They were the ones everyone wanted to be. Except on the inside.
Annabelle's life was finally going according to plan. She had the right group of friends. Her childhood crush had finally started to notice her. She was pretty, popular, and in love.
And then one terrible night at a party Will enters her life and everything changes.
Will is the polar opposite of his older brother Trevor—Annabelle’s new boyfriend—the popular, straight-A, quarterback high school star. He's wild, charismatic, and full of secrets. He's completely different from anyone Annabelle has ever known, and soon their accidental run-in becomes a pattern as Annabelle finds herself seeking him out wherever she goes. Despite his open hostility with his older brother, Annabelle is drawn to him, wanting to be with him. Will opens a new world for Annabelle, one where she can shed her carefully constructed mask and be herself.
But being with Will comes at a price. And when tragedy strikes, she has to make a choice be...
3.75 stars! Cute YA coming-of-age story. Quick and enjoyable read. Book 1 of 1.
Heroine, Annabelle Priestly [student/adopted/16 years/brown hair/blue eyes] lives next door to Trevor Scarlett [student-quarterback/17 years/dark brown hair/brown eyes/drives a green SUV] and his brother, Will Scarlett [student-rebel/15 years/dark brown hair/brown eyes/drives a black convertible!] in what appears to be a posh neighborhood.
Annabelle is part of the “in crowd”, but early on it’s clear that her girlfriends are the “mean girls”. In the beginning I found her annoying – a naïve, timid, shy and lost follower. Of course I loved the rebel, Will. As the story progresses we get our fair share of high school drama; partying, drugs and peer pressure, but there is also sorrow and friendships tested. Will Annabelle grow a backbone? Will she find her path? Which brother will she end up with? Well, you are just going to have to read for yourself.
*** Hero rating: 4.5 stars Heroine rating: 3.5 stars Story line rating: 4 stars ****************************** Overall rating: 3.75 stars
Would I re-read this book: Probably not. Would I read future books by this author: Yes.
For the first 15-20 pages of this book, I was really annoyed by how shallow and fake all of the characters were. But as the story progressed, I realized that the annoying way they were acting was necessary to get the point across of why Annabelle felt fake with them. I loved Annabelle's character and how she finally had everything she ever wanted but it wasn't all as perfect as she thought it would be. This book is kind of like the high school version of The Clique series but with a better romance. My favorite character was Ebony and how she didn't give a crap about what other people thought and she was friends with whoever she wanted to be friends with. And Will was a pretty awesome character too, even though he was always somehow up in a tree...The Wrong Path deals with the things teens today have to deal with, whether it's trying to fit in for friends or trying to find out who you really are. I really enjoyed it and wished that it didn't end so soon. I would have loved a couple of more chapters explaining events that happened instead of a paragraph recap. For a short, sweet book that deals with the lives and drama of teens, The Wrong Path is the perfect one to pick up.
Will is the reason my 3.5 rating is tipped to a 4.
Annabelle is in her junior year of high school dating Trevor who is oblivious to those around him. He is a popular jock and they are both in the "in" crowd. Will is Trevor's brother who seems to be the "bad" boy, or that's what everyone wants to believe. The boys struggle with a serious issue in their home life while Annabelle struggles with a personal issue, which is self discovery. One brother see's her as the "fake" she is and believes that's her normal side, while the other brother draws out her real side and helps her to see who she really can be. Annabelle will struggle with her self discovery and deciding when to say enough is enough as she struggles with her heart and what she should do as she's torn between the brothers.
Will is my favorite guy. Others may doubt and look down on him, but he is the first person you would want to have your back. He may seem tough on the outside, but he is sweet and soft on the inside. He is the first person to offer his shirt off his back, just ask Annabelle. ;o)
I really enjoyed this story although at times it took a bit to realize when there was a period of when time had changed. It's not a big deal, just a little nuisance. I would have liked a little more expansion on Will's character as to why he was the way he was. I would have also liked a little more expanding on Trevor's character to understand why he looked at life through rosy colored glasses. Maybe these were the boys safety shields to mask their issue that is always in the background of this story but the forefront of their minds.
