Okay, i have been avoiding Ellen Hopkins books for years now. For one simple reason, i hate verse! I can't read that. I tried and failed so i just never got to them.

So when i saw the audio version, i grabbed it and i listen to it and loved it :)

There are a crap ton of triggers in this book so be warned of that.

That ending killed me. My soul was crying and i was yelling at my phone! How dare it end that way!!!

Overall, if you get the audio, it's amazing :)

My liking to Kristina diminished completely in this book. Through most of it, I was rooting for her to get over her bad habit and take care of her baby. After the chances of that slowly began to fade, I started to really dislike her. The difference is that she didn’t just abandon her baby for drugs. She abandoned him for a guy. She didn’t make him the most important thing in her life, and that made me hate her. I’m glad that the next book isn’t about her because I’m not sure I’d be able to read it if it were.

Kristina grows, just in the wrong direction. She becomes hopelessly addicted and can’t tear herself away from her addiction, not for anything or anyone. We meet a couple of new people. Trey is the new love interest (I miss Chase!) and I never warmed up to him. He’s a terrible influence on Kristina. I’m not even sure why they fall in love. In fact, I’m not sure they really did fall in love. It just seemed like she wanted to sleep with him and do drugs with him. Then, she complained when he wasn’t there. Brad, his cousin, is the only character I could actually stand. He was a sweet, quiet guy. I think he really cared about Kristina and I loved him for that.

Once again, I enjoyed Hopkins style. This one seemed a little less poetic than the last. There were still hints of it. Her style worked well for this subject. I’m very interested to read some of her other books after I finish this series. I’m sorry to say that Laura Flanagan made a return. I still think she’s one of the worst narrators I’ve ever heard. Her unclear speech can be distracting and she still has those unnatural pauses in the middle of sentences. It’s just weird.

I have to admit I was still pulled along by the plot, even if my liking for Kristina was gone. I was interested in what would happen to her and her baby. I kept listening hoping that maybe she would pull it together. I wanted to believe she could do it. I think that might be what makes addicts such a disappointment. Those of us who have never had the problem don’t understand the pull it has. Hopkins really tries to convey that part of addiction in these books. It’s not enough to want to be a good person or a good mother. It’s really hard for someone to stop when they’re using something this addictive. I got that, but I still became disappointed in the end. I wanted Kristina to be the person she wanted to be deep down. Still, it was very interesting to see drug use from the users perspective and I’ve enjoyed learning what I have from these books. I’m ready for the next one. I can’t wait to see what kind of person Hunter becomes and his siblings.

I picked this up from the library without reading the synopsis. I just knew it was popular. I get roped into reading things that way sometimes. I read the synopsis yesterday before I began listening. It was pretty much what I guessed it would be, but with an extra twist.

Let’s talk about Kristina/Bree. Somewhere inside all of us (that is, semi-shy girls), there is a bold and daring girl waiting to be released. We all have the ability to say and do all the things Bree does, but we often keep that girl caged in the back of our minds. Some of us let her out for a few years and go through a wild phase. Some of us keep her reigned in and remain the good little girls out parents all love and cherish. I agree with Kristina. She’s no more schizo than the next girl. Everyone has the good and bad in them, the light and dark. It’s how we moderate them that makes us who we are. Hopkins did a wonderful job conveying this idea and creating a very complex character. She also did it in a way that kept me from hating Kristina, which is quite an accomplishment. Chase stole my heart from the second he was introduced. He’s great and I really hope he doesn’t disappear in the next book. After reading the synopsis for that one, it sounds like Kristina’s going to need him. He might be a user, but it seems like he has a little more moderation than Kristina does.

One of the things I love about some of the recent YA literature I’ve read is that it isn’t just for fun. These books teach kids things. This book is entertaining, yes. But it allows teens to experience the mind of someone on hard drugs. It allows them a look at the things it can do. It’s a not-so-subtle message about why doing things like this are dangerous. I think it’s much more effective than preaching to kids in D.A.R.E. classes or showing them Powerpoint presentations with before and after pictures of meth-heads. I really like this form of teaching teens.

Because of the nature of the drug, and the things it causes Kristina to do the plot is usually exciting. If she’s not flying, she’s getting into fights about this person she’s become. Or she’s trying to find a source for her bad habit. Or she’s spending time with the sweetest bad boy you’ll ever meet. There are twists and turns that I imagine are a lot like the roller coaster ride of a addicts life. It was really well-paced and kept me listening from start to finish.

Hopkins writes in lyrical verse. I’m reminded a little of Walt Whitman in the beginning. At first, I was a little taken back by the poetic writing. I think it’s because I had just listened to more simple writing. I got used to it as the book continued, and actually liked it a lot by the end. I know what to expect from the next one. I think she’s a terrific writer and I’m planning to pick up all her books. They all sound like they have some great messages.

I was not a fan of Laura Flanagan, at all. I dealt with her, but it was hard sometimes. She turns a lot of sentences into questions with her inflection. She also pauses in strange places… like the middle of a sentence where there’s no comma. I’m voting for a different narrator for the next two. I’m sure that wish won’t be granted. I guess I can suffer through her for two more audiobooks. I really hope she doesn’t narrate any of the other ones.