Sway by Kat Spears

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Synopsis:

Jesse Alderman is in high school, but he's strictly business. He makes things happen, he gives the losers popularity. He makes the geek the boyfriend of the hottest girl in school. He gets jocks A's on their homework assignments. But sometimes his kind of work can get a little more dangerous than that. Busted face and bruised ribs type of dangerous. Jesse expects that though. But breaking hearts, while nursing his own? Maybe not. That's exactly what happens when he meets Bridget Smalley. Getting to know her proves painful, because it's all for someone else. 

Something's Wrong:

First of all, I really don't understand why this book doesn't have a higher rating on Goodreads. This is specifically why I don't pay any attention to how many stars a book has. Because people are crazy and lack good judge of content. Onward. 

What Was So Great About This Book

I don't even know where to begin. Honestly. 

Writing Style. Spears’ details and metaphors painted wonderful imagery throughout the book. She didn’t over explain things or over emphasize scenes. No page was idly used, every chapter contributed to the concept of this book and of course, to my joy. 

Characters. This is probably where the true genius lies. No one was out of character and each person had such depth. Even though the story was told in Jesse’s (Sway) POV, I knew everyone like the back of my hand, because of his perspective. The internal dialogue was great. One of the best this year. Their were no cheesy lines or over exaggerated language from teen angst. Because sometimes adult authors write based on a overgeneralization about how teens act and speak. I hate when that happens. John Green does that … 

Jesse Alderman. Possibly one of my favorite male protagonists of this year. (Ryan Dean West from Andrew Smith’s Winger was my favorite of 2016) His character was raw and brutally honest. He didn’t undergo some dramatic and immediate conversion because he came across this Bridget girl. He did begin to change though; but with the influence of other sources. He was at war with himself and was constantly making mistakes, hurting the people he loved. His actions were sporadic and unpredictable. Which makes sense, given his childhood. 

It was like he was fighting good and evil at the same time. Which a lot of young men are doing at that age. But Spears has shown us a look inside. The inner conflict of Jesse and his retribution has really woven this book into something beautiful. 

Quotes From Sway

“You know, it doesn’t really matter if a guy likes you if he doesn’t tell you he likes you.”

“You can’t do this. You can't tell me that you care about me and then keep me at arm’s length. You can’t make me feel something for you and then constantly push me away.”

“You can’t keep telling lies to people, expect them to stay at arm’s length. Either you’re in the world and you learn to get along with the people who care about you, or you get out.” 

“Wolves and lambs can never be of one mind.”