Review: Suffer Love by Ashley Herring Blake

Suffer Love by Ashley Herring Blake

My rating: 3 of 5 stars
Received: Publisher
Publication Date: May 3rd 2016
Publisher: HMH Books for Young Readers
Point of View: 1st Person & Alternative
Recommended Age: 13+
Genres &  Themes: Young Adult, Contemporary, Romance, Family, Secrets, True Love, Destiny, Drama

BLURB:

“Just let it go.”

That’s what everyone keeps telling Hadley St. Clair after she learns that her father cheated on her mother. But Hadley doesn’t want to let it go. She wants to be angry and she wants everyone in her life—her dad most of all—to leave her alone.

Sam Bennett and his family have had their share of drama too. Still reeling from a move to a new town and his parents’ recent divorce, Sam is hoping that he can coast through senior year and then move on to hassle-free, parent-free life in college. He isn’t looking for a relationship…that is, until he sees Hadley for the first time.

Hadley and Sam’s connection is undeniable, but Sam has a secret that could ruin everything. Should he follow his heart or tell the truth?

Suffer Love is a mature contemporary romance young adult novel.

So mature in fact, that it constantly is on the threshold of the ‘‘new adult’’ genre.

I went into this book completely oblivious of the story, having no idea what it was going to be about. The only thing I was aware of is that it was going to have somewhat of a mild mystery surrounding the characters imbedded in the plot.

Well, let me tell you that it’s not long before we’re exposed to the truth. We’re only a couple of chapters in and we already know why Sam is fussing at the sight of Hadley. It’s so easily revealed that it was obvious the author never meant for it to be guessed by the reader as he reads the book.

That disappointed me. The truth is that the story is only mysterious to Hadley—Sam’s love interest—since she is the one to whom Sam owns the truth but withholds from.

Now I didn’t mind reading it. It’s fast-paced, beautifully written and the themes are admirable. Sam and Hadley’s love story convinced me and, at some point, I was ready to scribble their names on a cardboard and wave it in the air. Go true love! Both characters challenge one another into changing the way they feel about their own families and trying to give hatred a break by forgiving what can be forgiven.

This is not a mindless read. It wasn’t written to entertain the reader or make him laugh. It’s filled with heavy emotions and situations. However, the author placed some humour at appropriate places in the story for it to not be overwhelming, so it’s not exactly a ‘‘hard read.’’

Even the secondary characters bring drama to the story. But they’re very developed, so that’s something else to applaud the author for.

Overall, I did think the story was dramatic, but that’s not always a bad thing, since I couldn’t have imaged it turning out differently with this type of subject.

There’s a lot of suffering but a lot of love as well—hence the title.

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