Bad Romance

May 1, 2017
In an intense reflection on abusive relationships, Demetrios (I’ll Meet You There) introduces high school junior Grace, who is no stranger to emotional abuse: her controlling stepfather and obsessive-compulsive mother have made her life miserable with unreasonable demands and endless lists of chores. (“I live in a kingdom ruled by a tyrant,” Grace reflects early on.) Grace thinks that she has found her knight in shining armor in charismatic classmate Gavin Davis, who vows to keep her safe, but after a few blissful dates, he starts acting possessive and obsessive, threatening suicide if they ever break up and demanding that she give up her friends and dreams to prove her loyalty to him. Injected commentary that contrasts what Grace thinks now against what she felt then is intrusive, lessening suspense and interrupting the flow of the story. There is no puzzle to solve, just stark honesty and potent reminders that strong friends and a stronger will can be key to freeing oneself when caught between a rock and a hard place. Ages 14–up. Agent: Brenda Bowen, Sanford J. Greenburger Associates.

May 1, 2017
Grace, a high school junior, is the last one to see that the boy she fell in love with is no good for her. A year into a relationship that started with her infatuation with Gavin, a senior who survived a suicide attempt, Grace wants desperately to get away from his increasingly controlling, jealous behavior. In a first-person narrative addressed to Gavin, Grace tries to work out how she got in over her head. Beginning with a melodramatic stream of consciousness, the novel turns into a well-crafted depiction of the processes that can lead an immature girl without the support of emotionally balanced adults into trouble. Grace's mother plays the role of Contrite and Subservient Female to Grace's stepfather, whom Grace calls The Giant. Despite warnings from her sister and close circle of friends, Grace can't see that she's heading the same way. Even when she recognizes that Gavin's manipulating her, she's taken in by his professed love for her, saying "it's addictive, being someone's everything. Letting them be yours. You're the only drug I take." She goes along with his rules about contact with other people and allows him to coerce her into sex, all the while feeling responsible for his emotional well-being. Grace's ethnicity and looks are left vague, perhaps to underline the universality of emotional abuse, but the absence of markers to the contrary reinforces the white default. A realistic, worthwhile look at dating violence and unhealthy relationships. (author's note, resources) (Fiction. 14-18)

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June 1, 2017

Gr 10 Up-As Grace's junior year begins, she is in survival mode. She just has to keep her head down at home, work hard to save money for college applications, and maintain high grades to qualify for scholarships. Grace wants out of high school, out of her dysfunctional home with her dominating stepfather, and out of her small California town. She hangs with the drama crowd and prefers to direct or act as stage manager. All of those plans go out the window, though, when Gavin, the most talented and charming senior in school, notices her. Sure, he tried to kill himself when his last girlfriend broke things off, but he is practically a legend. Grace savors the attention, both from Gavin and everyone who notices them together. However, Gavin's dark side is about to rear its ugly head. Before Grace knows it, she is swept up in a too-serious, constricting relationship. Now, all her dreams seem to be slipping out of her grasp as she realizes that the perfect relationship she dreamed of is twisting out of control. Gavin needs serious help, and Grace needs out of the relationship. This dark story is best suited for older high school readers. Pop culture references are plentiful, and the author expertly conveys the suffocating feeling of life in a dysfunctional family and the longing of teens to be on their own. VERDICT Sure to circulate in high school libraries and teen collections.-Carli Sauer, Carmel Middle School, IN

Copyright 2017 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

May 15, 2017
Grades 9-12 When charismatic, popular Gavin takes a shine to awkward theater nerd Grace, she can hardly believe it. Sure, he just attempted suicide after his last girlfriend dumped him, but that only adds to his troubled allure. If you're hearing alarm bells, that's by design: in Grace's first-person narrative, she's open from the start that her relationship with Gavin went bad, and as she describes the initially gooey romance, she occasionally offers pithy hindsight commentary. At first, Gavin is a picture-perfect boyfriend, but before long, that protective nature turns to possessiveness, and that ardor to abusive manipulation. Through Grace's lively, engaging voice, readers gain a vivid picture of the way a smart, self-assured girl can fall into an abusive relationship. Though it takes a long time for Grace to finally see the reality of Gavin's abuse, her cadre of multifaceted friends stand by her, despite their frustration at her reluctance. While the middle of the novel drags a bit, Demetrios' well-drawn characters are tremendously appealing, and Grace's discovery of the power of her own strength will make readers cheer.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2017, American Library Association.)