Title: Bitter End
Author: Jennifer Brown
Summary: As senior year begins, Alex has it all figured out: She is going to finish school, then take an epic road trip with her two best friends Zack and Bethany to Colorado before college: That is where Alex’s mom was headed when she died in an accident when Alex was little. When she starts tutoring, then dating the gorgeous new boy in school, Cole, everything changes.
At first, she couldn’t be happier: Cole is sweet and charming, and pays attention to her in a way that her remote dad and mean-spirited sister do not. Alex can understand why Cole gets annoyed when she makes plans with her friends, especially Zack. And it doesn’t really bother her when he gets a little angry when she says stupid things. Soon, however, Cole’s irritation turns into something much darker and Alex finds herself in what seems to be an impossible situation: Keep silent or lose the only person in the world that ‘loves’ her.
While this might sound like a standard abusive-relationship book, author Brown does a great job showing you how a smart girl like Alex could fall into such a situation. You might not like watching her sucuumb to such cruelty, but you will start to understand why it happens to people every day. This is an important book on a challenging subject, and one that is worth your time.
Who will like this book: Anyone who likes intense, realistic fiction. Readers who have been, or know anyone who has been affected by dating violence.
If you like this, try this: But I Love Him by Amanda Grace. Dreamland by Sarah Dessen. Breathing Underwater by Alex Flinn, which describes abusive relationships from the guys point of view. Hate List, also by Jennifer Brown.
Recommended by: Nicole, Teen Librarian