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He's After Me
His smile faded and our eyes held and that's when it happened. A charge passed through me, like an electric shock.Anna meets Jem when her life is falling apart. He is everything Anna needs him to be. Her dad may have run off with a younger woman, her mum may be a wreck and her younger sister, Livi, is swerving off the rails - but as long as she has Jem, Anna will be OK.And for the first time in her life Anna falls. Deeply and truly and intensely in love.The end? Not quite...
256 pages, Kindle Edition
First published July 7, 2011
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 81 reviews
October 30, 2011
4.5 stars. What a sad story.
It had me hooked from the first pages.
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Anna's life is a mess after her parents split and when she meets Jem, he seems to be her answer to be happy again. They get in a relationship really quickly, and everything seems to be going great. Until cracks appear and the whole facade falls down..
This story shows how relationships can go wrong. The book is written from Anna's point of view, but also shows glimpses of someone with dark thoughts every other chapter or so, and I couldn't turn the pages quick enough to find out who that was and what was going on. Higgins has carefully woven a story around two young people in a relationship - and one of them has secrets.
The story is gripping and I couldn't stop reading when I picked it up. I read it in one sitting and was incredibly impressed with the ending of the book. Sad and heart breaking, but so realistic. This book surprised me, because I didn't think I would enjoy it as much as I did. But I did, and I thank Chris for giving this book an ending that it deserves - just as raw and intense as the rest of the book.
My overall rating: 4/5
Four big stars for He's After Me, because the book had me completely in its grip.
(this review is published on my blog, http://lvngbooks.blogspot.com)
It had me hooked from the first pages.
----------------
Anna's life is a mess after her parents split and when she meets Jem, he seems to be her answer to be happy again. They get in a relationship really quickly, and everything seems to be going great. Until cracks appear and the whole facade falls down..
This story shows how relationships can go wrong. The book is written from Anna's point of view, but also shows glimpses of someone with dark thoughts every other chapter or so, and I couldn't turn the pages quick enough to find out who that was and what was going on. Higgins has carefully woven a story around two young people in a relationship - and one of them has secrets.
The story is gripping and I couldn't stop reading when I picked it up. I read it in one sitting and was incredibly impressed with the ending of the book. Sad and heart breaking, but so realistic. This book surprised me, because I didn't think I would enjoy it as much as I did. But I did, and I thank Chris for giving this book an ending that it deserves - just as raw and intense as the rest of the book.
My overall rating: 4/5
Four big stars for He's After Me, because the book had me completely in its grip.
(this review is published on my blog, http://lvngbooks.blogspot.com)
January 12, 2012
"She wanted to..."
"I never meant..."
"It wasn't me..."
"She wanted to!"
Okay...this was a very interesting story. I almost wanted to give it 5 stars for taking a risk. I actually had no idea what this book was about, I just liked the cover. I found the story moved along very well...Anna was a well crafted character that seemed caught up in her situation. I found it believable...we all know how it feels to be madly in love. It's sad where this story leads. Both sad because of what happens to Olivia but also because of Jem. The beautiful mess of Jem. Even though he's the "bad boy" I felt torn with the way this book ended. It's clear that he is in desperate need of help and it made me sad because as we got to know Jem he seemed so sweet and loveable, albeit a bit overbearing at times. I really had no idea what was coming. I kept waiting for something terrible to happen. Throughout the story I kept guessing as to who was the "stalker". I really had no idea and the ending was quite surprising ~ and sad.
"He left me."
"And you left me too."
"Where are you, Livi?"
"Please answer me."
"I never meant..."
"It wasn't me..."
"She wanted to!"
Okay...this was a very interesting story. I almost wanted to give it 5 stars for taking a risk. I actually had no idea what this book was about, I just liked the cover. I found the story moved along very well...Anna was a well crafted character that seemed caught up in her situation. I found it believable...we all know how it feels to be madly in love. It's sad where this story leads. Both sad because of what happens to Olivia but also because of Jem. The beautiful mess of Jem. Even though he's the "bad boy" I felt torn with the way this book ended. It's clear that he is in desperate need of help and it made me sad because as we got to know Jem he seemed so sweet and loveable, albeit a bit overbearing at times. I really had no idea what was coming. I kept waiting for something terrible to happen. Throughout the story I kept guessing as to who was the "stalker". I really had no idea and the ending was quite surprising ~ and sad.
