEW: Punk 57 by Penelope Douglas

BOOK REVIEW: Punk 57 by Penelope DouglasPunk 57 by Penelope Douglas
Purchase on: AmazoniBooks
Add to: Goodreads

Synopsis:

“We were perfect together. Until we met.”

Misha

I can’t help but smile at the words in her letter. She misses me.

In fifth grade, my teacher set us up with pen pals from a different school. Thinking I was a girl, with a name like Misha, the other teacher paired me up with her student, Ryen. My teacher, believing Ryen was a boy like me, agreed.

It didn’t take long for us to figure out the mistake. And in no time at all, we were arguing about everything. The best take-out pizza. Android vs. iPhone. Whether or not Eminem is the greatest rapper ever…

And that was the start. For the next seven years, it was us.

Her letters are always on black paper with silver writing. Sometimes there’s one a week or three in a day, but I need them. She’s the only one who keeps me on track, talks me down, and accepts everything I am.

We only had three rules. No social media, no phone numbers, no pictures. We had a good thing going. Why ruin it?

Until I run across a photo of a girl online. Name’s Ryen, loves Gallo’s pizza, and worships her iPhone. What are the chances?

F*ck it. I need to meet her.

I just don’t expect to hate what I find.

Ryen

He hasn’t written in three months. Something’s wrong. Did he die? Get arrested? Knowing Misha, neither would be a stretch.

Without him around, I’m going crazy. I need to know someone is listening. It’s my own fault. I should’ve gotten his number or picture or something.

He could be gone forever.

Or right under my nose, and I wouldn’t even know it.

Punk provided something I hadn’t realized I had been missing: Fun. Yes, I’ve read plenty of fun books and yes, believe it or not, I’ve read a fair share of hot, steamy books. But I can admit one thing, for sure: Not for a long time have I found a more satisfying mix of sexy, fun, and smoldering hot hate

It may come as a surprise to many of you that I used to read so many of these books it was almost exhausting. I got to the point where it became mundane, meaningless, and I felt like I was trapped in a pretty bad book funk. And I was-that’s the problem.

Eventually we all have to weigh what we want more: wanting back what we had or wanting what could be. To stay or to risk everything to move forward.


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And, because of this problem, I really don’t let myself indulge in the finer trashy books in life. I don’t normally miss them, either, if I’m being honest. But there comes a time when you’re just in the mood for something hot, angsty, and completely antagonistic you’d go so far as to search into your old roots. And, it just so happens, I have a friend who knows me about as well as anyone….and she specializes in smut, the little tart.

So, after a long week in NC where I was having the best time ever, relaxing and truly enjoying myself, but not finding the book to match my mood, I figured out what I was craving: Angst. All the books I had targeted seemed like they might have angst, but they weren’t hitting that perfect spot. So, when I finally connected the dots that that was exactly what I craved, I thought of none other than my lovely, smut-loving friend, Pea.


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Which, as you can all see…led me to my first five star read of 2017. A great start, if you ask me. Bold, daring, antagonistic, and even with a bit of moral ambiguity, this book touched on everything I had been aching for since The Hating Game.


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Punk 57 isn’t necessarily a new formula, I don’t imagine, but it certainly felt new. Two 7 year friends who were accidentally made pen pals in the fifth grade continue to write to one another long after the school year ends. They have rules to never exchange phone numbers, to never look each other up, to keep things as they have always been.

Masen just makes everything seem smaller. Like I have a new perspective. He’s becoming a part of my heart, and I feel good when he’s around. Almost like none of my fears matter as long he’s there.

But, as they grow older, they become each other’s crutch. They begin to secretly (or not so secretly?) fall for one another, having been each other’s sounding board for so long. And as they begin to near the end of High School, something happens that will irrevocably change their lives…even if only one of them knows about it. And, after all these years, they both finally want to see what the other is like in real life…but what if it changes everything?

Fat tears spill over, and I feel a weight on my shoulders. It’s not Trey. It’s not Lyla. It’s me. I don’t know who I’m supposed to be.


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I’ll admit that I didn’t know what I would think of this book-I’ve always been fond of the old Penelope Douglas. I mean, come on, Bully??? I ate that shit up!!! But I’ve heard some things over the years that deterred me from really following up on her work, perhaps hiding from the progressive approach she had been taking a path towards. But I’ve never forgotten, never stopped watching, and always kept tabs with H, making sure to not let any hidden gems slip through my fingers-and here we are, three years later…And I’m already like a junkie ready for my next fix.


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I’ll admit this wasn’t without its flaws. I even was going to mention them…but why taint what I thought was a pretty addicting book? I don’t want to be negative, I just want to focus on the positive, which is how I’m going to end this review-with why this book was so unflinchingly addicting.

I may have mentioned before that they wanted to meet each other-But what happens if they meet and see its all been a lie? That they aren’t truly made for one another and after all these years, falling in love with one another is all a big fat waste?

I learned a long time ago that you don’t need to reveal everything inside of you to the people around you. They like to judge, and I’m happier when they don’t. Some things stay hidden.

By far the best part of this book is when Misha decides that its all been a lie-that Ryen is a fake, a phoney, and nothing at all like she is in her letters. When he realizes this, sees he has fallen for a girl that is all smoke and mirrors, as fake as a person can be, he snaps. He immediately hates her. How could she be so different than that beautiful girl (on the inside) he had been talking to all these years?