I've had this book since October 2011 and I finally read it a couple of days ago. Wish I never had because it was so embarrassing. I feel bad for the author for writing about things which make me sick.
There were these two shady 'he's gonna rape her' scenes which made me cringe because the girl was defending the guy saying he would never do such a thing. But this was right after Twilight so I shouldn't be surprised some actually enjoyed nauseating things such as helpless, stupid girls acting nothing can hurt them and guys forcing themselves into their lives.
A good book (and author) found me! and i must say, i was really happy i was found. :)
This is a surprising read. I normally don’t read Contemporary Teen Romance on a whim, mainly because almost always, the storylines are basically the same. But after reading Forget You, I am starting to look forward to reading this genre. and The Wrong Path reinforced that feeling!
Annabelle is with the “in” crowd but not without consequences. She thought all the stuff important to her friends is unimportant to her, so she pretends to be like them. She can’t risk rising to object or she might find herself thrown out of the circle. This is a typical setting, i admit, but reading further in the book brought depth and further musings on the story.
Annabelle is somewhat annoying for the fact that she keeps on putting a front so she’ll be accepted by the popular circle she’s in. But i guess, this happens in real life so i won’t hold it out against her. and she’s so lucky having parents like hers. And can she really be that dense not to know that she’s falling for Will? Her character is not notable but I liked her at the party when she was… Ha! No spoilers, please. :)
Will – i’m in love with him! :) he’s one of the most solid and strongest characters i’ve ever read. bad boy appeal, indifference, once-in-a-blue-moon gentleness. His bluntness and acceptance for things as they are really did me in. When he confronted Belle on what they really are to each other, i was on his side (applauding him). That’s the kind of guy i want!!! Crap, the author sold me the story with Will alone! And what i wouldn’t do to do all those crazy rendezvous he did with Belle. *sigh*
The conflict the author represents definitely is a striking one. How will Annabelle choose? Yikes, i don’t wanna be in her place during that time.
The ending was simple, but i liked it. Although i wished the author took the time to have Annabelle tell off her “fake” friends just to solidify her decision to be herself and not be controlled by them.
I also wished the book could have a more enticing title that would’ve invite readers to try it. The title didn’t even embodied the essence of Annabelle’s story, because she took not the WRONG path, but the path LESS taken by girls in high school like her.
Overall, i loved The Wrong Path. A light and heart-melting read. I can’t forget you, Will. That’s why i will read you again.
What I Loved: Loved: Will! Will is my new book boyfriend. He is one of the most perfect book guys I have ever read! Truly perfect, in my humble opinion. Loved: Annabelle's parents, she has the most trusting parents I've ever read about. They give her space to make mistakes and to figure out how to fix them. Loved: Ebony, Will's "friend" what an unexpected, wonderful character. Loved: The writing style. I flew through this book and wished there had been more.
Annabelle is the poster child for angst sometimes. She can also be stupidly naive and there were times that I wanted to smack her upside the head; however, I never had that burning desire to be part of the "in" crowd either so maybe that's really how some people are.
The "in" crowd girls are bitchy! Are the "in" girls really like that? I can't imagine actually wanting to hang out with people who had absolutely zero respect for others. Not to mention that the "in" crowd guys are a bunch of jerks and criminals.
Trevor, Anna's lifetime crush was such a total sheep! Yep, ba-ba baby. Granted it could be said that he is walking through life pretty numb right now due to what's happening at home but still, ugh!
I absolutely loved how sweet Annabelle is I just wish she had realized sooner that she didn't need those bitchy girls and jerkwad boys to be happy. Of course, that would have made for a really short story and part of the fun of this book is watching Annabelle grow and discover who she really is.
Admittedly, I haven't read many YA contemporary novels but this book has made me realize that I may have been missing out.
It gets one star for cover. The cover is what drew me to the book, but the story killed it. I usually acknowledge effort, but this book was so bad, I just can't. This was one of the most horrible books I have ever read. It was disgusting. The epilogue —forgive my language— was a piece of crap. This book could be mistaken as written by a third grader.
