Love Notes by Heather Gunter
Love Notes
Synopsis:
How do you cope when the people you care for hurt you the most? When the way you feel on the outside, smothers you on the inside. And when you are left to face your demons alone, will you learn that only you have the power to overcome them?
Charlie has never had it easy. Between the constant moving and the incessant fat comments and jokes from her father, her self-worth is nonexistent. Her reflection in the mirror shows her nothing but a plain Jane. Music is the only thing that keeps her sanity in check.
Charlie catches the eye of the town star quarterback, Maverick. With her curves, her brunette hair, and the voice of an angel, Maverick has never met anyone like her. Everything that is different about Charlie just makes Maverick like her more. Unfortunately, Charlie doesn’t see it herself.
Proving it to her may deem harder than he thinks, especially when tragedy strikes and tears them apart.
Now standing on her own two feet she may finally learn exactly who she is, what’s she’s capable of and how very un plain Jane she really is.
Review:
Love Notes was a quick read. It didn't go too deep into things, but it was still enjoyable. It did deal with some serious issues, but everything was resolved pretty easily.
Charlie is a girl who has never had a really close friend. Her family moves around a lot so she has never been in one place long enough. This is her final year of high school and she cannot wait until she can go to college. Until she can escape home. Until she can escape her verbally abusive father. He is always putting her down. She is too fat, too stupid, too ugly. No one will ever like her. If she thinks they do, they are just playing a joke on her. How could they? Just look at her. So needless to say she does not have very good self esteem. When she looks in the mirror she sees no one special.
Maverick is the star quarterback. He is hoping to get a football scholarship to play. He loves football. Since he is the star quarterback all the girls love him, but he has never really cared for the girls. He goes on dates and such, but no one ever sticks. Until he literally runs into Charlie on her first day of school. There is something about her that draws him to her. He knows how beautiful she is, how kind and caring, how all the other guys will want to get close to her. He was so sweet with her and they quickly become a couple.
Charlie tries to hide her insecurities and how bad her home life is. Her dad verbally abuses her while her mom just sits there and watches, or leaves her to her dad. It is really terrible, and she does have issues, but everything also gets resolved a little too quickly and easily. She starts gaining her self worth back once she starts dating Maverick. The big tragedy towards the end, what the issues are, were again a little too easy to reconcile. I did like how it ended though. It was not the perfect happily ever after that you usually see. I did like that. This was a good read, and for teens maybe it is better to see someone struggle and overcome the abuse, but again it was a bit to light for me. A bit too easy for her to deal with. How she gets out and stuff was a bit much. It was like really? They would really do/say this like this instantly? Still a good read.
Rating: ★ ★ ★1/2
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