Bitter End by Jennifer Brown

Publisher: Little, Brown and Co.
Age Group: YA
Rating: 4/5
Source: Publisher

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 understands her and loves her for who she really is.
At first, Alex is blissfully happy. Sure, Cole seems a little jealous of her relationship with her best friends, Zack and Bethany, but what guy would want his girlfriend spending all of her time with another boy? But as the months pass, Alex can no longer ignore Cole's small put-downs, pinches, or 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.

When I began reading the book, I thought it was okay. Alex seemed like a normal girl with great friends and Cole like an okay guy. But as the book progressed, I felt myself unable to stop reading. I wanted to know more about Cole and who is was. After the first couple of pages, there was this sort of evil aura that I felt was following Cole throughout the book. I didn't like him much and I couldn't understand why Alex fell for him.

When the first abuse came to Alex from Cole and she didn't leave him immedaitly, I thought there was something with her. If that had happened to me, I would have left, but it wasn't easy for Alex. She was in shock and didn't know if what had happened was acutally real. She felt as though it was a dream and when Cole ask for forgiveness, she forgave him. She knew there she was just dreaming. It was never real, only it was.

Then Alex meets Cole's parents. It was obvious Cole got his abusive nature from his father who only sat down and bossed his mom around and when he wasn't around, she was a different person - not a zombie.

Alex's friends always stayed true to her and without them, she probably wouldn't have been able to get out of this abuse. The way Jennifer Brown created her plot and characters made everything real. The way the abuse came was real. The book didn't start out with Alex meeting Cole and then jumping to several months later and we see Cole hitting Alex. She took her time with it.

BITTER END shows the dangers of domestic violence and if anyone is in this sort of situation, they should get help immediatly. You're not doing anything wrong by telling. You're saving yourself.