Talk Nerdy Book Blog

TagComing of Age

Why I’m So Done with “Bad Boys” in New Adult Romances

By Sarah
In Opinion
July 8, 2019
W

Note: There will be spoilers mentioned below.

Anyone else just done with certain types of “bad boys” in new adult romances? I’ve decided to start something new on my blog called an opinion piece which targets issues I’ve discovered in literature and where I use a specific book (In this case After by Anna Todd) to demonstrate my point. I have come to believe that the propagation of certain types of cliched “bad boys” should not be romanticized; what are the damages of rationalizing behaviours that are demeaning, womanizing and, in the context of this piece, abusive? Please remember this is my opinion and you’re welcome to disagree!

Books are works of fiction but at their core, they can reflect the realities of society and therefore what we’re taught as “dismissible behaviour.” Therefore, I think it is worth discussing the impact of the cliched bad boy when they’re depicted in certain ways as media in all forms is such a huge influencer in our lives.

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Count On Me (Count on Me, #1) by Melyssa Winchester

By Sarah
In 4-stars, Book Review
November 12, 2014
C

Series: Count On Me*

Release Date: April 19th, 2014

<strong>Synopsis:</strong>
There are people that tell you high school is the best time of your life.

They lied.

High school is horrible when you’re like me and you’re autistic.

They think that because I don’t talk and I seem to always be lost in my own world, I’m stupid or deaf. Some even think I’m retarded. i’m none of those things and I don’t like that word.

Just because I’ve got issues, doesn’t mean it’s all I am. There’s a lot more to me, but no one really takes the time to get to know t. St least that’s how it was until Kayden.

Kayden Walker is bad news. he spends his time making people that are different, like me, feel even worse about themselves and he does it with a smile. He’s everything I don’t need in my life, yet he’s the one person I can’t seem to live without.

Underneath, there’s more to him that he’s afraid to let the rest of the world see. I’ve seen it and as I’m finding out, we’re not so different after all.

<strong>Ending</strong>

HFN
<strong>Representation</strong>
• Main character is autistic
• Supporting character has Asperger’s Syndrome
<strong>Possible Triggers</strong>
• Physical abuse
• Emotional abuse
• Psychological abuse
• Allusions to alcoholism
• Warning: The bullying of Bella is detailed and includes intense psychological as well as physical abuse.
• Note: The Hero is a very cruel bully of the Heroine–he is never physical with her.
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<strong>Safety Rating:</strong> Safe
• No cheating
• Kind of OW drama
– The Hero dated-in the past-the Heroine’s main tormentor. But, there was no drama in relation to the OW wanting Kayden back.
• Does have the Hero and Heroine pushing away
• Does not have a separation between the Hero and Heroine
• See Ending for HEA status.
• See Possible Triggers for Abuse and OTT sad parts.

Rating: 4.25/5 stars

*Each novel in the series is Standalone

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The Impossible Knife of Memory by Laurie Halse Anderson

By Sarah
In 4-stars, Book Review
August 31, 2014
T

Series: Standalone

Release Date: January 7th, 2014

<strong>Synopsis:</strong>
For the past five years, Hayley Kincain and her father, Andy, have been on the road, never staying long in one place as he struggles to escape the demons that have tortured him since his return from Iraq. Now they are back in the town where he grew up so Hayley can attend school. Perhaps, for the first time, Hayley can have a normal life, put aside her own painful memories, even have a relationship with Finn, the hot guy who obviously likes her but is hiding secrets of his own.

Will being back home help Andy’s PTSD, or will his terrible memories drag him to the edge of hell, and drugs push him over? The Impossible Knife of Memory is Laurie Halse Anderson at her finest: compelling, surprising, and impossible to put down.

<strong>Ending</strong>

HFN
<strong>Representation</strong>
No strong representations of the following:
• BIPOC characters
• LGBTQIA+ characters
• characters with a disability
And doesn’t address fatphobia
<strong>Possible Triggers</strong>
• PTSD
• Suicide
• Depression
• Violence
• Abuse
<strong>Mature Themes</strong>
• Cursing
• Sex
• Teen drug use
• Underage drinking
• See Ending for HEA status.
• See Possible Triggers for Abuse and OTT sad parts.

Rating: 4.5/5 stars

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The Promise of Amazing by Robin Constantine

By Sarah
In 3-stars, Book Review
August 25, 2014
T

Series: Standalone

Release Date: December 31st, 2013

<strong>Synopsis:</strong>
Wren’s Caswell is average. Ranked in the middle of her class at Sacred Heart, she’s not popular, but not a social misfit. Wren is the quiet, “good” girl who’s always done what she’s supposed to – only now in her junior year, this passive strategy is backfiring. She wants to change, but doesn’t know how.

Grayson Barrett was the king of St. Gabe’s. Star of the lacrosse team, top of his class, on a fast track to a brilliant future – until he was expelled for being a “term paper pimp”. Now Gray is in a downward spiral and needs to change, but doesn’t know how.

One fateful night their paths cross when Wren, working at her family’s Arthurian-themed catering hall, performs the Heimlich on Gray as he chokes on a cocktail weenie, saving his life literally and figuratively. What follows is the complicated, awkward, hilarious, and tender tale of two teens shedding their past, figuring out who they are – and falling in love.

