Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

Jared and Tate are neighbors. And growing up they were best friends and pretty much inseparable. Through the loss of her mother to Jared's mothers battle with drinking they supported and loved each other. And then the summer before their freshman year, Jared went to stay with his father, and the Jared that came back was different. He was unbelievably mean and cruel to Tate and seemed to make it his life's mission for the next two years to taunt and torment her. He hated her. And then Tate left to study abroad in Paris for a year, and when she returns she is determined that she is not going to let her former best friend turned personal torturer ruin her life any longer. And there are a few shining moments of Tate standing up for herself and taking a stand (one brilliantly involving her middle finger and a "tear" was especially full of win) While Jared goes back and forth between cutting her down and eye-boinking her. Clearly, this is the classic "I hate you because I want you" scenario going on. I know that to some the fact that Jared secretly pines for her and actually loves her under all that cruelty and hatred, and eventually apologies and explains makes up for all of it. Yeahhh. Not so much for me. The vitrol that he continues to spew at her, his intimidating behavior and the lengths he goes to hurt her even after she's been gone for a year hint toward a really deep ugliness I'm not so fond of. This book could have been really good, even great if the author hadn't chosen for Jared to continue the abuse and hateful behavior after Tate returned. If the time apart had dulled the sharp edges of his anger and he just didnt have the heart to be so cruel anymore. It would have made some sort of sense for me. But instead his epiphany moment comes too late during a dramatic monologue in class. It's frustrating for me because the chemistry between Jared and Tate is smoking hot. And some of Tate's memories of their childhood friendship have real emotional resonance. This could have been a resonating love story about the hidden pain that is often behind bullying, about atonement, forgiveness and the healing power of love. Instead it only ends up being about a hot guy who torments a pretty girl who used to be his best friend until he decides not too anymore. With a particularly dreadful supporting cast of morally questionable characters, hot cars, and a video that should have resulted in charges being pressed.