Bleed

Laurie Faria Stolarz

Published 2008

240 Pages

Rating: C

Over the course of a single summer day, ten teenagers in Salem, Massachusetts, will discover important truths about themselves and each other.

There is Nicole, whose decision to betray her best friend will shock everyone, most of all herself; Kelly, who meets the convicted felon she has been writing to for years; Maria, whose definition of a true friend is someone who will cut her. Then there is Sadie, a chubby eleven-year-old whose mother forces her to wear a "please don't feed me" sign stapled to her shirt; while Joy, a fifteen-year-old waitress hoping for true intimacy narrowly escapes a very dark fate. Derik discovers that his usual good looks and charm won't help him hold onto the girl he wants, while nineteen-year-old drifter, Mearl, is desperately looking for a place to call home. Sean is torn between his loyalty to his girlfriend and the possibility of finding something more with her friend, while Ginger's single-minded pursuit to bring down her nemesis only proves that they may be more alike than she thought.

I'm trying to think of where to start with this review. Did I love the book? No. Did I really like it? No. Was it okay and not a complete waste of time? Yes. When I bought this book a while ago I expected it to be great since I hear such amazing things about the author. Maybe I should give the Blue is for Nightmares series a shot and judge Stolarz more on that rather than this stand alone novel.

In Bleed, there are 10 different characters that narrate their own section of the book. As different as each of these characters can be, somehow they're all connected in a way. In a way, this was a really good thing since I seem to get bored pretty easily with books... but then at the end of their section, not many of the loose ends seemed to tie together and I wonder what happened with their lives.

I did like how the title connected to each of their lives whether it was a tiny issue or the kind of issue that revolves around their life completely. Some of the characters were definitely more fun to read about than others, but of course that's expected. All in all, the book was okay. I don't recommend you buying it though. Rent it from the library instead.

-Briana