Format: Kindle ebook
Published: January 19, 2011
Publisher: Wordpainting Unlimited Inc.
Genre: YA, Contemporary
Description:
Port Fare, New York, has fallen into the clutches of true evil. The Dreser brothers have arrived with a scheme to increase drug sales in the area by whatever means possible. Seth Prescott is part of MET (Mobile Enforcement Teams) a branch of the DEA (Drug Enforcement Administration). He's been assigned to work undercover at Port Fare High, and things aren't going very well, until senior Maggie Brown enters the equation. He's harbored a secret crush on her from day one, and now that she is in the center of the case, he's trying to stay clear and objective while walking the line between business and unrequited love. Maggie is truly the poster child for Heroin Chic, complete with jutting bones and dark-ringed eyes, but is she an addict, or is there another reason for her appearance? She struggles with her feelings for Seth, fearing he is just another person who will eventually let her down, as everyone in her life has done thus far. Maggie has spent her life caring for her alcoholic mother. A task that has left her heavily burdened and alone. Before long, her mother's health takes a turn for the worst, sending Maggie's life into a tale-spin. While Seth works relentlessly to inject fear into the dealers and flush them out into the open, Maggie fights to stay alive as the hunt turns deadly. Seth and Maggie's romantic journey is one of humor, heartbreak, and self-discovery.
Review:
Unlovable was a novel unlike most YA novels. Sherry Gammon paints such a realistic picture of what life can be like for some people that the story haunts you long after turning the last page.
Maggie is a high school girl struggling to survive. She is forced to grow up far too soon when her grandparents pass away and she is left to care for her severely alcoholic mother and herself. Her mother is emotionally abusive when she drinks and Maggie believes she is an unlovable nothing as a result. Painstakingly thin and exhausted, Maggie looks the poster child for heroin chic.
Seth is an undercover officer for the police who is assigned to Maggie's high school. His current assignment is to try to find out who is selling heroin to children and break up the drug ring. Suspicions are raised by Maggie's appearance and her mother's addictive behavior, so Seth is soon paired up with watching Maggie.
Neither of them expected by what comes next: they fall in love. Maggie has no idea Seth isn't really a high school student and he can't tell her. As secrets and covers are exposed, their lives start spiraling dangerously out of control. The suspense of this added another layer to this book that made it impossible to put down.
My heart broke for Maggie in this book. She is the perfect example of what happens to children of addiction. Whether you have been affected by alcoholism or not, you can't help but understand her pain. Sherry Gammon touches on subject matter that is rarely brought up in YA novels and does so in a way that you feel everyone should read this book.
Yes, this book is about understanding addiction and suffering. It is about pain. It is about loss and grief and suffering. But it is also about finding yourself, learning everyone deserves to be loved, and taking steps to overcome co-dependence. This was not an easy read by any means, but it was a wonderful book, and I will definitely be reading the next two installments in Sherry Gammon's Port Fare series.
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