"He left me."
"And you left me too."
"Where are you, Livi?"
"Please answer me."
October 8, 2012
I Loved This Book From The Start! After I finished reading ' He's after me' I was completely numb, it had such a sad ending. I felt Anna's pain from losing her sister and I felt sad that their relationship had to end. Anna was just an average girl who fell in love. She vowed that she was never going to be like her mum, all depressed and heartbroken from love. But well... That turned out well. Personally, I think the romance was great! But I wanted to hear more from Jem, at least we got to read snippets of his thoughts. Did I mention the sad ending??? Yup... Her sister Olivia fell in-love with Jem and sided with him through all the caos. Now where is little Livi??? She's dead. My favoutite line in this story was the last words, I quote:
He left me.
And you left me too.
Where are you, Livi?
Please answer me.
Wow... Really sad 'casue she can't answer. And as for Jem... Well he got away. He ran for his life. He loved two girls who loved him back. But at the end, he got none.
Everyone should read this book... It's offically one of my favourites!:)
He left me.
And you left me too.
Where are you, Livi?
Please answer me.
Wow... Really sad 'casue she can't answer. And as for Jem... Well he got away. He ran for his life. He loved two girls who loved him back. But at the end, he got none.
Everyone should read this book... It's offically one of my favourites!:)
July 7, 2011
Well today i went to the book launch for this and I received a signed copy for the price of £5.99. I began reading this book at around 3:40 and then stopped at 4:20 for my tea then began again 15 minutes later and finished it by 5:15. It was quite a quick moving story but with a good story line, Chris said herself that she wanted to do a psychological book and that fits this genre perfectly it was amazing.
June 17, 2015
This is a short ranting review.
It's short for the fact that I hated this book.
This story is about a girl who meets a guy. She keeps seeing him around and then they finally speak. She falls in love.
Her friends don’t seem to like him, but her mother and sister love him. She goes around town vandalising things with him and being a rebel, and not finding anything wrong with it.
This story goes through this, things happening, it’s his fault, she doesn’t notice. Pretty much sums it up.
The first thing about this book that annoyed me was the chapters. They were just way too short. I don’t really like long chapters anyway because I like to finish on a new chapter but these were beyond short.
The second: the main character. I didn’t like her. She was just too annoying. And I hated the way that she was warned about the guy, Jem, but yet she ignored the warnings.
I for one, would be totally creeped out if I kept seeing the same guy around. But no, she didn’t see anything wrong with it.
She was going around vandalising the city with him, and didn’t see any problem with it.
Stuff from her father’s place was stolen. ‘Nope, couldn’t be Jem. He wouldn’t do that.’ They were the only two in the apartment! This book bloody infuriated me!
Her friends didn’t like Jem. He also dissed her friends. Again, she didn’t see anything wrong. She was just so stupid!
After finally realising how messed up Jem was, her sister didn’t believe anything was wrong with him. Then she left with him and ended up dead. What a great ending. (Note the sarcasm.)
For this horrendous story, I give it one star.
Even though I hated it, I read the whole story. It was suspenseful. I only kept reading to see if she got her head out of her ass and realised the psychopath that was her boyfriend.
It's short for the fact that I hated this book.
This story is about a girl who meets a guy. She keeps seeing him around and then they finally speak. She falls in love.
Her friends don’t seem to like him, but her mother and sister love him. She goes around town vandalising things with him and being a rebel, and not finding anything wrong with it.
This story goes through this, things happening, it’s his fault, she doesn’t notice. Pretty much sums it up.
The first thing about this book that annoyed me was the chapters. They were just way too short. I don’t really like long chapters anyway because I like to finish on a new chapter but these were beyond short.
The second: the main character. I didn’t like her. She was just too annoying. And I hated the way that she was warned about the guy, Jem, but yet she ignored the warnings.
I for one, would be totally creeped out if I kept seeing the same guy around. But no, she didn’t see anything wrong with it.
She was going around vandalising the city with him, and didn’t see any problem with it.
Stuff from her father’s place was stolen. ‘Nope, couldn’t be Jem. He wouldn’t do that.’ They were the only two in the apartment! This book bloody infuriated me!
Her friends didn’t like Jem. He also dissed her friends. Again, she didn’t see anything wrong. She was just so stupid!
