Something in the Way (Something in the Way #1) by Jessica Hawkins

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Title: Something in the Way (Something in the Way, #1)
Author: Jessica Hawkins
Series: Something in the Way #1
Published by: Indie
Release Date: February 27, 2017
Format: Kindle Book
Pages: 327
Genres: Contemporary, Romance, Young Adult
Source: NetGalley
Reading Challenges: CC's Goodreads Reading Challenge
Find it: Goodreads ✩ Amazon
My rating:

Blurb:

An epic, three-book saga of forbidden love coming 2017.

It was a hot summer day when I met him on the construction site next to my parents’ house. Under the sweat and dirt, Manning Sutter was as handsome as the sun was bright. He was older, darker, experienced. I wore a smiley-face t-shirt and had never even been kissed. Yet we saw something in each other that would link us in ways that couldn’t be broken...no matter how hard we tried.

I loved Manning before I knew the meaning of the word. I was too young, he said. I would wait. Through all the carefully-chosen words hiding what we knew to be true, through his struggle to keep me innocent, and through infinitely-starry nights—I would wait. But I’d learn that life isn’t always fair. That no matter how much you achieve, none of it matters if you suffer the heartbreak that comes with falling for someone you can never have. Because even though I saw Manning first, that didn’t matter. My older sister saw him next.

My Review:

I received a free copy through NetGalley in exchange for an honest and unbiased review/opinion.

At first I was digging the book because I thought Manning just wanted to be Lake’s totally platonic friend.  I was excited about this kind of relationship being written because most books I read don’t have that aspect. But ALL three of these main characters let me down in a HUGE way!

Manning  was creeperific. I don’t care how his origin story explained it. It was no excuse for how he acted.  And he wanted to be a police officer to boot!  I found him to be manipulative bordering on controlling. For instance, he used Tiffany (Lake’s older sister) and made her think he was interested in her romantically just so he could be around Lake, a 16 year old girl.  Who he had romantic feelings for.  But wait, he’s SEVEN years older than her!  Ugh, Gross.  I was light weight nauseas reading it.  And he would constantly tell Lake what she should do and would criticise Tiffany if she treated her like a kid.  The whole triangle was disgusting.

I had no sympathy for any of these characters. Tiffany was a terrible influence on her sister and used her looks to get her way. I was quite disgusted by her.  Their father was verbally and emotionally abusive and their mother was a weak enabler. I got enough of this in real life growing up, so it was not something that interested me to read about.

And Lake was no better.  Yeah you would think there would be some redeeming character in this book but no.  She harbored a near fatal attraction for a much older MAN and resented her sister because they were dating.  It was stomach turning.  I mean, who chooses a much older man they hardly know over their sister? There’s something wrong with that picture.

Plus, this book was SOOOO SLOW. Like every day was described and not much happened.   Just a lot of looks and ‘moments’.  Once I figured out we were not going to do a fast forward to an acceptable time that they maybe could start seeing each other, (Of which I’m not sure their was an acceptable time)  I skimmed it.  Which was like the last 40% of the book. And it just got worse from there.  I wanted him to get caught, what he did was wrong.

I can’t begin to tell you how disappointed I am in this book. So much so that I don’t have any interest in reading any other books from this author.