Originally I gave the book a 4 stars on Goodreads, and I still stand by this.
What is it about?
The story is about Ellie Johnson, a 18 year old, whose has suffered from verbal abuse from her mother since she was a little girl. Her mother always told her that no boy would ever love her or want her. As she got older, she tried to dating, however she always seemed to choose guys that cheated on her, which supported her mother's taunts and Ellie began to believe that she would never be wanted or loved. In Ellie's senior year of high school, she catches her boyfriend cheating on her, and she calls her older brother Jefferson to come and pick her up from school. Jefferson has always been very protective of Ellie, and when he arrives at the school, with his best friend Gunner, Ellie is arguing with her boyfriend in the hall.
From the first moment Gunner and Ellie laid eyes on each other they had an instant attraction to each other. Surprisingly, Jeff gives Gunner the OK to pursue his sister, however Ellie is hesitant at first to further their relationship past friends as she continues to be haunted by her mothers words.
Meanwhile, Ari, Ellie's best friend, has had a crush on Jeff since she was 10 years old. The only problem is that Jeff, is downright rude whenever Ari is around. He refuses to accept that he has feelings for Ari, whereas Ari refuses to accept that he doesn't have any feelings for her. So when he pushes her away, she tries to pull him in. This leads to some explosive confrontations, until Ari finally gives up and moves on. Little did she know that it would take her moving on for Jeff to accept he has feelings for her and actually fit for the 'women he loves'.
What did I like about this book...
The story is written mainly in the first person, from the point of view of Gunner, Ellie, Arianna and Jefferson. For a majority of the book it is written in just Gunner and Ellie's perspectives, however there are a few chapters in Ari and Jeff's point of view, that looks at their dysfunctional relationship. I really like that the book doesn't just concentrate on one relationship, as sometimes in books they make the relationship so dramatic that you think, 'how can you put up with that??' With the book separating the drama between the two couples, it allows you to get all the drama that you want from a story, as well as maintaining some resemblance of reality.So what did I not like about this book...
...well, I didn't like that the book relied on instant love. That just makes me angry because you cannot know that you love someone because they touch your arm!! I mean seriously. I would have more respect for the book if it was that they found them so attractive they were really attracted to each other, and that they lusted after each other. But LOVE... I do not think so.
