bully

3/5 Stars.

REVIEW CONTAIN SPOILERS.

Honestly, I’m not sure how to rate this book. I detest bullying. However, I have to admit that I did enjoy reading it. 

When I saw Bully, I was intrigued. The blurb was very interesting that I decided to read it. I was really looking forward for Tate to get back at Jared. I think every kid that was once bullied wants to get back to that person who made their life a living hell right? I loved it every time Tate fights back. She’s really strong and I liked how she chose not to let Jared and his friends change her into a bully. However, when Jared’s traumatic summer that changed him was revealed, I was a little disappointed how quickly they hooked up. I wish Tate made him squirm a little! I mean come on, the guy ruined her reputation at school and humiliated her whenever he can. How can you possibly forgive and forget that kind of cruelty that quickly?

we weren’t the only kids who grew up this way
to this day
kids are still being called names
the classics were
hey stupid
hey spaz
seems like each school has an arsenal of names
getting updated every year
and if a kid breaks in a school
and no one around chooses to hear
do they make a sound?
are they just the background noise
of a soundtrack stuck on repeat
when people say things like
kids can be cruel?
every school was a big top circus tent
and the pecking order went
from acrobats to lion tamers
from clowns to carnies
all of these were miles ahead of who we were
we were freaks
lobster claw boys and bearded ladies
oddities
juggling depression and loneliness playing solitaire spin the bottle
trying to kiss the wounded parts of ourselves and heal
but at night
while the others slept
we kept walking the tightrope
it was practice
and yeah
some of us fell

-Shane Koyczan, To This Day

I didn’t like Jared. I did feel sorry for him when the reason for his actions was revealed, but, I couldn’t get past the bullying. He tortured Tate for 3 effin’ years! There’s no way I can forget that easily. People react differently towards bullying. I keep wondering, what if Tate is one of those who gets depressed? What if Jared’s action brought her to commit suicide? And he says he loves Tate. I can’t accept that Jared’s cruelty is his way to show his affection for Tate. You don’t hurt the people you care about. Seriously Jared, you need to get your shit together. For a second there I thought Tatum is abnormal, because she was so willing to forgive Jared. However, she saw and loved Jared on his pre-bullying years. They have history, so, that made the quick forgiveness believable. 

I also didn’t like the adults in this book. Aside from Tate’s grandma, the rest were all absentee parents or in Jared’s mom’s case, neglectful. Thay also condone illegal drag racing, what the heck is wrong with their community?

Anyway, I still think Bully is a pretty good debut novel. I admire the author for using a sensitive topic for her first book. I heard there will be a book 2 written in Jared’s POV. I hope the next book will give us a more thorough and plausible explanation about Jared’s actions. I do want to give the guy a chance to redeem himself.