After finally realising how messed up Jem was, her sister didn’t believe anything was wrong with him. Then she left with him and ended up dead. What a great ending. (Note the sarcasm.)
For this horrendous story, I give it one star.
Even though I hated it, I read the whole story. It was suspenseful. I only kept reading to see if she got her head out of her ass and realised the psychopath that was her boyfriend.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 31, 2019
This really isn’t a great book from a literary point of view, but I have so much nostalgia connected to it that I devoured it in 22 hours. (The structure helps to make it a quick read). When I was a teen I used to think this was so romantic, but reading it now I realise there is absolutely no build up to the relationship. I was always aware when reading this that Jem was toxic but always brushed that aside because having a boy obsess over you seem like the dream to my year 7/8/9 self during my first couple of reads. Now I know better. It was mostly plot with no fleshed out description or emotion. The graffiti could have been worked in earlier to be more believable. Some proofing errors. The ending seems like a cheats way out but was the most dramatic thing to my younger self, so I’m going to cling onto it. Was always on the hunt for a sequel that was never intended to happen.
August 2, 2011
I didn't expect brilliance from this book because I had previously red a Chris Higgins book and was not too impressed, but I must admit it was brilliant. The story kept me ripped and I was reading til early ours of the morning because I just couldn't put it down! The plot was deep and heavy going, but I find these the best stories because most real life situations do not have a happy ending, and I feel stories lack a strong ending when all is well. Tears were brought to my eyes at the end, as I did not expect the twisted ending, but again, this made the book even stronger and well planned.
August 17, 2019
Το He's After Me δεν ηταν έτσι όπως το περίμενα και μου άρεσε αυτο.
Ας πούμε για αρχή τα αρνητικά.Ο τίτλος μπορώ να πω ότι κάνει κάτι σαν spoil στο βιβλίο,κάτι που είναι κακό.Έπειτα η πρωταγωνίστρια είναι αρκετά αφελής,η συγγραφέας το έκανε για συγκεκριμένο λόγο άλλα θα ήθελα να είναι πιο ρεαλιστικό.
Πιστεύω ότι η συγγραφέας στο τέλος πήγαινε να το πάει αλλού,αλλά τελικά δεν τα κατάφερε.Πιστεύω ότι θα μου άρεσε περισσότερο αν άλλαξε κατι στο τέλος.Όμως ίσως είχε λογο που δεν το άλλαξε.(Δεν ξέρω αν καταλάβει κάποιος τι λεω αν δεν το εχω διαβάσει,αλλά δεν θέλω να έχει spoiler η κριτική μου).
Τα θετικά:
Διαβάζεται πολυ γρήγορα.Δεν κουράζει καθόλου γιατί πάντα γίνεται κάτι.Η ιστορία είναι σχετικά πρωτότυπη και ενδιαφέρον και τέλος έχει ενδιαφέρον twists.
Ας πούμε για αρχή τα αρνητικά.Ο τίτλος μπορώ να πω ότι κάνει κάτι σαν spoil στο βιβλίο,κάτι που είναι κακό.Έπειτα η πρωταγωνίστρια είναι αρκετά αφελής,η συγγραφέας το έκανε για συγκεκριμένο λόγο άλλα θα ήθελα να είναι πιο ρεαλιστικό.
Πιστεύω ότι η συγγραφέας στο τέλος πήγαινε να το πάει αλλού,αλλά τελικά δεν τα κατάφερε.Πιστεύω ότι θα μου άρεσε περισσότερο αν άλλαξε κατι στο τέλος.Όμως ίσως είχε λογο που δεν το άλλαξε.(Δεν ξέρω αν καταλάβει κάποιος τι λεω αν δεν το εχω διαβάσει,αλλά δεν θέλω να έχει spoiler η κριτική μου).
Τα θετικά:
Διαβάζεται πολυ γρήγορα.Δεν κουράζει καθόλου γιατί πάντα γίνεται κάτι.Η ιστορία είναι σχετικά πρωτότυπη και ενδιαφέρον και τέλος έχει ενδιαφέρον twists.
April 6, 2012
crap.
utter crap. So pointless and badly written.
Anna seems to whine on and on about how her life is terrible because of Jude.. urgh. I got so bored I gave up half way through.
Do not buy it. Waste of time and money.
If you prefer more deep or insightful books, this is definitely a lost cause.
The book is written in a present tense narrative and goes along at such a fast speed that it just seems pathetically stupid and no where near like reality.
