18 Hours To Us
There is nothing that bothers me more than reading a book, and just not loving it. That was the case here, and it really breaks my heart. I love reading, I love books, and I love anyone that takes that leap and writes a book and shares it with the world, but unfortunately I just can't love every book I come across.
This book was about Natalie, a gymnast, who gets into a car wreck on her way to her high school to catch the bus for her senior class trip. The driver of the car that caused the wreck is Colton Daynes, rich and popular football star. This results in both of them missing the bus, and deciding to road trip together the 18 hours to their destination so they don't have to miss out on the whole trip.
My first issue with the book was that it was written in 3rd person. I could not connect to these characters at all, because I didn't feel what they were feeling. You didn't get that glimpse into their mind and what they were thinking. It was really frustrating to me. In like the first few paragraphs it talks about how much Natalie hates Colton, but then the author says Natalie thinks Colton is so hot, and she has been in love with him since they were kids? I was so confused. Were we supposed to believe she didn't like him, or was she just in denial? I'm still unsure.
I didn't like Natalie at all. She was very judgmental. She didn't like Colton's girlfriend because she was a bully, but she was beautiful and knew she was beautiful. And Lexi and her friends "the Heathers" walked around like they were better than everyone....that kind of felt a little like bullying to me too. A little hypocritical.
Colton was a horrible person. He was conceited and rude, and some of the stuff he said to her on the trip was just ridiculous. What might have been worse than the things he was saying, was the fact that she liked it. "You're sweet and good and...boring, but in an interesting, I-want-to-figure-you-out kind of way." Umm what?
You get halfway through the book, and then it turns religious? They were having these discussions about God and church, which is fine, but it just seemed to come out of nowhere, and I didn't really see how it fit into the story. "So..you're a church girl." She sighed at the change of subject, knowing he wasn't going to tell her. "I go to church, yeah." "That explains it." "Explains what?" "Why you're so boring." He winked at her. <-- Yeah this part left me with my mouth hanging open. If you wanted to write a book about faith and church fine, but why would you EVER include this in it, and then want me to somehow fall in love with this "book boyfriend"
These characters were just so immature. Colton had a girlfriend that it didn't really feel like he had any intention of breaking up with. He kept doing things throughout the trip to try and make his girlfriend jealous, but then wouldn't pick up the phone when she called. Natalie knew he had a girlfriend, talked about how much of a bully the girl was, but was okay with the way he was acting with her? "Honestly, when I posted that picture this morning, I wanted to make Lexi mad." "Why?" "So I wouldn't have to break up with her." Natalie stared at him in silence until he looked at her. "I've wanted it to be over for a while now." Okay, so how about you just break up with the girl and grow a pair? And what kind of girl is just like oh okay makes sense, your just soo cute I don't care what you say or do I still want to spend time with you.
"Well, I'm just a more selfless person than everyone else, I guess."
In what world does a person that is actually selfless say something like this? Natalie did not care about anyone else, or how her actions affected others. Her character seemed self absorbed to me, and she really wasn't that great of a friend to the ones she did have.
And lastly, there was a spot at the end of the book where Colton claims the accident wasn't his fault. That he prayed that morning for someone to show him where he should go in life, and that his car just magically moved on it's on that morning directly into Natalie's path. Is this real life? I just can't get on board.
Overall, I'm giving this ONE STAR. I tried, I really really tried. I tried to like it, I tried to connect with the characters, and I tried to get into the story and I just couldn't. I don't know if it was the fact it was written in 3rd person, the fact that the characters were so immature and not relatable at all, or the weird random bits of religion thrown in, but I just couldn't get into it.
This book was about Natalie, a gymnast, who gets into a car wreck on her way to her high school to catch the bus for her senior class trip. The driver of the car that caused the wreck is Colton Daynes, rich and popular football star. This results in both of them missing the bus, and deciding to road trip together the 18 hours to their destination so they don't have to miss out on the whole trip.
My first issue with the book was that it was written in 3rd person. I could not connect to these characters at all, because I didn't feel what they were feeling. You didn't get that glimpse into their mind and what they were thinking. It was really frustrating to me. In like the first few paragraphs it talks about how much Natalie hates Colton, but then the author says Natalie thinks Colton is so hot, and she has been in love with him since they were kids? I was so confused. Were we supposed to believe she didn't like him, or was she just in denial? I'm still unsure.
I didn't like Natalie at all. She was very judgmental. She didn't like Colton's girlfriend because she was a bully, but she was beautiful and knew she was beautiful. And Lexi and her friends "the Heathers" walked around like they were better than everyone....that kind of felt a little like bullying to me too. A little hypocritical.
Colton was a horrible person. He was conceited and rude, and some of the stuff he said to her on the trip was just ridiculous. What might have been worse than the things he was saying, was the fact that she liked it. "You're sweet and good and...boring, but in an interesting, I-want-to-figure-you-out kind of way." Umm what?
You get halfway through the book, and then it turns religious? They were having these discussions about God and church, which is fine, but it just seemed to come out of nowhere, and I didn't really see how it fit into the story. "So..you're a church girl." She sighed at the change of subject, knowing he wasn't going to tell her. "I go to church, yeah." "That explains it." "Explains what?" "Why you're so boring." He winked at her. <-- Yeah this part left me with my mouth hanging open. If you wanted to write a book about faith and church fine, but why would you EVER include this in it, and then want me to somehow fall in love with this "book boyfriend"
These characters were just so immature. Colton had a girlfriend that it didn't really feel like he had any intention of breaking up with. He kept doing things throughout the trip to try and make his girlfriend jealous, but then wouldn't pick up the phone when she called. Natalie knew he had a girlfriend, talked about how much of a bully the girl was, but was okay with the way he was acting with her? "Honestly, when I posted that picture this morning, I wanted to make Lexi mad." "Why?" "So I wouldn't have to break up with her." Natalie stared at him in silence until he looked at her. "I've wanted it to be over for a while now." Okay, so how about you just break up with the girl and grow a pair? And what kind of girl is just like oh okay makes sense, your just soo cute I don't care what you say or do I still want to spend time with you.
"Well, I'm just a more selfless person than everyone else, I guess."
In what world does a person that is actually selfless say something like this? Natalie did not care about anyone else, or how her actions affected others. Her character seemed self absorbed to me, and she really wasn't that great of a friend to the ones she did have.
And lastly, there was a spot at the end of the book where Colton claims the accident wasn't his fault. That he prayed that morning for someone to show him where he should go in life, and that his car just magically moved on it's on that morning directly into Natalie's path. Is this real life? I just can't get on board.
Overall, I'm giving this ONE STAR. I tried, I really really tried. I tried to like it, I tried to connect with the characters, and I tried to get into the story and I just couldn't. I don't know if it was the fact it was written in 3rd person, the fact that the characters were so immature and not relatable at all, or the weird random bits of religion thrown in, but I just couldn't get into it.
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