Torn by Stephanie Guerra

Torn by Stephanie Guerra

Release Date: May 15, 2012
Publisher: Marshall Cavendish
Rated: YA 14+
Format: eGalley
Source: NetGalley
Buy: Amazon ● The Book Depository
Goodreads ● Website

Stella Chavez is your classic good girl: straight As, clean-cut boyfriends, and soccer trophies . You’d never guess that Stella’s dad was a drug addict who walked out when she was a kid. Or that inside, Stella wishes for something more.

New girl Ruby Caroline seems like Stella’s polar opposite: cursing, smoking, and teetering in sky-high heels . But with Ruby, Stella gets a taste of another world—a world in which parents act like roommates, college men are way more interesting than high school boys, and there is nothing that shouldn’t be tried once.

It’s not long before Stella finds herself torn: between the best friend she’s ever had and the friends she’s known forever, between her family and her own independence, between who she was and who she wants to be.

But Ruby has a darker side, a side she doesn’t show anyone—not even Stella. As Stella watches her friend slowly unravel, she will have to search deep inside herself for the strength to be a true friend, even if it means committing the ultimate betrayal.

Torn was quite an emotional contemporary, featuring some of the more harsher truths and reality of high school life. It was a short but very powerful read. I found myself enamoured with the story, and I couldn't stop reading from start to finish.
I've had this one in my pile for a very long time, but I have no idea why it took so long for me to get to it. I guess it was just the other books which were upcoming, and various other commitments that took time away from reading this one. However, when this was finally going to expire, I knew I had to read it before it went away. I'm certainly glad I managed to read it because the story drew me in and had a very unique premise.

I really liked both Stella and Ruby's characters. I would have obviously liked Stella, because she's the reasonable one with a conscience and you could really empathize with her character, but the person I was surprised to like was Ruby. Initially, I hated her. As their friendship grew on, however, I started to see the bond that these two girls had. I could also see Ruby's genial nature, as well as her dream of having a family like Stella has, and the person hidden behind that confident and ruthless façade starts to come out, which I began to like. Her character does show growth throughout the course of this novel, and it's great to see how much she's changed from the beginning to end.

In terms of romance, I thought that Stella's relationship with Mike was really good (don't even get me started on Ruby's relationships... I don't even want to go there). I really didn't like the drifting apart thing though– that really dragged on way too long in my opinion and besides, I actually liked Mike. I thought Stella was a teeny bit annoying, especially with her reactions to Mike's feedback on her essay (although I completely think her reaction to a later thing with his parents was what I would have done!), and I thought that their relationship could have been a strong one, but things go haywire after a while and don't turn out the way you plan.
I thought the ending of the book was great. Not only was it hilarious and brilliant from Ruby's character, but I also thought that it concluded the book nicely without actually tying up every loose end. It left some parts to the reader's imagination, and I enjoyed that aspect of it.

Overall, Torn was a great contemporary which I loved diving into. This one made me laugh as well as allowed me to gain more perspective on several issues that teens tackle today. Stephanie Guerra is an amazing talent and I'll be on the lookout for more from her! 

If you like this, try...

• Pieces of Us by Margie Gelbwasser ● Goodreads
• Confessions of an Angry Girl by Louise Rozett ● Goodreads