Why on earth would someone think just because they saw a guy once that they suddenly loved them?!! And then the guy just happens to be everywhere Anna is. It's definitely not a delicate romance AT ALL.
And the added swear words just make the book even more childish then it already is. Seems like the author is just trying to appeal to the teenage market but fell way before that with the poorly written storyline anyway.
All in all a bad book, but heck I got it for free.
utter crap. So pointless and badly written.
Anna seems to whine on and on about how her life is terrible because of Jude.. urgh. I got so bored I gave up half way through.
Do not buy it. Waste of time and money.
If you prefer more deep or insightful books, this is definitely a lost cause.
The book is written in a present tense narrative and goes along at such a fast speed that it just seems pathetically stupid and no where near like reality.
Why on earth would someone think just because they saw a guy once that they suddenly loved them?!! And then the guy just happens to be everywhere Anna is. It's definitely not a delicate romance AT ALL.
And the added swear words just make the book even more childish then it already is. Seems like the author is just trying to appeal to the teenage market but fell way before that with the poorly written storyline anyway.
All in all a bad book, but heck I got it for free.
July 23, 2013
I liked He's After Me. I liked the intense storyline and the ending. The ending was unexpected and really good.
Anna was a likeable enough character. She was head over heels for Jem though and this made her beyond stupid, that stupidity got a bit annoying after a while.
I didn't really like Chris Higgins writing. It seemed too rushed. Like the story would have still been fast paced with a different type of writing style.
So I'm giving it a 3 stars because I loved the idea of the story and the storyline but it's losing stars because of the writing style.
Anna was a likeable enough character. She was head over heels for Jem though and this made her beyond stupid, that stupidity got a bit annoying after a while.
I didn't really like Chris Higgins writing. It seemed too rushed. Like the story would have still been fast paced with a different type of writing style.
So I'm giving it a 3 stars because I loved the idea of the story and the storyline but it's losing stars because of the writing style.
August 22, 2016
This is my friend, Sarah's, most treasured possession and favourite book in the world so i thought it was worth saying this.
Sarah loved the boyfriend. She wanted him for herself and that is why it is four stars instead of five.
Sarah loved the boyfriend. She wanted him for herself and that is why it is four stars instead of five.
July 19, 2011
it was am amazing book. The eneding was not what I was expecting i was expecting something completly different
December 7, 2012
i thought it would be another one of those love stories but it was totally different you should definitely read this book it is amazing
August 22, 2011
A quick read but still enjoyable. Fast paced and intense. 4/5
May 30, 2020
This book was on my shelf for more than 5 years, I received it from the local library. It was staring at me one day so I decided to pick it up. The only good thing about it is that it was a page turner. But it is more for the very young readers. As a 26 years old woman, I do not find this story to be for me. Maybe I would like my daughter to read this one day so that she can know that "all that glitters is not gold". The story was realist but the writing was simple and somehow childish. Anna is a very stupid person who only complains about her life. She falls in love with Jem at first sight and find everything rosy until her perfect boyfriend becomes her biggest nightware. This story was simple and the characters do not have any depth. So when I read the last page, I still could not connect with the story or symphatise with the characters. There was no character building but you cannot expect more than thus from a teenager small novel.The ending is also miserable and lacks creativity. It seems that the author only wanted a sad ending and just made Livi died. Well it was not an awful read but if you are looking for deep characters and quality writing, please do not buy this book.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 19, 2023
no spoilers here, don’t worry, but i just feel very confused and disappointed. the ending felt rushed and there was no catharsis for the characters. however, the writing - as always - is excellent. a wonderful page-turner that i couldn’t put down. i would still recommend giving this book a go!
October 21, 2018
It was one of the best book I have ever read!! The ending was sad when her sister died because of idiotic jem!!!!!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 15, 2021
amazing book, edge of my seat the whole time
November 12, 2021
Same friend recommended me this after The Day I Met Suzie book and this one wasn't anywhere as great but captivating i suppose
January 10, 2022
Can someone tell me if this book has a sequel?
January 16, 2022
dnf, this was awful
January 18, 2022
Such a good book had me hooked from the very beginning. However it did make me sobbbbb😭😭
April 21, 2014
Contains spoilers..
I just.. I- I don't know what to say about this book. I had a brief idea about what this book would be about from the blurb.
