Bleed by Laurie Faria Stolarz

"I think we create our own reality, our own truths.If we believe it to be so, then it is so."

—Bleed by Laurie Faria Stolarz

Title: Bleed

Author: Laurie Faria Stolarz

Page Count: 240 (Hardcover)

Synopsis:

Nicole has a not-so-secret crush

on her best friend's boyfriend.

Robby would kill for true love . . .

he's done it before.

Joy hates boys,

and today they're going to pay.

Derik  can get any girl,

except the one he wants.

Kelly has two boyfriends,

but one's in jail.

Sean just wants to do the right thing . . .

or does he?

OVER THE COURSE OF A SINGLE DAY, the lives of ten teenagers will intersect in powerful and unexpected ways.

Among them are Nicole, whose decision to betray her best friend will shock everyone, most of all herself; Kelly who meets the convicted felon she's been writing to for years; and Maria, whose definition of a true friend is someone who will cut her. Derik discovers his usual good looks and charm won't help him get the girl he really wants, while Joy, a fifteen-year-old waitress, hoping for intimacy, narrowly escapes a very dark fate.

Seamlessly woven together, this collection of interconnected short stories paints an authentic portrait of today's teen experience that is at once funny, moving, and haunting.

Thoughts:

Had the book a long time ago, decided to read it for the Ancient Runes Prompt for O.W.L.s Magical Readathon 2020 (Heart Rune: heart on the cover or title). 

I kind of expected it to have at least an extra chapter to "tie all the stories up" but there wasn't really one by the end of the book. Maybe i read too much of what it promised in the synopsis, but I expected that the intersection of their lives would have a group impact rather than just individually. The intersection I'm mostly satisfied about maybe is that of Mearl and Maria's. That at least, I feel, had a closure and clear effect to it for both of the characters. 

Although reading the stories just felt like reading a gossip and can be an easy read to fly through, I just wish there was more. A purpose to why we were introduced to the characters. The book was too open ended, like it gave you a peek of the characters when they were introduced to you one by one then poof "That's it folks, that's the story! You can't have a deeper relationship with them anymore." The synopsis made it sound like there would be some thrilling twist in store for the characters but nope! I shit you not when I say that the synopsis is even a major giveaway. After reading it, I realized I expected too much because I was hoping for even a bit of a thriller-ish twist.  There was so much potential for that when you read the synopsis that it was kind of a let down when I found out there wasn't. Meh, at least it is a light and fast read. *shrugs*

P.S. Eww, me. I used "synopsis" AND "character" on a single paragraph thrice!! XD Apparently, my word bank is dwindling.