Bully Review

Title: Bully
Author: Penelope Douglas

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.

So I found this book while rating another book. In the comments someone had linked this book and said it was a better version of that book. So I checked it out.

So I am going to start off by saying this could contain vague spoilers
. I won't come out and say THIS HAPPENS, but it might hint at it.

With that being said, I will move on to the biggest issue I had with this book. And that is the bully part. Now I know that is the name of the book, but this guy was awful! I honestly thought it might take a turn for the worst and have the girl be suicidal. In my mind this guy was a monster and there was NOTHING he could do in the end to change that. That he would always be a monster. Nothing that he could have went through that would cause him to do such things to another human being. It didn't even matter to me that he might be in love with her or that he was friends with her before. I don't care if he couldn't hate the person he wanted to, so he took it out on her. He ruined her entire high school life and you can't get that back. So on that fact alone it got two stars.

It gained it's extra start through the heroine. God, I loved her. One of the best female characters I have seen. She was stupid at times, but then again, I had to keep reminding myself that she was only in high school. I don't like how it ended. Maybe I am not a sucker for this stuff as I thought. I would have really liked to see her kick the crap out of him rather than kiss him.

Madoc! Okay, so I know I am supposed to hate him. Which I did. But I loved him at the same time. I hated Jared, no love there. But Madoc was so funny! OMG! He was hilarious. I loved this character. Yes, he was a bully, too, but he was so funny. I couldn't help but like him.

The writing was great. The book I had read before was choppy and rushed, so I was iffy about this one being compared to that. In my opinion the books were nothing alike. Douglas did a great job with the flow of the story and describing the things in Tate's day to day life.

I wanted to give this four stars. Because part of me really wanted to like Jared in the end, but I couldn't. I guess I can't get passed the fact that he ruined so much for Tate. And going into the book named Bully, I should have known that.

This is a new adult novel. Not recommended for anyone under the age of 18.