For as long as she can remember, Wren Gray’s goal has been to please her parents. But as high school graduation nears, so does an uncomfortable realization: Pleasing her parents once overlapped with pleasing herself, but now... not so much. Wren needs to honor her own desires, but how can she if she doesn’t even know what they are?
Charlie Parker, on the other hand, is painfully aware of his heart’s desire. A gentle boy with a troubled past, Charlie has loved Wren since the day he first saw her. But a girl like Wren would never fall for a guy like Charlie—at least not the sort of guy Charlie believes himself to be.
And yet certain things are written in the stars. And in the summer after high school, Wren and Charlie’s souls will collide. But souls are complicated, as are the bodies that house them...
Sexy, romantic, and oh-so-true to life, this is an unforgettable look at first love from one of young adult fiction’s greatest writers.
Charlie Parker, on the other hand, is painfully aware of his heart’s desire. A gentle boy with a troubled past, Charlie has loved Wren since the day he first saw her. But a girl like Wren would never fall for a guy like Charlie—at least not the sort of guy Charlie believes himself to be.
And yet certain things are written in the stars. And in the summer after high school, Wren and Charlie’s souls will collide. But souls are complicated, as are the bodies that house them...
Sexy, romantic, and oh-so-true to life, this is an unforgettable look at first love from one of young adult fiction’s greatest writers.
Throughout this review, I'll be very sarcastic and caustic. This book was supposed to be quite amazing. This Wren Gray was supposed to be someone I could look up to. Then...I dared to open the pages and peer inside.
This review is essentially a rant.
Let the ranting start.
There is one word for this book. Potential. This book had so much potential. It could have been great. If it only hadn't gone down the teenagers-always-have-sex route...
I like the beginning. This book started off well. It didn't have the other aspects of the story that I hated.
It was a book that seemed to go down the path of self discovery. We have this girl who isn't sure about her decisions. Are her parents influencing her too much? What will she do? As this boy...a foster kid...broken and lonely. But never alone. What will he do?
We're led down this path. This path that leads to self discovery and understanding. But that's not what we're given.
This book showed so much potential. It could have been a beautiful piece. The beginning showed so much potential. It was a good, solid beginning. It promised a good story.
I wanted to like Wren. I truly did. She had so much potential. She was a great character in the beginning. She had a backstory. Her parents wanted her to do something. They pressed their wants onto her. She was pressured. She was stressed. And forced to be someone else. She was a down-to-earth character. She was real. She had a good backstory. I wanted more, though. I wanted more about her past. I wanted more about her parents. Really.
She was so similar to me. We are both only children. We don't have the best, outgoing personality. We had good friends. And good grades. We're oddly similar. Which is how I could feel for her. I felt like I was connected to this Wren at times.
She isn't my favorite Wren, though. I've read another Wren which is...cooler. If that makes sense. She's smart and strong. (The other Wren.) But this Wren is high on my list of the five Wrens I've read. Second best. I'm trying to ignore the sex part. I'm focusing on her personality.
She had friends. And people she was close with. I can tell she really cared for Tessa. They're close friends. Like sisters. A bond beyond friendship. She turned to Tessa for help. And Tessa turned to Wren. I'm like that as well.
As you can tell, I'm comparing her to me. Not because I want to. Because...we share the name Wren.
Charlie. Well. I hate that he's so...teenage boy. Why? I can't stand reading boners. It's physical anatomy, but I just want to choke when I read it. He could have been great. (As I said, this book had potential.) He had a good backstory. A great backstory. Left by his mother? Wow. Tossed from foster home to foster home? You could really build on that. He could have been the bad boy that Wren reforms or something. Or perhaps he helps her understand life and herself. That would have been great. Positively great. But no. We were given a horny teenage boy. I didn't want that! I wanted a caring guy. Or a tough guy. Or something else. Anything but this...
Also. With the way Charlie acts and whatnot, it doesn't seem likely for Mr. Horny to have buff muscles. He seems to never go to the gym. It's not mentioned once. At all. So. Please explain washboard abs and taunt, bulging biceps. Anyone? No? Okay then.
This is marketed to young adults, but there is so much sex. So much sex. Wren even says they have sex so much they're like rabbits. Rabbits, my friends. That's means they were doing it. A lot.
You have moments when you think it can be romantic and sweet. You think this book could be better than teens having sex 'like rabbits'. Then...sex. It infects the story and steals Wren's innocence. I really don't like that. (I wanted her to keep some innocence. She's a virgin. Innocent is practically tattooed into her skin. I wanted to keep that. Something along those lines if not keeping her virginity.)
Don't think I expected sex in this book. I didn't. I thought it would be a coming of age book. Or self discovery. Not sex. Never sex... This was shocking for me.
I know sex is part of life. (I never thought I would say that...) But that doesn't mean we need it explicitly. Especially a young adult book. Young adult books typically glance over sex. They say it along the lines of this:
'The two of them looked into the other's eyes. "We can't," she whispered, placing her hand on his broad chest. He smiled at her, cupping her cheek. "We can," he said softly in her ear. He slowly leaned her back and kissed her neck with light kisses.
'She awoke to his warm body next to him. "Hey...wake up," she murmured sleepily. He tossed under the thin, scraggly blanket. "Hey..." She poked his bare chest.'
Something like that. It's vague, but if you understand, they did the do. (Had sex. Made love. Did it. Whatever you care to call it.)
Also. Did they not use a condom? Yes, Lauren Myracle, it's a good idea to advertise the great benefits you gain from not using a condom. It's such a 'better' experience. Wren definitely isn't pregnant or has the hopes of being pregnant. (Sarcasm. My best tool. Also. Wren probably is pregnant. Have fun going into labor, Wren darling.)
Let me explain this. Even if it wasn't between a girl named Wren and anyone else, I would be outraged. I would still have this conversation about the sex if it was a girl named Abigail and a guy named Chet. Okay? I'm outraged by the sex not by who it is between.
The romance isn't the best. I feel like there isn't chemistry or history. How long did they know each for anyways? I feel like it was only a few days. Nothing more than that would not really fit into the time frame we're given. They're boyfriend and girlfriend for a good lump of time during the summer.
Why did they start dating? What made Wren so attractive to Charlie? Don't say physical attraction. I know that's the first thing you notice. But still! And don't you dare mention the 'chemistry' between them when Wren stitched Charlie up. That doesn't count as why they started dating. I'm going to say that Wren's a nice girl who would do that for anyone.
Why did they love each other? When did this love form? I read the book and saw them having a lot of sex and kissing and touching. This actually looked like a summer fling to be. The plot rushes the romance. It turns from not dating to dating to loving each other.
Why did Charlie care for Wren before they even spoke? What was it about her that was so...desirable? He even says he likes her in his first chapter.
There are so many questions I have. I wish I could walk up to Wren and Charlie and talk to them. (I would probably need to forcibly tear them apart. Their lips might come off if I tear them apart, though. Or something else...a certain male part from a certain female part.)
The ending is just a whole bunch of drama. Geez. The plot is mostly sex and kissing until the end. I think that the plot is struggling to prove its worth. We're given so much drama. I'm choking on it. Drowning in it.
Anyways. What happened? Did Wren go? Will either of them go? The ending is so vague. I hope one of them goes to help children in Guatemala. Or both of them go and they can make love/have sex/made the bed shake/do the do/do it in little huts or on straw pallets. An adventure for both of them.
As you can tell, I was ranting.
Well.
Rant over.
Weather:
Cloudy with a 40% chance of rain
2/5
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