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Pure Fake
Gina is the kind of girl who works hard to keep up her appearance—not just focusing on her hair and makeup, but going so far as breast-enhancement surgery and diet pills. When tall, athletic, good-looking Colter wants to be her boyfriend, Gina jumps at the chance. She thinks they’ll be the perfect couple and ignores the warning signs that things aren’t right with him. That includes rumors that his past girlfriend has a restraining order against him. But when Colter’s actions put Gina in physical danger, she is finally forced to wake up to what Colter is really like.
- GenresYoung Adult
136 pages, Library Binding
First published August 1, 2013
16 people want to read
About the author
Beverly Scudamore
12 booksBeverly Scudamore is the author of four juvenile novels, including Ice Dreams and Foul Play, which are part of Lorimer's Sport Stories Series. She lives in Bright's Grove, Ontario, where she enjoys watching her husband and youngest daughter play hockey.
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Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews
January 11, 2014
My copy was provided to me by Netgalley.
This book kind of annoyed me. Well, the book was okay, it was just Gina who annoyed the crap out of me. Stuck-up, selfish people are my biggest pet peeve. All Gina cares about are her looks and what everyone thinks about her. She says she takes the diet pills so her mom doesn't yell at her, but she can stand up for herself. These pills have side effects that make Gina sick at times and she admitted that she thinks she's malnourished, but she doesn't ever do anything about it. The only good thing Colter ever did for her was trying to convince her to get off the diet pills. Also, Gina had been waiting on prom for months and spent a lot of money on her dress and such, but she skips prom because of an allergic reaction to some lipstick. Who does that?
Now, this book follows Love Hurts where Colter gets a new girlfriend and Mel moves away only to return in the beginning of the book. I think the purpose of this book was to fix up some loose ends and for the people of Sarnia, ON, to realize what kind of person Colter actually is.
This book was very shallow, especially with how Gina is, but it does touch upon abuse in a relationship. This book shows how some people are so enthralled in love that they'll ignore all the warning signs and continue the relationship with the abuser. Gina heard all the rumors about Colter, she must have known some things were true, but she chose not to believe in any of them. In her mind, she made Colter the victim. She had heard Mel "spreading rumors" about how Colter tried to rape her and Gina thought Mel was just lying for the attention.
Gina ignored all the warning signs and stayed with Colter, forgiving him again and again. But that's what people do. People love someone so much, they think they deserve to be hurt; they feel sorry for the abuser even thought they are trapped by the abuser's web of lies.
This book was an accurate depiction of a victim-abuser relationship and if it wasn't for Gina's attitude, I would have enjoyed this book.
Pure Fake had a believable plot, and it all flowed together rather well. I only wish Gina had more substance, more life to her.
This book kind of annoyed me. Well, the book was okay, it was just Gina who annoyed the crap out of me. Stuck-up, selfish people are my biggest pet peeve. All Gina cares about are her looks and what everyone thinks about her. She says she takes the diet pills so her mom doesn't yell at her, but she can stand up for herself. These pills have side effects that make Gina sick at times and she admitted that she thinks she's malnourished, but she doesn't ever do anything about it. The only good thing Colter ever did for her was trying to convince her to get off the diet pills. Also, Gina had been waiting on prom for months and spent a lot of money on her dress and such, but she skips prom because of an allergic reaction to some lipstick. Who does that?
Now, this book follows Love Hurts where Colter gets a new girlfriend and Mel moves away only to return in the beginning of the book. I think the purpose of this book was to fix up some loose ends and for the people of Sarnia, ON, to realize what kind of person Colter actually is.
This book was very shallow, especially with how Gina is, but it does touch upon abuse in a relationship. This book shows how some people are so enthralled in love that they'll ignore all the warning signs and continue the relationship with the abuser. Gina heard all the rumors about Colter, she must have known some things were true, but she chose not to believe in any of them. In her mind, she made Colter the victim. She had heard Mel "spreading rumors" about how Colter tried to rape her and Gina thought Mel was just lying for the attention.
Gina ignored all the warning signs and stayed with Colter, forgiving him again and again. But that's what people do. People love someone so much, they think they deserve to be hurt; they feel sorry for the abuser even thought they are trapped by the abuser's web of lies.
This book was an accurate depiction of a victim-abuser relationship and if it wasn't for Gina's attitude, I would have enjoyed this book.
Pure Fake had a believable plot, and it all flowed together rather well. I only wish Gina had more substance, more life to her.
February 6, 2014
Pure Fake by Beverly Scudamore
Published by: James Lorimer & Company on March 3, 2014
Genre: Young Adult
Length: 136 pages in eARC format
Source: NetGalley
Rating: 5 stars!
