At first, I saw him as everyone else did.
But then, I saw him for who he really was.
Recognized the beauty beneath the pain.
Loved the quirks disguising the insecurity.
Embraced the man who hid behind the boy.
But there was so much more…
More I didn’t know.
And once I did, I couldn’t let go…
Of the boy.
The man.
The lover…
…even if his past is threatening our future.
Nothing will alter what we’ve built.
But then, I saw him for who he really was.
Recognized the beauty beneath the pain.
Loved the quirks disguising the insecurity.
Embraced the man who hid behind the boy.
But there was so much more…
More I didn’t know.
And once I did, I couldn’t let go…
Of the boy.
The man.
The lover…
…even if his past is threatening our future.
Nothing will alter what we’ve built.
When picking Altered up, I had hoped that it was one thing and it turns out, it just couldn't be that one thing. I thought this would be a story about love and overcoming obstacles and struggles but no. No, it wasn't. I think that there is a chance that the book was trying to go in that direction but for me ... I don't know ... it was not one of the best books I've read this year.
From the first page, I found Altered to be immature. This woman (Olivia ... the main character) is 23 years old and holy crap ... her behavior and thoughts reminded me of some of the stupid crap that our 13 year old says. The relationships that she has with her friends reminds me of my son also ... the conversations never really had any depth and it was all surface stuff ... that coupled with the simplistic way that this was written, it really came off as a Young Adult book instead of a New Adult. Granted, there's not much difference between the two genres ... except maturity!!
There is also this part about "breaking" someone. Not literally ... it's not that type of book. But maybe that would have been more interesting. Anyway, Olivia is talking about how she hopes she didn't break this dude. Really? She has the power to break someone? What in the hell makes her so damn amazing that she could just ruin someone? Geez. Conceited much? I'm telling you, if she was really that amazing, I would totally say something but nothing about this character is amazing or phenomenal. She seems like a little brat whom uses people as she wishes and then gets upset when they aren't okay with their position in her life. How dare her minions question her authority! (And you have to say authority like Cartman or it doesn't work) Then there is this part where she knows this dude for all of 4 minutes and all of the sudden he's her closest friend. Really? Not believable at all. I don't think I could dislike Olivia as a character any more than I do now. Nothing about her connected me to the story, nothing pulled me in and nothing about her made me want to keep reading. Very unfortunate.
The timeline is also a bit confusing at first ... you are never totally for sure how much time has passed unless one of the characters makes a comment. Sometimes it was a day, a week a couple of weeks or even a month between scenes. That's a bit confusing especially when you have a character that has a new best friend every 2 seconds. This timeline situation is another reason I had a hard time connecting. As a reader, I want to know everything! If it's been a week, don't be shy, just let me know! I want to love a book I'm reading as much as the author loves writing it but sometimes it just doesn't work out that way.
I had some other issues with some scenes that had the perfect buildup for something amazing to happen and those situations were never explored. That was another big letdown for me. I just wanted something, other than Olivia's nonsense, to happen. Something. Anything. Needless to say at this point, but this book and I didn't get along. We had quite a few differences of opinion and I think I'll pass on this author if I have another opportunity to read her work again. It's just not for me!
* I received this novel in exchange for an honest review *
Available: February 2nd, 2016
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