Pages: 256
Publish: 30th April 2012
Warnings: Vivid scenes of sexual and physical abuse
Summary: Amber Walker and her older brother, Jake, have an abusive father. One night her brother's best friend, Liam, sees her crying and climbs through he bedroom window to comfort her. That one action sparks a love/hate relationship that spans over the next eight years. Liam is now a confident, flirty player who has never had a girlfriend before. Amber is still emotionally scarred from the abuse she suffered at the hands of her father. Together they make an unlikely pair. Their relationship has always been a rocky one, but what happens when Amber started to view her brother's best friend a little differently? And how will her brother, who has always been a little overprotective, react when he finds out that the pair are growing closer?
Above summary taken from Good Reads - http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/13628209-the-boy-who-sneaks-in-my-bedroom-window
What made me pick up this book?
I am a sucker for young adult romance, but on top of that, I really enjoy books that I can relate to. Amber story of abuse is something that I unfortunately have experience with, so this was a must read for me. Many of the reviews that were made for this book were negative and degrading for the Author. My review may not be too much different but I will do my best to be as positive as possible.
Overall Enjoyment
This book was both frustrating and exciting. Unfortunately the frustrating parts out weighted the exciting parts... by quite a large margin.
The Relationships:
Liam and Amber: A very common trait of victims of sexual abuse (Especially in women) is their lack of trust in men. While some aspects of the book seemed to negate that, Laim and Amber's relationship makes sense (to me at least). Amber loves Liam as a brother for so long that eventually, the boy that protected her, turns into the man that loves her. It is a beautiful transition, that while upsets Jake, makes for a cute and very realistic couple.
Amber and Jake: The relationship shown between this brother and sister, was not only realistic, but sweet. They fought like normal siblings, but Jake was the one who would take most of the blows from his dad so Amber was safer. He was a normal older brother, who just wanted the best for a sister he wished he knew how to save.
Jake and Liam: Hockey buddies, long-term school friends and basically give the meaning to Brother from another mother. They are thick as thieves, until that is, Liam and Amber admit they like each other. Jake can not understand their bond and like a normal older brother goes through the pros and cons of their relationship. He eventually, of course (because this is a love story), he learns to forgive his best friend and gives his blessing to date his sister. I never had older brothers, but I have girlfriends who tell me about how horrible their older brothers are to them, until someone breaks their heart.
Positives:
In my short lifetime of reading I have learnt one very powerful thing: the best writers are the ones that make you feel what the character is feeling. There were moments in this book that gripped onto me, were I felt scared for Amber, or in a state of awe for the heroic acts that Liam and Jake did for Amber. Those moments made reading this book almost worthwhile.
The first chapter of the book is of Amber and Jake in the kitchen with their mother waiting for their dad to get home. The scene is tense, and by the end of it Amber and Jake have both been hurt by their father. This vivid scene was realistic, and unfortunately relate able. The use of a good and strong first scene really made me have my doubts about the reviews I had previously read.
Negatives:
While there were a few occasions where I connected with characters and felt scared and happy when they did, there were other times where all I could think was: Did you let your daughter write this scene?
Parts of the book were childish, where Amber said "whatever" and "because" a lot. While others lacked visual descriptions and cared more about what Amber was wearing then how she was feeling.
As mentioned above a common a very common trait of victims of sexual abuse (Especially in women) is their lack of trust in men. However, Amber who was sexually abused by her father was described as wearing next to nothing in the way of clothes, on many occasions. While all abuse cases are not the same, the lack of emotional trauma is noticeable and very unrealistic.
I would not recommend this book as more than a quick read for lack of other literature. It has it's moments of realism but mostly it is about a stuck up girl who wants all the guys to give her attention, even though she has had a very disturbing background. Only briefly mentioning her jock brother and his best friend. I would not read this book again.
I would give this book
3 out of 5 stars for Grammar
2 out of 5 stars for Creativity
2 out of 5 stars for Overall Enjoyment
***I do not intend to offend, anger or upset anyone over a book that I write a review about. This is just my opinion.***
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