Review: Bully by Penelope Douglas

Bully by Penelope Douglas

Genre: New Adult, Realistic, Romance, Bullying

Buy Links: Amazon / B&N

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Synopsis:

My name is Tate. He doesn't call me that, though. He would never refer to me so informally, if he referred to me at all.

We're neighbors, and once, we were best friends. But then, one summer, he turned on me and has made it his mission to screw up my life at every opportunity. I've been humiliated, shut out, and gossiped about all through high school. His pranks and rumors got more sadistic as time wore on, and I made myself sick trying to hide from him. I worried about what was around every corner and behind every door.

So I left.

I spent a year studying abroad and bathed in the freedom of life without Jared. Now I'm back to finish up high school and get the hell out of here forever. I'm hoping that after a year of breathing room, he's moved on and forgotten all about me.

But even if he hasn't changed, I have. I'm not interested in avoiding him or turning the other cheek anymore. We're going to go head to head, because neither of us wants to back down.

Review:

I can’t begin to express how much this book touched my heart and how much I loved the main character, Tate. I’ve been bullied throughout my elementary and highschool years inside and outside of school. So, I can relate to the bullying Tate has gone through.

The book kept me up all night, it made me cry, laugh and then very angry. It wasn’t predictable, it was unique and really good. There was so much angst and pain emanating from the pages that I couldn’t help but sympathize with the main character. And the fact that Tate was strong, determined and a fighter who never gives up just added to my love for the book. She wasn’t too keen on fighting back at first but her strength to embrace the pain and go through every day of highschool with her head held up high is such an inspiration.

The plot had the simple, best friends turned enemies and then fall in love.  Sounds cliche yes, but Douglas manages to make it her own and to string together the simple outline with a whole bunch of events that aren’t your usual romance incidents but something original for once and kudos to her for coming up with something creative with Bully.

Bully is an amazing heart-felt story that will make your heart weep. A sensitive topic, but something I’m sure a lot of readers can relate to. A beautiful addition to the New Adult genre. I’m definitely looking forward to the sequel.

5/5 Stars