The plot line sounded a tiny bit interesting, so I was like, "What the heck, I'll just read it,". But no. No no. This book was so bad I think I want to throw it across the room and burn all copies of it so no one else has to be tortured. It's a classic novel, but the blurb words it so its some beautiful, tragic, heart-breaking story. HAHAHA. It's not.
I think what really sealed the deal that this book sucked, was the characters. All of them were so whiney and childish. I sometimes forgot they were in high school. Annabelle was so freaking confused ALL THE TIME! It's like she sat there and thought about something, they sat some more, throughout the entire book. She felt attraction towards Will, but no. What did she do? Sit around with Trevor and the Plastics. (Plastics is my name Claire, Claudia, Mary, etc.) and Will. Oh my gosh, could he be anymore confusing? It's like he was a statue. NO EMOTIONS. Unless you count those oh-so-sad times when Annabelle insulted him or his brother got mad at him. Cause the only time he acted human, is when he cried at the end. Isn't that lovely? The only time the guy shows emotion is when he cries. He has a damn good reason but still. Trevor just majorly annoyed me. He's so fake I wanted to scratch out his name from the book. Along with the rest of the words in the book. I have noting to say about the Plastics besides the fact that their bitches.
I'm stating my opinion on the epilogue again. It sucked. It was so predictable, I want to rip the pages out. It was so bad, the book would have been better off without it. There was no "Oh wow!" moment or "Awww so cute!" moment. The reaction from me was, "WTF?"
So ladies and gentlemen, in case you still want to take the chance and read this book, here's my last effort to change you mind. This book was basically a preview of Annabelle's confusing mind. That really what I think it is. It's just Annabelle and her stupid confused thoughts. I warned you. So now after you read this, you go and erase your memory to get this book out of your head, don't say I didn't warn you.
P.S. I think the cover should have a label that says: CAUTION. READ AT YOUR OWN RISK Or something similar or that just to get the point across. But then the cover would be ruined. The only good thing about this book.
I hate to say this, but I think the reviews for The Wrong Path by Vivian Marie Aubin du Paris are overrated on goodreads.com and amazon.com.
Maybe it’s just me, but I didn’t consider this a 4 or 5 STAR book.
First off, from the book description I was expecting way more drama.
Secondly, Annabelle, the protagonist, wasn’t likeable. Not even a little bit. She is a naïve crybaby. Example (SPOILER BEGINS HERE): Parker is not a nice guy. He drugs Annabelle’s drink at a party, with intentions of date-raping her. A few weeks later, after his first failed attempt, he tries to force himself on her again. Will comes to the rescue and abandons Parker in a parking lot. Annabelle wants to go back and get him. (Him being Parker, the guy I just said tried to rape her twice!!!!) I wanted to stop reading the book right then and there. Seriously, what is wrong with you, Annabelle? (SPOILER ENDS HERE)
Also, she places entirely too much importance on being a part of the “in crowd”. Not to mention, the girls who are a part of the “in crowd” are stereotyped from their freshly styled heads to their manicured toes. And, the people who aren’t a part of the “in crowd” are all Goths and druggies. (Can you get more stereotypical?)
Agh, I feel bad for ripping on this book. I REALLY wanted to like it. Based on all the stellar reviews, I had extremely high expectations going into this novel, and they were NOT met.
I gave The Wrong Path by Vivian Marie Aubin du Paris 2 STARS. I thought it was slow, lacked excitement and was full of clichéd characters. If you are still interested in The Wrong Path after reading this review, then purchase it on Amazon Kindle. It only cost a dollar.