I know him very little, but after every encounter, I feel like I know him less.


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What follows is him taunting her, berating her, trying to show her she is better than she acts-that this facade she is putting out there for the world to see makes her no better than the trash she hangs out with. But by far the best part of the novel…is that she has no idea why the hot new guy hates her so quickly when the rest of the school practically worships her. That’s right-The best part of this book is that she has no idea that the new guy who seemingly hates her for no reason is her best friend, the guy she compares all other guys to, the one she loves, and the one she cares about most in the world.


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Fucked up, right?? But oh so perfectly perfect. Need I say more? I don’t think so. For all it’s minor errors and total lack of believability (I mean…a principle would let this shit go on? I hardly think so), it was exactly what I needed. So, maybe its for you, maybe it isn’t….but I’ll tell you one thing-It was hot as hell. ‘Nuff said.

View all my reviews

BOOK REVIEW – Bully (Fall Away #1) by Penelope Douglas

BOOK REVIEW – Bully (Fall Away #1) by Penelope DouglasBully (Fall Away #1)
by Penelope Douglas
Purchase on: AmazoniBooks
Add to: Goodreads


*4.5 Stars….Maybe…Still not sure*


Taking a long breath, my eyes narrowed at him. “You’ve already made me cry countless times.” I raised my middle finger to him slowly, and asked, “Do you know what this is?” I took my middle finger and patted the corner of my eye with it. “It’s me, wiping away the last tear you’ll ever get.”

I’m extremely conflicted right now. I don’t quite know what I expected, but it wasn’t what I read. Or is it exactly as I had imagined? I just don’t know. On the one hand, it was a very addicting story that had me itching to read it when I wasn’t able to. On the other hand, the ‘bullying’ wasn’t quite what I was thinking….It’s all just so confusing lol.

We can be confused about what is good for us but not what we truly want.

Tate and Jared were best friends for years before high school. They did everything together, until the summer before their freshman year when Jared had to leave…he came back and was never the same. He ignored her, avoided her, and relentlessly bullied her in front of others. Tate didn’t understand where her best friend and confidant went, and it essentially caused her to curl up in a ball and just take it.

While Jared mercilessly taunted and humiliated her, I found it unrealistic that Tate would take it as she did. I can’t say I know what it’s like to be bullied per se, but what I CAN identify with is that if I saw this going on, I don’t know that I wouldn’t approach an authoritative figure-call me a narc, but I would hate to see an innocent girl go through what she did while I stood back and watched. Sure, I’ve had my fair share of nasty girls attempt to do their worst, but nothing to the extent of what I witnessed in this story. I think my biggest point is: while I thoroughly enjoyed this story, I didn’t get it and I didn’t find it believable. Why, because of one summer, does Jared feel the need to take it all out on Tate? What happened that could have caused such inexcusable and alarming actions towards a supposed best friend? I just couldn’t see how that would form such a ‘hatred’ towards someone he had considered himself close to-it didn’t make sense.

Jared indulged in my misery like it was candy. He fed me to the wolves time and again, reveling in the unhappiness he caused. Jared, my friend, was completely gone, leaving a cold monster in his place.

It IS, however, the most realistic ‘bullying’ story I’ve read to date, and ALSO, it was very low in the cheese factor, which shocked me. There really wasn’t any cheesy dialogue, and I can appreciate that. The bullying in most books tends to be catty and extremely unrealistic, which always turns me off. But in Bully, I enjoyed the dialogue and even Jared’s ferocious looks and dialect toward Tate. The whole time I read, I was like, ‘okay, sooooo she’s just going to end up forgiving him? How will that work? It’s going to be handled poorly, I just know it.’ But in all reality, the way Tate handled herself was not horrible and even believable, to an extent. Sure, she grew a backbone while away in France (essentially overnight in book standards), but when it came to the tough stuff, getting to the nitty gritty on why Jared became such an asshole, she didn’t just bend over and let him have it-she had residual and lasting feelings for him, sure, from the past, but she wasn’t just willing to forget everything he had done, and I respect that greatly.

My other fear was that I wouldn’t get why Jared all of a sudden cared again and how they could seamlessly become a couple at the end of it all. See? I had a lot of doubts. But the way everything transpired was okay with me and I ended up loving it. When things did start to turn around, I fell in love with Jared and I loved Tate’s crass attitude towards everyone and everything. It was refreshing to see her losing the ‘poor me’ act and attempting to move on with her life. What started as a question mark about the story turned into a certainty and I started to fall for the not-so-unexpected relationship and root for what they once lost.

”I want to touch you.” His words were against my lips now. “I want to feel what’s mine. What’s always been mine.”

A great story with a lot of fun as well as some tough topics, I think Bully is an extremely enjoyable read. I feel like I only voiced my concerns in this review, but what I attempted to do was show what I doubted I would like and express how much I really and truly did enjoy it. There WERE some unbelievable aspects, as I mentioned before, but the overall story was so enjoyable I didn’t much care. While it took me a while to finally decide to read this story, I’m glad I did. I will most likely read the story from his POV, and maybe then I will get an even better look at why Jared acted the way he did.

Yesterday lasts forever. Tomorrow comes never. Until you.

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