Reviewed by nitzan_schwarz on
So, I'm kind of torn when it comes to this book.
On the one hand; I really did like Zeke and Violet's relationship. I like Zeke's character development and the way he goes from someone who won't let other people like him to someone who people can love and appreciate. I liked how Violet demanded his respect and overcome her fears throughout the novel.
These two were a fun couple to follow, as I truly felt like they made each other better, different as they may be.
That being said. THAT BEING SAID. There were a lot of things I was iffy about.
First of all, I found myself wanting Ney to explore more of the things she set up in this book, same as I did in the first one.
Like the kids. The kids are such a great addition to the story, yet Ney barely uses them at all. They are something clearly added just to allow Violet and Zeke to interact more, and that sucked. Where are the adorable bonding scenes? Where are the small things that make Zeke love his little guy, and the little guy return in kind? They were so few and far between that I barely felt them, and so when the book told me at the end about Kyle and Zeke's relationship, I mostly scratched my head wondering why, again, all those great things apparently happened off page.
Then, I wanted Zeke's "friends" to recognize what is hidden under the surface the way James, an outsider, was able to perceive. I wanted them to realize their mistake about him, and to stop acting like the dude had no soul.
I wanted to hear more of Zeke's and Violet's backgrounds since that was another interesting topic that was barely touched upon, outside of the generic "that's why he/she has issues" bits.
And I wanted to see the outcomes of Zeke's various good deeds, especially Brandon's case.
As you can tell, there is a lot of "want" attached to this book.
An even bigger issue I had is of Ney's definition of friendship because holy hell I feel like Zeke's friends suck. Which is a shame because the biggest sucky of them all is Oz, and I really liked him in book one. Anyways, they pissed me so bad with their bad friendship and the way they somehow shifted the blame solely on Zeke for all of it.
**Profane language included in the following rant because I feel really, really strongly about this**
Like, I literally wanted to choke Oz there at the end. There he is, pressing all of Zeke's buttons. Nettling him and doing it in front of someone Zeke doesn't trust. When he KNOWS Zeke. He knows that his defense mechanism is to become all dismissive and callous since we have seen that happen multiple times throughout the book.
And yet. AND YET. Oz does so anyway, and then Zeke does what Zeke always does and Oz has the gall to act surprised? To reprimand Zeke for it and pretend as if he had absolutely nothing to do with the situation? When he has absolutely no right to act disgusted?
All Oz had to do is fucking leave well enough alone. That's it. Those two would have not only started dating for realzies, but they would have reached the L word all on their own in no time, seeing how close Zeke already was to voice that thought.
Like, seriously, give me a break, motherfucker. Learn to treat yo friends better; real friends help each other succeed, not tear each other down and make them fail!
How is this book praising and hailing Oz as this great friend?? His actions are those of a frienemy at best. It's either that, or he doesn't get Zeke at all, in which case start making a real effort you fucker or take your toxic attitude someplace else.
My god!
Oh, and can I also take a moment to rant about that Coach? Like, why is this person represented as the good role model for these kids? All he says to Zeke is filled with this undercurrent of resenting Zeke's wealth. Well, screw that! The fact someone has money doesn't mean he hasn't experienced hardships, only that his hardships may not have been the same as yours. And Coach knows of Zeke's issues. Knows of them and still acts like that towards him.
His actions themselves are good, as they are forcing Zeke out of his own head, forcing him to help others, and that in turn helps him slowly let go of some of his issues. But the dialogue. MY GOD, THE DIALOGUE. It had my blood boiling in rage and my hands itching to slap him, long before I even gave a damn about Zeke.
Again, it's the whole concept of someone being mean and egging Zeke instead of showing him that he has someone in his corner who cares, and who won't just give up on him.
Am I the only one who felt this way about these things? Did I imagine it? Am I crazy???
I don't really know, and I don't really care. Everyone in this kind of pissed me off is the moral of this segment.
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Unedited first thoughts
Oops, I forgot to mark this as read! *facepalm*
Okay, so here is the thing; I really enjoyed Zeke and Violet and their relationship. They were a fun couple to follow.
But, as with the first book, I wanted more things explored. I wanted more bonding scenes with the kids (especially because of what Zeke says about Kyle at the end). I wanted more moments where his friends realize what lies beneath the surface and not just James. I wanted to hear more of his background and Violets. I wanted to see the outcome of his good deeds (like Brendon). Things like that.
And then, I want Sara Ney to reexamine her definition of friendships because these don't feel like ones. Like, I feel like the boys are such bad friends. Maybe they shouldn't be, or maybe they need to learn to be better friends. They got me PISSED so bad.
Especially at the end there. What is Oz doing pressing on all of Zeke's buttons, nettling him, doing it in front of someone Zeke doesn't trust. You KNOW your friend. You know his defensive reaction is to become all dismissive and callous. And then, when he does turn to it, you... act surprised? Pretend like you had nothing to do with it and you're disgusted with him? When all you had to do was fucking leave well enough alone and these two would have been not only dating but saying the "L" word all on their own soon after? Give me a break, motherfucker. Learn to treat your friends better, and to help them succeed rather than make them fail. And the book praising Oz as this great friend got on my nerves big time, because I don't consider any of his actions "friend worthy". It's either he doesn't get Zeke at all, in which case make an effort or leave this friendship, or he's not a douchebag just with his girlfriend. My god.
Oh, and can I take a moment to rant about that coach? Why is that presented as a good coach??? All he does the entire book is resent Zeke his upbringing. All his words are tinged with this anger towards Zeke's wealth. Well, screw that! The fact someone has money doesn't mean he hasn't experienced hardship. And then, turns out he knows Zeke's family situation? So why are you acting like this? All his actions are good--forcing Zeke out of his bubble and to help others--but the actual dialogue had my blood boiling and made me want to slap him, long before I had an ounce of care towards Zeke, just because it was so... Again, it's the whole concept of instead of showing Zeke he has someone in his corner, they push and egg him on and then act surprised at the outcome. Like ahhhh so frustrating.
That's it. Got it all off my chest. Phew!
Reading updates
- Started reading
- 13 February, 2018: Finished reading
- 13 February, 2018: Reviewed