Review: Cry Baby by Ginger Scott
Note: An advanced reader copy (ARC) was provided by the author via Wordsmith Publicity.
I may be in my forties but young adult (YA) stories continue to hold a special place in my heart. Maybe it's because this was the genre that originally set me on my way back in high school to becoming the book hoarder, erm, bookaholic that I am today. It may no longer be the number one go-to genre for me, but I do keep an eye out for those stories that call to me--those extra-special YA reads that capture my attention with their blurbs and synopsis and that I hope will lay claim over my affection while and after reading them. This is where an author like Ginger Scott steps in. You see, I've read a number of her novels and based on my experience with her YA books, her stories are the kind I won't regret reading. This was the case with Cry Baby.
From a young age, Tristan Lopez pledged his loyalty to a family tied together not by blood but by power and necessity. The gang his father had formed demanded loyalty and loyalty was what he gave them. This was his way of life--the only way of life he knew. One day, this gang would be his because that was how it was always meant to be...as long as he isn't distracted by things he can never have. Like the normal life other seventeen-year-olds have. Having his attention turned by a newcomer to the neighborhood was definitely not a good idea. Riley Rojas was a girl who handled a basketball better than guys her age, seeing nothing but net. She's beautiful and confident, unafraid to get close to Tristan. No, it's Tristan who's turned fearful of consequences.
Cry Baby had an edge of darkness to it, more than the previous Ginger Scott-penned YA books that I've read. Tristan and Riley were two people who weren't supposed to make sense together, not when they didn't seem to have a whole lot in common. But I loved how Scott found a middle ground for them, that first of other things to tie them together--basketball. There's quite a bit of angst in this story, but then I do love my angst, and damn, it just made for a better read. That's not to say there aren't moments of sweetness between Tristan and Riley. It's easy to forget at times that these two are teenagers, what with everything they've experienced, but even with the ups and downs of life in general and their love for each other, hope springs unexpectedly. Five stars. ♥
From a young age, Tristan Lopez pledged his loyalty to a family tied together not by blood but by power and necessity. The gang his father had formed demanded loyalty and loyalty was what he gave them. This was his way of life--the only way of life he knew. One day, this gang would be his because that was how it was always meant to be...as long as he isn't distracted by things he can never have. Like the normal life other seventeen-year-olds have. Having his attention turned by a newcomer to the neighborhood was definitely not a good idea. Riley Rojas was a girl who handled a basketball better than guys her age, seeing nothing but net. She's beautiful and confident, unafraid to get close to Tristan. No, it's Tristan who's turned fearful of consequences.
Cry Baby had an edge of darkness to it, more than the previous Ginger Scott-penned YA books that I've read. Tristan and Riley were two people who weren't supposed to make sense together, not when they didn't seem to have a whole lot in common. But I loved how Scott found a middle ground for them, that first of other things to tie them together--basketball. There's quite a bit of angst in this story, but then I do love my angst, and damn, it just made for a better read. That's not to say there aren't moments of sweetness between Tristan and Riley. It's easy to forget at times that these two are teenagers, what with everything they've experienced, but even with the ups and downs of life in general and their love for each other, hope springs unexpectedly. Five stars. ♥
Date Read: 21 June 2018
Learn more about Ginger Scott.
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