Review: Big story in a small package
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 11 11, 2013
All for You is West and McKenzie's story.  When McKenzie moved to town while they were in high school, West was taken aback by her and thought she was beautiful, but when she wouldn't give him the time of day, he didn't know how to handle it.  You see, West Diaz was the rich, popular, hot jock that all the girls wanted.  When McKenzie would't pay him any attention, he began being mean to her, thinking that would get her attention, but it backfired on him when she didn't want anything to do with him.  While West's family was rich, McKenzie's dad owned a lawn service business and just so happened to work for West's family, among many others.  McKenzie also helped her dad whenever she could.  They were not well off, but worked hard for what they had.  This resulted in her being the object of bullying by the popular click at school, who referred to her as lawn girl.  One night at a party when they had both had a little to much to drink, West apologized to McKenzie and told her how he really felt, which led to a really passionate night, full of promises...promises that West didn't remember and promises he definitely didn't keep.  The bullying accelerated after this happened to a very bad degree.  The story begins two years after the above mentioned events happened, and West is home from college for the holidays.  He doesn't come home much, mainly because he's ashamed of how he treated McKenzie, yet he can't get her out of his mind.  He's determined to make things right and try to win her heart, but will the damage that has been done be irreparable?This little novella contains a really big story that provides great insight into the problem of bullying, a problem that is far too common, and something that can terribly damage a person emotionally, mentally, and sometimes physically. All for You is written from the perspective of the one doing the bullying, as well as the from the perspective of the one being bullied.  It is also a story about the power of forgiveness.  Not only does All for You have a good message, it is also very interesting and entertaining in the process.  I love McKenzie.  She is such a strong character and was a far better person than I think I would be in the same situation.  I have to say that I was really disappointed in West when I found out what he had done.  I mean he was a total jerk.  He did work hard to make up for things and was very persistent and sincere in his apology, and learned a lot about himself, his views, and areas he needed to still work on, especially when you profess to love someone.  McKenzie does a lot of growing in this novel also.  She stands up for herself, yet takes the high road as she does, instead of being underhanded and dirty about it, like she had been treated.  West does redeem himself in a good way before it is all said and done and I did start to like him better, but as I said earlier, McKenzie is a better person than me, because I still would have written him off, even if I did decide to forgive him.  West's dad impressed me also and reacted to the news about some things so differently that I thought he would.  I was glad to get a glimpse of Parker in this book also.  While part of a series, All for You can easily be read as a standalone companion novel.  Overall, this is a great story about love, hate, forgiveness, and redemption, and of course some hot romance, and is perfect for the holiday season.  Check it out.