Cry Baby by Ginger Scott

A Contemporary Young Adult Romance
Release day: June 22, 2018
Goodreads: http://bit.ly/2rjlag4

Synopsis

Tristan Lopez is loyal to his brothers. He doesn’t really have a choice, born into a gang that has a chokehold on every kid that roams its streets. He gave his life to them willingly, knowing if he did then one day this kingdom, led by boys drunk with power and ruled by fear, would all be his.

He was loyal through it all. Loyal when prison took his dad away. Loyal when his face was touched by the cold metal of the rival gang’s gun. Loyal even though his mom begged him to run the moment she returned home from rehab.

He thought about becoming someone else. It was hard not to crave the life of a regular 17-year-old. It’s the only reason he stayed in school—to pretend. But he always fell back in line.

Loyal.

Riley Rojas didn’t belong in Tristan’s real world. She should have only been part of the fantasy, one of the many faces he got to pretend with amidst rows of metal chairs and desks and whiteboards with assignments. But there she was, moving boxes from the back of an old pick-up into a house Tristan had shot up on a dare with his friends only a few months before.

Tall enough to look him in the eyes and strong enough to fill his shadow, Riley took up space on his streets, her loud mouth fearless in the face of the gang leaders who terrified everyone else. She pushed Tristan around on the hard court, and she balled better than his friends—better than him sometimes. She challenged him. She needed him. He liked it. And when her pale blue eyes stared into his, he quit wanting to pretend.

He couldn’t ask her to leave because she’d only dig her heels in deeper. He couldn’t ask because he didn’t want her to go. She was blurring his lines. She was testing his loyalty.

He was falling in love.

And it was going to tear him apart.

*ARC kindly provided by the Author in exchange for an honest review*

Véleményem a könyvről

Újra és újra meg kell állapítanom, hogy Ginger Scott elképesztően tehetséges szerző. Ismét egy olyan Young Adult könyvet tett le az asztalra, ami képes volt megrengetni a lelkemet. Mivel alapvetően a gengszteres, bandás, maffiás történetek nem tartoznak a kedvenceim közé, bevallom, egy kicsit tartottam ettől a könyvtől, de az írónő neve elég volt ahhoz, hogy esélyt adjak ennek a történetnek, és milyen jól tettem! Valami elképesztően megrendítő, erőteljes és magával ragadó volt ez a regény.

Miután Riley és édesapja kénytelenek egy olcsóbb környékre költözni, Riley új lányként kell, hogy beilleszkedjen egy olyan világba, amiben semmi keresnivalója nincs. Bár ezt a szomszédságban elő osztálytársai próbálják is a lány tudtára adni, Riley egy nagyon makacs, nagyon erős és nagyon önfejű lány, aki akkor is megjelenik a közelben lévő kosárlabdapályán minden nap, ha ott nem várják tárt karokkal, hiszen mindene a kosárlabda, és ő akkor is játszani akar. Azt azonban nem tudja, hogy a területet a Fifty-Seven nevű banda uralja, és makacssága olyan bajokba sodorhatja, amit el sem tud képzelni.

A költözésük első napján találkozik Tristan Lopez-el, egy környéken lakó egyik osztálytársával, aki segít neki a pakolásban. Tristan bár a figyelő szemektől rejtve egy melegszívű, segítőkész srác, a sorsa rég megpecsételődött, és soha nem szabadulhat már a drogok és az erőszak világától. Azonban Riley egy új fényt hoz az életébe, és mellette néhány percig betekintést nyerhet egy más jövő, a szabadság illúziójába, amely álom legalább olyan függőséget tud okozni, mint a drogok, amelyektől annyira tart. 

Semmihez sem hasonlítható volt ez a könyv, amely egy nyers, komplex és nagyon mély mondanivalójú történet volt. Az írónő brilliánsan mutatott be egy olyan világot, amely tele van fájdalommal és félelemmel, ugyanakkor gyönyörű kontrasztként festett egy reménysugarat is Riley személyében. Az utószóból kiderül, hogy sok kutatómunka előzte meg a regény megírását, és a könyv részben igaz történeten alapul. A szívem olykor majd megszakadt a szereplőkért, és bár egyikük sem hétköznapi főhős, mindketten közel kerültek a szívemhez.

Bár előfordulhat, hogy az írónő nem értene velem egyet, de újra és újra úgy érzem, hogy Ginger Scott igazi zsenialitása az ifjúsági regényeiben tud igazán kibontakozni. Ez a könyv is kiemelkedő és feledhetetlen volt. Összességében ez egy nagyon összetett, őszinte és elgondolkodtató regény volt, amiben a fájdalom, a sötétség és a kilátástalanság mellett kis fénysugárként ott volt az első szerelem, a gimnáziumi mindennapok és a kosárlabda iránti szenvedély. Őszintén ajánlom!

My Review in English

I must point out again and again that Ginger Scott is an incredibly talented author. Once again she brought us a kind of Young Adult book which was able to rock my world. To tell the truth, I’m not a huge fan of stories about gangs and mafia, so I was a little scared of picking up this book but the name of the Author was enough for me to give a chance to this story. And what a great decision was that! This story was incredibly poignant, powerful and captivating.

After Riley and her dad has no other choice than move to a cheaper part of town, Riley needs to try to fit into a world that she has no business in. Although her new classmates try to warn her to stay away, Riley is a really strong-headed girl, who shows up on the basketball field again and again even if no one waits her with open arms. Basketball is her entire world and she wants to play. But she doesn’t know that the area is ruled by a gang called Fifty-Seven, and her stubbornness can bring her into a kind of trouble that she can’t even imagine.

She meets with Tristan Lopez on the first day of their move. He is one of her classmates who lives nearby and who helps her with packing out. Although hidden from the watching eyes Tristan is a warm-hearted, selfless guy, his fate has been sealed a long time ago and he can never escape from the world of drugs and violence. But Riley brings a new light into his life and beside her for a few seconds he can get a glimpse of an illusion about another future with freedom and it can be as addictive as the drugs he fears so much. 

I can’t compare this book to any other story I’ve ever read. It was raw, and complex and it carried some deep messages. The author showed us the world brilliantly what is filled with pain and fear but as a contrast she painted a beautiful ray of light with Riley’s character. In the Author’s note she wrote about her research of this subject and how this story partly based on a true story. My heart broke for the characters and although none of them were a typical hero and heroine they grew close to my heart. 

Maybe the Author wouldn’t agree with me but I honestly think that Young Adult is her true calling and this is the genre where her brilliance can really unfold. This book was so outstanding an unforgettable. Overall this story was honest and made me think and I loved that besides pain, darkness and hopelessness there is also a little bright side in the form of first love, the everydays of high school and the passion for basketball. I honestly recommend this book! 

My Favorite Quotes From the Book

“She’s built a bridge between my reality and my fantasyland, and I can’t stop crossing it.”

“Criminals aren’t born; they are made. This world made Tristan, and he fights to break free of it. That hold, though—it’s vicious.”

“I’ve shown you my hard truth, and yet you keep showing up. You’re so…fearless. And stubborn. You don’t pretend, and you don’t listen. God, I wish you’d listen sometimes.”

“I’m caught in a tornado of impossibles and nevers, and the only things left on my list are horrible sins.”

“My heart is literally tapping out a distress call and hunting for an escape. Anything, as long as this isn’t the only time I ever get to hold this girl.”

“I’m not a lot of things anymore. I’m not innocent. I’m also not naïve. And I’m not letting go of Tristan. Not through this night, and not through his nightmares. I want to fall in love with him. I think I already am. 
And I think he is, too.”

5 – Exceptional- Stars