1 in 4 teens experiences dating violence. Heather captures the essence beautifully and leaves readers full of hope at the end. An incredibly well done story of "that's not love" - highly recommend!

I was on the fence in reading Bad Romance, not because I don't love Heather Demtrios (is there anything she can't do?) but because I knew this book was going to potentially break my heart. What I got was a story with so much depth and resonance that I was hardly able to put it down. I don't think you'll be able to, either.

Having recently read Dreamland, I wasn't sure I was mentally prepared to take on another book about an abusive relationship. See, I’m 4 years out of an abusive marriage (and 16 years out of an abusive household - I identified a lot with Grace). I’ve spent 4 years trying to put my past behind me and being part of the #ChooseYou campaign (plus seeing Heather’s tweet about talking about getting out could save another) brought me back to the dealing with restraining orders and fearing for my life. Yeah.

Girls don’t fall in love with manipulative assholes who treat them like shit and make them seriously question their life choices. They fall in love with manipulative assholes (who treat them like shit and make them seriously question their life choices) who they think are knights in shining armor.

Ah, knight in shining armor syndrome. Much like Gavin, my knight in shining armor came at a time in my life when I was lost and needy, wanting to be rescued from my life. In Bad Romance, Gavin steps in when Grace is in need of a rescue. She has a crappy home life with some terrible examples (That’s not love, yo). Being with Gavin becomes an escape, which he quickly takes advantage of.

“He … said I wasn’t deep.” “What. The. Fuck?” Lys says. “Are you serious?” “He didn’t mean it in, like, a bad way.”

It starts small, right? An off handed comment that you can’t get out of your head. Over and over until you’re beat down and feel worthless. Grace didn’t start too far from there, considering her step father and mother physically and emotionally abuse her.

When you’re a stupid girl in love, it’s almost impossible to see the red flags. It’s so easy to pretend they’re not there, to pretend that everything is perfect.

“He didn’t mean it in, like, a bad way.” And there it is. The excuses. The fighting and the making up, so intense that how could you feel anything but deeply in love? When he’s making life altering decisions for your benefit.

Grace’s friends were legit the best in Bad Romance. They kept it real with her and protected her when they could. They didn’t abandon her, even though she became less available as a friend.

I can’t rave about this book enough. It’s paced so well, going through the motions of establishing the relationship in the pattern we see in most abusers. From the most special girl in the world to slowly degrading her self worth - Grace made it out but not without a few scars. In my head canon, she’s off to college with her besties. Maybe she’s found someone worth the love she has to give or maybe she’s hanging solo. Either way, I just want to see her happy.