This is apparently the first book of three in the All Saints High series. The main characters are Daria (the wealthy, spoiled, popular, neglected girl) and Penn (the poor, neglected, talented athlete boy). They both come from dysfunctional families and they both have anger issues. They hate each other. They love each other. They live in the same house, even though they go to rival schools (rich vs. poor).
This is simply not my kind of book. I read a lot of youth fiction and young adult fiction. I certainly don't mind reading about dysfunctional families or troubled teens or teenage love from two sides of the track (like Grease or West Side Story!), but this was too over the top for me. Daria is downright mean and vindictive with no endearing qualities. Yes, she is lonely and doesn't feel loved by her mother, but that doesn't excuse her behavior. And her "relationship" with the school principal? ICK. Seriously. What is that about. Super creepy and he should be arrested. I liked Penn better, but not enough to redeem this story for me.
I don't mind sex scenes in books, but I guess I'm not a fan of reading graphic sexual experiences between two kids still in High School. I know I sound like an old prude, and maybe I am, but it was just all too much: the "hate", the awful things people did to each other, the jealousy, the over-the-top threats by Daria's father toward Penn, the language, the sex. If this is really what High School is like these days, then I was raised in an extremely sheltered household. I didn't even experience these type things in college after I was on my own.
I won't be finishing the series, needless to say. ;)
Wendy's Rating: **1/2
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