Review: Bully by Penelope Douglas

Title: Bully (Fall Away, #1)
Author: Penelope Douglas
Pages: 333
Publisher: InterMix
Release Date: February 18, 2014

My name is Tate. He doesn't call me that, though. He would never refer to me so informally, if he referred to me at all. No, he'll barely even speak to me.

But he still won't leave me alone.

We were best friends once. Then he turned on me and made it his mission to ruin my life. I've been humiliated, shut out, and gossiped about all through high school. His pranks and rumors got more sadistic as time wore on, and I made myself sick trying to stay out of his way. I even went to France for a year, just to avoid him.

But I'm done hiding from him now, and there's no way in hell I'll allow him to ruin my senior year. He might not have changed, but I have. It's time to fight back.

My Thoughts: I'm surprised by how much I loved this book. Usually I can't stand tons of frustrating drama in one story, but Bully was so freaking addicting and good and had way more depth than I expected! Even when some of the characters pissed me off so much that I wanted to strangle them, I couldn't stop reading nor could I stop myself from enjoying it all. It was just a perfect guilty-pleasure read for me, and I can't wait to read more by this author.

One thing I loved about Bully was the main character Tate. She was tough and brave! With the cruel way her former best friend Jared treated her, she still managed to defend herself and keep her head held high. I didn't agree in the beginning with how she decided to handle the situation, but I know everyone has their own way of dealing with things. If she wanted to leave adults out of it, that was her choice to make. It might not have been considered the smart thing to do; however, I don't think it would have resolved anything for Tate if she had. I think she needed to confront Jared on her own terms, and I'm glad she was able to do so, even if she had to experience a lot of heartache.

Jared ended up being more complex than I thought he would be, which was a good thing. When he was introduced, I couldn't understand how he could bully someone who had been his best friend for years. I knew there had to be reason, and I hoped it would be a good enough reason, but I was still shocked at Jared's audacity to act that way towards Tate. He was an asshole, and I hated him! At first. I have to admit I was intrigued by him. I wanted to know his story as much Tate did, and I knew deep down he wasn't as horrible as he came off. He must have regrets. No one could be that heartless, right? Well, let's just say I appreciated how the author handled the whole thing with Jared.

Tate and Jared's complicated relationship throughout the book was full of tension and animosity. But there was also hot and steamy moments between them. I was fanning myself nonstop when those moments came. It may seem unbelievable for them to have any sort of romance, but I understood. Even though Jared relentlessly bullied her, Tate couldn't help having feelings for him. They had been very close for years, and she loved him way before he changed. It's not always easy letting go of the person you love. And it was quite obvious Jared wanted Tate just as much too, no matter how hard he tried to convince her otherwise. I just loved how their relationship developed. It wasn't easy and suited them and their situation.

Bully had me hooked from beginning to end. I don't think it will be for everyone, and I don't think everyone will be able to forgive some of the characters. But for me, I was satisfied with how things turned out. The entire book was unputdownable, the characters were memorable, and I loved all the intensely hot moments. I have to commend the author for writing such an addicting and well-done book, and I'm definitely looking forward to the next book in the Fall Away series!

Rating: 5 out of 5 stars