Bully - Penelope Douglas

Ramblings of a bookworm...

There is no greater pain than losing a friend.  But what if that friend becomes a monster, hurting you every chance they get and becoming your tormentor?

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

Jared and Tatum (Tate) had been best friends, joined at the hip, for four years.  When Jared came back from a trip to visit his dad the summer before Freshman year, everything changed.  Gone was the sweet boy Tate had once knew, and in his place was a monster, determined to make her live a living hell.

My heart ached for Tate as I journeyed through the atrocities she faced at the hands of her former best friend who sabotaged any chance she had at a normal and happy teenage life.  I cheered for her as she finally decided enough was enough, cried when she fell, and smiled when she picked herself back up.

Pain will make a person do some crazy things, regardless if those things are justified or not.  The hatred I felt for Jared shifted to curiosity, to sympathy, to understanding over the course of this heartbreaking novel, and I cannot wait to read Until You, truly getting to know Jared's full side of things.

It pains me to give Jared Trent an 8/10, however due to his cruelty, I couldn't bring myself to rate him higher.  He will be rated once more after I complete Until You, and I'm hoping the additional insight into his psyche will give me an even further understanding of who he is, and who knows - maybe he'll be the first 10/10 I allow myself to give?

Rating
Book Boyfriend: 8/10
Flow: 10 /10
Plot: 10/10
Overall: 9/10

*** Synopsis ***

My name is Tate. He doesn't call me that, though. He would never refer to me so informally, if he referred to me at all. No, he'll barely even speak to me.

But he still won't leave me alone.

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

But I'm done hiding from him now, and there's no way in hell I'll allow him to ruin my senior year. He might not have changed, but I have. It's time to fight back.

I'm not going to let him bully me anymore.

***This novel contains adult/mature young adult situations. It is only suitable for ages 18+ due to language, violence, and sexual situations.