Description:
Gina is the kind of girl who works hard to keep up her appearance -- not just her hair and makeup, but going so far as breast-enhancement surgery and regular diet pills. When tall, athletic, good-looking Colter wants to be her boyfriend, Gina jumps at the chance. She thinks they'll be the perfect couple and ignores the warning signs that things aren't right with him. That includes rumours that his past girlfriend has a restraining order against him. But when Colter’s actions put Gina in physical danger she is finally forced to wake up to what Colter is really like.
My Thoughts:
Thank you netgalley for letting me read this book! OMG was it good. Well… it took 63% the way through the book before it really starting getting good. To be honest, I hated it at first. Gina was this winey, stuck up snob who I couldn’t stand, until crap it the fan.
Gina was dating a boy and Colter was dating a girl, wouldn’t you know it their boyfriend and girlfriends cheated on both of them with each other. As fate would have it Colter and Gina get together once Colter’s ex girlfriend moves away, but not after she spreads nasty rumors about Colter that he tried to rape her and beat her up to the point that she needed to file a restraining order. Gina never believe these rumors and didn’t not know why everyone was making a big deal about it since Colter is the sweetest guy she has ever met.
UNTIL the ex-girlfriend shows back up in town and Colter’s true colors come out…….
This is what you get when you make fun of girls who get abused by their boyfriends and you don’t believe them. It is very sad to read about girlfriends who get beat up by their boyfriends and are too afraid to report it, or think that I will never happened again, especially teenagers. Really all high school girls should read this book and get a good reality check on what is going on.
Published by: James Lorimer & Company on March 3, 2014
Genre: Young Adult
Length: 136 pages in eARC format
Source: NetGalley
Rating: 5 stars!
Description:
Gina is the kind of girl who works hard to keep up her appearance -- not just her hair and makeup, but going so far as breast-enhancement surgery and regular diet pills. When tall, athletic, good-looking Colter wants to be her boyfriend, Gina jumps at the chance. She thinks they'll be the perfect couple and ignores the warning signs that things aren't right with him. That includes rumours that his past girlfriend has a restraining order against him. But when Colter’s actions put Gina in physical danger she is finally forced to wake up to what Colter is really like.
My Thoughts:
Thank you netgalley for letting me read this book! OMG was it good. Well… it took 63% the way through the book before it really starting getting good. To be honest, I hated it at first. Gina was this winey, stuck up snob who I couldn’t stand, until crap it the fan.
Gina was dating a boy and Colter was dating a girl, wouldn’t you know it their boyfriend and girlfriends cheated on both of them with each other. As fate would have it Colter and Gina get together once Colter’s ex girlfriend moves away, but not after she spreads nasty rumors about Colter that he tried to rape her and beat her up to the point that she needed to file a restraining order. Gina never believe these rumors and didn’t not know why everyone was making a big deal about it since Colter is the sweetest guy she has ever met.
UNTIL the ex-girlfriend shows back up in town and Colter’s true colors come out…….
This is what you get when you make fun of girls who get abused by their boyfriends and you don’t believe them. It is very sad to read about girlfriends who get beat up by their boyfriends and are too afraid to report it, or think that I will never happened again, especially teenagers. Really all high school girls should read this book and get a good reality check on what is going on.
February 18, 2014
Original review can be found Original review can be found here.
This book is basically about Domestic Violence centered around one guy and it takes place in a high school setting. You might not think these kind of things can happen in High School but it happens a lot more than most people like to believe.
Colter is at it again. But this time the girl seems to be a little bit more naive.
Colter gets a new girlfriend, Gina, and she infuriates me. In the first book I actually liked Mel but I can't stand Gina. She is this All That girl with a terrible attitude and this idea that nothing bad can happen to her. WRONG. It's those girls that are normally the victims of these kind of situations.
Gina refuses to believe the "rumors" about what Colter did to Mel and that is part of what gets her into this horrible situation.
Unfortunately for Gina, Mel comes back and she soon realizes that she was just something to keep his mind off of Mel.
I do end up feeling bad for Gina because her mother forces diet pills on her and it doesn't seem like she can go to her parents for help with Colter or anything really. I'm not sure if the breast enhancement was forced on her by her mother or not but she doesn't seem excited about the situation.
This wasn't a very long book but it definitely gets the point across. Domestic violence can happen to anyone. Any age, race, gender, etc.
I loved the way the book ended though. Sadly, it was at the expense of Mel getting hurt but it really brought everything together. I am hoping for a third book that will let us readers know what happened to Colter.
I love Beverly Scudamore's writing. She is very blunt and straight forward. She doesn't sugar coat things and I think more authors need to be this way.
Overall, I gave the book 4/5 Kitties.
This book is basically about Domestic Violence centered around one guy and it takes place in a high school setting. You might not think these kind of things can happen in High School but it happens a lot more than most people like to believe.
Colter is at it again. But this time the girl seems to be a little bit more naive.
Colter gets a new girlfriend, Gina, and she infuriates me. In the first book I actually liked Mel but I can't stand Gina. She is this All That girl with a terrible attitude and this idea that nothing bad can happen to her. WRONG. It's those girls that are normally the victims of these kind of situations.
