Book Review: Until Friday Night (The Field Party #1) by Abbi Glines

Until Friday Night
The Field Party, #1
by Abbi Glines

Release Date:
August 25th, 2015

Publisher:
Simon Pulse

Source:
Publisher via Edelweiss

eARC received in exchange of honest review

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Synopsis:

To everyone who knows him, West Ashby has always been that guy: the cocky, popular, way-too-handsome-for-his-own-good football god who led Lawton High to the state championships. But while West may be Big Man on Campus on the outside, on the inside he’s battling the grief that comes with watching his father slowly die of cancer. 

Two years ago, Maggie Carleton’s life fell apart when her father murdered her mother. And after she told the police what happened, she stopped speaking and hasn’t spoken since. Even the move to Lawton, Alabama, couldn’t draw Maggie back out. So she stayed quiet, keeping her sorrow and her fractured heart hidden away. 

As West’s pain becomes too much to handle, he knows he needs to talk to someone about his father—so in the dark shadows of a post-game party, he opens up to the one girl who he knows won’t tell anyone else. 

West expected that talking about his dad would bring some relief, or at least a flood of emotions he couldn’t control. But he never expected the quiet new girl to reply, to reveal a pain even deeper than his own—or for them to form a connection so strong that he couldn’t ever let her go…

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My Thoughts:

I always enjoy reading books by author Abbi Glines.  I have read everything that she's ever written, and was really excited to learn that she was coming out with a new series, The Field Party.  Most of her books are in the New Adult Genre, but Until Friday Night was on the border between Young Adult and New Adult.

Maggie witnessed the murder of her mother at the hands of her father when she was fifteen years old.  Since that day, she had been nonverbal as a way to protect herself from the outside world.  She has stayed with her godmother for two years, and felt like an unwanted burden.  Now, she is being shipped off too Lawton Alabama at the age of seventeen to live with her mother's brother, Boone, his wife Coralee, and her cousin Brady. 

The family is very warm and open, with the exception of Brady who has mixed feelings.  He feels like she is intruding on his life, because Coralee gives Maggie his bedroom, and expects him to introduce her to all of his friends, take her out with him, and make her a part of his crowd at school.  Brady thinks Maggie is odd, and not all there based on the fact that she doesn't talk.  She communicates by writing messages in a notebook, or text messaging, and reassures Brady that he doesn't need to include her in his life.  She doesn't want to burden him.

Brady is the star quarterback of his high school football team, and all of his buddies take notice of how beautiful Maggie is.  He warns them that she is off limits, and has a lot of issues.  However, that doesn't keep them from wanting to get to know her.  Brady's best friend West, is in emotional turmoil.  His father is dying of Colon Cancer and withering away right before his eyes.  His mother is in grieving, and he has no one that he feels like he can talk to.  

Maggie recognizes the pain she see's in his eyes, and wonders why his friends fro not notice what is right in front of them.  since Maggie doesn't talk, West feels comfortable sharing what he's going through knowing that she won't repeat it.  Eventually, Maggie and West develop a very special friendship, where they share their pain, memories, and thoughts with one another.  Deep feelings for one another and attraction blossom in to love.  However, Maggie doesn't just want to be West's crutch.  She wants to mean more to him, and how will Brady react to his best friend wanting to be with his cousin?

Until Friday Night surprised me.  Most of Abbi Glines' books have a light-hearted feel to them.  This story dealt with grief, emotional turmoil, and learning how to live again.  It was a story that tugged on my heart strings.  I felt so much pain for what both Maggie and West had to endure, and my heart broke for them.  Their life experiences transformed them.  Maggie had a maturity and wisdom to her that most people her age don't have.  West had a lot of anger inside of him and he really lashed out.  I loved watching the way that Maggie guided and nurtured him with her quiet strength.  She impacted the person that he was dramatically.

I really enjoyed getting to know the rest of the football team.  My favorite's were Brady, Maggie's cousin, and Nash.  I hope we get their stories soon.  We get a glimpse of a girl from Gunner's past having returned, and all of the guys on the team being very negative about it.  I believe Gunner, and her story are next.  I'm looking forward to continuing this story and learning more about the guys on the Lawton High Football Team, and getting their stories.  

My Rating:

I give, Until Friday Night, by Abbi Glines, 4 Tragic Life Events, Grief-Stricken, Beautiful Friendship Filled Stars.  This is a story that will pull on your heart strings, and make you root for Maggie and West's healing and happiness!

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About the Author:

Abbi Glines is a #1 New York Times, USA Today, and Wall Street Journal bestselling author of the Rosemary Beach, Sea Breeze, Vincent Boys, and Existence series. She has a new YA series coming out in the fall of 2015 titled The Field Party Series . She never cooks unless baking during the Christmas holiday counts. She believes in ghosts and has a habit of asking people if their house is haunted before she goes in it. She drinks afternoon tea because she wants to be British but alas she was born in Alabama. When asked how many books she has written she has to stop and count on her fingers. When she’s not locked away writing, she is reading, shopping (major shoe and purse addiction), sneaking off to the movies alone, and listening to the drama in her teenagers lives while making mental notes on the good stuff to use later. Don’t judge. 

You can connect with Abbi online in several different ways. She uses social media to procrastinate.

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