Punk 57 Paperback – October 18, 2016

*Written for Craves the Angst Book Blog*5 “You’re my favorite place.” Stars!The Review:Penelope Douglas absolutely, hands down, writes the BEST Coming-of-Age-Romance with a sexy-steamy New Adult/Adult slant. The message is always clear but told in a unique, relevant way and with characters you can’t help but fall ridiculously in love with, flaws and all.Punk 57 was a captivating story about finding yourself through the pressures of being perfect and realizing that for others to love you, you have to love yourself and be true to yourself first. I ADORED this book!Story/Characters...Ryen and Misha were strangers who started writing each other when they were eleven years old for a class assignment, but as their letters grew more personal, they realized they connected strongly with one another. So well after their class assignment ended, they continued to write, revealing secrets, emotions, hopes and dream, talking about their daily lives, debating likes and dislikes, including song lyrics and sharing parts of themselves they didn’t feel confident in sharing with others.They literally grew up together, but remained separated by anonymity.Seven years later, they have formed a bond like no other, still sharing their lives solely through penmanship. That is, until Misha sees his Ryen across a crowded room at a scavenger hunt his band is throwing, and realizes not everything is as it seems. And when tragedy strikes that same night, he loses himself so wholly, that not even Ryen’s penetrating letters can reach him.Ryen was a hard heroine to love, especially in the beginning, but I think that’s because she represented a side of ourselves most of us have unpleasantly displayed at some point, however briefly, in our lives. She was desperate to be acknowledged. She didn’t want to go through life being invisible. She wanted friends and she wanted to be loved. All of us have wanted that in our lives. She just didn’t go about getting it in the best way. She was young and she didn't know herself at all. She didn’t know who she wanted to be, who she could be. She was vulnerable and insecure and she let the world influence her in a way that made her hard and a little cruel. We’ve all done that in some way. The world has shaped us, changed us from who we might have originally been if bullying, jealousy, hatred and fear hadn’t intervened in our lives.I loved watching Ryen grow. She found the support and encouragement she needed, from Misha, to be her true self. Her inner self was good, honorable and trustworthy. She just had to be brave enough to let her own self shine. And she did. All these things, her flaws AND her beauty, made her a heroine we may not have liked in the beginning but loved in the end. And I did. I loved her character by the end of the book.And Misha. Oh, complicated, mixed up, grief stricken Misha. This author knows how to write a complex, sometimes broken hero. My heart wept for him. He was someone who knew himself well but lost himself after the pain took over. It was beautiful watching him rediscover who he was and what he truly wanted. He found what was important again and he went after it. Even when Misha was being mean, you could tell where it was coming from and it was never really to be malicious. It was to get a reaction and maybe to also let go of some of those heavy emotions bottling up inside him.Lashing out. This was one of the significant themes this book had. Every character, in some way, did it and it’s very true to human nature. I loved that ... how REAL this book was.The Wrap Up:Punk 57 was angsty, sexy, alluring, intense and just plain fun. It had a lot of heart and a lot of emotion between the pages and it had a fantastic, eye-opening story that I won’t ever let go of. I love this author's work. With her amazing and talented writing, she can bring teen and new adult angst to life for any age reader and we’re right there with her characters, on every page, connecting. And when you’re done with one of her books, you just want to start from the very beginning and experience the ride all over again!This book ... definitely a must read!