Ar first,you might be tempted to not finish this book.At least,that was the case for me.Because I was so frustrated with Annabelle.It was like she couldn't think for herself.Claire and her entourage were dictating everything in Annabelle's life,from what to wear,even what to think to what she should eat,or rather what she shouldn't eat(according to Claire you can't eat something that doesn't fit in your mouth because it's unattractive.So,I guess burgers are out.Then...enter Will and I'm having a Thank God moment.Because of him I got to see the real Annabelle.The second half of the book was definitely better.And you know what...I liked it.I know..weird.But true.Oh...and about Will what can I say except...swoon:D
I thoroughly enjoyed this book! Annabelle learns that running with the "in" crowd, isn't always what its cracked up to be! Throw 2 guys in the mix who are as different as hot and cold...and you have a life lesson to be learned about what is real vs show, love vs lust, and how heading down the wrong path can turn your world upside down.
Awwwwww this book was just awwwwww! Such a sweet coming of age story that I wish I had read when I was the same age as belle! Wishing for do-overs so you could truly follow your gut and not be a lamb in the flock! Awwwwww
The Wrong Path is a story about learning to be yourself and opening yourself to reality instead of seeing what you want to see. Annabelle is the girl that everyone wants to be. She’s gorgeous and is part of the ‘in’ crowd, and the guy of her dreams is beginning to express interest in her. Then she gets her first real talk with Will, and soon she’s beginning to see him everywhere, causing her to question what she really wants in life.
Annabelle is a really sweet girl. You wouldn’t think that such a gorgeous and kind girl as her would have self-esteem problems that keep her dependent on being part of the ‘in’ crowd, but her fear of alienation keeps her following Claire’s lead. To give her credit, she genuinely believes that these people are her friends, though sometimes her naivety seems a little too overdone.
Will’s character is a little more believable. Despite being a misunderstood character, he understands how the world around him works. Mostly, his outsider status s because people don’t bother to learn about the guy beneath the surface, even his own brother. He has very valid reasons for acting the way he does. Plus, he’s TDH (tall, dark, and handsome), the kind of guy I love. I tell you. I read the book for Will alone.
Some technical details did taking away from the reading experience. The story was overly predictable, and there wasn’t as much plot development as I would have liked to see. Annabelle’s life is seemingly focused around the moments she’s with Will and her group: being herself versus pretending to be someone else. The rest of her life and her other relationships remains blurred to the reader.
Other than Annabelle and Will (and maybe Trevor and Ebony), the other characters were flat for the most part, and the whole forcing yourself to be part of the in crowd is clichéd. The author often relies on adverbs to elaborate on the details instead of imaginary, which ended up making the reading more awkward.
This novel is a short read and makes a nice summer read if you like chick flicks, romance, and bad boys.
Adorable story about finding out who you are and realizing life will be at it's best if you are that person instead of who anyone else wants/expects you to be. The people who help you find yourself along the way will be better friends than anyone who makes you feel worthless or afraid to be honest anyday.
Don't want to spoil anything, so if you haven't read the story...just skip over my character opinions.
Now as for the males in this story:
Trevor, Trevor, Trevor...What is it about the quarterback of the footbal team, any football team, that makes him swoonworthy? You never really stood a chance, did you? I wanted to smack you repeatedly several times...but when it came down to it, you really man'd up.
Parker, you are the scum of the earth and should be devastated like you were at the club EVERY darn night of your miserable life. Such an ugly character...but people like this exsist which is so so SO sad.
Will - Why can't there be more men like Will in the real world? Yes, he has his "darker" side, but he knows what's really important and what he doesn't know, he's actually willing to learn.
Now onto Annabelle's friends - what a bunch of she devil witches! Seriously in need of a rude awakening.
Anyway, this was a very enjoyable read and I would recommend it if you like stories with a little bit of struggle and a lot of hope. Isn't it funny how life doesn't always turn out the way we want it to or how people, no matter how much we think we might know them, aren't really who they are?
Things I Liked: - Contemporary! so many paranormals and fantasies and dystopias lately, that it’s awesome to read a simple contemporary story that focuses on every day life as a teen - The romance: it’s obvious from the beginning who Annabelle should be with, but it’s awesome watching them get there. It’s a slow building relationship with lots of cute moments - Easy read, the writing style was good
Things I Disliked: - Annabelle’s naivete: I wanted to shake her or something at some points. Why was she making excuses for guys slipping drugs into people’s drinks? That seemed a bit unrealistic - Annabelle crying constantly: I totally get why she was upset in most of the situations, but she was a total drama queen at some points. Wouldn’t a normal teen be embarrassed to be constantly crying in front of a cute guy? - The epilogue felt unnecessary: it sort of pulled me out of the story to wonder what had all happened in the mean time and why we ended up in the place we did
Conclusion: I think this is a solid effort which was technically well written. At times the actions and words of the teens seemed unrealistic, which pulled me out of the story, but I appreciated its emotional aspects. And Will? Yah, he was pretty lovely.
Honestly, the only reason I bought this book was because the kindle edition was pretty cheap and I needed a break from all the emotionally involved books. I just wanted something I could read easily and not have to put much effort into. And I'm glad to say, I thoroughly enjoyed this book. It's simple; it's easy. It's one of those books you don't have to think about while reading it. I mean, you know how it's gonna end and what's gonna happen, but you still want to read it anyway. It's just a nice read. I will say though that I also expected a much more dramatic story line and plot based on the description and the cover. But I wasn't super disappointed since I didn't really expect that much. I'm in college now and I have a break between almost all of my classes so I wanted something intriguing enough to read but could be put down easily as I headed to my next class. And I must say, I enjoyed the characters, too(: I loooooooved Will! I always fall in love with the love interest. Ugh, what a problem (lol). Give this book a try!
It gets three stars because I feel like the MC grew up a bit during the book and became a better person. In the beginning she was so naive and "oh no my friends won't like me anymore if I talk to people outside our circle!" It annoyed me that she could see why Will was acting out but not how fake and annoying her friends were. It was a bit cliched as well. Does anyone these days really feel all special to wear their guy's letterman jacket? Meh. I had my own so maybe it wasn't a big deal to me.
The characters went from 2 dimensional to more 3 dimensional as the book progressed, which is what kept me reading. It ended well and I was satisfied.
The only other thing I noticed is repetitiveness. I have noticed it an issue in my own work, but hopefully have caught it before publication. These characters did a whole heck of a lot of mischievous smiling and evil and wolfish grins. If I picked up on it, I'm sure others did as well.
(1.5 Stars). I really didn't like this book at all. It actually made me mad reading it. From the title I had such high hopes for this book. I expected much more drama and heartache. I didn't realize that the wrong path was hanging out with the mean girls and dating the quaterback or having your parents join a country club so that you can have friends and basically being a sheep and following the herd. Annabelle has to be the weakest, most annoying female character I've come across in a long time. She's afraid of everything, cries over everything and seems to be socially stunted. I don't get how going to private school means you have no friends and makes you unable to tell when people are joking with you. You would think she had never been around people before she is so naive. She is constantly gasping, gaping, bursting into tears or wondering if someone is going to murder her. Halfway through the book I was wishing someone would. This book was a huge disappointment to me.
An enjoyable read for sure. The characterization really made the story. Especially Will.
I loved Will. He had a depth beyond what you would normally expect from your typical bad-boy-with-a-sensitive-side. He wasn't even truly a bad boy, just bad enough to be a misfit. So thoughtful an sweet, but not in a saccharine way. Not at all boring, like his brother.
Yes, Trevor was fairly boring, and it was dead on. He's exactly who you'd expect a girl like Anabelle to be into before she figures out who she is.
Speaking of Anabelle, probably the only thing I didn't like is how often she cries. She's not entirely likeable in the begining. Once she starts to break away from her popular crowd persona, she reveals a much cooler girl inside.
Before I finish I just have to mention one more time how much a I truly enjoyed Will. What a fantastic character!
This book was a fascinating glimpse into the insecure world of a teenage girl trying to fit it. It reminded me a bit of Mean Girls, but more intense and emotion filled. Annabelle is a bit naive and innocent about the world - trusting her friends too much and putting a lot of importance on popularity. I'll admit there were times I wanted to shake some sense into her - but I feel that way about real-life teenagers too, so I'll attribute that to great writing. :) Will is a deeper, rebellious type but still a great guy. Side characters were good and paint a full picture of high school life - though a bit overly divided into clicks. I do have to say though, that although it is young adult, there is a decent amount of teen drinking and drug use - so I would keep that in mind when suggesting it to an actual teenager.
