Review Detail

I never thought that I would fall for a girl named Fred; but I did, I really did...

Liz Fichera puts it all out there in Hooked - bullying, inequality, racism, addictions, the test of relationships, loyalty and love. I love when an author can be completely honest with her characters and their situations. Makes the characters stronger, believable and memorable. Both main characters are teens that are raw and definitely not perfect by making some bad mistakes and, sometimes, learning from those mistakes.

Fred is a Native American girl who loves to play golf. Golf is a lifeline for Fred, not only does she enjoy and excel at it, but it also helps distract her from the stresses in her life. Her family lives on the reservation; her father works as the groundskeeper at the local golf course and her mother is an alcoholic who tries to help make ends meet as a waitress at an upscale restaurant. Life is not easy for Fred, especially at school, surrounded by 'rich white kids' who tease and bully her because of her heritage.
So when the high school golf coach asks Fred to be on their all-boy team, it is no surprise when Fred hesitates and almost says no. It is no surprise when her teammates ignore her and the whispers and teasing from her classmates get worse. Fred remains quiet and does what she knows best, golf.

Ryan, the school's golden-boy-golf-star, really took me by surprise. His best friend, Seth, was kicked-off the golf team for more than one reason and Ryan was just as angry about the decision and changes. When Seth went overboard to bully and hurt Fred, I thought that Ryan would step up and be the good guy, the typical 'knight in shining armor' - and I was so wrong to assume. He was anything but that. Peer pressure influenced Ryan's decisions so many times. Even though as time went along and he was getting to know more about Fred, like her, help her. When the real stuff would happen, he would give in to his peers and pull away. This made me so angry. But, as difficult as it was, I understood where Ryan was coming from - and he needed to go through the things that he went through with Fred in order to become the person that he did in the end. Just like Fred.

I really liked how the story was told from both Fred's and Ryan's point-of-views; being able to see exactly what they were thinking and going through made me understand their differences and choices which was definitely needed for this book.

I am very much looking forward to Hooked's companion novel,
Played, which is to hopefully be released in 2014!