Hit by Lorie Ann Grover
Release Date: October 7, 2014
Publisher: Blink
224 Pages
Received: From Street Team
Format: ARC
Rating:
3 Nuts
Description: After receiving a full-ride scholarship to Mills College for Girls, it appears Sarah’s future is all laid out before her that is until she walks into a poetry class led by Mr. Haddings, a student teacher from the nearby University of Washington. Suddenly, life on the UW campus seems very appealing, and Sarah finds herself using her poetry journal to subtly declare her feelings for Haddings. Convinced Mr. Haddings is flirting back, she sets off for school in the rain with a poem in her back pocket one that will declare her feelings once and for all.
Mr. Haddings has noticed Sarah’s attention; the fallout from any perceived relationship with a student is too great a risk, and he has decided to end all speculation that morning.
But everything changes when Mr. Haddings feels a thud on his front bumper when he glances away from the road, and finds Sarah in the street with blood pooling beneath her.
Review: This was a hard book to rate. There is so much good to it and there’s there’s also so much that makes me want to go into a ranting fit. So let’s start with what’s good and then I can move into the things that bother me.
There are two point of views in this story. The first is of a high school senior, and hers is the part that I love. She is a very real character, with all the real thoughts and feelings of a teenager. Granted, this means that a lot of her feelings before the accident are pretty shallow but that’s to be expected. Her perspective is the most enjoyable of the two, and the only one what I would enjoy reading again. She is surrounded by a wonderful group of family and friends, all of whom are enjoyable characters in their own right.
Then there’s the second perspective, and this is where I start having issues with the book. Nothing about the character of Mr. Haddings is appealing. From his irresponsible lack of discouragement of Sarah’s feelings to his creepy terrible decision-making to his whiny “poor me” attitude, everything about him rubs me the wrong way. If the intention was that I was not supposed to like this character then mission accomplished, but if I was supposed to feel for him or sympathize in some way then we have a serious problem here. I don’t find him sympathetic, I think he’s sniveling and self centered. Also, I don’t care if he’s only 21 his actions are still creepy, or at least dangerously thoughtless. But I’m not going to go on a rant about that. He’s just an unpleasant character to be in the mind of.
If I were to read this book again I would probably skip over the bits with Haddings because the character makes me angry. As for the rest of the book, I really enjoyed it. Sarah and her family make you invested in their story. If you can ignore Mr. Haddings then you’ll be fine.
What did you think of Hit? Share your thoughts in the comments.
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