Not what I had in mind for this book, but it was cute :)
Annabelle was in the wrong crowd. Sure she was in the "IN" crowd. She got along with all her friends, and even started dating the guy she had a crush on since she moved next door to him when they were kids. And when he started paying attention to her, she thought she was on cloud 9. But when his brother Will started showing up everywhere and helping her out of binds with her friends, she stated to realize that she was with the wrong friends. She wasn't happy pretending to be happy. Not being able to talk to other people outside of her group. And Will made her feel happy to be around. Happy with who she really was.
But giving up her popularity, the star quarterback, life as she has come to know it??
This book was cute on all levels. I loved the relationship she had with these boys :)
"The Wrong Path" is the type of book that reminds me exactly WHY I love reading. It was an absolutely BEAUTIFUL book. And I wish I could go back to the time when I'd started the book just to read it again and anticipating exactly what will happen. I loved this book so much that I'm right now a little teary-eyed. There's only one thing I can say, I wish I had my own Will.
My favourite quote:
“You’re going to run out of clothes pretty soon,” she couldn’t resist teasing. Will grinned down at her. “My master plan is to leave you with all of my clothes so that I never have to do laundry again. It's genius.”
After about 50 pages I decided I was not going to finish this book. I hated the whole book and the characters. I swear all Anabele did was cry most the time anyway. Then I got bored and didn't have anything else to read so I picked it back up. and about half way through, I was hooked. The more Will there was, the more I wanted to read. At the end I discovered this was a great book! So even if its the hardest thing you have to do, get through the first part of this book. I promise its worth it.(even though Anabele continues to be a big cry baby, I would have gave a 4 star if not for all her tears)
The story only explored Annabelle as a character. I wish the author gave much importance to the other characters as well. This is the first book that I have ever read that did not give much of a background story for everyone. I practically did not know anything about the other characters aside from how Annabelle sees them and that is quite disappointing for me. It seems that this book did not have much substance except for the "love story" (if you might call it) between Annabelle and Will (which I did not even like at all). One star is what I have got to give.
I didn't think much to this to be honest. I didn't find the main character very likeable because she just cried all the way through. She reminded me more of a 12-year-old (a very weak-minded one) and I found it a bit patronising that the author thought a teenager would act like that.
I enjoyed reading about the leading guy, however, who was very sweet and interesting. I also liked the character of Ebony. I only wish she had been featured a bit more.
It's easy reading but by no means a challenge and don't expect any surprises.
I'm giving this book 4 stars because of the story. I liked the characters and the reality of the story, but, it wasn't well written. It didn't flow well, with lapses in time and setting with no lead in to let the reader know things were changing or time was passing. And grammatical and spelling errors were plentiful. What, no spell check? But other than the little stuff, it was pretty good. Worth it's .99 cent price tag.
Nice book. I liked Will and Belle’s relationship. Actually, I liked Will more. He was the one that sealed the deal. I don’t think he’s a bad boy, just misunderstood. And for the first time, I actually rooted the younger brother. A lot of complications, and I loved how the author pulled them together to make the characters stand out. Overall, a nice refreshing contemporary teen romance.
I told myself to "grin and bear it", and so, I finished this book in under an hour. Like the 2 star rating indicates it was ok. I just didn't like the plot or the characters that much really. They felt too immature for me, especially Annabelle who would just not stop crying. She's probably cried more in this book than I've cried in my entire life... (okay so that might be a slight exaggeration but still!)
I downloaded a sample of this book, and was royally disapointed with it. Yet throughout the day I found myself thinking about the character "Will" and how Annebelle, would go about dating "Travis" and then suddenly find herself in love with "Will" his brother... So I bought the book. An enjoyed it. I did think Annebelle was unbelieveable most of the time. How can someone be so unaware of what her friends were really like. Very odd book!