Book Review - Ruin | SBB ☕︎

Ruin  by Rachel Van Dyken

Summary : 

I'm not your typical girl. I've been running away from the memories that haunt me for so long that depression has become my only comfort. I was content in the darkness...until Wes Michals offered to be my light.

I didn't know that time wasn't my ally -- that every second that ticked past was one step closer to the end of something that was beginning to mean the end of myself. He tried to warn me. He promised me all he was able to offer--each moment as it came--but it would never be enough.

Sometimes when you think it's the end, it's only the beginning. Wes thought he could save me, but in giving me everything, he ruined me. Because after one kiss, one touch, I couldn't--I wouldn't ever be the same.

And from that moment on, his heartbeat became my own.

My review : 

Ok, so. It's been a couple of weeks since I read this book, so not everything I'm writing will be 100% accurate or an in-the-moment type of review.

This book started well, oddly the girl (Kiersten), I like her instantly. Same thing for the boy (Wes) but we'll get there later. She is the shy, sweet, small-town girl type that you can clearly see is not "faking" her shyness or being an outcast. Even when she is with her new friends she is comfortable but not too comfortable that you feel like her socially-awkward act is just an act (unlike some other YA novel characters ...). I also like the fact that she accepted the fact she was into Wes, she wasn't trying to act cool around him, she was too focused of trying not to look like an idiot. She was cute, genuinely cute. She lost her parents and was living with her uncle until she moved to college. You don't get many details, but you realise her parent's death sort of made her an outcast in high school. She has a list of things she wants to do in college to "live a little more". Again, cliché but cute.

Now Wes. I really liked how we were introduced to him. She seems cool/bad-boy type, but nice. He takes a genuine interest in her, and is not just trying to get into her pants. He shows her around and helps her with her list. Eventually realizes he is too attracted to her to be just her friend and they start going out. All hearts and flowers, great.

However, even if the novel had everything to make me happy, it didn't. Actually, I was so upset by it that I did not finish it. I dislike the male/female point-of-view. I feel like the story would have been 100 times better if it had just been Kiersten's point-of-view. Because it was because of Wes that I didn't finish the book. Now get ready this is going to turn into a semi-spoiler section, just because I need to explain to you what didn't do it for me. 

So here we go, SPOILERS: Wes is sick, he has some type of rare cancer, and didn't fully understand what it was because I stopped reading. Now, before going any further with the book, I checked the end and yes, he did survive or whatever. No one knows Wes is sick, you learn that through the passages in his point-of-view. And I feel like the author couldn't make up her mind about telling the reader whether he was sick or not, what his illness was ... She was dragging the "mystery" (that was no longer a mystery to the reader) for too long. The story would have captivated me a lot more if it had been just Kiersten's point-of-view and the reader wouldn't have been made aware of Wes' illness until she did. Because, in all honesty, I felt like she was being played for most of the novel. She already is messed up because of what happened to her parents, she has a hard time opening up to people, and when she does, she trusts Wes 100%, he constantly lies to her face. And I found that very upsetting.
Furthermore, and this is going to sound cruel. I felt like Wes was such a debbie-downer. I mean, I know that he is terminally ill and there is nothing to be happy about. But if he finally decides to date the girl, the least he could do is fight, or spend his last few months doing things that make him happy and spending time with her. Not complaining 24/7. The complaining part in itself is understandable, but it's the fact that he was always complaining to her and when she tried to help he ignored her or told her she couldn't understand and got mad. I mean, maybe she would understand IF YOU TOLD HER THE TRUTH. Gosh, can you tell I'm upset ? Lolz. END SPOILERS

Anyway, this book was entertaining at the begining, but quickly became boring and then annoying, I eventually had to move on. I'm giving it 2/5, because the Kiersten's parts were great, but I still had to give up on the book. Too bad. 

My rating :  ✦✦✧✧✧