Monday, January 15, 2018

Demetrios, Heather Bad Romance

Demetrios, Heather   Bad Romance Macmillan/ Henry Holt         2017   360p   17.99  978-1-62779-772-6            hs        Realistic Fiction          E-BN            

When popular Gavin starts a relationship with nerdy Grace, she can’t believe her good fortune, until she realizes that Gavin isn’t as perfect as he seems.             Junior Grace lives in a dysfunctional household with her mother and bullying step father she calls The Giant.  She wants to save money so that she can escape her life and move to a city for college.  Her plans go awry when she falls for Gavin, a popular senior rock star in the making.  Told in the first person, Grace tells us right away that the relationship was doomed, and that she ignored significant red flags, Gavin’s failed suicide attempt when his last relationship failed, chief among them. 

Despite warnings from her sister and her friend, smart, witty, Grace is slow to realize that she is in a controlling, emotionally abusive relationship.  The promise of love and protection, a respite from her Cinderella-like home life, is intoxicating.  Yet in the end, Grace learns to rely upon her friends and own inner strength to break free of the cycle abuse. 

With the currency of the #metoo movement, this realistic look at abuse in a teenage relationship will resonate with young women with a message of strength and resiliency.                                    Teixeira, Lisa

No comments: