Bad Boy: A Novel

by Dream Jordan

Dream Jordan is back with a follow-up to the acclaimed Hot Girl

Kate is devastated to find herself back in a group home after a peaceful year of living with her loving foster parents, Lynn and Ted. The fantasy life of having the perfect family has come to an abrupt end and Kate's reeling from having to return to the place she's fought so hard to avoid. Sad and lonely, Kate soon falls prey to the dangerous affections of Percy, a good looking but shady young man. He treats her well at first, manipulating her already broken heart, and soon a cycle of controlling and abusive behavior begins. Now Kate finds herself trapped and unable to be the strong, independent girl she's tried her whole life to be. But this Brooklyn-born girl is never one to let a bad situation keep her down for too long. Told in Kate's sassy, witty voice, Bad Boy is all about staying strong and remaining true to yourself even when it seems like the whole world is out to get you.

Genres: Young Adult, Contemporary, Fiction, Realistic Fiction

208 pages, Paperback

First published February 28, 2012

Reviews

[Doret · Rating 4 out of 5]

Kate has been in the foster care system for a few years. The reader was first introduced to Kate in Jordan's debut Hot Girl. By the end Kate was living was a loving couple that wanted her in their home, leaving the tough girl persona behind. In this continuation Kate must return to a group home due to unfortunate circumstances.

When the novel opens Kate is leaving Bed- Stuy for her new foster home in Ocean Parkway. In this new old setting Kate is tested on a daily basis. The other girls don't like Kate and do everything they can to push her buttons.

Bad Boy is set throughout Brooklyn and Kate knows her borough well but still has no one to lean on. Until Percy, a very handsome guy she thought was out of her league, comes along. Everything starts off well between the two, soon Percy's complements are followed by put downs. Kate doesn't know what to make of Percy's two very different temperaments. Though her eyes are wide open after a violent act by Percy that couldn't be reasoned away. Jordan handles the abusive relationship aspect of this novel very well.

One of the things I loved about Bad Boy, is the authro stayed true to her main character. Kate still comes across as no nonsense with street and book smarts (earning straight A's) but she continues making poor choices in friends (Hot Girl) and her current boyfriend. Once again Kate and her situation are believable and realistic. This follow up can be read first but I would highly recommend starting with Hot Girl because its too good to miss.

The blurb on the front cover is by author Coe Booth and its a well deserved endorsement. Bad Boy is a must read for Booth fans. I know it would probably never happen but I would love for Kate and Booth's character Kendra to meet up in a short story. That would be awesome.

[Claudio · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm somewhat conflicted about this book, it delivers a good message for teens but it just seems to resolve itself too quickly. I haven't read many books on abusive relationships, but I've listened to a few speakers, my understanding is that it takes a lot to get out of these kinds of relationships and then much more to heal from them. It was just hard to believe Kate could get out of it just like that. Then again I think this was the best way to deliver it to a young adult audience that may not stick around during the internal struggles that Kate would have to face. The book seems clearly written for a reluctant reader that wants to read about more adult topics, and that's a good thing.

[Regina · Rating 4 out of 5]

Dream Jordan has done it again.

Kate has returned, on an unfortunately more sour note than the previous novel ended. A family emergency with her foster parents has caused her comfortable new home to be once again snatched away and she is returned to the group home settings she'd thought to be finally free of. Once again faced with jealous and insecure fellow residents who want to prove their toughness, Kate finds solace in her journaling and service, determined not to become the argumentative and frisky fighter she once was. Her best friend Felicia is still around, but now in a "cutest couple"-worthy relationship that Kate would kill to have.

While volunteering for a community event, she becomes reacquainted with two past crushes; Charles, who readers will remember from the former novel, and Percy, whom she knows because she vandalized his mother's store when she was in her gang-member days. Both boys begin to press her pretty hard for attention, but it is Percy who's the most charming and cunning. He's a perfect gentleman, a caring listener, and a friend when she really needs one. Which makes it all the more easy for her to overlook his highly intense emotional outbursts and protective behavior. Behavior that Felicia spots instantly. As in most stories of this nature, you never want to listen to your "perfect" friend when you're trying to get your own piece of perfect, and the relationship leads to some pretty intense friction between the two friends.

The relationship between Kate and Percy is a bit fast, but considering the life she's led thus far, it was easy to see how a relationship such as this would be so important and almost necessary for her. The language that Dream Jordan uses in Bad Boy is in the same non-judgmental voice as Hot Girl, and that makes the "lessons" that much more digestible for young people. The book is honest, believable, and fast-paced. And as an added plus, once again, she accomplishes it all, without a single, solitary word of profanity. Definitely a recommended read for youth book clubs, or reluctant female readers.

