Bleed

This book is one of my least favorite books of all time. It follows 10 teenagers over the corse of about a day or so and shows how all their lives intertwined. The haunting novel shows how people may not be what they appear as on their surface. Involving force, blackmail, love, lust, hate, and power into one story was maybe too much. Laurie Faria Stolarz did a nice job, however, making it realistic and being able to really get into the teen's minds.

Reviewed by Randstostipher "tallnlankyrn" Nguyen for TeensReadToo.com

Who knew that in the course of one day so much could happen, not only to you but to everyone around you. But of course in real life, we only witness what happens to ourselves. Laurie Faria Stolarz takes the lives of ten teenagers who are all connected somehow, and shows how their lives can become so complicated in just one single day.

There's Nicole Bouchard, who is tired of her reputation as being the good girl and wants to change that by acting on feelings that she has had for quite some time. It won't only shock people but can hurt her best friend, Kelly Pickerel, who is in California, not only to visit her father, but her convict friend, Robby Mardonia, the guy she show more has been writing to. She desperately wants to be with him even though she already has a boyfriend, Sean O'Connell.

Sean, the guy who seems to be second-guessing all the choices he's made and now wants to change them. Then there's Maria Krito, who soon discovers that a best friend may not necessarily be someone who is willing to cut her, even though that's the only way for Sadie Dubinsky to finally become her friend. Sadie, the eleven-year-old who isn't the ideal size or weight or even the girl that her mother wants her to be, and the one that has to be constantly compared to her older, meaner sister, Ginger. Ginger Dubinsky, who has the chance to get back at Kelly for embarrassing her.

There's also Derek LaPointe, who soon finds out that looks can't get him the girl he wants, Mearl Aremian. Her odd nature may not be for Derek, but it can help others figure out their lives. Last but not least there's Joy Ryder, a fifteen-year-old waitress who is sick of all the childish boys that she has to deal with, and will learn a dark secret when she tries to get back at the one boy who made her life miserable.

Ten teens, ten stories full of complications and problems that will leave the reader wondering what happens to the lives around them.

BLEED is a very entertaining read that is much different from the other works of Laurie Faria Stolarz. Its deep messages and risqué language will make the reader feel pain, sorrow, and happiness for the characters, which are all well-developed. Readers will be pulled into every story, even if they don't like the person the story is about. Stolarz does her best to capture the hidden feelings that are felt by the person themselves. As a warning, though, the language used is most definitely not suitable for kids in eighth-grade and below. show less

You are warned: BLEED is not your typical short story collection. The ten characters are connected to each other in some way. Their stories intersect one another’s ever so slightly, and yet each one can stand alone. Stolarz tells ten different stories that happen in different locations but all on the same day. Some of the characters face questions concerning love and lust, while other stories talk about mental or family problems. Some situations the characters go through are mostly likely not appropriate for readers under 14 years old. However, BLEED is a collection of short stories that can horrify and empathize at the same time.

I just finished this book last night and I have to say I really liked it. I've read one other book by Stolarz and liked it also, but this one was different. I liked the way she had each chapter narrated by a different person and every person in the story had a problem they had to work out and somehow realized they weren't the only one problems in the world. I think it's a must read for any high school student and older out there.

Not the best from Laurie Faria Stolarz, my favorite author. The book covers the intersecting lives of ten teenagers throughout one day and covered many issues that teenagers today face: cutting, betrayal, sex, and even murder. My favorite stories were Sadie's, Kelly's, and Joy's. The only thing I didn't like was how the plot was overshadowed by so much sex.

Sorry, didn't like this one. I've read the Blue is for...series, and while it was a bit juvenile in content, there was something compelling about the series that kept me reading. While I did finish Bleed, I don't know why I did. I tried to like it, but all the juvenile content was there without that extra incentive to keep reading. Each chapter is about a different character, but all the stories overlap in some way. All the characters are somewhat flawed, but the flaws don't make every one sympathetic. I found most of the characters hard to like and even failed to appreciate the obvious humor in one chapter. It's too full of teenage drama, backstabbing and angst for anyone who appreciates the YA genre for the quality of the story.

I am not a big short story fan, but these are all intertwined to make a larger story. While there are some fairly major events that are disclosed throughout the narratives, for the most part, it is just one day in the life of 10 teenagers and shows just how much can happen. It is definitely for the older YA crowd as it does have some fairly graphic scenes.