Review: Until Friday Night (The Field Party #1) by Abbi Glines

Until Friday Night by Abbi Glines

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…

    Audience alert: this is an adult book. It does contain sex scenes that aren't fade to black. If you are under 18, get your parent's advice if this is a book for you.



Publishes in US: August 25th 2015 by Simon Pulse
Genre: na contemp
Source: Simon via Edelweiss
Disclaimer: I received this book as an ARC (advanced review copy). I am not paid for this review, and my opinions in this review are mine, and are not effected by the book being free

Series? The Field Party #1

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Author stalk away: ~site series

 

    I wanted to read Until Friday Night because I was intrigued about Maggie's not speaking. I can't imagine being witness to parent's murder, and then on top of that not speaking. It seems like it would make life very difficult. I was also wanted to see the other side of West. I know that the football player, strong to everyone else has been done, especially the one with a softer side/one in pain. But I wanted to read about their chemistry, him letting his guard down, and how their relationship could go. 

    I liked it, but it was a bit formulaic. Maggie wouldn't speak, which I get is a coping mechanism for what she saw. She doesn't want to talk about it, it brings the memories even closer to the surface. But when she sees West in pain, even though at first she doesn't know why, she is drawn to him, and he becomes the first person she speaks to in so long. She only talks to him because she sees the type of pain that she's dealt with. She soon learns that his dad is dying of cancer, and West and his mom have been keeping it quiet, so West has been dealing with that on his own for so long. 

   Now, she does get a to a point where she talks to others, and her words to West as she says, comes out without her even thinking about it. But I feel like her aunt and uncle should have been the next to hear her voice, and soon after she speaks to West. But that is not the case. They start out as friends, but of course it doesn't stay that way. 

   I was proud of Maggie though, through her growth and even though she cared a lot for West, when he started getting possessive of her, especially others talking with her, she stopped it. She thought that she had become too much a crutch for him, and that their relationship was getting into unhealthy territory. I was glad that later it got straightened out, and West did some growing and realization that he needed to let others in and help him deal with the pain. 

   The ending fit the story very well. It starts with months later and then gives us an epilogue as well. It shows how much the characters have grown, the evolution of their relationship and shows what their future together could look at. It made sure that the characters faced their immediate challenges and are at least working on them. 

Bottom Line: Good na contemp, characters showed growth and strength even when faced with hard life events.

My question to you, my lovely readers:
What's the longest time you've gone without speaking?