August 4. 2013
Winning Back Ryan
by: S.L. Siwik
4 Stars ★★★★
Blurb ~ After
a horrible day at work, I came home to find my boyfriend...in a curious
position. After determining why he was unhappy, I, Anne Watson, decided to try
and fix our broken relationship. My four closest male friends, however, had
another idea. Revenge.
My Review
Have you ever come across a book that is almost impossible
to gather your thoughts around? Well, that’s how I feel about Winning Back
Ryan. It’s one of those stories that until you read it, it’s truly hard to
determine if you’ll like it or not. In fact most of the story I disliked the
main character but slowly as she revealed more and more of herself it was easy
to understand why she made the decisions she did and how she came about them in
the first place. I’ll admit the blurb pretty much sums up the whole story
though, so if that alone is a turn-off then I suggest moving on.
I was sort of disappointed by the blurb. To me it makes the
story seem a bit more exciting than it really was. The dramatic attempted rape
scene doesn’t happen till the very end and most of the story consists of Anne
whining about Ryan, the cheating scum who for some reason she wants back. I got
this book for FREE and I’ll admit it was a steal. I’m not one for stories where
the heroine is weak, spineless or even pines after the asshhole. But Anne was
an endearing character. Having been raised in a stricter environment than most
of us are accustomed to, she was determined to not screw up her life plans.
Having given herself to Ryan and dedicated a portion of her life to their
relationship walking away is not in her plans. And Lord help this girl because
even when she walks into Ryan throwing an orgy in their apartment she still has
a difficult time sorting her feelings. Where most of us would grab a knife
after catching him the first time, she still can’t, no she won’t give up.
Anne’s friends don’t like Ryan, in fact its news to Anne
when she finds out they never did. Instead they tolerated him for her sake. Her
best friend Brian becomes a bigger shoulder for her to lean on than ever before.
Eventually she begins to see Brian’s feelings for her but rather than betray
Ryan and ruin her friendship she backs off. Of course Ryan is still in the
background and once Anne begins to move on and let go, the ever present ex is
back to cause more trouble.
There were many things I didn’t like about this story. More
like actions of the characters. For instance when the truth of her friends
betrayal and participation in Ryan’s cheating come into play. I can never
understand why people have to do things so ridiculous and out of the ordinary
when a simple conversation will suffice. I also was not on board with Anne’s
plan to lure Ryan back in. Although this was an interesting concept for the
story because though, I know personally, I would never try and regain the heart
of someone who so carelessly stomped all over mine, there are many people out
there as determined and strong-willed as Anne to not give up.
The writing and story overall was good. There are many
serious issues tackled within the story and I thought that together they helped
make it stronger and serve as a representation of each characters personality. I
wish Anne could have found her own self-worth earlier on and moved on from Ryan
right when he showed his true colors but alas, sometimes even the strongest of
souls find it hard to give up on those they love, especially when you have so
many years already invested with them. But I’ll be honest when push comes to
shove, this girl will fight tooth and nail. Ryan better watch out because when she
reaches her boiling point, there’s no simmer option for her. Fans of friends to lover relationships will
enjoy this story. I will certainly read other work from this author and look
forward to what other craziness she has in store for us.
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