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Dating Down Stefanie Lyons Books

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Dating Down Stefanie Lyons Books

Lyons nails the teen's voice in realistic yet lyrical verse. Set against a unique family dynamic, this layered story adds a complex twist to the "girl meets bad boy" story. Samantha is thoughtful, smart, and insightful even as her own vision is muddled by the exciting drug of first love. The story is dark but never bleak or hopeless, not with a character as compelling and strong as Samantha. Rich and lovely--teens will eat it up!


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Dating Down Stefanie Lyons Books Reviews

DATING DOWN is a verse novel about a romance gone very wrong. Samantha fell for X (she won't use his real name) because he was mysterious and edgy and bohemian—the opposite of how she sees herself. Plus, she feels like her politician father and his new wife could not care less about her needs. But when she gets sucked into X's party world, she discovers a darker, more dangerous side to this guy of her dreams. With striking images and a believable downward (and back-upward) spiral, this book is a quick and vivid read.
I had never read a book in verse and was eager to see what it was. Stephanie had me on the first page. I could relate to Sam's relationship with X (I think a lot of us can)! I can also understand why she refused to name him. Made perfect sense to me. Though the author switched back and forth from the poetry to a few lines of prose here and there, it wasn't difficult for me to keep up with the plot. It has been a long time since I have read what I consider to be a very good coming of age story. Though it was a little darker than I normally read, it kept me involved all the way. I feel you will either love it or you'll dislike it a lot, for me it was the former. I would suggest if you enjoy poetry and coming of age books, you give "Dating Down" a try.

*** This book was won in a Good Reads drawing and sent to me by the author. I was not obliged to write a review. All the opinions in this review are mine and mine alone with no reflection on anyone else.***
In Dating Down, we follow Sam, who lives with her father, stepmom, and stepsister. Her mother died of sickness a while ago, so she feels like her father tried to replace her automatically by marrying Jane who already had a kid named Melanie. Her father is running for senator this year so he's trying to constantly make sure that the family upholds its reputation.

One day, Sam meets X at a coffee shop that he works at. They fall for each other and start doing everything together, even though Sam's two best friends, Gavin and April, begin to not really approve of him. The thing is, X does drugs though he always denies that he does. He's also always with other girls though he claims that it's just nothing. Is it really nothing though?

This book was darker than I thought it would be, especially with all the drugs. I felt so bad for Sam, because she deserved so much more than X was giving her. Their relationship was toxic at times and I think it was filled with many lies. Luckily, she had her friends to help her through. I loved the friendship between Sam, Gavin, and April, though April was a bit boy crazy over her on-again off-again boyfriend Ralph. Nonetheless, she was always there for Sam.

Sam's home life wasn't the best, because she felt that her father was hiding from his past and just trying to forget about it because he met Jane. He just focused so much on his career when he should've focused a bit more on his home life and maybe spent a bit more time with Sam. It was a bit sad at times, really.

Stefanie Lyons's writing style was so lyrical and beautiful. Sometimes I even went back and reread sections because of how great it was. It was just so smooth and melodic. This was also my first book that was written poetically, and I enjoyed it so much. This was definitely a very interesting read and I'd suggest picking it up if you're looking for a quick, darker contemporary.
This review and many more can be found on my blog Feed Your Fiction Addiction

I feel like a book in verse has to be truly emotionally compelling to work well. It has to build and flow and keep me entranced. I don’t know that this book quite accomplished that, but there were parts I really enjoyed.

Here’s the gist of my thoughts when reading this book

---Ooohhh, I love this. I need to read it out loud. It flows so trippingly across the tongue.
---Okay, the novelty has worn off a bit, but I’m still enjoying it. Think I’ll switch back to reading in my head.
---Wait, I love the powerful imagery and the use of poetic devices, but I’m not so sure about the actual story. I get that we’re warned upfront that this guy is no good for Sam, but this might be a full-on train wreck. I feel like maybe I should look away.
---Wow, this is really long. How has Sam still not seen the light?
---(And when it’s all over ) Hmmmm… I’m just not sure. That was quite a downward spiral (and then a sort of sudden reversal), but some of the poetry was fantastic. I’m… torn.

So, there were parts I loved, but it just couldn’t keep me engaged throughout, and I wasn’t sure I really liked the main character all that much. In the end, I gave it 3/5 stars.
Dating Down is an intense read. Full of lyrical language, each page provokes a strong emotional reaction. I was captivated by the writing from the first page. I can't wait for more books by this author!
A friend recommended this book and I am so glad. The prose style felt like the quick flow of social media conversations. Loved the father/daughter/step mom revelations as the character was gaining insights and growing. A quick read with a plot that really moves along.
I’m going to be honest that I am a bit bias but I love this book particularly for its style. It captured my attention from the second I picked it up. It flows so well that you just can’t put it down and I didn’t until it was finished. Have to say I am already looking forward to her next book.
Lyons nails the teen's voice in realistic yet lyrical verse. Set against a unique family dynamic, this layered story adds a complex twist to the "girl meets bad boy" story. Samantha is thoughtful, smart, and insightful even as her own vision is muddled by the exciting drug of first love. The story is dark but never bleak or hopeless, not with a character as compelling and strong as Samantha. Rich and lovely--teens will eat it up!