Bad Romance

"With your lips on mine, your song still in my ears, I forget that I never said yes, that all of it-the dance, us-was a foregone conclusion. You told me to be your girlfriend. You didn't wait for me to answer about prom. I gave you my heart on a silver fucking platter and you ate it, piece by bloody piece."

Ah this book made me so emotional. It was incredibly well written, heartbreaking, and realistic. It shows how anyone, especially one from a broken home, can so easily fall into an abusive relationship and have a hard time coming out. I loved how cringeworthy this book was and I finished it too fast. One of my favorites this year.

I've lived this book & I hope if anyone currently living this book is reading it, they find the courage to get out. It's not easy, but you can do it!!

This is going to be a hard book for me to review. Right off the bat, I want to tell you I LOVED THIS BOOK. I've never read a YA book about a controlling, possessive boyfriend (portrayed in a negative way) who wasn't physically violent. And holy shit-- this one portrayed that perfectly.

Gavin starts showing Grace attention and she can't believe her luck. Here's this guy, who she's crushed on forever, and is totally out of her league, treating her like she's a princess. He's making her feel so loved and needed-- and basically giving her everything she doesn't get from her home life. She feels show more safe and important and cared about.

Then Gavin begins to get too attached. He wants to be with her all the time, wants to know where she is and who she's with. He wants to institute "rules" on what they can do and who they can hang out with. She starts seeing that maybe Gavin isn't Mr. Perfect. But by then it's too late. By then Grace can't imagine her life without Gavin, and he's definitely not going to let her go.

I kind of felt like Ms. Demetrios was following me around in the early 2000's-- because it was around that time that I had my own Gavin. He wasn't a rockstar, but he was like Gavin in every other way. He never hit me, but he may as well have. I still have the emotional scars and will snap if I perceive anyone trying to keep tabs on me. I think a relationship like that stays with you for life.

I hope this gets in the hands of every girl/boy who has or had a Gavin. I don't think I've ever read a book to so accurately depict what someone who is controlling is like. And Grace didn't have family to help her, so if she could get out-- I think it will give hope to so many young people.

The only thing that I didn't exactly love was that there was an escalation of the abuse that crossed the line into something more physical-- and I was kind of hoping this book would just stay in the mental abuse category. It almost felt like it was saying that she couldn't leave until something REALLY bad happened. And I know that's not what the message was, but I wish it didn't mix that in there to muddy the waters.

OVERALL: Thank you Heather Demetrios!! Thank you for writing a book about the guys like Gavin and relationships that are hard to get out of. I think this book should be in every middle school and high school. I feel like every teen/young adult should read it.

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Their love was so perfect, until it became sick. Every movement checked, every word a possible grenade, living life looking over your shoulder; the life of a soldier entrenched in guerrilla warfare love. This is a cautionary tale about teenage love that starts as innocent as a flower but quickly morphs into a strangling vine. Cyclical venomous relationships, like mother like daughter, a lesson learned the hard way is Bad Romance. There are themes of emotional, verbal and physical abuse, depression, manipulation, suicide, and OCD on top of regular teen angst and growing pains, this novel packs it all in. Demetrios delivers all this with a sarcastic wit that keeps it all a little left of sane and adds a touch of humor to situations where show more it's hard to find. The truth and real of so many situations and relationships rang familiar (... mom? Is that you? Seriously.) Bad Romance gives another perspective on the ever popular Edward and Christian's kind of possessive, all encompassing 'love' as well!
I am glad that Grace did hold onto herself as much as she could, and had the sweetest, truest love of all for a senior in high school, her BFF's who had her back through it all and then some.

I love the author's note at the end; way to look out for others in this situation, and help heal yourself in the process. Fabulously written, a must read.

*The only thing I do not like about this book; its title. After reading it and going on this journey, the title doesn't seem like 'enough' for me.

I received an arc from NetGalley for an honest review show less

"With your lips on mine, your song still in my ears, I forget that I never said yes, that all of it-the dance, us-was a foregone conclusion. You told me to be your girlfriend. You didn't wait for me to answer about prom. I gave you my heart on a silver fucking platter and you ate it, piece by bloody piece."

Ah this book made me so emotional. It was incredibly well written, heartbreaking, and realistic. It shows how anyone, especially one from a broken home, can so easily fall into an abusive relationship and have a hard time coming out. I loved how cringeworthy this book was and I finished it too fast. One of my favorites this year.

I was sent this book in exchange for a review from the author.

This book caught my attention right away! The cover is stunning and the description pulled me in. I have never read any Heather Demertrios, and I really enjoyed her writing style.

Bad Romance deals with emotional abuse, mental health, and so much more. There is so much tension as you are reading, as you want to know what is going to happen. This starts off by learning about the romance with Gavin and Grace. While you are getting to know their love story, little hints are thrown in about what is to come. You will read a scene and then be told this is how it was until things fell apart. I will say it was a little slow to build into the action, but once it picked up I could not show more put it down.

This not only deals with relationship abuse, but emotional abuse from Grace’s family as well. You see how her mother is treated by “The Giant” and how Grace falls right into that same pattern without even knowing it.

I think this is a really important book. Most books that deal with IPV (Intimate Partner Violence) focus on physical abuse. This really focuses on emotional abuse and how Gavin manipulates Grace. I work with victims of IPV and most people do not understand this is a form of domestic violence.

Overall, I enjoyed this read. show less

This is one of those books that left me all kinds of twisted. It was lyrical and life changing at times, but overall the concept just drove me crazy. It's so all over the place and yes, I get that that's the idea... it was just too much. I needed more progression and less of the same stuff over and over again.

I really don't have much to say other then if you can get past the second person pov, and appreciate the drama theme... You will be entertained. If not, I'd pass. The only redeeming part for me was the fact that the Author's writing reached my soul at times. She had a way of wrapping words together to form beautiful, messy sentences that really hit home.

How fucked up is it that so many of us can relate to this. My 'bad romance' was 15 years ago and I'm 'over it' and yet still fucked up in fundamental ways because of it.