Review : On the Edge by Allison van Diepen

Summary (from Goodreads) 

Title : On the Edge
Author : Allison van Diepen
Publication Date : November 25th 2014
Publisher : Harper Teen
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From Allison van Diepen, author of Snitch and Street Pharm, comes a sexy, dangerous novel about a teen who witnesses a murder and gets caught up in the seedy world of Miami’s gangs.

Maddie Diaz never should have taken that shortcut through the park. If she hadn't, she wouldn't have seen two members of the Reyes gang attacking a homeless man. Now, as the only witness, she knows there’s a target on her back.

But when the Reyes jump her on the street, Maddie is protected by a second gang and their secretive leader, Lobo, who is determined to take down the Reyes himself. Lobo is mysterious and passionate, and Maddie begins to fall for him. But when they live this close to the edge, can their love survive?

On the Edge is a compelling story about fighting for what’s right and figuring out where you belong. The novel showcases a gritty, realistic voice and earth–shattering romance that will intrigue readers of Simone Elkeles and Paul Griffin and captivate fans of Allison van Diepen's other novels.

Personal Thoughts

I think at this point, everyone knows I have a slight obsession with forbidden romances. That is exactly what made me want to pick up On the Edge. The romance part of the book, unfortunately, did not wow me, but I did find myself enjoying certain parts of the book.

I can't really pinpoint what it was about the main character, Maddie, that didn't work for me, but I wasn't particularly engrossed in her character. By no means did I hate her, but she wasn't one of those memorable characters for me either. I will admit that her story started off very intriguingly. She witnesses a gruesome crime manned by a notorious gang, Reyes, in the area and from then on, she has to remain on the edge. I did find that she made some questionable decisions at times, especially considering the situation she was in. I just found it difficult to comprehend why she would put herself in certain situations. Then there was the romance. It was very much an insta-love kind of romance. The hero of the book ,and a leader of another gang who wishes to eradicate the evil gang, Ortiz, saved her when Reyes attacked her. From then on, she has a mild obsession with the guy even though she barely knew him and that point, had not even seen his face. When the two of them were together, I never felt any sparks between them because of how rushed it all was. There wasn't any build up, which was what this book needed to make it a great book.

While neither the characters nor the romance fully worked for me, I did enjoy the whole plot line relating to the gangs. I thought it sounded realistic, although to be honest, I have absolutely no idea how gangs work and what their inner workings were like. While I thought it was interesting at first, I got bored eventually as the book progressed because there was no one I felt like I wanted to root for. It wasn't the greatest feeling and I just had a lot more expectations for this book which were never met.

Sadly, On the Edge was simply not the book for me. It might appeal to some readers, but I'm not sure exactly who to recommend the book to. Definitely give it a go to see if it might be your kind of read.


Rating 

Cover : 3/5
Plot : 2/5
Characters : 2/5
Writing : 2/5

Thank you to Edelweiss and Harper Teen for the e-ARC of On the Edge.