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Until Friday Night
Until Friday Night
Until Friday Night
Audiobook6 hours

Until Friday Night

Written by Abbi Glines

Narrated by Olivia Song and Sebastian York

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

4/5

()

About this audiobook

A #1 New York Times bestseller and the first novel in a brand-new series—from bestselling author Abbi Glines—about a small Southern town filled with cute boys in pickup trucks, Friday night football games, and crazy parties that stir up some major drama.

To everyone who knows him, West Ashby has always been that guy: the cocky, popular, way-too-handsome-for-his-own-good football god who led Lawton High to the state championships. But while West may be Big Man on Campus on the outside, on the inside he’s battling the grief that comes with watching his father slowly die of cancer.

Two years ago, Maggie Carleton’s life fell apart when her father murdered her mother. And after she told the police what happened, she stopped speaking and hasn’t spoken since. Even the move to Lawton, Alabama, couldn’t draw Maggie back out. So she stayed quiet, keeping her sorrow and her fractured heart hidden away.

As West’s pain becomes too much to handle, he knows he needs to talk to someone about his father—so in the dark shadows of a post-game party, he opens up to the one girl who he knows won’t tell anyone else.

West expected that talking about his dad would bring some relief, or at least a flood of emotions he couldn’t control. But he never expected the quiet new girl to reply, to reveal a pain even deeper than his own—or for them to form a connection so strong that he couldn’t ever let her go…
LanguageEnglish
Release dateAug 25, 2015
ISBN9781442387645
Author

Abbi Glines

Abbi Glines is a #1 New York Times, USA Today, and Wall Street Journal bestselling author of the Rosemary Beach, Sea Breeze, Vincent Boys, Existence, and The Field Party Series . She never cooks unless baking during the Christmas holiday counts. She believes in ghosts and has a habit of asking people if their house is haunted before she goes in it. She drinks afternoon tea because she wants to be British but alas she was born in Alabama. When asked how many books she has written she has to stop and count on her fingers. When she’s not locked away writing, she is reading, shopping (major shoe and purse addiction), sneaking off to the movies alone, and listening to the drama in her teenagers lives while making mental notes on the good stuff to use later. Don’t judge.

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Reviews for Until Friday Night

Rating: 4.010067119463087 out of 5 stars
4/5

298 ratings16 reviews

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  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    i love how this book tells both sides, boy and girl point of views I wish there were more stories like this. its a very sweet romantic book. this sorry didn't drag. I love it. I would love to read more books that were like this one.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    Loved this book!! I really enjoyed it a lot! Love!
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    I found the heart worming story of the girl Maggie and how she was surviving and trying to overcome the death of her mother that her father had killed to be very realistic with emotions I could personly feel. That Maggie had to move to her aunt and uncles home and her cousins protection but not friendship her loneliness was real. And then her friendship that becomes her only outlet by West who has a secret, his father is ill. And all that The two West and Maggie go threw in there teens that most adults would struggle within adulthood. This is an amazing story
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    So I did enjoy the book, Maggie’s story was so sad and devastating and so was West’s, they were written really well. I feel really disappointed with the end, I felt like some things were left hanging... West was worried about his mum she was acting funny after coming home from her mothers house... that was left hanging, this girl that turned up and upset them all didn’t really turn into anything so what was the point In her coming into the story at all? What’s Brady’s story with his ‘girlfriend’? I just felt they were page fillers, I’m left without closure ?‍♀️
    But honestly it is a great read and honestly it’s a great story so I’m not slating it or anything I’m just being honest with a few of the issues I felt let it down slightly hence the missing star.
    But yeah great read over all ☺️
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    Loved this story! Abbi Glines is a fave of mine, so I always look forward to her work. It was a very enjoyable audio book. Sebastian Yorks voice can melt butter. Would recommend!!!
  • Rating: 1 out of 5 stars
    1/5
    OK, first to establish a baseline I'm a pretty easy to please sort of reader. In fact I often get super eye-rollingly annoyed at popular reviewers who like negative reviews like 95% of the time. That's not book loving it's once in a full blue moon of September on an even numbered year book liking. That being said... THIS BOOK WAS HORRIBLE!! It's not often that I voluntarily DNF a book. Do I have a great many books that might are currently on reading hiatus part way through? Yes. Books I set aside with NO intention of ever re-opening? Rarely. I honestly am at a complete and total loss as to how thousands of people gave this book a 4-star rating. Oh, Until Friday Night how do I cringe at thee let me count the ways.

