Review: Grated On My Nerves
Rating: 1 out of 5
Date: 06 30, 2013
FALLING FOR A BENTLEY had a lot of promise; unfortunately, it didn't quite realize its potential - not even close. There were numerous typos; and it simply, had sloppy editing. I found at times that the author was truly able to portray the subject matter in a raw and realistic way, but for the most part, it was as if I was stuck in either a Narcotics or Alcoholics Anonymous meeting while being subjected to the same old regurgitated rhetoric.I could definitely be wrong, but I got the impression that the author hadn't personally struggled with addiction, but may have had a loved one who had. After reading the epilogue, I felt it was necessary to say that there is absolutely no room for cockiness when it comes to recovery and those who let their guard down with such arrogant beliefs as they've "beat addiction" will soon be out there looking for their next fix. There is no beating it. There is no cure. It doesn't matter how much time one has under their belt, they are just as susceptible to relapse as any newbie.The religious aspects in this book seriously grated on my nerves, but what I found even worse were the couple instances of blatant gay bashing. The one I found most offensive was during one of Colton Bentley's inner-dialogues at the beginning of the book."I sit forward, wringing my clasped hands, swallowing as hard as a fagot."Seriously, was that necessary, or was it meant to offer the reader a glimpse into how much of an ass Colton truly was? I really hope it was the latter, because that thought was the only reason I didn't DNF this book right then and there.Now, I'm going to be completely honest, even at the risk of leaving myself susceptible to a lot of backlash, in order to explain why I had such a strong response to this quote. In my experience, I've found that many people with extreme religious beliefs - mind you, NOT ALL - also tend to be against gay rights and are sometimes even homophobic. The reason this is pertinent, is to explain why I found this quote so offensive within this particular book, whereas I probably wouldn't have had such a strong response if it were in another book that didn't contain such strong religious context. Don't get me wrong, I am all for religious freedoms and such, but what I don't like is when someone tries to force any personal belief, of any kind, on another, OR what's even worse, is when someone feels it is okay to talk negatively about or use derogatory comments at the expense of another person or group.Obviously, this book hit a lot of nerves for me. Even though it might not have been my cup of tea, that doesn't mean others won't love it, so give it a try. I do want to say, the cover is amazing and it caught my attention every time I stumbled upon it, so bravo to the cover designer, especially for finding such a fine specimen to grace the cover!