Marie Loves Books: abusive relationships

Breaking Beautiful by Jennifer Shaw Wolf
Release Date: April 24th, 2012 by Walkers Childrens
Details: 354 pages, hardcover
Genre: Young Adult > Contemporary > Abuse
Source: NetGalley (Thank you NetGalley & Walkers Childrens!)
Summary (Goodreads):

Allie lost everything the night her boyfriend, Trip, died in a horrible car accident—including her memory of the event. As their small town mourns his death, Allie is afraid to remember because doing so means delving into what she’s kept hidden for so long: the horrible reality of their abusive relationship.

When the police reopen the investigation, it casts suspicion on Allie and her best friend, Blake, especially as their budding romance raises eyebrows around town. Allie knows she must tell the truth. Can she reach deep enough to remember that night so she can finally break free? Debut writer Jennifer Shaw Wolf takes readers on an emotional ride through the murky waters of love, shame, and, ultimately, forgiveness.

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Breaking Beautiful was a lot darker than I expected. Allie just survived a horrible car accident that killed her boyfriend Trip, waking up and not remembering anything from that night.

The plot to Breaking Beautiful was for the most part, fast paced. Once it started to slow down, another clue or memory would present itself picking the pace back up. It's unfortunate that Allie lives in a town that small, like wow. I don't know how anyone could survive living in a town that small. I wasn't expecting this book to be based on an abusive relationship and while we only see flashbacks of it, it's enough to feel the anxiety and fear that Allie feels. I think the author did a fantastic job of portraying how scary being in an abusive relationship can be even long after they're gone.

I liked Allie, she was badly hurt and broken but when she snapped oh man, you go girl. I wish she would had ripped Hannah's hair out or something though, cause we all know she deserved it. I loved Blake and it sucks that people didn't give him a chance or hear him out. But that's just high school I guess. But he was a really sweet guy who you could tell really cared about Allie and Allie's special needs brother Andrew. I also loved the bond between Allie and her brother Andrew, it's a bond you don't see much in YA and it was nice to see. Andrew loves his sister dearly, and you could feel the frustration bubbling up inside of him sometimes. But he's a really sweet kid. I wasn't a fan of Hannah who knew nothing of what she was talking about or Allie's mom who was so fixated on her reputation and everyone else's. Instead of comforting her daughter all she cared about was how she looked or what she wore. I most definitely was not a fan of Trip's father who really needs a swift hit on the head with a metal bat. He reminded me a lot of Dan Scott from One Tree Hill in the earlier episodes. Disgusting!!

While Breaking Beautiful was a dark story of a girl trying to remember and rebuild herself, it's also a beautiful story of a girl and her bond with her brother and a boy who will stop at nothing to make sure she's okay. Full of suspense and drama and mystery, Breaking Beautiful is a fantastic debut from Jennifer Shaw Wolf!

Dreamland by Sarah Dessen
Released: May 11th 2004
Details: 250 pages, paperback
Series: No
Disclosure: Bought on Amazon.com
Summary (goodreads):
Strange, sleepy Rogerson, with his long brown dreads and brilliant green eyes, had seemed to Caitlin to be an open door. With him she could be anybody, not just the second-rate shadow of her older sister, Cass. But now she is drowning in the vacuum Cass left behind when she turned her back on her family's expectations by running off with a boyfriend. Caitlin wanders in a dream land of drugs and a nightmare of Rogerson's sudden fists, lost in her search for herself.
Why do so many girls allow themselves to get into abusive relationships--and what keeps them there? In this riveting novel, Sarah Dessen searches for understanding and answers. Caught in a trap that is baited with love and need, Caitlin must frantically manage her every action to avoid being hit by the hands that once seemed so gentle. All around her are women who care--best friends, mother, sister, mentor--but shame keeps her from confiding in any of them, especially Cass, her brilliant older sister, whose own flight from home had seemed to point the way.

Caitlin wakes up on the morning of her birthday to find that her older sister Cass has ran away from home. And from there, things go downhill. Caitlin doesn't know what to do with herself, she witnesses her parents falling apart and her mom doing crazy thing after crazy thing to hide the hurt. Caitlin herself tries not to fall into the mold of her older sister and tries to do things Cass wouldn't do... like join cheerleading. Her mom starts treating Caitlin the way she treated Cass, always involved in her activies, always invovled in every single move of her life. Then she meets Rogerson who people have "heard" about. She doesn't care about the rumors, just the way he makes her feel.

I was attracted to this book because of the fact that it delt with abusive relationships, which is something I am extremely interested in. The book doesn't start off that way, of course. It tells you about Caitlin and her family's struggles everyday, how she tries to cope with the loss of her sister in her life and about her relationship with Rogerson that doesn't really make any sense. The abuse comes out of nowhere, but I guess that's much like real life. And of course, after that first strike, the ones after it come much easier. Caitlin starts staying away from her friends, making up lies, covering herself with clothes that don't show any skin and hiding brusises. In a story like this, you end up frustrated with the character, wondering why they don't just leave. Especially when they're well aware that the relationship they're in is wrong. But you can't help but feel bad for Caitlin, with all she's going through.

I want to say I liked this book, but I guess I just expected a little more from it. Either way, it's a book well worth reading.