Becky Jerams

I really enjoyed this. I liked Specs (Scotty) and his generally positive personality. I loved Vincent and his relaxed and laid back attitude to his sexuality. The relationship between them was sweet and swoony. Vincent was amusing - I liked that he attends the Dungeon and Dragons club because Scotty invites him and that he's willing to step out of his comfort zone and give it a good shot. I loved all the nerd friends. They were hilarious. I liked Scotty's best friend, Olive - she was harsh at the end (when she was ignoring him) but she also kept standing up for and defending him regardless.

I didn't like Taylor or the abuse that Scotty faces. I didn't like that Scotty forgives him either. I get that he's suffered as well (his dad abuses him) but I didn't think it was a good enough excuse. I mean he literally stabs a compass through Scotty's hand. WTF?!

I didn't hate Alexis but I didn't really like her either. She was a total bitch. I did like that Vincent stands up and defends Scotty against her attack. She scratches the crap out of him and ruins his shirt. Plus the whole blackmail thing was absurd. I did like that she came around and turned into Scotty/Vincent's biggest fans but it was a bit too little too late to really love her.

This was pretty long but I really liked it. It's not perfect but my enjoyment level was high AF and it was fairly well written with interesting characters. 3.5 stars, rounded up to 4 because for enjoyment.… (mere)

Scotty Williams is far from the most popular guy in the sixth form at Havensdale College. He's a nerd, a member of the Dungeon Adventure Club, and he's openly gay. This makes him a prime target for Taylor Raven, the college's star tennis player and obvious homophobe, whose bullying to Scotty is torturous to say the least. Scotty bears it because he knows the power that Taylor and his family hold in the school...his threats to ruin Scotty's life and the lives of those around him seem all too real. Though it's difficult, he think he can make it to the end of college years intact. But when Scotty crosses paths with Vincent Hunter--the biggest badass in the school--things change in ways he never expected, but that doesn't necessarily mean everything will get easier.

So I'll start off by saying this is a long one. That's a higher page count than I normally expect for something in the genre. But don't let that scare you--it's definitely worth it. There are a number of layers to this story that reveal and play out on their own time, and I never found myself feeling like this drags at any point. The characters are very interesting, and the secondary characters--I always find they can make or break a story as much as the protagonist--provide for some great entertainment as well as add depth to the overall story. If you're looking for a complex story that doesn't skip to a simple resolution, this is it. And refreshingly so at that...

[Disclaimer: I received a copy of this book from the author in exchange for an honest review...]… (mere)

"I was the pale, scrawny, homosexual nerd. The easy target. I should have been feeling sorry for myself and wishing I was anyone else at that moment in time. But instead, I smiled at my own reflection."

How not appreciate a book when the main character is so strong despite all his small flaws, so cheerful despite all the sadness in his heart, corageous yes sometimes terrified? Because this is what Scotty is: an adorable, caring and good natured boy (sometimes even too god natured) obliged to face each day his painful past while trying to go on with the present. He's always so cheerful and sweet that it would be easy to think he lives in a little happy bubble. But as anyone knows, sooner or later we are doomed to make a mistake due to our decisions, and this mistake will surely have consequences. This is what Scotty must deal with, and of course it's all but easy.
I was able to perceive all his uncertaintes, desires, pains, feelings... the feelings of such a pure person that I just wanted to hug him and give him all my support. It was impossible not to empathize with him, not to share his emotions, almost living them on my own skin.

There were moments when I was screaming in delight, moved by all the sweetness that two people in love can share. It didn't matter if I'm usually not into stories focused on romance, because in this case I was cheering for them even more than the characters themselves. I was almost envious of that deep, delicate feeling growing page after page.
The greatness of this work was however intertwining these gleeful events with others filled with feelings of betrayal, uncertaintes, rage, envy, dark secrets of the past still menacing the present. Moments that left me almost on the verge of tears.

And nonetheless, if there is something that Scotty unfortunately discovered and that I'll carry with me from this moment on, is that you can't erase your past or forgot what you have been, but you can try change your present self and become a better person to be proud of when you are older and you think about your life.

"Maybe we couldn't go back and change the past. But we could change the present. And I was refusing to let any more of my story end in hatred and anger. It was time to fix everything in my life and it had to start here."

… (mere)