Love Me, Love Me Not

by SM Koz

[zooloo1983]

o after reading this book, I learned this was a debut book. Well, what a way to introduce yourself!

This is the story of Hailey, living in foster homes due to her abusive, drug and alcohol abuser mother. We open the book with a scene with her and her boyfriend Chase, getting a bit jiggy with it, and her getting kicked out of her 3rd foster care in 3 days. All because of Chase.

Then Sherry (her DSS worker) finds her a new home, but it's a new school which sends Hailey into panic mode as she is going to be away from her crutch, also a drug user, Chase.  She is moved to a beautiful house, with the Campbells, Gil and Gigi and their smoking hot, lead quarterback son Brad.  The story follows Hailey, and her journey to a better life, acceptance and the belief that she can do something. She gains friends and a new family and a life she never expects to be able to live, and I loved all her friends, apart from the obvious one that no one will like.

Along the way, typically Chase tries to cause problems, but something else happens, something neither Hailey or Brad saw coming and it could bring her new life crashing down. When the inevitable big bad happens, I hated it, blame the foster kid I would, is the attitude. It showed how naive and quick to judge people are, but it also showed us the remorse and the guilt of her new family who let her down.  Don't worry happy endings do happen (NO SPOILER THOUGH).

The subject matters tackled in this book were quite hard especially for a 17-year-old to experience, but the author did herself justice, in the way all the characters were written and responded to their situations. It is not your typical YA story, of boy meets girls, boy and girl fall in love, there is a drama, and then end of. It is so much more, Hailey and her growth and development.

I loved seeing Hailey grow into the woman she became, from the skinny girl, no prospect apart from working in Wallmart to get buy, to someone who has ambition, a bit of meat on her and acceptance. It truly is a beautiful story, some teenage drama (as expected) but it did not drag on and on, it was cleared it up rather quickly which was a fresh of breath air. Not going to lie, I cried in this book too (God is there something wrong with me at the moment!) and devoured it in one sitting.

I also learned there will be another book, so I am excited for that and to pick up with old friends. (Happy dance!)

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