Review| The N Word – Michelle MacQueen & Ann Maree Craven

After reading The F Word, I was really curious about the next book in the series. The F Word releases tomorrow. The N Word, the next story in this series, releases at the end of June. I already had the chance to read and review this amazing story. A big thanks to the authors for providing me with an ARC to read and review!

One party.
One accident. Six lives changed forever.

Nari Won Song isn’t the girl anyone expects her to be. To her classmates she’s the nerd.

To her parents, she is the quiet daughter who always does as she’s told.

And the popular boy next door? The one who was once her best friend. Well, to him she doesn’t exist at all.

Yet, the weekends are her saviors. Only then does she step from the shadows to show who she’s become since the accident that changed all of them forever.

And who is she? A rock star.

Avery St. Germaine is one of the pretty people. The golden elite of Twin Rivers High. As the talented son of NFL Hall of Famer, Grayson St. Germaine, the world is Avery’s oyster.

And he doesn’t want any part of it.

Avery’s best friend died in a tragic accident almost two years ago, and since then, Avery has avoided everything from his old life. But recent events have him emerging from the fog of his mourning, and he isn’t proud of the person he’s become.

Breaking up with Meghan Lewis is the best decision he’s made in a long time, but in the aftermath, Avery has become her pathetic cast off, and he’s determined to show her and everyone else he’s a better man without her. But Avery’s not ready for a real relationship.

Can he convince the girl next door to be his fake girlfriend?

Review

Nari and Avery are characters we read a bit about in The F Word and I was excited when I knew they were next to get a story. The death of a close friend and its aftermath is something that starts in the first book, but continues these characters. Even though this event didn’t have the huge consequences it did for Peyton and Cam, their lives did change. I loved that the authors still involve that part of the story in this book.

Nari has always been seen as the nerd. Her parents expect her to follow the rules, get good grades and be the quiet girl they know and love. This makes it hard for Nari though, because she doesn’t see herself as this nerd. She’s not as smart as everyone thinks and her happiest place is on stage playing the keyboard in a rock band.

Avery is a popular student on the football team and everyone sees him going on to make this his career. His father played for the NFL and everybody thinks he has this perfect life. Little do they know, behind closed doors he’s dealing with a lot of family problems. His Dad has been drinking a lot, he’s still dealing with his best friend’s death and Avery just isn’t sure what he wants to do.

What I love about this series and these authors is that they really approach how high school is. Stereotypes of how people should act of where they belong is something way too real. Nari and Avery are both being crushed by these expectations and I really felt for them! The way the authors wrote their story was so emotional.

Nari just wants her parents to be proud of her, but with everyone seeing her as a nerd and really smart makes her feel so insecure when her grades don’t match that. Nari grows so much in this story though! She’s still the timid and tad bit insecure girl we meet in the beginning, but she’s learning to embrace who she is. I love how she ends up standing up for what she wants even if it’s the scariest thing she’s ever done.

Avery has always had money and a great life, so after losing his best friend and having his father be drunk all the time, things are hard. Football isn’t something he’s wanted to do, but it was expected of him. In the beginning, he was definitely the jock who feels very entitled, but we see the very human side of Avery. He’s tough for quite awhile trying to protect everyone until it’s just too much. I loved how strong Avery is, but I also loved him realizing that not everyone needs to bend to his world to be in his life. He also learns that it’s okay to ask for help, his dad isn’t just his responsibility!

Then we have some romance included in this journey. Even though it started off as a fake romance, Avery annoyed me at times. It’s clear he didn’t completely see Nari in the beginning and kind of took her for granted. I loved their connection though and how everything played out. My favorite thing though was that this book wasn’t just the romance, but an extra thing to makes us love these characters more.

If you’re looking for characters who go on an amazing journey and have the chance to find themselves and maybe even some love along the way, definitely pick this one up. There are already many characters in this book who I think need there own story! I can’t wait to get the next book in my hands! I will give a warning though that this book can be a bit tough, because it includes subjects like grief, addiction and bullying!

These authors manage to really make you feel! I loved that even though The N Word is told through the eyes of different characters, it’s very much intwined with the first book. I really think this series should get a lot of attention. They really show how high school can be theses days and I think they hold important messages!

 

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

CommentLuv badge