Review: Bleed Like Me by C. Desir

Summary:

From the author of Fault Line comes an edgy and heartbreaking novel about two self-destructive teens in a Sid and Nancy-like romance full of passion, chaos, and dyed hair.

Seventeen-year-old Amelia Gannon (just "Gannon" to her friends) is invisible to almost everyone in her life. To her parents, to her teachers-even her best friend, who is more interested in bumming cigarettes than bonding. Some days the only way Gannon knows she is real is by carving bloody lines into the flesh of her stomach.

Then she meets Michael Brooks, and for the first time, she feels like she is being seen to the core of her being. Obnoxious, controlling, damaged, and addictive, he inserts himself into her life until all her scars are exposed. Each moment together is a passionate, painful relief.

But as the relationship deepens, Gannon starts to feel as if she's standing at the foot of a dam about to burst. She's given up everything and everyone in her life for him, but somehow nothing is enough for Brooks-until he poses the ultimate test.

Bleed Like Me is a piercing, intimate portrayal of the danger of a love so obsessive it becomes its own biggest threat. 

Publication Date: October 2014

I have to admit I was a little nervous reading this one. I’ve never read a book about cutting and I expected to be an emotional mess after reading. I think the author did a good job of telling Amelia’s story in a very moving and heart-wrenching way.

Since I love romance stories, it was difficult to read about Amelia and Brooks. Their relationship is toxic and they seemed to bring out the worse in each other. I was hoping for some kind of moment of clarity to come for the characters, but that never really happened.

I liked the writing style and I think the author did an excellent job of making readers feel an emotional connection with Amelia. I didn’t always relate to Amelia, but I could understand her inner turmoil and the way her resentments toward her family poisoned her from the inside out.

The ending is realistic which may or may not work for some readers. I’d recommend the novel if you’re looking for a teen read with darker themes. I have a feeling this is a book readers would either really love or really hate.

Rating: 4/5 Stars

Thanks to the publisher for a copy of the novel for review!