Reviewed by Rowena on
When we first meet the main character Rose Zarelli, her Dad is dead and her brother is away at college, leaving Rose all alone with her mother who is too busy grieving and working to pay much attention to her. The title of this book is pretty apt because though you can’t really tell by looking or interacting with Rose, the reader knows that she is pretty angry. Her brother has abandoned her, her best friend is acting all kinds of weird and her crush just kissed her but he’s with someone already and when his girlfriend finds out, she’s out for Rose’s blood.
I really enjoyed getting to know Rose. She was a complex character with many issues in her life and she was just kind of bumbling around, trying to get through each day. Her best friend’s boyfriend turned into a total douche over the course of a summer and her best friend is trying to fit in with girls that don’t deserve her loyalty or friendship and she has no interest in dating the guy that she should want to date because he treats her so good because she’s interested in someone else.
She’s angry because her Dad is dead, her Mom has checked out and her brother is gone. She’s struggling with how to cope with her father’s death, she’s trying to be the best friend her friend needs and she’s struggling with a crush that she can’t turn away from, especially since he seems to be crushing right back at her even though she’s a freshman and he’s a junior.
It was interesting trying to navigate Rose’s life. Her character was very relatable and my inner 14 year old connected with her in a way that I haven’t connected with a character in a while. I was cheering her on from the very beginning and even when she was being a total brat, I liked her. She reminded me of myself when I was younger and I really liked her and the characters that were introduced in the book…well, most of them.
Rose’s best friend tries out for the cheer-leading squad and makes it. She’s also dating a guy on the swim team who is a total douche to her but she’s young and in love and overlooks it, time and time again. They get into a fight and Rose’s best friend does the unthinkable. She rats Rose out and because of that, I hated her. There are few things that you aren’t allowed to do to your friends (especially your best friend) and ratting them out to someone who clearly hates them is at the very top of the rulebook. You just don’t do it but Rose’s best friend does it and then makes some cookies for her at the end and then things go back to being normal. They need each other so they make up but nope, she’s going to need to do a whole lot more than bake some cookies and be there for Rose to make up for ratting her out. A whole lot more than that. Good friends are hard to come by and you don’t become a good friend by snitching someone out. Who needs enemies when you have friends like that?
The love interest, Jamie? I adored him. I adored the way that he was protective of Rose and I loved the way that he stood up to his ex-girlfriend for what she did to Rose. I really liked him and adored the way that he handled standing her up for prom. He’s a keeper, for real. I loved him. I can’t wait for more of him in the next book.
Overall, I really enjoyed this story and am looking forward to reading the next one. I’m hopeful that the next book will be just as good and I can’t wait for Rose’s family reaction to the page that she’s making for her Dad. I’m also looking forward to seeing how prom played out and what happens next with Jamie. I definitely recommend this book.
Reading updates
- Started reading
- Finished reading
- 31 October, 2013: Reviewed