Blog Tour Stop : Knee Deep by Jolene Perry





Summary (from Goodreads)

Shawn is the guy Ronnie Bird promised her life to at the age of fourteen. He's her soul mate. He's more uptight every day, but it's not his fault. His family life is stressful, and she's adding to it. She just needs to be more understanding, and he'll start to be the boy she fell in love with. She won’t give up on someone she’s loved for so long.

Luke is her best friend, and the guy she hangs with to watch girlie movies in her large blanketopias. He's the guy she can confide in before she even goes to her girlfriends, and the guy who she's playing opposite in Romeo and Juliet. Now her chest flutters every time he gets too close. This is new. Is Ronnie falling for him? Or is Juliet? The lines are getting blurry, but leaving one guy for another is not something that a girl like Ronnie does.

Shawn’s outbursts are starting to give her bruises, and Luke’s heart breaks as Ronnie remains torn. While her thoughts and feelings swirl around the lines between friendship and forever, she’s about to lose them both.

Personal Thoughts

I usually tend to stay away from books that deal with issues such as abusive relationships, teenage pregnancy, suicide etc ... , but once in a while, I do like to pick up intense books. There was something about Knee Deep that immediately grabbed my attention. I'm ,in fact, extremely glad that I participated in the blog tour, since it helped me learn so much about abuse.

The protagonist, Ronnie, has been dating Shawn for some time now. She believes that he is her soul mate and they will be together forever. However, Shawn's behavior starts to slowly change. He keeps getting moodier and he is constantly angry with her. Ronnie is convinced that it's his family life that is causing him so much stress. Soon after, Ronnie returns home with a all sorts of bruises after spending time with Shawn. At the same time, she realizes that her feelings for her friend Luke are growing.

To be honest, Ronnie was one of the most confusing main characters I have ever come across. I didn't like how she kept going back to Shawn after what he kept doing to her. His actions started out by small things that were imperceptible to Ronnie ; telling her what she should wear, being angry with the clothes she chose to wear, accusing her of cheating on him etc ... Ronnie refused to see what was going on around her. She even resorted to blaming herself for whatever was happening. Over and over again, she forgave him. She kept telling herself that she should try to understand Shawn's problems at home and the abuse was him dealing with his stress. On so many occasions, she tried to justify Shawn's actions. There were times when I just wanted to shake her and tell her "Get away from him ! He's not changing !" Moreover, Ronnie had a lot of supportive people around her. She was someone who was very much loved. Her dad, Luke and Mindy, her best friend, were constantly there for her, but she never talked about it. It made me furious. Then, I really thought about it. I've never been in an abusive relationship. I have absolutely no idea what it feels like to be in one and I have no wish whatsoever to be in one either. I even researched a little on the topic of abusive relationships and I came to the conclusion : Sometimes you are so in love with a person that you don't realize that what the other person is doing is wrong. In a way, I suppose I got why Ronnie behaved like she did. What I mostly liked though, was that at the end, she really redeemed herself, by doing the right thing. I think that was one of the smartest and most rational decision she took.

Luke and Mindy are the kind of friends I believe everyone in such a situation should have. They were a constant support to Ronnie and they pretty much helped her get through her relationship with Shawn. Over the course of the story, Ronnie realized that she had strong feelings for Luke and that these feelings were reciprocated. However, because she was convinced that she and Shawn were meant to be, she rejected him. I liked Luke's character. He was goofy, smart and totally adorable. He even wore these T-shirts that featured cartoons. It was so cute ! Most of all though, I liked how Luke encouraged Ronnie to talk to someone. He was very protective of her and his feelings for her felt genuine.

Jolene Perry's writing style is simple, yet it's beautiful. The book was short, but her writing style made me want to read on and on, even after the book ended. I also loved the flashbacks the author wrote, because it gave me insight on what Shawn was like before he changed. To be honest, he was a great guy before and why Ronnie fell for him is easy to comprehend. I don't know what caused him to undergo such a change in character. Was it entirely the fault of the whole thing going on with his parents ? Or had it always been a part of him ? I would have loved to see his POV, as well!

Overall, I think Knee Deep was a great book that taught me a lesson : Abuse doesn't always start from violence. It starts from little things. In my opinion, everyone should give this book a shot. It's not a perfect book, but the message it sends is a strong and important one : Talk to someone about it and don't be afraid. Most of all, it's not your fault.

Rating
Cover : 3/5
Plot : 4/5
Characters : 4/5
Writing : 4/5




Author Biography
Jolene grew up in Wasilla, Alaska. She graduated from Southern Utah University with a degree in political science and French, which she used to teach math to middle schoolers.

After living in Washington, Utah and Las Vegas, she now resides in Alaska with her husband, and two children. Aside from writing, Jolene sews, plays the guitar, sings when forced, and spends as much time outside as possible.

She is also the author of Night Sky and The Next Door Boys.

Where To Find Jolene Perry And Her Books

Knee Deep web site:
http://knee-deep-book.blogspot.com/
  
Knee Deep Twitter hashtag:
#KneeDeep

Knee Deep GoodReads page:
http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/12987551-knee-deep

Jolene Perry's Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100002038196677

Jolene Perry's Twitter:
https://twitter.com/#!/JoleneBPerry

Jolene Perry's Website:
http://www.jolenebperry.com/

Jolene Perry's Blog:
http://www.jolenesbeenwriting.blogspot.com/

Jolene Perry's GoodReads:
http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/4944599.Jolene_B_Perry
Tribute Books website:
http://www.tribute-books.com

Tribute Books Facebook:
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Archbald-PA/Tribute-Books/171628704176

Tribute Books Twitter:
http://www.twitter.com/TributeBooks

Tribute Books Blog Tours Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Tribute-Books-Blog-Tours/242431245775186

eBook
ISBN: 9780983741886
ISBN: 9781476060316
Pages: 240
Release: May 1, 2012



Personal Note - Abusive Relationships

I just wanted to share some of my research with you guys as well. Please note that all of the following information was taken from The Center Of Relationship Abuse Awareness .

What is relationship abuse ?
Relationship abuse is a pattern of abusive and coercive behaviors used to maintain power and control over a former or current intimate partner. An abusive relationship means more than being hit by the person who claims to love or care about you. Abuse can be emotional, financial, sexual or physical and can include threats, isolation, and intimidation. Abuse tends to escalate over time. When someone uses abuse and violence against a partner, it is always part of a larger pattern to try and control her/him.

It's not YOUR fault.
If you are being abused by your partner, you may feel confused, afraid, angry and/or trapped. All of these emotions are normal responses to abuse. You may also blame yourself for what is happening. But no matter what others might say, you are never responsible for your partner’s abusive actions. Dating abuse is not caused by alcohol or drugs, stress, anger management, or provocation. It is always a choice to be abusive.

To end this post, I just wanted to say that if ever you find yourself in a situation like this or you see a friend going through this, seek assistance. It's going to help you, no matter what.

This Standford University website has excellent and very informative resources that are very helpful.



No One Is Going To Blame You. It's Not Your Fault.

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