Punk 57 by Penelope Douglas4.5 stars!!!“This is a big ass world, and when we leave our small towns, we’re going to find our tribe. If we don’t stay true to ourselves, how will they recognize us?”Penelope Douglas has become a firm favourite of mine since the Bully series and then of course Corrupt (hottest shower scene EVER!!) This had a Bully vibe about it seeing as bullying was once again at the forefront, but this book gave so much more too. This was about change, changing for the worse because you think it will make you popular. Changing to the point of unrecognition and doing unto others what you have tried your hardest to avoid being done to you. Realising the change is not for the good and loving yourself for you and if others don’t like it…then they’re not worth knowing…it is their loss.“Eventually we all have to weigh what we want more: wanting back what we had or wanting what could be. To stay or to risk everything to move forward.”There is a lot of pressure in schools to run with the popular kids, the nerds, the quiet ones, pushed to the side and victims of everyone else’s barbs and the subject of all their pranks and often hurtful antics. They don’t see the other side, they don’t see the pain and suffering underneath that person’s skin, they get their kicks, they do it for s**ts and giggles, but they don’t get to see the deep rooted affect that their actions have, often with deadly effect. I have been there, I was a victim for a long time and so for me, these kinds of books always hit me in the heart, because I know the pain.“Alone, Empty, Fraud, Shame, Fear, Close your eyes, there’s nothing to see out here.”This book once again has it all, drama, angst, passion, emotion…something that Penelope Douglas excels at. Her understanding of teenagers always relays perfectly through her written word and it is this that delivers a book that feels genuine, it is real, it could happen…it does happen.“We’re all ugly, Ryen. The only difference is, some hide it and some wear it.”Ryen was not a likeable character in the beginning, she ran with the popular crowd, she wasn’t necessarily the voice, but she was the quiet one that sat back and watched everything else unfold. She protected herself while regaling in the delights of her popularity, but underneath that façade you knew that there was a lovable girl underneath. Ryen was the victim of peer pressure, the pressure to conform…her sister was her opposite and she is basically forced to change to fit in her own family, even if it goes against every grain of her being. She was tired of being a liability.“And then when I found out she was popular, not an outcast, and a cardboard cut-out, not at all original, I became angry. She led me to believe those things, and my muse was a lie. Until yesterday in the parking lot when I bit and she bit back. That’s my Ryen. And I want to see more.”Misha was another quiet one, yet popular. He was in a band but he was the brooding songwriter. He came from wealth and a family that were “the town.” He didn’t ride on those coat tails though and disassociated himself from the family name as soon as he was able, he wanted to make it on his own. Misha was deep, his thoughts and dialogue lyrical as his world revolved around lyrics and music, he was an old soul with a heart of gold.“We were perfect for each other. Until we met.”Misha and Ryen had been pen pals since they were little kids, their teachers setting them up thinking they were the same sex. It soon became apparent they weren’t but they continued anyways. Now in their late teens, they still hadn’t met. These two had developed a soul deep connection with their written words. They confided in one another, they knew everything about the other, the wrote songs together. These two lived for each other’s letters, they had each other on a pedestal, they were as close as close could be without actually being in each other’s company.“No one does you better than you. You can’t be replaced. Not everyone will see that, but only you need to.”One night Misha’s life changes in more ways than one and unknown to Ryen they have now met. Ryen is not what she seemed and Misha needs to know more and he doesn’t like what he sees. Misha the alpha a-hole is born and no-one does an a-hole as good as Penelope Douglas. While I should have cringed I loved every bit as these two finally get to get under each other’s skin in more ways than one. It doesn’t take Misha long to understand the situation that Ryen is in, but how can he come clean now as to his true identity?“You just got a whole lot more interesting.”The sexual chemistry, the love hate, that underlying burning of passion makes this an unputdownable read. Penelope Douglas captured my attention from the start and didn’t relent till the very end. Once again a captivating read.“But I love the way you lie.”

Llegó en buenas condiciones y la trama es buena. Me agradó de más la nota de la autora sobre la protagonista de la historia, fue muy acertada y me ayudó a que me gustará aún más el libro.

Penelope Douglas is quickly becoming my favourite author. Her characters and storylines draw you in so deep! Spicy, emotional and always a twist. An absolute pleasure to read. I could not put this book down and my eyes gobbled it up in less than 24hour's. Superb!

Estou fascinada como esse livro me surpreendeu de maneiras positivas.Eu li sabendo que seria um bullyromance e estava com um pé atrás. Mas não foi só isso. Foi um friends to lovers, enemies to lovers e bullyromance em um livro só e isso foi genial.Apesar de eu ter tido vários surtos, os pps tem sim seus erros mas são envolventes. Amei a amizade deles, a relação deles, e as cenas hots foram de tirar o folêgo.Gostei muito da personalidade de ambos, apesar das falhas, tornou eles diferentes de outros pps de romances " clichês". A frase de que todos somos feios mexeu mt comigo.Achei que o livro seria bem mais problemático de tanto que falam dele nas redes vizinhas, no entanto achei de boas.Estou numa ressaca ferrada por estar apaixonada pelo Misha e pela história.5 estrelas e não me arrependo, recomendo muito!!!

A thousand years after everybody, I discover Penelope Douglas' work.And what a discovery. I love everything about that book : Epistolary books are my criptonite, those 2 characters are amazing (not perfect, oh no, but amazing) and the writing is fantastic.I saw my teenage self into Ryan : my need to please others, to be accepted by the popular crowd. And even if the process was not pleasant, it was cathartic. Because, now that I'm older, I know better.It's not every day you find an author who speaks to your soul. I'm grateful I found Penelope Douglas.

I just finished reading 'Punk 57' This book takes you on an intense journey through the lives of Misha and Ryen, two high school students who form an extraordinary connection through a penpal project. It challenges the norms of teenage romance and explores the power of authenticity and identity. I couldn't put it down! If you enjoy reading love stories that are rebellious, passionate, and keep you on the edge of your seat, then 'Punk 57' is a book you won't want to miss.