Type: Young Adult, Teen, Series, Book 1, Football, Young Love, Death in the Family, To speak or not to speak?
About the Book:To everyone who knows him, West Ashby has always been that guy: the cocky, popular, way-too-handsome-for-his-own-good football god who led Lawton High to the state championships. But while West may be Big Man on Campus on the outside, on the inside he’s battling the grief that comes with watching his father slowly die of cancer.
Two years ago, Maggie Carleton’s life fell apart when her father murdered her mother. And after she told the police what happened, she stopped speaking and hasn’t spoken since. Even the move to Lawton, Alabama, couldn’t draw Maggie back out. So she stayed quiet, keeping her sorrow and her fractured heart hidden away.
As West’s pain becomes too much to handle, he knows he needs to talk to someone about his father—so in the dark shadows of a post-game party, he opens up to the one girl who he knows won’t tell anyone else.
West expected that talking about his dad would bring some relief, or at least a flood of emotions he couldn’t control. But he never expected the quiet new girl to reply, to reveal a pain even deeper than his own—or for them to form a connection so strong that he couldn’t ever let her go… [Synopsis from Goodreads.com]
My Review: Well this was a serious let down. I'm not the biggest fan of Abbi Glines - I know she has a huge fan-base, and I get it, for the most part, but this is definitely not a shining example of her work. This just felt so bland. I've been on a sports romance kick lately, so I figured this would be a good one to follow in that trend, but it just felt like it was lacking in so many ways.
For example: My grandfather just recently passed away. He raised me, and we were very close. He was ill, and in his last months, I had to help take care of him since there was a lot he couldn't do him self. This is exactly what West was going through with this own father. I was nervous about reading through the painful final days and passing of West's father in case it hit too close to home. And you know what? It didn't. I didn't feel much at all - because there just wasn't any punch to the story. I got more of a "it happened" rather than "THIS IS SO SAD!"
I found the best way to explain it was to say this book is a sanitized version of a real story. The emotions are missing, and the connection with the characters. And I think the development from grief-stricken to coping was so ridiculous. This is the perfect example of "having a man will make everything better" (and vice versa).
Cover Lovin': Good cover. Fits the story. And I know it's weird, but I like that the title is nice and big - I hate it when the author's name takes over everything else.
Recommendation: It's the first of a new series, so no backstory needed! But it would help to love sappy stories.
Final Rating: ONE POINT FIVE out of FIVE stars (1.5/5)! Major let down. Missing true character development, and an emotionally moving story.
Get your copy of Until Friday Night from Amazon.com today!
Happy Reading!
~!~ Amanda, Novel Addiction ~!~
Disclaimer: I received a free, advanced e-copy of this book in exchange for a fair review.
