Blog Tour: Bully by Penelope Douglas

Author: Penelope Douglas
Publisher: Self-Published

Number of Pages: 290

Here's the synopsis:

"My name is Tate. He doesn't call me that, though. He would never refer to me so informally, if he referred to me at all.
We're neighbors, and once, we were best friends. But then, one summer, he turned on me and has made it his mission to screw up my life at every opportunity. I've been humiliated, shut out, and gossiped about all through high school. His pranks and rumors got more sadistic as time wore on, and I made myself sick trying to hide from him. I worried about what was around every corner and behind every door. 
So I left.
I spent a year studying abroad and bathed in the freedom of life without Jared. Now I'm back to finish up high school and get the hell out of here forever. I'm hoping that after a year of breathing room, he's moved on and forgotten all about me. 
But even if he hasn't changed, I have. I'm not interested in avoiding him or turning the other cheek anymore. We're going to go head to head, because neither of us wants to back down."

Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18090508-bully

Gut-wrenching, heart-warming, and an amazing story, Bully is a must-read for all.

I adored this story. I went into this book kind of blind. I had heard that the book was good so I decided to read this without knowing what it was about or anything and this blog tour presented a perfectly good opportunity to do that. I loved this book beginning to end. I really can't wait for the second book and I wish I had it in my hands right now.

“This is how bullies are made.” 

This book presented a very big problem that many of us face in today's world and society. Bullying. This book definitely addressed the problem, but it didn't let it take over the book and just make you ignore everything else.You were still very aware of the past between Jared and Tate, the passion, anger, and everything else between.

“There was a time when I had all of his attention and loved it. As much as I wanted him to leave me alone, I also liked how he seemed surprised. I liked the way he was looking at me right now. And then I remembered that I hated him.” 

The characters in this book were amazing if not just a tad bit I-want-to-smack-some-sense-into-you. Jared I thought was a total prick in the first half of the book but as the book went on I became totally smitten with him and now I want one for myself. Why can't there be more of you?!?! I just wanted to hug him for all the despair that he had been through and how he just pushed everyone away. He just made me feel so...sensitive? Do you guys get that?

Tate-LOVE the name- was also a character that I loved but I really just wanted to smack her a couple of times. She was really insensitive at points with Jared and others. At times I even felt embarrassed for her and I had to put the book down and cool down for a few moments before I could continue. I don't like feeling embarrassed for a character I'm reading about, but oh well. Otherwise I loved her new attitude with her new tough guy/girl attitude.

“Don’t touch me.” I’d meant to yell, but it came out as a whisper.Jared moved his head from side to side trying to catch my eyes, his lips inches from my fave. “If I ever lay my hands on you,” he said low and husky, “you’ll want it.”

The romance in this book was amazing! It had me weak at the knees and I was all over this couple. They had such chemistry that they tried to deny and we all know that denial makes chemistry much...much hotter. My favorite part of this book had to be this-the romance. It was just so amazing on how it was portrayed, that I just fell in love with this couple. I wanted to scream out "OTP!!" multiple times while I read this, but most of all...while I was reading this I wanted to scream out....SHE WENT TO JARED'S! I don't know if you guys get that reference but it cracks me up every single time.

Overall, this book was funny, beautiful, amazing, and it had some AH-MAZING cars. I loved it and I highly recommend it to everyone...well 17 and older since this is New Adult. I know you guys will love it!

“Tate, you’re mine, and I’m yours. Every day you’regoing to realize that more and more. When you believe it without a doubt, then I’ll have earned your trust.” 

Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars!!

Purchase Links: Amazon eBook I Amazon Paperback

Excerpt

“I like storms. Thunder torrential rain, puddles, wet shoes. When the clouds roll in, I get filled with this giddy expectation. Everything is more beautiful in the rain. Don't ask me why. But it’s like this whole other realm of opportunity. I used to feel like a superhero, riding my bike over the dangerously slick roads, or maybe an Olympic athlete enduring rough trials to make it to the finish line. On sunny days, as a girl, I could still wake up to that thrilled feeling. You made me giddy with expectation, just like a symphonic rainstorm. You were a tempest in the sun, the thunder in a boring, cloudless sky. I remember I’d shovel in my breakfast as fast as I could, so I could go knock on your door. We’d play all day, only coming back for food and sleep. We played hide and seek, you’d push me on the swing, or we’d climb trees. Being your sidekick gave me a sense of home again. You see, when I was ten, my mom died. She had cancer, and I lost her before I really knew her. My world felt so insecure, and I was scared. You were the person that turned things right again. With you, I became courageous and free. It was like the part of me that died with my mom came back when I met you, and I didn’t hurt if I knew I had you. Then one day, out of the blue, I lost you, too. The hurt returned, and I felt sick when I saw you hating me. My rainstorm was gone, and you became cruel. There was no explanation. You were just gone. And my heart was ripped open. I missed you. I missed my mom. What was worse than losing you, was when you started to hurt me. Your words and actions made me hate coming to school. They made me uncomfortable in my own home. Everything still hurts, but I know none of it is my fault. There are a lot of words that I could use to describe you, but the only one that includes sad, angry, miserable, and pitiful is “coward.” I a year, I’ll be gone, and you’ll be nothing but some washout whose height of existence was in high school. You were my tempest, my thunder cloud, my tree in the downpour. I loved all those things, and I loved you. But now? You’re a fucking drought. I thought that all the assholes drove German cars, but it turns out that pricks in Mustangs can still leave scars.”

Author Bio

Penelope Douglas is a writer and teacher in Las Vegas. Born in Dubuque, Iowa, she is the oldest of five children. Penelope attended the University of Northern Iowa, earning a Bachelor's degree in Public Administration, because her father told her to "just get the degree!" She then earned a Masters of Science in Education at Loyola University in New Orleans, because she hated Public Administration. One night, she got tipsy and told the bouncer at the bar where she worked that his son was hot, and three years later they were married. To the son, not the bouncer. They have spawn, but just one. A daughter named Aydan. Penelope loves sweets, the show Sons of Anarchy, and she shops at Target almost daily.

Author Links: Facebook l Goodreads l Twitter

Giveaways 

Penelope is offering up (3) $25 Amazon gift cards (INTL) and (5) signed copies of BULLY (US/CA) up for grabs.  Giveaway ends at 11:59 PM CST 09/01/2013.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

I am giving away 1 ebook of Bully from Amazon (INTL). Giveaway ends at 12:00 AM ET 09/04/2013
a Rafflecopter giveaway