Blurb…
My name is Tate. He doesn’t call me that, though. He would never refer to me so informally, if he referred to me at all.
We’re neighbors, and once, we were best friends. But then, one summer, he turned on me and has made it his mission to screw up my life at every opportunity. I’ve been humiliated, shut out, and gossiped about all through high school. His pranks and rumors got more sadistic as time wore on, and I made myself sick trying to hide from him. I worried about what was around every corner and behind every door.
So I left.
I spent a year studying abroad and bathed in the freedom of life without Jared. Now I’m back to finish up high school and get the hell out of here forever. I’m hoping that after a year of breathing room, he’s moved on and forgotten all about me.
But even if he hasn’t changed, I have. I’m not interested in avoiding him or turning the other cheek anymore. We’re going to go head to head, because neither of us wants to back down.
My Review…
“Do you know what this is?” I took my middle finger and patted the corner of my eye with it. “It’s me, wiping away the last tear you’ll get.”
To start with i loved Tate’s strength. What she had to put up with was not easy, especially at a time in your life where you are so fragile already. Jared definitely ups his game when he sees Tate standing her ground. I have to admit that I did love seeing Tate develop some self-confidence and finally stand-up for herself. Jared’s bullying has left Tate with few friends which causes her to be socially inept at times. It was nice to see Tate blossom and find a backbone and she didn’t take any crap from him she fought back this time i admired her for it, not many would of had the strength to do so but she finally had had enough…
Jared and Tate grew up next door to each other. Jared was sweet, generous and friendly and they were the best and closest of friends. But not anymore. The kid who had held her hand through the pain of losing her mother, who had climbed trees with her, and who had snuck over for sleepovers was gone and now he seemed to live solely to torment her.
“What was worse than losing you was when you started to hurt me. Your words and actions made me hate coming to school. They made me uncomfortable in my own home.”
Tate was the best character in Bully. You really sympathize with everything she’s going/ gone through, but what I really loved was how imperfect she also was. It’s easy to write a perfect, sweet character that’s getting bullied and has never said anything bad about anybody. In my opinion, that would have made the story completely unrealistic. She definitely had her fair share of harming others with her words. It’s easy to get carried away in the moment and regret what ends up coming out of your mouth, so I was glad that Ms. Douglas didn’t just make Tate the harmless victim.
Their relationship was complex, but sweet and you couldn’t help but root for them. There’s nothing more beautiful than friends falling in love with each other. They had a lot of history, some good and some bad, but that’s what made it so strong and just… right.
“I want to touch you.” His words were against my lips now. “I want to feel what’s mine. What’s always been mine.”
We even get a few flashbacks that help you connect to and understand the relationship they had when they were kids.
The writing was simple but kept me engaged into the story. I never wanted to put the book down!
Bully was an easy to read, gripping story about love, redemption and friendship.
“Are you mine?” I asked as I wiped my tears.
He kissed the corners of my mouth softly, and I felt heat rise up my neck. “Always have been,”
he whispered against my mouth.”
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