<strong>Ending</strong>

HFN
<strong>Representation</strong>
No strong representations of the following:
• BIPOC characters
• LGBTQIA+ characters
• characters with a disability
And doesn’t address fatphobia
<strong>Possible Triggers</strong>
• Blackmail
• Threatening behaviour
• Criminality (including theft and plagiarism)
– The Hero and his friends had been conning girls romantically and then robbing them
<strong>Mature Themes</strong>
• (Kind of) cheating (Heroine kisses a different guy twice and the Hero attempts to pull another girl while the Hero and Heroine were dating)
• Cursing
• Implied sex
• Underage drinking
• See Ending for HEA status.
• See Possible Triggers for Abuse and OTT sad parts.

Rating: 3.5/5 stars

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Me, Him, Them, and It by Caela Carter

By Sarah
In 4-stars, Book Review
August 13, 2014
M

Series: Standalone

Release Date: February 26th, 2013

<strong>Synopsis:</strong>
Me: Evelyn, closet good girl turned bad.

When she decided to earn herself a bad reputation, Evelyn was never planning on falling in love.

Him: Todd, supposed Friend with Benefits

She just wanted to piss Them off. To make people take notice.

Them: the cold, distant parents.

She wasn’t planning on ruining her valedictorian status or losing her best friend, and she definitely wasn’t aiming to get pregnant.

It: the baby growing inside her.

Now, Evelyn needs a plan. And someone to help with the heart-wrenching decisions that are coming up fast.

<strong>Ending</strong>

HFN
<strong>Representation</strong>
• Lesbian couple supporting characters
• Chinese supporting character
• Latina supporting character
• Black side characters
<strong>Possible Triggers</strong>
• No abuse
• Unprotected sex
• Teen pregnancy
• Discussion of abortion and adoption
<strong>Mature Themes</strong>
• Sex
• Infidelity
• Underage drinking
• Drug use
• See Ending for HEA status.
• See Possible Triggers for Abuse and OTT sad parts.

Rating: 4.75/5 stars

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Sanctuary of Mine by Shelly Pratt

By Sarah
In 4-stars, Book Review
July 16, 2014
S

Series: Standalone

Release Date: July 13th, 2013

<strong>Synopsis:</strong>
Mackenzie Deeks is struggling. Outwardly she plays the tough guy and acts like being a young adult with an eating disorder is no big deal. Inside, she’s crumbling.

Ever since her parents’ divorce, the only way she has been able to feel in control of her life is by purging the despair that has its grips on her and won’t let go.

Tyler Redding knows when someone needs help – he’s seen it before. This time, though, he’s not going to take no for an answer. From the moment he first sets his sights on Mackenzie, he’s unable to think of anyone else. But how can he focus on a football career when all he wants to do is date the most unassuming person he’s ever met?

As their lives become intricately entwined, it becomes more than wishful thinking when Mackenzie and Tyler find each other again as adults. With successful careers, a beachside lifestyle and each other’s love to contend with, life should be pretty damn good. But just when they think they’ve found their wonderful kind of normal, their perfect world comes crashing down.

It’s going to take a lot to keep Mackenzie from succumbing to old habits, but Tyler thinks he might just be the one to save her for good.

<strong>Ending</strong>

HEA
<strong>Representation</strong>
• LGBTQIA+ side character
<strong>Possible Triggers</strong>
• Bulimia
• Anorexic
• Death of family member
• Grief
• Sexual assault
<strong>Safety Rating:</strong> Safe
• No cheating
• No descriptive sex scene with OW/OM
• Does have the Hero and Heroine pushing away
• Does have a separation between the Hero and Heroine
• See Ending for HEA status.
• See Possible Triggers for Abuse and OTT sad parts.

Rating: 4.5/5 stars

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Out of Play by Nyrae Dawn and Jolene Perry

By Sarah
In 4-stars, Book Review
July 7, 2014
O

Series: Standalone

Release Date: August 6th, 2013

<strong>Synopsis:</strong>
Rock star drummer Bishop Riley doesn’t have a drug problem. Celebrities – especially ones suffering from anxiety – just need a little help taking the edge off sometimes. After downing a few too many pills, Bishop wakes up in the hospital facing an intervention. If he wants to stay in the band, he’ll have to detox while under house arrest in Seldon, Alaska.

Hockey player Penny Jones can’t imagine a life outside of Seldon. Though she has tons of scholarship offers to all the best schools, the last thing she wants is to leave? Who’ll take care of her absentminded gramps? Not her mother, who can’t even be bothered to come home from work, let alone deal with their new tenants next door.

Penny’s not interested in dealing with Bishop’s crappy attitude, and Bishop’s too busy sneaking pills to care. Until he starts hanging out with Gramps and begins to see what he’s been missing. If Bishop wants a chance with the fiery girl next door, he’ll have to admit he has a problem and kick it. Too bad addiction is hard to kick … and Bishop’s about to run out of time.

<strong>Ending</strong>

HEA
<strong>Representation</strong>
• LGBTQIA+ supporting character
• Native Alaskan main character
<strong>Possible Triggers</strong>
• Drug addiction
• Alzheimer’s
<strong>Safety Rating:</strong> Safe
• No cheating
• No descriptive sex scene with OW/OM
• Does have the Hero and Heroine pushing away
• Does not have a separation between the Hero and Heroine
• See Ending for HEA status.
• See Possible Triggers for Abuse and OTT sad parts.

Rating: 4/5 stars

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