Lazaros's Reviews > Lovely Vicious

«I reach out for his hand, my own trembling. His fingers look so long and slender, and gentle. They feel smooth, and warm. I take hold of a few of them, like they’re a lifeline. A raft in the sea.  A rope in a deep hole.
“You smell good,” I say. “And you’re fun to pick on. And I like your mom. You’re smart. Kind of dumb, but also kind of smart. I had fun. With the war. And the kiss. And the date. And you called me beautiful and it was nice. So even if we never battle again, even if you hate me forever for saying I like you, thank you. Thank you a lot -»

If there's one thing I loved the most about this book, and trust me I loved lots of things about it, then it's the fact that Isis is one of the truest and kindest heroines I've ever had the pleasure of reading about. This entire book took me by surprise. It was so good, i enjoyed it thoroughly.

Despite the bleak theme it targeted, which is that of abuse, I think the fact that the main character, Isis, is so funny and can make light of whatever situation she finds herself in. Her humor and self-sarcasm took the dark edge off the book and made me enjoy it that much more.

Isis used to be the girl everyone made fun of. She was a target for ill comments about her weight. She used to be the girl on the sidelines, the girl who had lots of excess weight on and who got fat-shamed all the time. I'm sure many of you had girls like that at your school. Many of you might have been that girl or boy who everyone made fun of. Well, Isis got used in the worst possible way, she fell in love and the guy not only broke her heart but took advantage of her in the process and humiliated her.

Her mom was beaten by her ex-boyfriend, so she and Iris have moved away and started a new life. Isis has lost all of her excess weight but she still doesn't trust anyone, especially boys. She still has self-confidence issues, she thinks she's ugly. She says that she's never going to love again. Isis is one of those people who try to make fun of everything, out of every situation, just so they can hide behind those jokes and jests. She doesn't want to face reality and she continually avoids dealing with her emotions.

First day into the new school and she makes a friend but also an enemy. The friend is Kayla, and the enemy is Kayla's crush, named Jack. Jack is, shall I say the female version of Isis? Yes, he's colder, and distanced and has no friends at all but they're the same in the way that they both want to always be in control, of their life, of their emotions, and that's what ignites a war between them. She tries to hurt him and he retaliates. Uncovering secrets. Shaming one another. Spreading rumors about each other. Snarky comments and endlessly sassy retorts and funny comments. It's fun to witness that and I'll admit I laughed a lot while reading this.

I felt for the characters, the main ones and the supporting ones. I connected with them and I got to experience their problems and empathize with them. The author did a very good job of conveying the characters' feelings and I'm still overwhelmed by the way it ended and it was all kinds of sad and heart-breaking and it makes me that much more eager to grab the next book and read it in one sitting till my eyes turn red from sleep deprivation.

There's a lot of backstory and there are twists which honestly didn't see coming and this is really deep story and very unique, too. The characters have depth and this book was such a nice surprise and it was also sad but also thought-provocative and it's not one of those young-adult books that you read and then you just say "this was good but it didn't instill anything, no feelings, whatsoever in me". It's the type of book you'll carry with you after you put the book down, in your sleep, in the shower the next morning, during lunch.. To say the least, I loved it.

Recommending it to anyone who's looking for an amazing young-adult book with lots of meaning and underlying messages.