Book Review: Promiscuous

Promiscuous (Issues #1)

By: Isobel Irons

Published By: Vivid IIInk

Publication Date: January 2, 2014

Page Count: 243

Buy it at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, or IndieBound

Source: Kindly Provided by Author

Audience: New Adult - Contemporary

First off, there is a lot of cursing in Promiscuous. It's told from a first person perspective, and Tash does not pull any punches. She will tell you that herself - in one of many passages where she talks to the reader. She has a very 'in your face' style too - directly aggressive, and assumes a lot about the type of person reading her story. In some ways I liked how forthright she was, and the fact that she did talk to me as a reader because it was quite different. In others, I felt annoyed by her assumptions about my life - just as annoyed as she was saying she was by people's assumptions about her. 

 Tash has a hard life. She doesn't have much by way of parents or friends. Really its just her and her friend Margot, who is pretty weak. Tash forces herself to be brash and pretends to be emotionally resilient because she fears displaying her feelings. She has to be strong for herself and for Margot - she manages really pretty well, but comes to realise that she can't do a lot to help Margot. This story is about Tash getting over herself really, and realising that she doesn't have to let her past tarnish her future, but the only way to move forward is to stop being so angry. That takes her a while to realise, and on the way she suffers quite a bit. She makes some poor and impulsive choices, and lives with the consequences, which were quite nasty and threatening. She also plots revenge, although she comes to realise that there's not much point, which I was glad about. 

 There is a love interest, Grant Blue, who was pretty dreamy. Cue angst from Tash about how different they were, and how she under rates herself so much that she doesn't believe anyone would really be interested in her. She has a reputation, and has let people say whatever they like about her really, because she believes she is damaged goods. That is where the title of the book comes from. I think that the title doesn't really sit well with the story though - its not about promiscuity at all. Its about bad reputations, emotional damage and letting go of past trauma so that it doesn't ruin the future. 

 This was a good read, but won't be for anyone of a sensitive disposition.

Summary:

Natasha “Tash” Bohner just turned eighteen. Theoretically, that should mean escaping from trailer park purgatory—and her less than stellar relationship with her widowed mother—and running away to Los Angeles with her anorexic best friend, Margot. But as we all know, life is known for taking some very unexpected turns. Already the scourge of the Guthrie High gossip mill, Tash’s undesirable reputation explodes into infamy when she assaults the captain of the wrestling team. (Despite the fact that he deserved it,) the principal tells her that she’s on her last strike.

When Margot’s will to live is finally severed by the leader of the Guthrie Bitch Squad, Tash vows to get revenge on the most popular girl in school—no matter what it takes. Because of a promise she made to her favorite teacher (to not get expelled), Tash is forced to get creative. She realizes she’s going to have to beat the popularity-obsessed Becca Foster at her own game, by running against her for prom queen. And winning. 

In order to succeed, Tash will have to do the unthinkable: she’ll have to join student government, pretend to be well-adjusted, and actually try in school. Also, she’ll have to quit swearing so much. 

It’s like a freakin' Cinderella story up in here. Only, it’s high school. So there aren’t any happy endings. (Just beginnings.)