[Kat17 · Rating 4 out of 5]

I should start off by pointing out I haven't read Dream Jordan's novel 'Hot Girl' and first met the star of both books; Kate in this, the sequel. She's a fantastic character. Smart, sassy, sure of herself and determined not let others bring her down. This is what makes the story of Kate falling prey to an abusive relationship so compelling. For those of us who haven't been in the situation we're quick to believe its only weak or stupid girls who get into these kind of positions but as Kate points out at one point in the story, anyone is prey. It just takes a day when your self confidence is down or when you're not willing to stand up for yourself to start a cycle that gradually and often subtly deteriorates until you can't believe where you are and don't particularly remember how you got there.

You can't help but love and root for Kate, who's already been through so much and is going through this scary journey alone. Readers are sure to be both saddened and enthralled.

There are certainly some good lessons to be learned from 'Bad Boy' and it's a book I definitely recommend. And for a sequel it's not one of those books you can't understand if you haven't read it's prequel. There's enough insight into Kate's past to help us understand where she's at and where she's been.

Dream Jordan is definitely a talent I’m looking forward to reading more from.

[DaijahJohnson · Rating 4 out of 5]

The theme of this book is stay true to yourself.This is the theme because Kate a lot of struggles in her life. She went from group care to group care. She never really had a stable home so she became very lonely and sad. A boy named Percy came along and made up for all the affection she missed out in life and made her feel loved at first. He then starts to tears her down emotionally to the point she doesn't feel strong. After being with Percy long enough to realize he's holding her back she then realizes her self worth and that no one can hold her down.

A significant quote would be, "My relationship with Percy is starting to feel like a roller-coaster ride.My stomach dips and flips at the thought of disappointing him."This quote is significant because it shows how Kate originally started in the book and much she wanted to be right for him. Their relationship was damaging and at first she didn't know how to escape. This is a before to how she became at the end of the book which was strong.

Yes I would recommend this book to others.I would recommend this book specifically to teenage girls who are still trying to find themselves and need to learn their worth in relationships.Bad Boy is all about staying strong and remaining true to yourself even when it seems like the whole world is out to get you.

[Katie Hammons · Rating 4 out of 5]

In this book the main character Kate is put into a group home after she finds out that she can't get adopted by her foster parents. As she is placed in the group home she decides to do volunteer work with one of her friends. When she does this she meets Percy who later on becomes her new boyfriend, but what Kate doesn't know is that she set herself up for an abusive relationship. When she figures out that this relationship is not right for her, her and her group home members do everything they can to get Kate away from this tough situation. I rated this book 4 stars because, I believed it was an outstanding book. Its not something people would normally read about but it was amazing. I do recommend this book to whoever loves teenage novels or someone who wants inspiration because, after you read this book you do get inspired in a way on how to treat yourself and how you should be treated by anyone.

[Harpreet Dosanjh · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is really good and it is also really interesting because of the main things this book is based around which is abuse in a relationship. The protagonist is Kate who is adopted but later gets told that she can't get adopted by her foster parents. Then, there is the antagonist which is Percy who is a very bad human being because he abuses Kate who is a regular person who likes doing volunteer work. My favorite part about this book is when the group home members try to do everything they can to get Kate out of her abusive relationship. That part of the book was the best in my opinion because it shows how a person is never really alone even if they are a adopted child. I would recommend this book to teenagers because it tells a teenager how sure you must be before you get into a relationship.

[Tamas O'Doughda · Rating 4 out of 5]

Goodness, Percy is the definition of a f--- boy. What a manipulative and insidious, weak punk sucka trick!?!? I'm glad that Kate is proud of her name and eventually found the strength and the self esteem to know that she was not being treated appropriately. This is a major issue: how do you know whether your first relationship has an appropriate amount of ups and downs? How do you know that what you are experiencing is within the realm of normality?

Kate was a sympathetic and strong character with an interesting journey. I'm better able to understand my pre-teen and early teen students from having read this book.

[Keidra · Rating 3 out of 5]

The storyline of this book seemed so typical. The author tried to shed light on abusive relationships and was successful, but I felt Kate issues were solved too quickly. I also hate the fact that she fell in love with Charles so quickly after Percy had attacked her. There were plenty cringe worthy moments while reading this book. I personally think the author tried too hard with the Narration of Kate. She was portrayed like a stereotypical black girl. I also couldn't help but notice that this book had quite a few grammar and spelling errors.

