A review for Bitter End by Jennifer Brown

Posted by Donna

Published Date: May 10th, 2011

Finished Date: June 3rd, 2011

Source: Publishers - Little Brown Books

Format: Paperback

Pages: 359 

The Blurb from Goodreads: When Alex falls for the charming new boy at school, Cole, a handsome, funny, sports star who adores her, she can't believe she's finally found her soul mate-someone who truly understands her and loves her for who she really is.At first, Alex is blissfully happy. Sure, Cole seems a little jealous of her relationship with her best friends, Zack and Bethany, but what guy would want his girlfriend spending all of her time with another boy? But as the months pass, Alex can no longer ignore Cole's small put-downs, pinches, or increasingly violent threats. As Alex struggles to come to terms with the sweet boyfriend she fell in love with and the boyfriend whose "love" she no longer recognizes, she is forced to choose - between her "true love" and herself.

The Review: I was absolutely thrilled to receive this book for review. I'd seen it around a numerous of blogs and seen so many great reviews….so to say the least, I was more than a little excited to start.

Bitter Ends follows the life of Alex, a teenage girl who still struggles with her Mother’s death who died suddenly several years ago. She lives with her father, who completely shuts her out and her two sisters who she isn't very close with. The only two people who she can really rely on are two best friends who mean the world to her. However, things start to change when Alex meets new boy Cole.  She is instantly taken by him and for some reason unbeknown to her...Cole likes her too. As they venture into a relationship, Alex shuts her friends out and really believes Cole’s the perfect boyfriend but sometimes he can lose his temper and Alex is the first one in line to feel his violent threats.

Wow! Yeah, Wow! This story that Jennifer Brown has created takes you on an incredible journey from start to finish as you experience Alex and Cole's relationship. Not only is this a well written story but it completely sucks you in and I loved that this book made me feel every the emotion possible that these characters felt -I truly felt connected to them for that.

Not only has Jennifer created an incredible journey but she has created so many well developed characters during this book too. She takes the time for you to really get inside Alex's head and known what it was like for her to lose her mother.  When Cole comes into Alex’s life, she feels blessed to have found someone to finally love her. I'm not ashamed to admit that I did fall in love with Cole to start with and even though you know the outcome you still can't help but see why Alex was attracted to him. Even with his horrible ways, you still manage to feel both sides of their relationship and see why Alex really wants to make it work with Cole. She believes he really can change and her love from him almost blinds her but underneath it all, Cole will be Cole and he'll never change.

What I also enjoyed were Alex's best friends, Zack and Bethany. They were all so close and their relationships felt real. I think there may have been a hint of a love triangle going on and I would have loved to have seen Alex end up with Zack. He was a great character with a great sense of humour but this was a story about Alex and Cole not Alex and Zack. I also liked that the author really captured what it's like for a first love to get in the way of friendship and how things don't always stay the same but in the end friendship will always win.

Overall, I think Jennifer Brown has written a beautiful novel that touches on a very hard subject. One I think a lot of people will relate too in many different ways from first love to domestic violence. I'm so glad I read this book and I urge everyone else to read it too, so they can experience the journey of this book.

Thank you Little Brown for giving me the opportunity to review this captivating story.