Flawed Paperback – June 7, 2016

This book was awesome, though also contained tragedy. Though we don’t see what happens to Dez when she is abducted, we do learn more about what happens within the story.When we first meet Dez after that time in her life, she is nothing like she was. She’s covered in game tattoos, she’s also an addict, tossing back pills to cope with the mental scars from her abduction.Chance, the guy who talked to Dez before her abduction randomly finds her in a Home Depot. Oddest place, but it worked for them, and it worked for him. She got to keep her habit, and a place to live if she could help him with her game when the guy she recommended tells Chance she’s better, and he’s too busy.They develop a somewhat unconventional relationship. Now typically I do not enjoy reading about the H banging another person who isn’t the FMC, but this worked based on their flaws.Chance is a sex addict and needs touch to cope with feeling invisible or forgotten. Dez needs to not touch any one ever. They are both attracted to each other that they slowly develop a relationship, even going to far as Dez picking out his conquests. It weirded me out the first time before their agreement, but afterward I became to understand it. She couldn’t touch him and he needs it, they were both getting their needs fulfilled. My main issue is not letting the OW know that she was there for their kink so to speak. That bugged me.Another thing that bugged me was how easy it was for Dez to give up her addiction, and for Chance to give up his. Neither had a relapse during the book. We didn’t see Dez go though withdrawals only a little bit in the beginning. We didn’t see her struggle with her cravings and such. I felt like even though she was mentally wanting to be sober, having some habits and setbacks would be normal. You can’t even wean off like that and not feel something.Another thing that was never addressed is why her mom abandoned her. Like because she was an addict? We don’t hear anything about her mom after the first few comments. Though there’s a scene with Chances mom, with whom he hasn’t spoken to much in over a year. And yet they get a scene of them kinda making up. Also based on that scene I kind of expected to see him mom and Dez meeting and how that goes.I also hope Jason gets a book of his own, I want his story. Jason is a side character that comes in later.This book does use derogatory terms when the harassment starts, has talks about rape and abuse. Definitely check out the TW, but we never actually read scenes of it happening. We are usually told by Dez herself in her own words what happened.I loved it, it was different and while I don’t know all the terms it was a fun read too. It was great seeing Dez’s growth. Can’t wait for more.

My favorite book of all time is Tabitha King's One on One, with tattooed, pierced, abused, f'd up skinny basketball punk Deanie as an atypical heroine. Despite what she's been through, she's bold, brassy, and has a veneer of unstoppable that she hides behind, while she heals and finds herself with the help of a like-minded partner.Reminds me a lot of Dez, in every good way, the tattooed, scarred, f'd up, wounded skinny gamer girl fighting back fiercely, growing stronger as she finds herself again among a group of protective friends, including a partner she coveted from before she was attacked.With a bow to the title, a group of equally flawed gamers make up the rest of the lead characters, some more prominent than others. Their interaction and camaraderie grow as the pages turn.For what Dez has been through, her PTSD and coping mechanisms are well described, and don't magically resolve with a first kiss. Life's hard sometimes, and it's not always easy to read, but it feels real, ugly life written beautifully. She's not alone in this, each of the characters revealing their vulnerabilities and healing together.The writing is great, the book's engaging and shot to my favorites list within a few chapters. An example:"That's why he and Dez were different. They knew the rules were a lie. He was scared to be alone; she was scared to be with people. He felt like he'd fade away if he wasn't touched; she felt like she'd be smothered to death if she was. He'd wanted so badly to die and make all the pain end; she still did. Everyone knew pain, but some lived closer to it than others."

This book hit me hard in some places. The main character's struggles were relatable and I could feel their pain from their childhood tramas. If you are sensitive to abuse, suicidal thoughts, and addiction there may be some triggers in this story.I liked that the author's were able to bring to light many different issues that are prevalent problems in society and that they didn't make light of them but brought out the importance of what the characters went through, how it happens more than someone thinks, and showed that everyone has flaws and can work through them. I also liked how open the main characters and their group were with each other and their own personal problems. If there was acceptance of others like this in real life there would not be as many issues like these in society. I also liked how the title of the book was incorporated into the story in a meaningful way. I gave this rating because I enjoyed the story but it was long winded in areas that I did not feel were needed and it made some of the story lag a little. I am also not a gamer and wished that some of the phrases were explained, maybe with a small vocabulary in the front or back of the book for gamer phrases. Other than the story moving on suddenly and the other minor issues I enjoyed the story.