    1.The melodramatically cheesy style of the author's writing is mind grating. She somehow actually makes a story based around murdered and cancer-ridden parent's of teenagers feel shallow as hell.

    2. Girl sees Dad kill Mom. Girl testifies against father but then stops speaking all together to anyone for two entire years because she just can't bear the sound of her voice or some crap. This might sound like a cold assessment but don't you worry it's not like this girl stops speaking due to serious mental health complications resulting from her traumatic experience. It's not even communicating with others that is her problem she literally just won't speak (by choice) but if you are willing to bend to her irrational whims she will right her thoughts out long hand, paragraphs at a time which you can then invest more time reading.

    3. No speaking for years is cray . Except for this chick, she's not mentally unsound. No sir, inside her mind everything is working a-ok, better than ok. In fact she and the book's "hero" (term loosely used) are the two most self-aware teenagers on the planet. They are have complete psychological understanding of not just their own thoughts and behaviors (not that they use this awareness to actually behave properly.) They also have complete and total insight into each other's minds. I mean like supernatural psychic levels of insight. Which would be fine accept this book is suppose to be realistic fiction and the characters are intended to be neither psychic or supernatural in any way.

    3.the main character is a selfish bitch but we are suppose to ignore that because her inner dialogue always justifies her bad behavior with "good intentions." As we all know justifications and excuses are all that matters in real life so ignore Maggie's (the girl) actual actions and just accept that she is this gorgeous but innately kind and good, damaged angel who is just so so strong. An angel who refuses to speak to anyone for 2 fucking years. This includes her very kind loving extended family who take her in feed her, shelter her, pay for her phone, and 100% coddle her and do everything they can to love and protect her. But then.... enter complete and total dickhead (who just happens to be a super popular star football player) and poof she's up and talking to him within a matter of days. Not for superficial reasons of course but because he loves his mama (yeah, in Ms. Gline's world unlike the real world guys can't love there mother's and still be an asshole. Maggie straight up declares this as fact multiple times in the book.) Also, she can just see the the hurt and anguish in his eyes and just knows that he's acting out. So anyway she's now up and talking but only to West (the fake hero) and she's deceptive about it to because she still doesn't want to bother with having to speak to those pesky relatives of her. Who cares if they are constantly worried as shit over her. Oh yeah she's also treats this other decent guy who clearly likes her and was kind to her in spite of her voluntary muteness and when no one else bothered trying to be her friend but we're suppose to accept that as a kind thing because she was just obeying her cousins wishes to do what he orders. (Cousin is nice and loving in an overbearing controlling sort of way. Most of the people in this books locale are not good for each others emotional well being.)

    4. West - this dude is a total d-bag. He's just an asshole. Sure he loves his mom and dad but most people do even when their parents suck. it so happens that West's parents are super good, super loving, all around good parents. So the fact that he loves his parents simply shows that he's not a total sociopath which is hardly cause for applause and adoration. Also his Dad is dying of cancer which of course is sad but isn't doesn't excuse his behavior especially since we are given every indication that his behavior pre-dated his father's illness and not that he is acting out as a result. What all I know about are main character by the time I finally gave up any hope for this story. a.his lifelong best friend clearly states that his newly arrived mute cousin is off limits to his man-slut jock friends. So what is literally the very first think he does upon being within arms reach of Miss Maggie? He kisses her as an act of anger and without any indication that she wants him to. That's totally fine because she liked it so we can ignore the fact that he used sexual activity, however mild, in anger specifically because he thought it would upset her. Oh have I mentioned that this kissing also went down while he had a girlfriend but again that's ok because he always treats her like shit and he doesn't actually care about her, he just likes how she looks naked. Also we can accept his assholeness toward the girl he's been dating for a year (that's significantly long when you're only 17) because she doesn't love him. I mean she says she loves him but she's lying because he just knows and obviously being the psychic that he is he can just determine what is truly going through another persons mind.

    Then I just couldn't take anymore of this book. It was just so much badness. Over wrought with freaking badness. That's all folks.

    Jess signing

    1 person found this helpful

  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Maggie doesn't speak anymore; she watched her father kill her mother and is afraid of the sound of her voice. West is hiding his father's terminal illness from his friends so he doesn't have to deal with the pain of loss. Can these two broken kids find a healthy balance with each other or will they just deepen the wounds each carries?