[Bella DiSciullo · Rating 3 out of 5]

The book "Bad Boy" follows a girl Kate who is in and out of foster homes. She has to leave her adoptive parents as they cannot take care of her anymore, forcing her back into the system. While being in the neighborhood she finds a ghost from her past who turns into her boyfriend, Percy. As he waves bright red flags everywhere Kate does not know when to say enough is enough until she gets hurt. This book was entertaining to read but it did not stick in my mind for long. I would recommend it to someone who is looking for an easy quick read to spare time. Although this book as a whole did not take a huge spot in my mind, I still have a vivid image of how the book ends. I think any young girl should read this book to learn the signs of a toxic relationship and when to leave and how. This may not have been award winning but it raised awareness to me on how dangerous others can be no matter what they tell you otherwise. The story moves super quick and I think the only reason I wasn't to into it was because it wasn't very attention grabbing. It sort of breezed by and sped things up to the point where you were at the end and through the story so soon.

[*Weebles* · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely amazing book!!! It deals with a real life situation in a really great way.

[Amanda · Rating 4 out of 5]

Enjoyed. Read in a day cause I couldn't put it down.

[Violette · Rating 2 out of 5]

This quick read by Dream Jordan tells an important story: one of how easy it is to get sucked into an abusive relationship as a teenage girl. Kate, our protagonist, is a smart, tough girl who has been through a lot in life. From gang-banging to foster homes, she's come out on top. That is, until Kate meets Percy - who seems like Prince Charming at first but slowly peels away his layers to show the ugly, dark parts underneath. There was definitely a telling progression from dream man to nightmare, and it was interesting to see the duality of Kate's struggle between those two aspects of Percy.

While offering a good message, the book was not without issue. Most notably, the narration struck me as odd. While told in a first-person voice, there were times where I was taken out of that narration when the author chose to use words or terms that I could never picture a teen use. It made the text a little too unbelievable having slang like "Mad tight" and "peeped a box" alongside text like "...I slid my knapsack from underneath it...Looking at those pictures would precipitate a rainstorm inside of me." Knapsack? Precipitate? I was a teen girl in NYC not that long ago and I would have never used either of those words.

The other thing was the pacing of the story. It was quick and partially due to that fact, it seemed like everything happened so fast. Ultimately though, this may not be that big of a deal since it captures attention well and kept me reading non-stop. A solid read with a great message.

[Shayla Taylor]

This book was great, but there are many unanswered questions. Will Percy get bail? Will Charles and Kate be a couple? Will Percy and Charles meet in a conflict? There needs to be a third book with twists and turns, ups and downs. New characters, old ones. Surprise me. Seeing that there is no third book, Kate's story is unresolved and incomplete. MAJOR DEDUCTION!!!! Also, I want to know Percy's story. There were little bits and bites about his childhood, but what makes him so possessive, crazy, and shady? Maybe a little contact with Ted and Lynn should have been included. A THIRD BOOK WOULD BE GREATLY APPRECIATED!!!!!!!

[Anne · Rating 2 out of 5]

Those who like Tyrell will also enjoy this gritty look at abusive relationships. However, the writing feels preachy even though the message is a vital one.

Kate has to leave her loving foster home to go live in a group home. While there, she meets Percy, who seems like a real gentleman and considerate person. However, his generosity quickly evolves into suspicion, emotional and physical abuse, and controlling tendencies.

[Autumn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Pretty great sequel to Hot Girl. I love the protagonist's voice -- she is super tough but like Tyrell in Bronxwood, you can just watch her logic fail as she makes some big mistakes. Way to be, Dream Jordan! Please write more books!

[Shadra Matthew · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love this Book this is one of the books that I can read over and over. Its really hard for me to find a good book but i am happy I found this book. I mean at first i did not like it but then it started to get good. I would like to read the next book or even more books by this author.

[Sherry Rampey · Rating 3 out of 5]

A great book to hand a teen who is in a troubled relationship, but it was a little didactic.

[Ann]

ALA Notable Children's Books, 2013

[Deandra Letang · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great book man ..Its a quick read ...Love this author and her way with words !!❤️❤️

[Shà · Rating 3 out of 5]

Everything through me for a loop. Kate life was just turning up & then it came crashing down like starting from scratch. but otherwise it was great read though

[Shantel]

this book was amazing and if i was Kate i would have got people to jump Percy