Published by Piatkus on 5 June 2014
ISBN: 9780698180888
Genres: Fiction, Romance, New Adult, Contemporary, General
Pages: 369
Format: eBook
Source: Purchased Book
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From New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Penelope Douglas comes a companion novel to Bully, for fans of Colleen Hoover.
This is Jared’s story.
Have you ever been so angry that hitting things felt good? Or numb to all emotions? The past few years have been like that for me. Traveling between fury and indifference with no stops in between. Some people hate me for it, while others are scared of me. But none of them can hurt me, because I don't care about anything or anyone.
Except Tatum.
I love her so much that I hate her. I hate that I can't let her go. We used to be friends, but I found out that I couldn't trust her—or anyone else. So I hurt her. I pushed her away. But I still need her. She centers me. Engaging her, challenging her, pushing her—it’s the one last part of me that feels anything anymore.
But then she went and screwed everything up. She left for a year and came back a different girl. Now, when I push, she pushes back…and I’m not sure either one of us will ever be the same.
Includes a teaser for RIVAL, the next unforgettable novel from Penelope Douglas….
Until You is an emotive coming-of-age tale. Tender, funny, heart-breaking.
Until You is Bully told from Jared’s perspective. I haven’t read many books that are entirely dedicated to telling the male side of the story. Getting inside his head was interesting if a little heart-breaking. We see that he fell in love with her before Bully’s events. He was pulled towards her, she was so different from all the other girls, she wore band t-shirts, converse and didn’t care to fit in. she walked to the beat of her own drum, and he loved her for it. He helped through the death of her mother but after a disastrous summer away at his father’s house things changed and changed for the worse.
“That’s the thing about change. It can be gradual. Slow and almost unnoticeable. Or it can be sudden, and you don’t even know how you could’ve been any other way.”
Jared made me feel a lot of things. I was angry at his bully boy tactics towards Tate, the abuse he went through made me sad, but I was mainly upset at how quickly time can get away from you whilst you’re being stubborn. Jared was out of control, he needed to punish someone for what happened during that awful summer. The person he was punishing, however, did not deserve it. Tate left for France for the year, and he just expected things to go back to normal when she returned. He’d continue to torment her, and she’d cry. Tate was done with lying down for Jared and his jerks. It was time to fight back.
“There are times when we can blame a situation on others, but we own our reactions to them. There comes a point where we are the ones responsible for our choices and excuses don’t carry weight anymore.”
Going into Until You was a hesitant experience. On one hand, I really wanted to know how he was feeling during certain scenes of Bully. However, I was nervous that I was going to end up hating the character again. I thought it was a great instalment. The author didn’t just rehash the Bully story but brought a renewed sense of originality with new scenes. The reader could understand where he was emotionally, his actions were in no way acceptable, but I could at least get what he was thinking.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Hi! My name is Penelope Douglas, and I write romance. New adult, erotica, a little contemporary… Really whatever is calling me at the moment. I believe a good writer can spin any story in a way with which you’ll connect, and I endeavor to do just that with every book I write. Not many topics are too taboo for me. I love breaking rules, and I love taking myself out of my comfort zone.
Why is that, you ask?
Well, there is a reason for everything.
I could tell you where I was born, how many siblings I have, or which hobbies I enjoy, but none of that really tells you about someone’s life. Experiences do.
As an adolescent, I was quiet, shy, and afraid. No mistakes could be made, because people would hate me or I’d be alone. So rather than run, I walked. Rather than climb, I kept my feet on the ground. And rather than say “yes,” I always said “no.” And as a result, I didn’t live.
And I still felt disposable, fearful, and alone.
What would they say about me when I was gone? Would I have regrets? Every day that I didn’t blaze a trail swallowed me up.
So I decided I wouldn’t be invisible or waste another second. I left home, went to college, and traveled. I took trains from Atsugi to Tokyo all by myself. I jumped Hiji Falls when others joked I wouldn’t do it. (I did it twice.) I climbed Mt. Fuji, and I moved to New Orleans for graduate school without knowing a single person in the city. I did what I dreamed, and I was a lot happier.
I don’t worry so much anymore, and I don’t let others’ opinions hold me back.
Be yourself, and OWN it. You know what that means? Be loud and proud. Nurture who you are and good things will come. Most importantly, your happiness.