    An Abbi Glines book I can have in my high school library! My girls will love this one. It was a fast read, that drew me in, wasn't a fluffy romance, there is some real meat to the issues that Maggie and West are dealing with, and they are handled well.
  • Rating: 2 out of 5 stars
    2/5
    I'm sure that there are lots of girls who would love the angst contained within Until Friday Night but for me it was just too much. I also didn't think the profanity was necessary, nor the references to oral sex and the rampant references to gratuitous sex. For those reasons alone, I would be reluctant to have this book on my middle school shelves, and by the time students are in high school, I really think they are looking for something more so I'm not sure who I think would be the best audience for this book. Having said that, I did love the way both Maggie and West were able to help each other deal with their demons and be there for each other. I won't be putting it in my classroom however, just because the language is a bit much and the hookups and references to meaningless sex a bit too frequent.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    I know some people have hated this, but I loved it. I was able to relate to West since I have been through having a sick parent and losing my father. His fears of even going to school in case his father died was exactly how I felt when my dad was in his last few weeks. I never wanted to leave the house in fear of what would happen if I left. So many things he felt were exactly how I was feeling and I definitely broke down in tears several times during this story.I am taking off .25stars due to West becoming possessive and controlling. This was not needed. His dealing with grief could have been done any other way. I do like how they talk about how he is acting is not ok, and they work through it though.Overall, I loved this and listened to the audiobook in one sitting. I will definitely be continuing with the series.
  • Rating: 1 out of 5 stars
    1/5
    OK, first to establish a baseline I'm a pretty easy to please sort of reader. In fact I often get super eye-rollingly annoyed at popular reviewers who like negative reviews like 95% of the time. That's not book loving it's once in a full blue moon of September on an even numbered year book liking. That being said... THIS BOOK WAS HORRIBLE!! It's not often that I voluntarily DNF a book. Do I have a great many books that might are currently on reading hiatus part way through? Yes. Books I set aside with NO intention of ever re-opening? Rarely. I honestly am at a complete and total loss as to how thousands of people gave this book a 4-star rating. Oh, Until Friday Night how do I cringe at thee let me count the ways.

    1.The melodramatically cheesy style of the author's writing is mind grating. She somehow actually makes a story based around murdered and cancer-ridden parent's of teenagers feel shallow as hell.

    2. Girl sees Dad kill Mom. Girl testifies against father but then stops speaking all together to anyone for two entire years because she just can't bear the sound of her voice or some crap. This might sound like a cold assessment but don't you worry it's not like this girl stops speaking due to serious mental health complications resulting from her traumatic experience. It's not even communicating with others that is her problem she literally just won't speak (by choice) but if you are willing to bend to her irrational whims she will right her thoughts out long hand, paragraphs at a time which you can then invest more time reading.

    3. No speaking for years is cray . Except for this chick, she's not mentally unsound. No sir, inside her mind everything is working a-ok, better than ok. In fact she and the book's "hero" (term loosely used) are the two most self-aware teenagers on the planet. They are have complete psychological understanding of not just their own thoughts and behaviors (not that they use this awareness to actually behave properly.) They also have complete and total insight into each other's minds. I mean like supernatural psychic levels of insight. Which would be fine accept this book is suppose to be realistic fiction and the characters are intended to be neither psychic or supernatural in any way.

    3.the main character is a selfish bitch but we are suppose to ignore that because her inner dialogue always justifies her bad behavior with "good intentions." As we all know justifications and excuses are all that matters in real life so ignore Maggie's (the girl) actual actions and just accept that she is this gorgeous but innately kind and good, damaged angel who is just so so strong. An angel who refuses to speak to anyone for 2 fucking years. This includes her very kind loving extended family who take her in feed her, shelter her, pay for her phone, and 100% coddle her and do everything they can to love and protect her. But then.... enter complete and total dickhead (who just happens to be a super popular star football player) and poof she's up and talking to him within a matter of days. Not for superficial reasons of course but because he loves his mama (yeah, in Ms. Gline's world unlike the real world guys can't love there mother's and still be an asshole. Maggie straight up declares this as fact multiple times in the book.) Also, she can just see the the hurt and anguish in his eyes and just knows that he's acting out. So anyway she's now up and talking but only to West (the fake hero) and she's deceptive about it to because she still doesn't want to bother with having to speak to those pesky relatives of her. Who cares if they are constantly worried as shit over her. Oh yeah she's also treats this other decent guy who clearly likes her and was kind to her in spite of her voluntary muteness and when no one else bothered trying to be her friend but we're suppose to accept that as a kind thing because she was just obeying her cousins wishes to do what he orders. (Cousin is nice and loving in an overbearing controlling sort of way. Most of the people in this books locale are not good for each others emotional well being.)