Although I was right, I was also very wrong. Anna is in college and doing really well. She loves studying and cannot wait to go to university. She has had her heart set on Newcastle university to do a English Lit course.
But her life is currently falling apart. He dad has left her mum for another women. Who is half his age, and only about six years older than Anna. Anna and her sister, Livi, hate her.
Then Anna meets Jem, she thinks that everything will be okay now. If Jem loves her, then everything will be okay. She doesn't need anyone else if she has him. She loves spending time with Jem and at night they go out tagging, with their joint name of Jaws. Jem seems perfect and Anna's mum and sister love him.
But then Jem starts to change, he will get angry if Anna doesn't want to spend with him, if she changes her plans to be with her best friend. Then when Anna's dad and new girlfriend, Jude, go away for the weekend to New York for Christmas shopping. Jem convinces Anna that they should have some time alone, and her dad's apartment is the perfect place. So basically, they sleep in her dad and Jude's bed, eat their food, drink their champagne, use their shower, wear their clothes. Jem promises to tidy up later before pulling Anna into bed, when she wakes up very early the next morning to see her dad and Jude getting out of a taxi. She wakes Jem and they pull on their clothes and grab as much of their stuff as they can before running down the flights of stairs and out of the apartment building.
This is when her 'perfect' life with Jem starts to unravel. Her dad come around to say that some stuff was stolen from his apartment, watches, gold and some money. Anna doesn't want to believe it's Jem but no one else could have done it. She starts to think that Jude is doing an insurance scam but Jude is a successful lawyer, she wouldn't need to do that.
Jem's true personality starts to come out in front of Zoe (the best friend), Anna, her mum and dad, and Livi. They see Jem for what he is, all except for Livi. Who is standing by Jem and defending him.
I won't write much more, in case I end up revealing what happens in the end.
But this is a really good book. I felt like shaking Anna at certain points throughout the book, but then I tried to myself in her shoes. Another reason I gave this book four stars instead of five, is that I felt it was dragged out. Nothing really happened until the very end, but then, I will we found out what happened..
I just.. I- I don't know what to say about this book. I had a brief idea about what this book would be about from the blurb.
Although I was right, I was also very wrong. Anna is in college and doing really well. She loves studying and cannot wait to go to university. She has had her heart set on Newcastle university to do a English Lit course.
But her life is currently falling apart. He dad has left her mum for another women. Who is half his age, and only about six years older than Anna. Anna and her sister, Livi, hate her.
Then Anna meets Jem, she thinks that everything will be okay now. If Jem loves her, then everything will be okay. She doesn't need anyone else if she has him. She loves spending time with Jem and at night they go out tagging, with their joint name of Jaws. Jem seems perfect and Anna's mum and sister love him.
But then Jem starts to change, he will get angry if Anna doesn't want to spend with him, if she changes her plans to be with her best friend. Then when Anna's dad and new girlfriend, Jude, go away for the weekend to New York for Christmas shopping. Jem convinces Anna that they should have some time alone, and her dad's apartment is the perfect place. So basically, they sleep in her dad and Jude's bed, eat their food, drink their champagne, use their shower, wear their clothes. Jem promises to tidy up later before pulling Anna into bed, when she wakes up very early the next morning to see her dad and Jude getting out of a taxi. She wakes Jem and they pull on their clothes and grab as much of their stuff as they can before running down the flights of stairs and out of the apartment building.
This is when her 'perfect' life with Jem starts to unravel. Her dad come around to say that some stuff was stolen from his apartment, watches, gold and some money. Anna doesn't want to believe it's Jem but no one else could have done it. She starts to think that Jude is doing an insurance scam but Jude is a successful lawyer, she wouldn't need to do that.
Jem's true personality starts to come out in front of Zoe (the best friend), Anna, her mum and dad, and Livi. They see Jem for what he is, all except for Livi. Who is standing by Jem and defending him.
I won't write much more, in case I end up revealing what happens in the end.
But this is a really good book. I felt like shaking Anna at certain points throughout the book, but then I tried to myself in her shoes. Another reason I gave this book four stars instead of five, is that I felt it was dragged out. Nothing really happened until the very end, but then, I will we found out what happened..
February 25, 2017
4/5 rating because it was a very interesting read but I also felt it was risky with how it was put together.