Gina refuses to believe the "rumors" about what Colter did to Mel and that is part of what gets her into this horrible situation.
Unfortunately for Gina, Mel comes back and she soon realizes that she was just something to keep his mind off of Mel.
I do end up feeling bad for Gina because her mother forces diet pills on her and it doesn't seem like she can go to her parents for help with Colter or anything really. I'm not sure if the breast enhancement was forced on her by her mother or not but she doesn't seem excited about the situation.
This wasn't a very long book but it definitely gets the point across. Domestic violence can happen to anyone. Any age, race, gender, etc.
I loved the way the book ended though. Sadly, it was at the expense of Mel getting hurt but it really brought everything together. I am hoping for a third book that will let us readers know what happened to Colter.
I love Beverly Scudamore's writing. She is very blunt and straight forward. She doesn't sugar coat things and I think more authors need to be this way.
Overall, I gave the book 4/5 Kitties.
November 2, 2015
I got this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review..
O.k. When first reading this book you will have to push yourself to keep reading till about 55%. Then the books gets very interesting and the MC not as whiny.
Gina is a poplar girl. Her mother is all about her appearance. She got breast surgery, she is on diet pills that will not let her gain any fat, and she has all the latest clothes and makeup. She is currently dating a guy named Colter. They started dating out of pure luck. See, his girlfriend was caught cheating with her boyfriend. Then by both of them getting hurt drawled them together and they started dating.
Colter's ex girlfriend Mel spread this nasty rumor that he tried to rape her and he got expelled from his school. Mel was so "traumatized" by it that she moved away. Gina never believed those rumors because Colter was a loving boyfriend and they did everything together.
That was until Mel moved back into town. Rumors started spreading that she was going to get a restraining order against him because he kept coming about her. Gina also didn't believe that. She thought Mel just wanted attention since she just moved back. That is when Colter started acting funny. He started taking drugs, almost killed her on a boat, and not to mention he abused her.
Not Gina doesn't know what to do. She forgave him and they are starting over, but when she notices that he hasn't changed no one is safe...
O.k. When first reading this book you will have to push yourself to keep reading till about 55%. Then the books gets very interesting and the MC not as whiny.
Gina is a poplar girl. Her mother is all about her appearance. She got breast surgery, she is on diet pills that will not let her gain any fat, and she has all the latest clothes and makeup. She is currently dating a guy named Colter. They started dating out of pure luck. See, his girlfriend was caught cheating with her boyfriend. Then by both of them getting hurt drawled them together and they started dating.
Colter's ex girlfriend Mel spread this nasty rumor that he tried to rape her and he got expelled from his school. Mel was so "traumatized" by it that she moved away. Gina never believed those rumors because Colter was a loving boyfriend and they did everything together.
That was until Mel moved back into town. Rumors started spreading that she was going to get a restraining order against him because he kept coming about her. Gina also didn't believe that. She thought Mel just wanted attention since she just moved back. That is when Colter started acting funny. He started taking drugs, almost killed her on a boat, and not to mention he abused her.
Not Gina doesn't know what to do. She forgave him and they are starting over, but when she notices that he hasn't changed no one is safe...
November 1, 2013
"Pure Fake" is the continuing story of "Love Hurts" and perhaps addresses the hurried ending of "Love Hurts". The story picks up with Gina Rondelli - a girl of very little substance and a lot of cosmetic intervention taking up with Colter Wagner, villain and girl beater of the previous book. In short "Pure Fake" is the story of her awakening to the realities of teen life in Sarnia, ON. Despite the fact that this is one shallow book, peopled with caricatures rather than characters, it is a book with potential to be important as it addresses a frightening issue (violence) facing teenagers living in today's hyper-connected world. It also has tension and momentum, and a reasonably believable plot line. Were the characters more fleshed out and nuanced, including Gina's mother, the story would be more powerful and convincing.
January 4, 2015
The main character, Gina, is not very likeable. Despite the fact that you will spend most of the novel cringing at what she thinks and says Beverly Scudamore does do a decent job of showing you why she acts that way. Her volatile and abusive relationship with the guy that seemed so nice abd her blaming herself will hit home for some. Fans of lifetime original movies will enjoy this quick read.
May 7, 2015
This is a Hi/Lo book. The themes and characters are edgy and intended for ages 13 and up, but the book reading level is accessible to struggling readers without insulting them. RL 3.0. Topics: dating abuse, substance abuse, murder, unhealthy focus on weight loss/plastic surgery and self-image issues.
May 5, 2014
Please read this book through to the end; otherwise, I'm afraid you find the main character difficult to connect with - or at least I did. By the end, I appreciated the value of the book, especially for my AI readers.
Want to read
July 17, 2013I think this is part two of love hurts
Read
August 17, 2017I never knew Colter could be such a jerk! Anyways, I'm glad Gina made up with Mel at the end!
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews