I was reliving my high school romance all over again when I began reading this book. It was scary. I read several exerts out to my husband since he knows the hell I went through with my high school boyfriend. Even the fact that the main character had a family life similar to mine in high school. I have found is uncanny how I have related to so many of these young adult novels I’ve been reading.

This book begins with Grace, the main character talking about how much she loved you (you, being Gavin, her boyfriend). She narrates like she is writing the story of their romance to her loved one. However, she says at the beginning that it’s at the end of their relationship but she will start at the beginning on when she fell in love with Gavin. (Does that make sense?) She has a tyrant of a stepfather, a mother who is always angry or depressed, a cute baby brother and a lucky older sister who has already moved out and doesn’t have to endure the crazy amount of chores and downgrading Grace has to deal with. She works and makes good grades and has two best friends. She ends up with a boy who she has worshipped for years. He’s a year older, a senior, and she says he’s gorgeous and all that. Things begin normal, and he is sweet and kind and then something slowly changes. It begins with talking down to her, telling her she isn’t deep. Then is moves on to not touching other guys, including hugging friends that are guys. Next it moves to reading her diary, HER DIARY! She keeps talking herself into the fact that this is normal and he doesn’t mean anything to hurt her. But we all know this is how abusive relationships start. I can relate so much. I felt like I was the main character in this book.

This book was on the Best Fiction for Young Adults in 2018.

Click on the image to visit the author’s Amazon page to find more books written by Demetrios.

Demetrios, Heather (2017). Bad romance. New York, NY: Henry Holt.