The only thing I can acknowledge with this book is that in our lives we almost all know someone who has had a relationship like Jem and Anna's but obviously not to the extent in this book.
It's a relationship you wouldn't believe was real if you were in it yourself, like you were in a dream, until reality kicks in and it all comes crashing down.
I really felt sorry for Anna as I read the book gripping the pages tightly in my hands, but that's what also got me more hooked onto the book, I wanted to see how everything ended and wow, did it surprise me!!
The only thing I can acknowledge with this book is that in our lives we almost all know someone who has had a relationship like Jem and Anna's but obviously not to the extent in this book.
It's a relationship you wouldn't believe was real if you were in it yourself, like you were in a dream, until reality kicks in and it all comes crashing down.
I really felt sorry for Anna as I read the book gripping the pages tightly in my hands, but that's what also got me more hooked onto the book, I wanted to see how everything ended and wow, did it surprise me!!
May 13, 2014
Sexy, dark and mysterious, He's After Me did not disappoint.
You can pretty much tell what it's about from just looking at the cover. Dark, mysterious, intense, thriller.
Anna Williams, our protangonist, is an 18/19 year old grade 12 student studying hard to get into the university of her dreams just like anybody else. Then she meets Jem. Gorgeous, mysterious and intense, the connection is instant and Anna is quickly drawn into his much darker world.
And, well, to quote the book, "Not all love stories have a happy ending..." dun dun duun.
That pretty much sums it up.
Anna felt like a pretty weak character to be honest. She was completely oblivious to the truth and it could even be said that she was determined to remain so. It's probably easy for us as the reader to notice what is happening because we can see the story all spread out, the big picture you know? So I can sort of understand why she didn't notice. That didn't stop me wanting to strangle her half the time though.
I believe Anna represents our flaws, especially in relation to love and how blinded it makes us to the actions of the one we love.
Jem is an amazing character. He represents that perfect guy we just can't see, listen to or spend enough time with. Although, as the book implies, he does have his darker side... I don't want to give away too much since he is a pretty important character so I'll leave it at that.
Livi. Livi, Livi, Livi. Anna's little sister. Even though she annoyed the hell out of me most of the time with her vapid immaturity and childish stubbornness, there was just always something endearing about her that I couldn't look away from.
Where Anna was thoughtful and trying to get her life in order, Livi was just a burst of explosive bright light. Or maybe it was just the blonde hair. She was life and excitement and impulsiveness in contrast to Anna's dark moods of reflection and definitely helped to lighten the atmosphere a little.
The book toys with the many different types of love there are out there and represents how the wrong type of love can nearly destroy you.
You can pretty much tell what it's about from just looking at the cover. Dark, mysterious, intense, thriller.
Anna Williams, our protangonist, is an 18/19 year old grade 12 student studying hard to get into the university of her dreams just like anybody else. Then she meets Jem. Gorgeous, mysterious and intense, the connection is instant and Anna is quickly drawn into his much darker world.
And, well, to quote the book, "Not all love stories have a happy ending..." dun dun duun.
That pretty much sums it up.
Anna felt like a pretty weak character to be honest. She was completely oblivious to the truth and it could even be said that she was determined to remain so. It's probably easy for us as the reader to notice what is happening because we can see the story all spread out, the big picture you know? So I can sort of understand why she didn't notice. That didn't stop me wanting to strangle her half the time though.
I believe Anna represents our flaws, especially in relation to love and how blinded it makes us to the actions of the one we love.
Jem is an amazing character. He represents that perfect guy we just can't see, listen to or spend enough time with. Although, as the book implies, he does have his darker side... I don't want to give away too much since he is a pretty important character so I'll leave it at that.
Livi. Livi, Livi, Livi. Anna's little sister. Even though she annoyed the hell out of me most of the time with her vapid immaturity and childish stubbornness, there was just always something endearing about her that I couldn't look away from.
Where Anna was thoughtful and trying to get her life in order, Livi was just a burst of explosive bright light. Or maybe it was just the blonde hair. She was life and excitement and impulsiveness in contrast to Anna's dark moods of reflection and definitely helped to lighten the atmosphere a little.
The book toys with the many different types of love there are out there and represents how the wrong type of love can nearly destroy you.
March 16, 2015
I. Just. Can't.
The first word I said after I finished this book: CHEAP.
The next few phrases: This is trash. What the fuck is this?
I don't know, men, I don't know.
