But I Love Him by Amanda Grace

BUT I LOVE HIM
Author: Amanda Grace
Source: Library

Reading level: Young Adult
Paperback: 264 pages
Publisher: Flux (May 8, 2011)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 9780738725949
ISBN-13: 978-0738725949

SUMMARY:


Tonight was so much worse than anything before it. Tonight he didn't stop after the first slap.

At the beginning of senior year, Ann was a smiling, straight-A student and track star with friends and a future. Then she met a haunted young man named Connor. Only she can heal his emotional scars; only he could make her feel so loved — and needed. Ann can't recall the pivotal moment it all changed, when she surrendered everything to be with him, but by graduation, her life has become a dangerous high wire act. Just one mistake could trigger Connor's rage, a senseless storm of cruel words and violence damaging everything — and everyone — in its path.

This evocative slideshow of flashbacks reveals a heartbreaking story of love gone terribly wrong.

MY THOUGHTS:

As most of you already know, this book is by author Mandy Hubbard under the pen name of Amanda Grace.  If you have ever read anything by Mandy Hubbard, you know her writing is phenomenal.  Even with the pen name, you can still feel the emotional writing that this author can write so well.

I liked how the story starts with the ending.  Confused? Don't be.  Basically the author is taking that final moment in the abusive relationship and going backwards in time.  The character of Ann is beaten by her boyfriend Conner and she is trying to figure out the exact moment everything went wrong.  What Ann starts to realize though is that when a relationship involves abuse physically and emotionally, there is no certain point that it all begins.  Everything starts to blur together and become one entire event.

While I enjoyed how the author created the timeline for the book, there was one thing that bothered me about it.  We get to only see glimpses of the present day, leaving us to wonder what led up to that particular event in the minutes before it.  I wanted to know what was the thing that finally pushed Conner that far.  While I am not excusing Conner for his previous actions or glossing over the fact that he did other things just as bad.

This book goes to prove that the author can conquer the art of writing emotional issues that others are afraid to touch on in the young adult genre.  I look forward to reading more books from this author and hope that she continues to write books that are on touchy subjects but ones that need to be heard.

MY RATING:

Very Good! I would recommend this book! 4 STARS