Publisher: Harlequin Teen
Pages: 368
Series: Hooked #1
Review Source: Netgalley
Synopsis: (from Goodreads)
When Native American Fredricka ‘Fred’ Oday is invited to become the only girl on the school’s golf team, she can’t say no. This is an opportunity to shine, win a scholarship and go to university, something no one in her family has done.
But Fred’s presence on the team isn’t exactly welcome — especially not to rich golden boy Ryan Berenger, whose best friend was kicked off the team to make a spot for Fred.
But there’s no denying that things are happening between the girl with the killer swing and the boy with the killer smile...
GET HOOKED ON A GIRL NAMED FRED.
My Thoughts:
The concept of ‘Hooked’ -- a girl taking a spot on her school’s all-male golf team and having an antagonistic relationship with her teammate -- was simple, but it really did hook me (oh look, a pun). Unfortunately the book itself left a bit to be desired.
What the book really focuses on that the short synopsis doesn’t really mention is that a huge part of the book focuses on racism, because Fred is only one of several Natives to attend the local high school. While I understand that there is still a huge divide between the Native population and those off of reserves/reservations the huge amount of racism really did shock me. I guess what I thought was the worst part of this portrayal is that there’s never any real message that this racism is wrong. Even the worst offender ends up being someone to be pitied because of a tragic past, and his blatant racism (which is taken to a dangerous degree) is almost shoved under the table. It never feels like this issue is dealt with, which was really unfortunate.
I expected the romance to be the best part of this book, but I never really felt the chemistry between the two characters. Ryan is so incredibly passive, letting everyone walk all over him and make decisions for him. He never really owns up to the fact that he grows to care about Fred, and he never truly defends her or tries to be with her until the very end. Fred was definitely a determined character, and I respected her drive for success when it came to golf and school, but I was frustrated that she never tried to defend herself to her classmates, whether about her race or about her golf abilities.
I wish I could have enjoyed this one more, but ‘Hooked’ suffers from some pretty lacklustre characters, an underdeveloped romance, and a very strange treatment on racism. I wish I could have liked it more, but it’s ultimately forgettable.
The Cover:
There's something interesting about it, but I'm not a huge fan overall.
Rating:
[2.5/5]Find Hooked by Liz Fichera on Goodreads, Book Depository, & Amazon.
Yeah, that treatment of racism seems odd. Not that it needed to turn into a message book but there should have been some repercussions of some sort. Sucks about the lackluster characters, too!
ReplyDeleteIt just felt weird... not like it was condoning racism, obviously, but when it was such a big part of the plot I felt like there needed to be a clear line drawn to show "hey guess what, if you're a racist you're an asshat who deserves some kind of punishment" (beyond the character's own miserable existence, because that wasn't a punishment... it was a supposed justification).
DeleteBummer to hear this book doesn't deliver. The premise does sound appealing though. Too bad the character connection isn't there, and the racism topic was poorly handled. I have a copy from NG so I'll probably give it a try at some point, but I'll keep my expectations in check. Thanks for sharing your thoughts, Ashley!
ReplyDeleteI wouldn't say it was horrible or anything, but definitely not as good as I expected it to be.
DeleteSounds like it didn't deliver.
ReplyDeleteI'm sorry, the idea sounded good but I wouldn't like the treatment of racism either
Yes, it was just a bizarre way of handling things (see my comment to Mary, above).
DeleteDefinitely agree that Ryan never really stepped up to be worthy of a romance. I really liked Fred and rooted for her amidst all the drama even if things weren't quite resolved. Maybe because there's a companion book due?
ReplyDeletePerhaps, although I believe that features Ryan's sister, so I can't see these main characters being more than background characters (although I could be wrong).
DeleteI've been reading really mixed things about this one. I'm surprised to hear that racism plays such an important role in the story and yet there aren't serious consequences for the characters who are engaging in racist behaviour. Also, it's too bad about the lukewarm romance :(
ReplyDeleteYes, I at least figured the book would be all about the great chemistry between the characters, but it just fizzled... if you have your main guy be that stereotypical popular asshole you need to actually develop him so we see he's NOT an ass... this didn't really happen here, beyond thinking "okay he might not actually be an asshole, but letting your friends be assholes and not saying anything to defend people who deserve it is kind of the same thing."
Delete