4.5 stars!!
Tracy Lorraine has done it again, throwing you back into the chaos of Rosewood High and tossing all of the previous assumptions you’ve made about these characters out the window. Hunter is Zayn and Poppy’s story, with Poppy being Jake Thorn’s cousin, and is an enemies to lovers, best friend’s older brother romance.
Poppy has the weight of the world on her shoulders, she just doesn’t show it. She is the one responsible for caring for her younger siblings, with her parents not helping at all, and on top of that, she’s been bullied by someone at her school for the past few years. But no one knows any of this, she keeps it buried beneath the surface, projecting a normal stress-free persona out to her friends and classmates. She’s had a hatred towards Zayn Hunter, her best friend Harley’s older brother, since his 15th birthday when he humiliated her, but he’s the only one who has what it takes to dive beneath the surface and learn about the real Poppy. But Poppy is scared, first of what will happen when her tormenter finds out she has a safe place with Zayn, but also how Jake and Harley will react. But Zayn has had a crush on Poppy since he moved to town, and now he's had a taste of what it’s like for her to be his, he’s not going down without a fight, even with Poppy pushing him away at every turn. But when Poppy’s life is flipped upside down, will they ever have a chance at something real?
Tracy really surprised me with this coupling. Both Zayn and Poppy were secondary characters in the previous books, but you could tell there was tension there, although nothing could have prepared me for everything going on underneath the surface. Poppy’s strength was incredible, she did whatever she had to make sure her siblings were cared for, putting them first and taking on all of the weight of raising three small children. It broke me how she knew she had to, or they would be split up, on top of having to face such bullying every day. She hated to rely on anyone else, hence why she told no one about the situation, but Zayn wouldn’t have any of it. Her feelings for him were so real, and that scared her because she didn’t want to be let down by someone else she loved.
Zayn bombarded his way into Poppy’s life and was there for her to lean on, on tough days but also on good days. I loved how he was with the kids, he was so calm and caring, someone else they could learn to trust. Zayn saw that if he could show Poppy how much he cared about her, and how he would do anything to keep her safe, it would hopefully mean she could finally understand that his feelings were real. He was grittier than the previous heroes in the series, coming from the wrong side of the tracks meant that he had no qualms at going in guns blazing to protect those he loved.
There was a lot of back and forth between Poppy and Zayn, sometimes it felt a bit repetitive, but by the end, I could understand why there was such a cat and mouse game between them. They were explosive as a couple, but Poppy really tamed the bad boy playboy, because she was the one he had wanted all along. She gave him a run for his money, a taste of his own medicine, as she was the only one he couldn’t have, and made him work for her affection, just like he had with all the other girls. But, ultimately, he proved to her that they were meant to be, and he was the only one for her.
One of my favourite aspects of this story was seeing the growth of the relationship between Jake and Poppy from before. There had been glimpses of it throughout his book, but to see them get closer and form a stronger bond was beautiful. They could lean on each other and they both became so much more settled. The ending was intense, much more than expected and I was on the edge of my seat for the final few chapters, I was hooked!
The Rosewood High series keeps getting better and better, I can’t wait to see what direction Tracy takes us in next with Ruby’s story, which has been hinted at and set up so perfectly throughout Hunter. Zayn and Poppy’s story is not for the faint hearted, it has drama and twists at every turn, with heart wrenching and heart-breaking moments, and it’s a must read!!
*I received a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.*