Review: Torn

Title:  Torn
Series:  Torn Series #1
Author:  K.A. Robinson
Published:  May 7, 2013 by Atria Publishing
Source:  A copy was provided by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.  Thank you!  

Chloe hasn't had the best life. With a mother who is gone more often than not, she has had to raise herself. After graduating high school, she leaves to start a new life away at West Virginia University with her best friends Amber and Logan, determined to leave her demons in the past.

On her first day, she meets a stranger who takes her breath away at first sight. Until she met Drake, no one had ever sparked her interest. Now this tattooed and pierced bad boy is all she can think about, no matter how hard she fights it.

Falling for Drake was never part of her plans, but when it happens, things seem to do anything but fall into place.

Dealing with a tragic past, Drake has never cared about anyone else but himself and his band. But when Chloe takes the empty seat next to him in class, things start to change. Instantly drawn to her, he begins to wonder if one girl can take a cold hearted womanizer and change every part of him?

Long hidden feelings are revealed and friendships tested to the brink.

My Review:  I've heard so many good reviews on this book!  Everyone was raving about how amazing it was.  Unfortunately, I did not fall in love with it as everyone else has seemed to.  In fact, I found myself wondering why it was as popular as it was as I read.  There were moments when I was reading that I just could not go on because I was so frustrated with it.  

Probably my biggest problem with this book is the characters.  I just . . . I couldn't find one thing I liked about Chloe or Drake and I really hate to say that.  I wanted to like them but they made it very hard.  Chloe was just terrible.  She was extremely judgmental and indecisive.  She was so immature and just all around mean to her friends.  And, apparently, she was completely blind to how others felt about her.  It was painfully obvious how much her best friend liked her and she remained blissfully oblivious until after he had to tell her.  And even after that, she continued to lead him on and tease him!  

Drake was supposedly the "bad boy" of the book.  However, he wasn't "bad" at all save for his appearance.  Chloe was all too happy to write him off as too dangerous to date even after his actions proved otherwise.  She immediately assumed he was a terrible person because he had a tattoo and a couple piercings.  I couldn't even root for their relationship because I didn't care much about either of them.  Drake was just plain boring and I didn't understand him at all and Chloe...well, I've explained that already.  I wished I could say otherwise but I just really can't.  

Another thing that was bothering me throughout this was just how stiff and cliche everything was.  It felt like the author had taken lines from every single NA book out there and strung them together and forced them into the characters mouths even if they didn't fit or work with a scene.  The things they said to each other were terribly awkward and I didn't understand how either of them fell for the other.  

The book was so focused on the non-believable love going on between Drake and Chloe that the plot was thrown to the side.  A good and interesting story line was set up but the author never did anything with it.  It went nowhere and had basically no relevance to the book but it should have.  

I really, really wish I had better things to say about this book.  It was not my cup of tea but that doesn't mean other people won't love it!  I had wanted to love it when I began reading but was let down.  I can only hope that the next book in the series makes up for this one!  

 

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