BOOK REVIEW | Until Friday Night by Abbi Glines

Title: Until Friday Night
Author: Abbi Glines
Series? Yes, trilogy of companion novels
Pages: 336
Publication Date: August 25, 2015
Publisher: Simon Pulse
Source: I read this book for free via Riveted Lit! They always have free reads and excerpts. Check out their page here!

To everyone who knows him, West Ashby has always been that guy: the cocky, popular, way-too-handsome-for-his-own-good football god who led Lawton High to the state championships. But while West may be Big Man on Campus on the outside, on the inside he’s battling the grief that comes with watching his father slowly die of cancer.

Two years ago, Maggie Carleton’s life fell apart when her father murdered her mother. And after she told the police what happened, she stopped speaking and hasn’t spoken since. Even the move to Lawton, Alabama, couldn’t draw Maggie back out. So she stayed quiet, keeping her sorrow and her fractured heart hidden away.

As West’s pain becomes too much to handle, he knows he needs to talk to someone about his father—so in the dark shadows of a post-game party, he opens up to the one girl who he knows won’t tell anyone else.

West expected that talking about his dad would bring some relief, or at least a flood of emotions he couldn’t control. But he never expected the quiet new girl to reply, to reveal a pain even deeper than his own—or for them to form a connection so strong that he couldn’t ever let her go…

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Until Friday Night is the first book in Abbi Glines' very popular Field Party trilogy. I personally have only read one other book by Glines besides this, and it was The Vincent Boys. You can find my mini review of it here, but sadly, the book didn't stand the test of time. Since I've read The Vincent Boys, I have literally forgotten everything about it. I decided to give Glines another go reading this, and I'm glad I did! Though I did have some problems with Until Friday Night, it was overall and enjoyable read!

Until Friday Night is the classic boy meets girl YA story with a bit of a spin. Maggie, the main character, doesn't speak. She hasn't spoken for two years. But of course, she starts speaking again to West, who is torn up watching his father die from cancer. While the main focus of this book is on romance, it's deeper than just two teens falling in loveeee. This book focuses on family a lot too, which I really liked. 

Talking about family, this book was emotional. Although no one in my immediate family has been affected by cancer, it is a very common thing, and some of my grandparents, aunts/uncles have had it. If anyone has family members that are sick in general, I think they'll be really touched by West's father. Of course everyone's experiences are different, but adding the cancer aspect really grounded the book and made the relationship a lot more meaningful. Until Friday Night really pulled at my heartstrings, and I cried several times. 

I cried so easily while reading this book because I cared for the characters so much! Though I did have my problems here and there, the characters are real and raw. No one is one dimensional in here, even the stereotypical mean girl had a little bit of backstory. In fact, the secondary characters are developed just enough that I am interested in reading their story without feeling as if they took over the whole plot. 

Until Friday Night was also very quick paced. I read this in a day, and it was because I couldn't stop reading! There was never a time in the book that I felt was a good time to put it down. Something was always happening that made me think "one more chapter" again and again until I was done.

However, Until Friday Night was not perfect. In my opinion, the romance was too easy. West and Maggie do get in fights and have a falling apart (as in mostly every YA or NA romance), but I thought the resolution was so quick. Even though YA romance can be a bit formulaic with the big blow up in the relationship that seems to happen, I usually don't mind. I normally always feel for the characters and am so invested in the relationship that I start to get a bit anxious and need them together again. Because West and Maggie's fight was resolved so quickly, there was no tension and I stopped really caring for their relationship. 

Like I hinted at before, this book is a bit conventional. Though it is a bit different because Maggie doesn't speak often, it still follows the general plot of young adult/new adult romances. Here is what normally happens: Meet each other, grate on nerves/attracted right away, don't get in a relationship even though they want to, eventally get together, break up because of x internal struggle combined with y external struggle, resolve, and possible hint of spin-off book or epilogue. And to be honest, Until Friday Night follows this to a T. Staying to this plot isn't necessarily bad per se, but it does allow the book to get lost in the crowd.
 
One of my main problems with this book was the female representation. There was a lot of cattiness among women in this book, and I am so tired of it. It's frustrating to see the angry ex stereotype, or the possessive mean girls. Yes, there are some angry exes and mean girls in the world, but it's grating to see them be the only female characters with a plot line except for Maggie. On a larger scale, it enforces stereotypes, allows women to be objectified, and devalues female relationships. It just really got on my nerves. 

I also had a big issue with the romance. There were times when I was rooting for Maggie and West, but by the halfway mark the relationship was getting on my nerves. West is a very possessive character, and I really didn't like it. I let it slide for a bit, but it became infuriating by the end. I hate reading romances where the two main characters don't seem like equals, and this was a prime example of that. I just couldn't get on board with the romance after a while.

Besides my complaints, I did have a fun time reading Until Friday Night. It reminded me a bit of Hopeless by Colleen Hoover and The Problem with Forever by Jennifer L. Armentrout (review here). If you liked either of those, I think you would probably enjoy Until Friday Night! Though it is formulaic, it was so fast-paces and really hooked me in. I didn't love it, but I am interested in reading more of Abbi Glines now. 

With that, I give this book 
3 out of 5 Stars!

Have you read Until Friday Night? What did you think of it?

Also, what's your favorite Abbi Glines book! I have yet to love anything by her, and I want to give her my best shot!

Thanks so much for stopping by and I'll see you soon with another post!

Happy Reading!

Genni @ Ready, Set, Read!