    4. West - this dude is a total d-bag. He's just an asshole. Sure he loves his mom and dad but most people do even when their parents suck. it so happens that West's parents are super good, super loving, all around good parents. So the fact that he loves his parents simply shows that he's not a total sociopath which is hardly cause for applause and adoration. Also his Dad is dying of cancer which of course is sad but isn't doesn't excuse his behavior especially since we are given every indication that his behavior pre-dated his father's illness and not that he is acting out as a result. What all I know about are main character by the time I finally gave up any hope for this story. a.his lifelong best friend clearly states that his newly arrived mute cousin is off limits to his man-slut jock friends. So what is literally the very first think he does upon being within arms reach of Miss Maggie? He kisses her as an act of anger and without any indication that she wants him to. That's totally fine because she liked it so we can ignore the fact that he used sexual activity, however mild, in anger specifically because he thought it would upset her. Oh have I mentioned that this kissing also went down while he had a girlfriend but again that's ok because he always treats her like shit and he doesn't actually care about her, he just likes how she looks naked. Also we can accept his assholeness toward the girl he's been dating for a year (that's significantly long when you're only 17) because she doesn't love him. I mean she says she loves him but she's lying because he just knows and obviously being the psychic that he is he can just determine what is truly going through another persons mind.

    Then I just couldn't take anymore of this book. It was just so much badness. Over wrought with freaking badness. That's all folks.

