Review: A Boy Like You by Ginger Scott (Like Us #1)
Note: This ARC was provided by the author via WordSmith Publicity in exchange for an honest review.
“I can’t save you from that,” he says, his eyes drifting to our feet. “That’s my limit. I cannot keep you safe from you. You have to do that for me. And I’m so afraid you won’t.”
His confession slams into me. That’s why I brought him here, why I needed him to hold my hand through this, through getting rid of the poison I used to seek to take me away. I knew it would be hard. And I know I am inherently weak when it comes to feeling. I have wounds from my mother’s leaving and my father’s drinking that have been bleeding for years. The Band-Aids have only put off coping with the actual source of the pain. But I don’t know if I’m strong enough to keep walking away…not without him holding my hand.
“I’ll fight so hard, Wes. I promise,” I say, my eyes swimming in his. He doesn’t respond, but the way he pulls me tight tells me he believes me. He knows I’m a fighter. That’s what he loves about me—the way I fight.
This is only my second Ginger Scott read--the first being her new adult (NA) contemporary romance Hold My Breath--but I'm beginning to think that her novels should come with a warning: "Have tissues on-hand." A Boy Like You is the first in Scott's brand-new young adult (YA) contemporary romance series, Like Us, and there was just no holding back the tears as I read the story of Josselyn Winters. This girl had her share of struggles from the moment her life was forever altered at the age of nine. The family she once had was shattered into too many jagged shards, without any hope of ever being pieced back together. Life as she knew it had ended and the girl Joss was changed.
Now at seventeen, she's barely coping, dealing with what affects her with anger-fueled actions and reactions. At nine, she was saved by an odd boy in her class named Christopher. Nine years later, she meets a boy named Wesley Stokes. From the moment they meet, there's a connection there. One that's stronger than she's ever felt with anyone before. It's also a familiar one. There's something about Wes that makes her question and wonder. She was saved eight years ago. Maybe Wes is the one who will save her this time around. Or maybe, just maybe, it's time for Joss to rescue the one person that she should never have abandoned... Maybe it's time for Joss to save herself.
Damn Ginger Scott and her innate ability to write a story so moving and give the world characters so real in their imperfection. I know I mentioned the whole need for tissues, but I think there should be an additional warning for all Ginger Scott books: Do not attempt to read in the wee hours of the morning. Because yeah, that's what I did, like I didn't learn anything the first time around. I started this at three in the morning and kept going...and going...and going. I'm no Energizer bunny, but this is what happens when I become all obsessed about the book in my hands, and I read this one without any breaks, only to finish at a little past six, with the sun up and all sunshiny.
Joss is both frustrating and endearing, so I basically was warring between giving her a hug and wanting to shake her. She tries to make the world see her as this badass chick who doesn't let anyone or anything get her down, and I'm not saying that she isn't a strong young woman because she is. But see, she's also quite vulnerable, and she's been so lost for too long. Her strained relationship with her father and her blossoming one with Wes were among the two most fascinating things in this book, but then there's also the relationship she has with herself. Her coping mechanisms aren't working for her anymore, but she doesn't necessarily need a savior since she's her own savior.
From the moment Wes was introduced in the story, I knew who he was and I don't think the author tried to hide his identity either. I mean, the blurb pretty much clues you in. But jeez, my heart broke for him when bits and pieces of the truth came out. He's the boy who deserves everything good in his life and while I was torn between wanting to hug and shake Joss, I just wanted to pull Wes in an embrace and not let go. Gah! This boy! the title was so frickin' apt because a boy like Wes? Well, he's a rare breed. He, along with Joss and the rest of the cast of characters and genius storytelling from Ginger Scott are just part of what make A Boy Like You a five-plus-star read. ♥
Release Date: 03 March 2017
Date Read: 03 March 2017
Learn more about Ginger Scott.
Thank you!
ReplyDelete