Punk 57 is told from Misha's and Ryen's point of view and I thought that was perfect! It definitely gave more depth and background to the story and the characters. They have been friends for years. Their friendship started through a pen pal assignment at school. Later on, they realized they only lived one town apart but they vowed to never look for each other. Their friendship stayed in the letters they would write one another. That all changed when Misha goes through something terrible and he ends up attending Ryen's high school. Unfortunately, what Misha discovers about Ryen troubles him. He thought Ryen was one way, but when he meets her, he sees she's a bitch and sometimes a bully.
"And then when I found out she was popular, not an outcast, and a cardboard cut-out, not at all original, I became angry. She led me to believe those things, and my muse was a lie."
I have seen Penelope Douglas books around a lot. I even bought a lot of her ebooks, but I hadn't read them yet. What the hell was I thinking in waiting to read her books? I'm so glad I have Sarah, who's a major book pusher. Because of her, I bought the book but didn't read it. It wasn't until I saw two people I follow on Instagram raving about the book that I decided to start it.
I was glued to my kindle! It was actually karaoke night when I started the book and I said no to karaoke night. I never say no to going out! It's only happened very rarely with books that completely win me over and Punk 57 goes on that list. There's something wonderful when you start a book and you know it will be a one-sitting read. I knew that when I started Punk 57. I had no doubt in my mind I would completely devour it.
I wasn't really sure what to expect. Was I expecting to be blown away? Nope, yet I ended up blown away. There's so much angst in this story and my heart came close to not handling it various times, but it was too good! The angst made the book better for me. I was beyond invested in the characters' lives and their feelings. I would feel what they were feeling so immensely! It's why my heart would break all the freaking time!
Penelope Douglas wrote an incredibly sexy and angsty teen story while giving focus to important topics, such as bullying and loss.This review was originally posted on Latte Nights Reviews.