    Jess signing
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    I found the heart worming story of the girl Maggie and how she was surviving and trying to overcome the death of her mother that her father had killed to be very realistic with emotions I could personly feel. That Maggie had to move to her aunt and uncles home and her cousins protection but not friendship her loneliness was real. And then her friendship that becomes her only outlet by West who has a secret, his father is ill. And all that The two West and Maggie go threw in there teens that most adults would struggle within adulthood. This is an amazing story
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    *Many thanks to the publisher, Simon & Schuster for providing me with a review copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.*It’s going to be pretty hard describing what I liked about the book, because the problem is, I basically liked 99.9% of the book. Ever since I read the synopsis on the book’s release date, I knew I had to have it. Let me just say that this book did not disappoint. In fact, I enjoyed this book so much I didn’t even make notes while reading. So now I’m writing this review fresh of off my memory… Anyway. Let’s get started.Once I started this book, I couldn’t put it down. It had such a raw feel to it that it just completely compelled me. There are so many factors that contributed to this, which I’ll be delving into below:Firstly, the characters. I don’t usually get emotionally attached to characters except for a few special cases, so imagine my surprise when I actually grinned at what the characters said and cried with them, too! This is coming from a person who didn’t cry while reading TFIOS, by the way. West’s interactions with his mother & father really touched me, and most of the time left me with tears running down my face. And when Maggie opens up to West – it was just so heart wrenching! Even though they were side characters, the other characters were really well-developed and easy to relate to. I felt like I knew them well. I love how Abbi was able to make us be in the story; that just shows how skilled she is. I’ll definitely be reading more from her in the future.Secondly, the storyline was so sweet, moving, and full of emotion that it almost blew me away. The way that everything weaves together could be so cute at times, but tragic at other times. I think that’s what made it such a wonderful story – the blend of cutesy high school romance with an undertone of tragedy. The balance was maintained very well, therefore contributing to the story’s flow really nicely.Thirdly, the writing. It really lent the story the perfect vibe. I know it wasn’t this dramatical prose full of flowery words, but I still enjoyed it very much. It had a conversational feel to it, yet it was still articulate. Books with this writing style are some of my favorite ones, to be honest. Also, the descriptions were totally flawless. They connected the story really well and conveyed its surroundings in an exceptional manner.Now that I’ve talked about what I liked most about the book, let’s discuss that 0.1% part that irritated me. It was West Ashby’s possessiveness. He was so possessive of Maggie from Day 1, even when he claimed to want nothing to do with her. I find possessiveness & clinginess to be such an off putting quality in protagonists. I know the circumstances in this book are different and Maggie later confronted West about it, but the problem still remained. Yeah, he was conscious of it now but it was still kind of there toward the end. Also, Maggie broke up with West for like, ONE DAY. Frankly, it was just unhealthy.So, all in all, this is definitely what I’d call a page turner of a book. If you haven’t read Abbi Glines before, then you should definitely start with this YA book. It has an easy-to-follow writing style, emotional storyline, and dimensional characters! I’d recommend this book to lovers of easily readable YA stories.
  • Rating: 1 out of 5 stars
    1/5
    This is the first book that I've ever read by Abbi Glines, and it is probably going to be my last.The premise was incredibly intriguing to me. West Ashby is slowly losing his father to advanced colon cancer, although no one outside of his family knows it. He's trying to keep it all together as he loses his idol. Maggie, the new girl at school, has been mute since watching her father kill her mother in front of her two years ago. She's still hurting and hasn't received what she needs to get past the trauma. Maggie and West gravitate toward one another.Sounds good, right? Yeah, except it wasn't.In West and Maggie's first "interaction" with one another (which is very one-sided, as Maggie is not speaking), West is a total jerk to her and ends up kissing her. Even though he has been told by Maggie's cousin, Brady, that Maggie is "off" and not mentally well. But, hey, West can see in Maggie's eyes that she's not, so it's okay? How about no. And the reason he's kissing her is because he's angry and upset and he wants to hurt Maggie. Oooh, how romantic.But hey, West was raised better than this. He keeps saying that. He doesn't really demonstrate it, but he keeps saying it, sooo...we're supposed to believe that. The girls in this book are just horribly, horribly written. Maggie is completely virginal (that kiss with West was her first kiss even) and good. All of the other girls in the book either fall into two categories: 1) mean sluts because they have sex (*gasp!*) or 2) background foils to show just how beautiful and sweet and virginal Maggie is. I hate this.The boys are allowed to enjoy sex. Hell, West sleeps with at least two different girls in a month. And there is nothing wrong with that. Sex is fun. But as soon as a girl likes to have sex, she's tarred with the slut brush. Nope. Nope nope nope. And not only are they sluts, but they're mean sluts. The girls West is involved with take delight in hurting sweet, innocent Maggie at every opportunity.Maggie doesn't have one single female friend in this entire book, and I find that incredibly disturbing.Know what else I find disturbing? Maggie is repeating her mother's bad choices.Maggie's father was abusive to Maggie's mother, often in front of Maggie. Ultimately, he killed her. And instead of Maggie being "I am so not going to go down that road," she gets involved with a boy who treats girls like they're throwaway paper. He treats Maggie badly, and then flips on a switch and becomes obsessed with her and making her his. He threatens others, including his own friends, who show any interest in Maggie. He isolates her and gets jealous when Maggie starts talking to other people, because that means that she's not just talking to only him. This is not a healthy relationship. Even Maggie briefly realizes this and breaks up with West, but all West has to do is say that he loves her and all is forgiven and forgotten. Know what else I find disturbing? Maggie's trauma plays second fiddle to West's. She is a source of comfort, but he does very little to do anything to help her with her own obvious trauma. Yes, I realize that West's father is actively dying in the book, while Maggie's mother was murdered two years ago. But the girl has been mute for two years. Obviously she is still suffering, and badly. But West is just content to take and take and take without giving anything back. Eventually he realizes this, but it's too little too late. He obviously values his own feelings over the girl he supposedly loves. And even though girls are portrayed badly here, the boys are portrayed just as badly. They're all male chauvinists who only value Maggie for how sweet and beautiful she is. No one gets to really know her, except Brady, and he's her cousin so...yeah. Although that didn't stop West from worrying about Brady catching a glimpse of Maggie's stomach. He was seriously afraid that Brady would hit on his own cousin. Creeper. I can't see how this is even remotely romantic. Here's how this scenario often plays out in real life: Maggie and West get married. West doesn't go on to college; he gets a job in the local factory. Life gets hard. West starts drinking. West blames Maggie for his "lack of success" in life and starts taking it out on her. By this time, West and Maggie have had a few kids, so the kids get to see Daddy smack Mommy around. Maggie either sticks it out or leaves, but either way, she's traumatized and so are the kids. Doesn't sound so romantic now, does it?Blech.