Author: Jennifer Brown
Publisher: Little, Brown
Publication Date: May 10, 2011
Source: Library
Summary: When Alex falls for the charming new boy at school, Cole, a handsome, funny, sports star who adores her, she can't believe she's finally found her soul mate-someone who truly understands her and loves her for who she really is.
At first, Alex is blissfully happy. Sure, Cole seems a little jealous of her relationship with her best friends, Zack and Bethany, but what guy would want his girlfriend spending all of her time with another boy? But as the months pass, Alex can no longer ignore Cole's small put-downs, pinches, or increasingly violent threats. As Alex struggles to come to terms with the sweet boyfriend she fell in love with and the boyfriend whose "love" she no longer recognizes, she is forced to choose - between her "true love" and herself.
Review: Bitter End is exactly what it sounds like, a bitter end in a relationship. But it is so much more. It's powerful, moving, and just plain emotional.
If you can't already tell Bitter End focuses on the relationship of Alex and Cole going from sunshine to abuse. Abuse novels make me sad and this succeeded in doing so many times but there were times when I couldn't help but feel hopeful for Alex.
When I was reading Bitter End I really put myself in Alex's shoes. The crap she had to deal with from Cole was enough to put my hair on end. When I look into their relationship from the outside I wanted to scream at Alex to get out of it. But if you really do put yourself in Alex's shoes you might not do it. Which makes everything even more sad. Bitter End really made me question how much does it take to get out of an abusive relationship? Even if you know that you are being abused.
Alex was an admirable character. All she really wanted was to be loved and cared for. Her friends, Bethany and Zach were nice but I feel like they should of done something more, but maybe that's just me.
Now Cole was such an awful character. He's the thing that you want to scrape off the bottom of your shoe. He was an awful person.
Brown's writing is SO good. It can inflict sadness, happiness and even occasional bouts of humor. I can't wait to read many more books from her.
Bitter End was an amazing, powerful book, with some strong characters that will make you want to reach in and give them a hug. I loved it.
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