I. Just. Can't.
This book is twisted in so many wrong levels. I can't even.
It's not even about the plot. Or is it? Maybe. It is probably about the plot.
I just can't. The characters are ssssooooo stupid. As in I want to hit these characters by their own book kind of stupid.
I didn't like the style of writing. I didn't like everybody's stupidity. I didn't like the main characters' attitude. This book annoyed me in so many levels nobody ever has. This book annoyed and irritated every single cell in my body. I swear. The characters just annoyed me so much and the plot was twisted in the most wrong way and I don't even know what to say anymore. The supposed plot twist is so predictable. And the damn main character is too self-centered and selfish and blind.
And the ending is the worst.
I don't know what to say anymore. This got under my skin in false pretenses.
There's goodness in everything they said, so let's so to the positive points.
Things I can say I liked:
- Zoe. She's the only thing with a brain in here. Aside from her father. And maybe Jude.
- Jem's lips. I hate him but his lips. are. just.
'Kay. That's all.
I hate the way this is written. I hate the psychological twisted problem. I hate the main character's name. I hate her stupidity. I hate the way it ended.
It was not romantic. It was not funny. It was not scary. Or thrilling. Or anything. It was not appealing right on from the start.
I read until the end just to see if something was gonna happen but no damn thing happened. And I've got nothing to do.
Throw me a new book.
Read this book at your own risk
The first word I said after I finished this book: CHEAP.
The next few phrases: This is trash. What the fuck is this?
I don't know, men, I don't know.
I. Just. Can't.
This book is twisted in so many wrong levels. I can't even.
It's not even about the plot. Or is it? Maybe. It is probably about the plot.
I just can't. The characters are ssssooooo stupid. As in I want to hit these characters by their own book kind of stupid.
I didn't like the style of writing. I didn't like everybody's stupidity. I didn't like the main characters' attitude. This book annoyed me in so many levels nobody ever has. This book annoyed and irritated every single cell in my body. I swear. The characters just annoyed me so much and the plot was twisted in the most wrong way and I don't even know what to say anymore. The supposed plot twist is so predictable. And the damn main character is too self-centered and selfish and blind.
And the ending is the worst.
I don't know what to say anymore. This got under my skin in false pretenses.
There's goodness in everything they said, so let's so to the positive points.
Things I can say I liked:
- Zoe. She's the only thing with a brain in here. Aside from her father. And maybe Jude.
- Jem's lips. I hate him but his lips. are. just.
'Kay. That's all.
I hate the way this is written. I hate the psychological twisted problem. I hate the main character's name. I hate her stupidity. I hate the way it ended.
It was not romantic. It was not funny. It was not scary. Or thrilling. Or anything. It was not appealing right on from the start.
I read until the end just to see if something was gonna happen but no damn thing happened. And I've got nothing to do.
Throw me a new book.
Read this book at your own risk
November 2, 2013
What can I say? I finished this book in a matter of a day, which is quite an achievement for me! I think what kept me reading was me knowing that something bad was going to occur, even though it came later in the book, it was just waiting to happen. Without spoiling the story, it's a scary tale of boy meets girl, or boy stalks and manipulates girl to be exact. Chris Higgins manages to capture the character of Anna perfectly, a clever and bright girl who happens to be completely and utterly naive in the hands of a disturbed psychopath, Jem. Reading the story from Anna's point of view makes you realize just why she fell for Jem and believed his every word in the first place, it has to be said that he is a very persuasive and deceiving individual. We see Anna change throughout the book, and it broke my heart to see her lose herself and her dreams in the process of falling in love. Everyone fell for Jem's ridiculous charm, including Anna's mum and unfortunate sister, everyone except Zoe who shows obvious concern for Anna from the minute Jem turns possessive. I loved reading every minute of this book, though I do wish that it didn't come across as so rushed. I would've defiantly rated it as five stars if Higgins had put more detail into the book. The ending of the book was extremely tragic, and shows that one mistake may change your life forever. My heart went out to Anna and her entire family, and to all the Anna's out there, whose lives have been maimed by abusive relationships. I would definitely recommend this to anyone who's looking for a quick read, and looking for a sense of thrill as the plot takes a quick, twisted turn. Great book, and one to learn a few lessons from.
