Summary: 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 loves and understands her. At first, Alex is blissfully happy. Sure, Cole seems a little jealous of her relationship with her close guy friend Zack, but what guy would want his girlfriend spending all her time with another boy? As the months pass, though, Alex can no longer ignore Cole's small put-downs, pinches, and 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.
Jennifer Brown made me fall in love with Cole. He was the perfect boyfriend-sweet, charming-and always seemed to understand exactly what Alex was going through. At times you felt like you were part of Brown's story and you wanted to run to the nearest phone and call 911 because clearly Alex was too "in love" to do it herself--or was it because she was scared? This is a must read for all because it takes you down the path of abusive relationships and takes you inside the mind of an abused person (even if it is fiction) so that we can slowly but surely understand what its like to be too scared to get help.
