Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

I need to say right up front: This book is marketed as "Young Adult", and it is anything BUT. The category is defined by the themes contained within the story. Just because your main characters are all about 17-year olds, that doesn't make you a YA book. YA and I are so close we're practically family. This book was like a stranger at the dinner table. I actually interrupted another book to read this one, and I'm still not sure why. It's not even in my normal genre preference. I just remember reading the summary, seeing the cover, and thinking "I'd like to read that." Ella Harper was an interesting main character, full of spirit, and she led her story well. The writing was even pretty decent for the first 2/3rd of the book. Call me old-fashioned, when we decide "attempted date rape" is the best catalyst for getting the two leads to hook up, the story stops being enjoyable. Now, the male lead, Reed Royal, did not actually attempt the date rape, but when Ella is drugged and the Royal brothers save her, how is the natural conclusion "Someone is gonna need to 'help' her with her drug-induced horniness." Sorry, what? WHAT? So maybe Reed Royal didn't attempt the date rape, but he's 1000000% guilty of engaging in dubious consent. "I feel like I'm taking advantage of you." Yes, Reed, because you are! Ella is high on a date-rape cocktail, and you're like "Well, but she said she was okay with me 'helping' her, so..." This isn't even the only incident like this in the story. At one point Reed actually *propositions* her while they're out yachting, saying that she's a dirty whore but he'll take care of her sexual needs as long as she doesn't touch the rest of his family. Ella's second morning in the household, two of her new "brothers" joke about raping her. To Ella's credit, she does point out to the readers "Sexual assault isn't about getting laid. It's about power.", indicating they don't need to use sex to have power over her. Ella's actually very good about playing it smart. It's something that made her extremely likeable as a character. (Up until sex was involved, and suddenly she can't think at all.) She knows a handsome face doesn't make someone a good person. Ella gets the difference between what her body wants and what her mind wants. She knows the value of education as a means to rise above poor circumstances. Ella Harper has lots of qualities that make her a great main character. Remember when I said the writing was good for the first 2/3rds of the book and was not Young Adult? The last third of this book read like a smutty magazine you'd find under a mattress. Nevermind that Ella was smart and self-sufficient. Once she and Reed hook up, it's like sex-sex-sex all the time on her brain. She can barely look at Reed without wanting to get busy with him, and the book goes into GRAPHIC detail about their sexual encounters. Look, bedroom doors were invented for a reason. These are 17-year olds. I don't need to hear all the gory details of whose fingers are going where. ...I'm gonna say it again for good measure: SEVENTEEN-YEAR OLDS. It's a shame that I power read through the first 2/3 so quickly because the story was engaging, yet it's the uglier remaining third that's leaving such an imprint on my mind. The first part of the book actually had a good premise, familiar but solid. Poor girl with nothing gets plucked from obscurity into a life of riches. I didn't even take issue with the idea that she was stripping when we first meet her, because she's doing it to survive. Can't fault someone for surviving, and she's smart about her work, putting her safety and schooling first. I actually had to pause around page 55 and split a side from laughing. "Four boys who rule the school, and their decree sets the law for how poor-girl Ella will be treated." I've seen this premise before, and lemme tell ya, I LOVE Hana Yori Dango. Downside? The boys in HYD weren't such *complete* a-holes, unlike the Royals, and they actually learned and grew from their experiences in the story. The only redeemable character in this bunch is Easton. He's the only one that makes up for his initial behavior and makes an attempt to be better with Ella. I see so many reviews for this story chittering on about how great all the boys are and I'm like "...Seriously?" Either their standards for men are terrible, or mine are too high. Maybe both? Easton was sweet, Gideon was neutral, and the other three were like "Please go to other side of your mansion house and never interact with Ella again, thank you." There was ONE saving grace of the distasteful sexual content that I feel warrants a shout out. Mean Girl Savannah, one of Ella's arch nemeses, takes the time to warn her of her potential date rapist (albiet too cryptically for Ella to get it). "Look, I don't like you much, but I wouldn't let even my worst enemy be sucked in by him." She put aside all her issues with Ella to warn her. I 100% support girls looking out for other girls. More of this in the book and less of the boot knocking, and this might have been the story I hoped it was going to be. I debated with myself at some length whether to round up or down for my site rating. The book was a solid 2.5 stars for me. The book had plenty of enjoyable material (round up), but it also had some really sketchy content (round down). Ultimately I had to ask myself "How much do I want other people reading this story? So I'm rounding down. I hate the idea of a young impressionable girl looking for a proper Young Adult book to find this one instead. Hell, I wouldn't even want a young boy to read this and get any ideas. I feel it's almost my responsibility to do what I can to discourage them both.