Review: Bully by Penelope Douglas || Oh, How the Mighty Fall

Bully by Penelope Douglas
Goodreads || Amazon
Published February 18, 2014

New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Penelope Douglas delivers an unforgettable New Adult romance that toes the fine line between love and hate…

My name is Tate. He doesn't call me that, though. He’ll barely refer to me at all, and he’ll hardly ever speak to me.

But he still won't leave me alone.

We were best friends once. Then he turned on me and made it his mission to ruin my life. I've been humiliated, shut out, and gossiped about all through high school. His pranks and rumors got worse as time wore on. I even went to Europe for a year, just to avoid him.


But I'm done hiding from him now, and there's no way I'll allow him to ruin another year. He might not have changed, but I have.

It's time to fight back.

When one brave young woman stands up to her best friend Jared, now tormenter, the consequences go beyond anything either of them ever would have imagined… 

I would not read this review if you haven't read the book. Or go ahead and read it. Live your best life, babe. 

Curiosity killed the cat. (in this instance, I happen to be that cat)

I’ve been curious about BULLY ever since I saw those hella swoony quotes on pinterest (you know the ones I’m talking about) and when I got some graduation money, I decided to finally buck up and buy it. The anticipation was killing me, so, naturally, I waited a good week before reading the book.

Maybe it was because my expectations were so high (I don’t think so, but maybe). I have so many complaints. However, I’ll start with this: that star is for the girl who survived. Even if I don’t agree with much of what she did when she came back, that star for the book is for her.

I’m just going to note again that there will be spoilers. Mostly because this review is going to be me getting to rant to the world about my anger.

Complain Number One: You fudgeing two-faced cheeseball. I hate you. Like, I really, really hate you. You’re supposed to be Tate’s best friend, K.C. Her supporter, her cheerleader. You’re not supposed to freaking hook up with her bully just because he’s sort of nice to you, and really attractive. You are sure as hell not supposed to indicate that Tate is the problem.

New flash, cheeseball: she is not the problem. He is. And now you are too. Tate may be able to forgive your cheeseballiness, but I read this book like a week ago and I’m still furious. You kept me up at night because I was seething over what a horrible best friend you are, and how I hope that my friends would never just tell me to get over two years of my life where someone I loved and would have done anything for just suddenly turned on me and decided to make it hard for me to freaking get up in the morning.

I think I may actually be angrier at you than I am at Jared. And that, babe, is saying something. And it’s nothing good.

(for those of you wondering, I think of her as Dolores Umbridge)

Complaint Number Two: The slut shaming in this book was ridiculous. Grow the heck up, cheeseballs. Tate, this is where you pissed me the fudge-nuggets off. Everyone around her looked “slutty.” And she's good with being called a “bitch” because there is honor in that, but there is no honor in being called a “slut”. I don’t know about y’all but I don’t want to be called a bitch, and I don’t want to be called a slut. I don’t want a female who does what she wants with her own freaking body to be degraded.

You shouldn’t either. It’s her body; get the heck over it.

I mean, seriously: stop, sTOP, STOOOOP.

Good lord, y’all. You need Jesus.

Complaint Number Three: Let’s talk about the bullies. Let’s talk about unforgivable. Let’s also, while we are here, talk about the two men who can’t get their heads out of their behinds. AND FINALLY, LET’S TALK ABOUT HOW BULLYING SOMEONE MORE TO GET SOMEONE ELSE TO SNAP OUT OF BULLYING THAT PERSON IS NOT HOW IT FREAKING WORKS, YOU FUDGING CHEESEBALL.

I am angry. Jared and Madoc are best friends. They’re both beautiful on the outside. And for some reason which was never actually explained, the entire school worships the ground these boys walk on. I assume it’s because the world is vain and they are beautiful.

I hate them both, in case y’all haven’t quite gotten that yet. They’re bullies. When Tate goes to the races with K.C. and Jared has her race for him in a tie-breaker and she wins, Madoc decides that she is worth his time. (this make me want to bash his face in, but I’m not a violent person so I just stared angrily at my Kindle) He reveals reason for his bullying (see above, all caps and light blue) like this just makes everything okay and now things are freaking roses. Tate forgives him too easily. Or maybe I’m just fantastic at holding grudges. *shrugs*

Then there’s Jared. Later in the book he reveals what changed over the summer. Let me just say one thing: what pain you feel does not equate to you hurting someone who loves you—to hurting anyone. I’m sorry what happened to him did (I am) but that is not an excuse. The moments Tate stood behind her anger, or decided to just let it all go and move on, I was cheering. But, when she erred on the side of being friends with the people who hurt her, I just can’t stand behind that.

He asked once if he really had lost her, said she was always his and that he was always hers. I wanted to tell him that yes, you freaking lost her. Your actions have consequences. You messed up more than you can possibly imagine. You turned into a monster and scarred the person who loved you until she could not recognize herself, or you, in the mirror. So yes, you lost her. That fear Jared had should have stayed with him. It should have been more than a regret: it should have been a memory.

Obviously this is not what happened. This is why I am angry.