PUNK 57 by Penelope Douglas

Punk 57 by Penelope Douglas
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I was checking out the books on my Paperwhite yesterday and this one caught my eye. So, I started reading... and couldn't put it down.

Misha and Ryen have been penpals since they were kids. Maybe even best friends. Now they're both about to finish high school and when Misha decides he wants to break their self-imposed rule of not meeting in person, tragedy strikes and turns everything upside down...

Well, this book sure is awesome!

I honestly didn't expect to like this story as much as I did because I'd heard a little about the toxicity, and I don't usually like toxic assholes. But there was a lot more to Misha than being a total douche. The guy's dealing with a personal tragedy, and is still mourning a loss that made him so angry at the world that he took it out on those closest to him: friends, Ryen, his dad.

This is a peculiar tale because it's friends to lovers, but also enemies to lovers. It's also a contemporary YA crossed with NA about two young people who are trying their best to survive while prepping for the future. It's hard to condense all the inner workings of the relationship between Misha and Ryen because there's a lot going on. And I mean a LOT.

I really enjoyed the characterisation of the two main characters. Sure, there are a few tropey/cardboardish characters—Lyla and Trey, I'm looking at you—but because they were mostly bully background noise, it didn't really matter. Misha is one of those characters who acts the opposite to how he feels, and that can be frustrating at times. But then again, Ryen is the kind of person who acts like she belongs with the popular bullies, which is at odds with who she really is.

I think both of these characters have a great character arc that is fun, interesting, and even heartbreaking.

And another thing, this book is raunchy. Yikes! The chemistry between these two is:🔥! I also didn't expect the final Misha twist at the end. 😫

Anyway, I loved this!


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