Synopsis:

A National Book Award Finalist offers an intense portrait of an abusive relationship.
Johanna is steadfast, patient, reliable; the go-to girl, the one everyone can count on. But always being there for others can’t give Johanna everything she needs—it can’t give her Reeve Hartt.
Reeve is fierce, beautiful, wounded, elusive; a flame that draws Johanna’s fluttering moth. Johanna is determined to get her, against all advice, and to help her, against all reason. But love isn’t always reasonable, right?

In the precarious place where attraction and need collide, a teenager experiences the dark side of a first love, and struggles to find her way into a new light.

My Thoughts:I liked this book quite a bit, I read it pretty fast for me. But the entire time I was reading it I was slightly mad. I was mad at Johanna for how she allowed Reeve to treat her. She basically lost everything that was important to her, but still defended Reeve and "loved" her, I'd say it was more like an obsession. But it mirrors an abusive relationship very well. The person being abused always comes up with excuses and defends the abuser, which just ends in them being abused more.

Basically the story revolves around Johanna and her obsession with Reeve, her crush. She just wants Reeve to notice her, which she eventually does. So starts the rocky relationship of the two. Then there is Johanna's daydreams/dreams about Joyland, a place in her mind where she fanasizes about her relationship with Reeve, some of it can be a little racy, not that that is a bad thing.

I did like the story, but just really disliked Reeve, I'm not sure if the reader is supposed to like her or not, but I still pitied her, she had a terrible life. Her mom is a junkie, and her "uncle" abuses everyone, her brother has autism, and she has issues herself. I found it hard to like her since she is so violent, but I guess she had to be to protect herself. Even in the end, I'm still not a fan.

Johanna also has a sad life, both her parents have died, and her sister isn't very close with her, but things are better for her than they are for Reeve, Johanna is just a bit innocent when it comes to relationships, since this is her first.

I found the relationship between Johanna and Reeve to be extremely unhealthy. If you allow someone to hurt you as much as Reeve hurts Johanna, something is wrong. I was pretty disgusted by some of the thing I read that Reeve did to her. Regardless, there is a great message in this book, so I would recommend it. It might help some people realize that some things aren't appropriate for a relationship, like any kind of abuse.

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Monday, February 20, 2012

Rage: A Love Story by Julie Anne Peters

Synopsis:

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