Was I supposed to like anyone in this book?
I'm trying to properly put my feelings into words, but I keep getting angry.
So I started reading this last year because I was going to a book festival. I stopped for some reason and realized yesterday I never finished it. So I finished it.
Promise Me starts off with the typical girl gets cheated on by her boyfriend and best friend (did everyone have an awful best friend in high school? My bff from high school is still one of my besties now. Never understand this trope). The town's bad boy sees her during this awful time and despite his reputation, proves to be absolutely swoon worthy. He's basically Ryan Gosling at this point. She takes this with her, remembers him fondly, and spends ten years obsessing over him.
Like a crazy person.
Don't get me wrong, I had crushes in high school. But it's been ten years for me, too, and I have hardly given them much thought over the years. It's called growing up. Obsessing over the glory days is sad and doesn't fit someone who is supposedly so successful.
That's right, Sabrina is now successful in Miami, living like Friends with her best friend Julia. Working towards being a Head Art Curator, she's happy with her life. Then the dreaded ten year reunion invitation shows up. Should she go? Will Tyler be there? What if her ex Chris is there?
"'STOP THINKING ABOUT IT! JUST GO!'"
Well, with those words of wisdom, Julia, who can say no?! And yes, they were written in all caps in the book.
So she decides to go, mostly with the hopes of seeing Tyler again. In her best LBD, she sets off to deal with her ex-boyfriend, ex-best friend, and the man that stole her heart with all his rebel ways. Well, what do we figure out at the reunion?
Chris and Lisa got married, though she's insecure and he claims to still miss Sabrina. Tyler was never really that bad, and is all good now. And that Sabrina is living out a bad version of Romy and Michele.
Actually, if her character said that, I might have some respect for her. Mostly she said how Lisa was mean and she wanted to bone Tyler.
As you can probably guess, Tyler and her hit it off and start a very dysfunctional, long distance relationship.
So here is the thing: I had no respect for any of the characters in this book. It wasn't enjoyable because of this. Sabrina let everyone walk all over her - Lisa, her mom, Tyler, her best friend, her boss, etc. Grow a backbone, sweetheart. Her inner thoughts revealed how she would be upset when her mom would bring up Lisa or how she was insecure about Tyler, but she never voiced any of these issues. She was annoying as hell.
Lisa and Julia were both so over the top that they clearly were pure fiction. Sometimes you can tell when an author draws from real life people, but these were cliched friends taken from Mean Girls.
And Tyler...
Spoiler alert
Please tell me how anyone can like him after he cheats on her in an act of revenge for something she didn't even do. He knows she's got a problem with cheating - he was literally there to witness her be cheated on in her youth - and that's how he gets back at her? Yeah, real lovable guy.
End spoiler.
Aside from the plot, the writing was generic. Not filled with spelling and grammar mistakes, but you can tell it's self-published. All the OH MY GOD ALL CAPS kind of gave it away.
Final rating: 1 star
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