But I Love Him, by Amanda Grace

Title: But I Love Him
Author: Amanda Grace
Publisher: Flux
Release: May 8, 2011
Source: Fiktshun
Purchase: (RJ Julia | Flux)

At the beginning of senior year, Ann was a smiling, straight-A student and track star with friends and a future. Then she met a haunted young man named Connor. Only she can heal his emotional scars; only he could make her feel so loved-and needed. Ann can’t recall the pivotal moment it all changed, when she surrendered everything to be with him, but by graduation, her life has become a dangerous high wire act. Just one mistake could trigger Connor’s rage, a senseless storm of cruel words and violence damaging everything-and everyone-in its path. This evocative slideshow of flashbacks reveals a heartbreaking story of love gone terribly wrong.

I admit I was a little scared to read But I Love Him. Yes, scared. It just seemed so… intense. And it was, but that didn’t make me love it any less. This book was fantastic, beautiful, and heartbreakingly brilliant.

The story is told in a very unique way, starting at the end and going backwards, showing readers how Ann’s life spiraled out of control. I thought this gave this book something very different, and it helped me to not judge Ann for her decisions, as I didn’t know the reasoning behind them until the end.

I haven’t read a book about abusive relationships before, and I didn’t know what to expect. This book did it perfectly, I believe. It showed how these types of relationships aren’t all fire and fists. There is a lot more that people—like me—don’t know about, and I think Amanda Grace portrayed those things perfectly.

The writing was beautiful, and so very believable. It had a raw edge, but didn’t make me feel as if all hope was lost. Because even in Ann’s deepest despair, there is always hope and it gave me as a readers something to root for. I was always hoping that Ann would get out.

Ann was a beautiful character. She is flawed, and she is relatable. There are so many things that make her believable, and many other aspects that make me want to hug her, shake her until she realizes how wrong she is, and help her. She was so real to me. And Connor. Despite the fact that he is the one breaking Ann, you cant help but feel sympathy for him.

But I Love Him is more than just a great book, it is an important one. If you haven’t had the chance to go out and get a copy, go ahead and do that right now. Because I think you should read this.