Ugh. Okay so, I've made a vow to myself to write reviews for every book I finish (since making this vow), and the short warning to stay away from this book that served as my review before kept coming back to haunt me, screaming CHEAT!!!I've cooled off since then, so I can probably give a review without dissolving into a puddle of gooey rage and expletives.First off, let me address the rating; 3.95 average, as of the time I'm writing this review. I'll be honest, it's what reeled me in. And caught me like a fish on a hook, in for the same amount of torture. Now I'll admit to being on the outside of a lot of hype. Hated the writing style and the plot I don't even know why I read it now looking back on it. Now, for the examples; From page one, it becomes evident that the writing is sub-par. Sure, there are a few paragraphs, maybe even an entire page here and there, that don't make your eyes bleed. But for the most part, the writing is overly obvious, the attitudes forced, the descriptions repetitive, and some of them just flat out don't make sense. I couldn't see his face, but I could tell from the way he walked that he was a teenager." "I knew it was too good to be true when it got even better." There is even an instance when Meg can hear John blush. Not hear his blush in his words. Hear John blush. Now I'll forgive a lot, but that is physically impossible.But Meg's sudden bursts of super-human senses weren't even my biggest pet peeves. No, that goes to the most retardedly used, beat-the-reader-over-the-head-with-it metaphor I have ever read.Meg has blue hair. She dyed it awhile ago to stand out or announce her rebelliousness or whatever. And don't worry about forgetting Meg has blue hair or mistaking it for purple or green down the line, because we are reminded of Meg's blue hair. A lot. A whole freaking lot. Even more than we're told about John's dark eyes, we're reminded about Meg's blue hair.And the thing is, she acts like it's a freaking stamp on her forehead proclaiming her a lecher or something. I don't know about you, but I actually think a chick with blue hair is kinda hot. Especially when they're not, you know, thirty. Meg constantly tells herself John can't like her because she has blue hair. When his friends point out the proprietary way he watches her, Meg's internal reaction is this; But my hair is blue!Who. The. Eff. Cares?Now, I wouldn't call just why this a metaphor a spoiler, but I'm going to tag it as one anyway just in case. [spoilers removed] Though this one actually is a spoiler, and should only be read if you've already read this book, or are smart enough to heed my warning and don't plan on reading it. I do not get how this book got so many 4 and 5 star ratings. I really don't. I wanted to be nice and give it two stars but I can't. It was too terribly written. I liked the chemistry between Meg and John. I enjoyed their bantering as well as the inner thoughts of Meg. Meg could be snarky, rude, and somewhat selfish at times but I felt that Echols managed to reign in the negative traits before it crossed the line into witchy-ness. John was controlled and a bit boring but slowly started to show some personality. They both have issues in their pasts that they haven't dealt with in a healthy manner. Each of them tries to get the other to see that their life could be different if they let the past go. The book uses a lot of repetitive description (his dark eyes/her blue hair) and some phrases that I found awkward. I didn't get why a teenager with blue hair is supposed to be so shocking. It's eye-catching and may be strange to some people but not in a psycho or dangerous way. Meg constantly thinks that people see her in a negative way because of her blue hair. I get the symbolism of the hair but it just felt silly. This was a fast read with a thin plot but was saved by the chemistry between the two main characters.
What do You think about Going Too Far (2009)?
Liked the sassy female protagonist in this tale.
—lizzie