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Lately, I’ve been in the mood for reading New Adult Contemporary Romances, sports related. When I saw that Abbi Glines was releasing a sports romance, I requested it without hesitating. What I came to realize while reading this story was that it wasn’t new adult, but it was in fact young adult, which ended up making lots of sense due to some issues in the story that only teens would make, and adults too, but when it comes to books, it turns out it’s teens.Now, let’s start with the story. Maggie has kept quiet since her father murdered her mother. When she arrives to this new town to stay with her aunt, uncle and cousin, she continues to stay quiet until West Ashby comes into her life. West hasn’t told anyone about what he is dealing with but decides to confide in Maggie, seeing as she doesn’t talk but Maggie surprises him and she starts talking to him. Both of these characters create a bond with one another. What I didn’t like was the very unhealthy connection West had to (yes, it’s “to”, not “with”) Maggie. He knows Maggie is still dealing with her grief but he uses her as his anchor and I really wasn’t okay with this at all. I guess that he never noticed what he was doing to her but it frustrated me, especially when Maggie would continue being his crutch. Later on, we see Maggie taking a stand for herself and I was so happy she realized what was happening.I was hooked on the story from the start. While this book’s major focus is the romance, it also deals with grief, loss and the importance of family and friends. These factors play a big role in the story and it will have you shed a tear or two (unless you are one of those that cries over anything, then be sure to grab a box of tissues). I personally liked this story a lot because the characters felt so real and to a certain degree, I connected to them and related to them, in certain aspects. I think a lot of people can relate to West and can relate to Maggie. Personally, I related to Maggie. While she is quiet, as in doesn’t speak, sometimes I keep things to myself that no one know and probably will never know and it is my way of keeping quiet. Sure, I talk A LOT but when it comes to certain things, I keep quiet and I’m sure this has happened to a lot of you.I really recommend this story to everyone, since it will make you feel good but at the same time make you want to cry. The topics that are dealt with should be seen more in YA books and I give kudos to Abbi Glines for incorporating them into a YA story.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    I wanted to read Until Friday Night because I was intrigued about Maggie's not speaking. I can't imagine being witness to parent's murder, and then on top of that not speaking. It seems like it would make life very difficult. I was also wanted to see the other side of West. I know that the football player, strong to everyone else has been done, especially the one with a softer side/one in pain. But I wanted to read about their chemistry, him letting his guard down, and how their relationship could go. I liked it, but it was a bit formulaic. Maggie wouldn't speak, which I get is a coping mechanism for what she saw. She doesn't want to talk about it, it brings the memories even closer to the surface. But when she sees West in pain, even though at first she doesn't know why, she is drawn to him, and he becomes the first person she speaks to in so long. She only talks to him because she sees the type of pain that she's dealt with. She soon learns that his dad is dying of cancer, and West and his mom have been keeping it quiet, so West has been dealing with that on his own for so long. Now, she does get a to a point where she talks to others, and her words to West as she says, comes out without her even thinking about it. But I feel like her aunt and uncle should have been the next to hear her voice, and soon after she speaks to West. But that is not the case. They start out as friends, but of course it doesn't stay that way. I was proud of Maggie though, through her growth and even though she cared a lot for West, when he started getting possessive of her, especially others talking with her, she stopped it. She thought that she had become too much a crutch for him, and that their relationship was getting into unhealthy territory. I was glad that later it got straightened out, and West did some growing and realization that he needed to let others in and help him deal with the pain. The ending fit the story very well. It starts with months later and then gives us an epilogue as well. It shows how much the characters have grown, the evolution of their relationship and shows what their future together could look at. It made sure that the characters faced their immediate challenges and are at least working on them. Bottom Line: Good na contemp, characters showed growth and strength even when faced with hard life events.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    I received this free eARC from Edelweiss in exchange for my honest review. The second I found out Abbi Glines was writing a YA series, I was game from the get go, so I was very excited when I was granted permission to read this as an eARC. Even though this is about YA characters, the main guy and gal are deep. They have gone through more trauma and heartbreak and such serious ordeals than most adults have gone through. The history of Maggie's parents is insane and I cannot blame Maggie for not talking. I may have done the same thing in her shoes, or gone clinically insane. And poor West. Watching your hero fade away day by day would be emotionally draining and so sad. I'm so glad that Maggie and West found each other at this time of need. They needed each other and made each other look forward to each day, something that high schoolers should have to think about. Maggie is also very wise for her age, seeing what West was doing before anyone else did and actually taking the right steps for once. Not many people would stop a relationship as quickly as Maggie had, because most people don't want to be alone. But Maggie can handle being alone - she just can't handle having her heart broken. Such a great novel (not that I'm surprised - it's ABBI GLINES!). Can't wait to read the rest of the novels in the series and will definitely be buying this novel for my YA collection at my library!