September 16, 2012
When smart but plain Anna meets Jem in Chris Higgins’ novel He’s After Me, her life is falling apart. Her parents have recently separated, her mother has retreated from the world and her younger sister, Olivia, is suddenly dressing far too provocatively and hanging out with kids that Anna doesn’t particularly like.
Jem is, well, electrifying. “…his smile faded and our eyes held and that’s when it happened. A charge passed through me like an electric shock.”
The first person narration sweeps the reader along and allows us to see both Jem’s many charms and also Anna’s growing doubts about the intensity of her first serious relationship. Her best friend Zoe sees it though. “He’s got inside your head, Anna! He controls you. Can’t you see it?” she says.
But Anna can’t – or won’t see it. As Jem leads her further and further away from the safety of her life, she takes risks and chances she would never have previously considered.
That might have been enough to drive this YA novel’s breakneck pace – but there’s more. Someone seems to be watching Anna and Jem.
And so love’s arrow finds its target.
And she’d seemed like such a sensible girl too, not the kind to lose her head over some bloke.
That’s love for you.
Anna is a likeable character. I found myself really turning the pages to find out what was going on – wavering between believing in Jem’s charms and wanting to scream at Anna for not seeing through them. The anonymous third person kept me guessing, too. So, in that respect – good little page turner.
But I didn’t like the ending much.
Jem is, well, electrifying. “…his smile faded and our eyes held and that’s when it happened. A charge passed through me like an electric shock.”
The first person narration sweeps the reader along and allows us to see both Jem’s many charms and also Anna’s growing doubts about the intensity of her first serious relationship. Her best friend Zoe sees it though. “He’s got inside your head, Anna! He controls you. Can’t you see it?” she says.
But Anna can’t – or won’t see it. As Jem leads her further and further away from the safety of her life, she takes risks and chances she would never have previously considered.
That might have been enough to drive this YA novel’s breakneck pace – but there’s more. Someone seems to be watching Anna and Jem.
And so love’s arrow finds its target.
And she’d seemed like such a sensible girl too, not the kind to lose her head over some bloke.
That’s love for you.
Anna is a likeable character. I found myself really turning the pages to find out what was going on – wavering between believing in Jem’s charms and wanting to scream at Anna for not seeing through them. The anonymous third person kept me guessing, too. So, in that respect – good little page turner.
But I didn’t like the ending much.
March 2, 2016
I would've given this book less than 1 star if I could have because it was just that terrible.
The book itself was tedious and predictable with some unrealistic characters. Anna, for example, was the kind of character that no-one could really say that they fully enjoy or even sympathies with because of her extremely unrealistic, naïve and self centred personality. Throughout the whole book, she only ever thought about herself and how she was better than everyone else. Even when her sister DIED. WHO DOES THAT?! If I'm completely honest though, I'm still confused as to why she talks like someone from Little Britain.
Her relationship with Jem was stupid and add to that her bigoted monologues and idiocy, it made the book unpleasant and even more boring than necessary. Although I was expecting some sort of toxic, unbalanced and dominant kind of relationship between Anna and Jem, I was disappointed with how simply it was done. I was hoping for something that would leave a memorable impact on me but I was left unsatisfied, wanting to put the book down and forgetting about it.
But aside from Anna, the book was still too predictable and lacked any real character development. The plot was also slow and simple which just made the whole thing a little bit more unbearable which is pretty disappointing because the storyline could've been much more gripping and memorable had it been written by a better author.
The book itself was tedious and predictable with some unrealistic characters. Anna, for example, was the kind of character that no-one could really say that they fully enjoy or even sympathies with because of her extremely unrealistic, naïve and self centred personality. Throughout the whole book, she only ever thought about herself and how she was better than everyone else. Even when her sister DIED. WHO DOES THAT?! If I'm completely honest though, I'm still confused as to why she talks like someone from Little Britain.
Her relationship with Jem was stupid and add to that her bigoted monologues and idiocy, it made the book unpleasant and even more boring than necessary. Although I was expecting some sort of toxic, unbalanced and dominant kind of relationship between Anna and Jem, I was disappointed with how simply it was done. I was hoping for something that would leave a memorable impact on me but I was left unsatisfied, wanting to put the book down and forgetting about it.
But aside from Anna, the book was still too predictable and lacked any real character development. The plot was also slow and simple which just made the whole thing a little bit more unbearable which is pretty disappointing because the storyline could've been much more gripping and memorable had it been written by a better author.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
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