Bitter Angel

Unfortunately the second part left a little too much to be desired, garnering only a 2 if rated separately. Let's start at the beginning: After Lila decides to go out with her two best friends at a club, she never thought things would turn into a life or death situation involving gang rapes and abduction. What's peculiar though, i Bitter Angel was a very mixed bag for me. What's peculiar though, is she also remembers what happens if she had stayed home with her boyfriend, and that scenario was equally terrible. Although obviously not "realistic", I found this to be very interesting.

The abduction was a terrifying situation; all too real and with tons of intensity. The other reality, staying home and leaving her friends to themselves, evened this out with a sweet romantic night, but with its own consequence in the end. The action does plummet after these initial sequences, though, when Lila wakes up for her redo and the story switches gears. Mostly this next part contains exhausting inner dialogue, a lot of fidgeting, and even an instance of garbage eating. It has been SO long - like, 8 hours!! I think my barf just barfed!

I decide it's fresh enough. Even if it was only a day old which I very much doubt seeing as even the buildings on this street are rotting , it was likely amongst used condoms and dirty diapers. No one normal would resort to this unless they were seriously starving to death and trapped. Not someone who ate lunch the very same day! On the plus side, it has brought on random giggling fits for the past 2 days whenever I'm reminded of it. Though I doubt this was the intended reaction. Even ignoring the hobo habits, Lila doesn't have the most common sense in all of this ordeal, diminishing the tension of the story greatly.

It's hard to be scared for someone who puts themselves in their own messes. It comes to no surprise that I'm not this girl's biggest fan, however I can't say I disliked her either. She does prove her strength and determination more than once which redeems her faults a little. The plot itself veers away from the expected traumatic side of this story line and instead focuses on bringing justice down on sickening evil.

I was both intrigued and, I admit, a little disappointed by this - I do thrive on those traumatic psychological thrillers - but it was still a refreshing change of direction for a story that could easily have been another same ol'. I was horrified yet completely immersed when we learn of what these people have been doing on a regular basis.

Most of the horror takes place at the beginning of this book, but we get a great climactic ending that brings back a little of the excitement I was hoping would keep throughout. While I have obvious complaints about this novel, I can't ignore the fact that I was holding my breath during the first part, drowning in Lila's fear and truly feeling her heart breaking in guilt and grief. Megan clearly excels at writing suspense and I will be watching for more from her!

For more of my reviews, visit my blog at Xpresso Reads View all 8 comments. I loved writing this story. It surprised me, made me cringe, and broke my heart. I hope everyone loves Lila's story as much as I do! Apr 29, Kellie Maddox-Ward rated it really liked it Shelves: What a random concept for a book… But a fucking brilliant one! I do need to point out right now that while this is in the genre of Contemporary Romance. There is hardly any romance in it. Yes Jay and Lila are madly in love, and you don't doubt that for a second but that takes a back seat with this book.

It focus's on the intense 2 "reality's" of the night. Lila has been best friends with Heather and Nilah her whole life. Hence we get the story of 2 Friday nights…. One where she stays home with Jay And the other Where she goes out with the girls leaving Jay at home. Upon waking up screaming… Lila realise it was all a dream… Like Groundhog day, she has just woken up and it is Friday morning… But for whatever reason she has seen how the night will go.

She needs to stop the girls from going out. She needs to… She needs to change the outcome of the Friday night. I do need to sat that Super intense, so much so that I had to read it one sitting and find out what happened! View all 5 comments. Mar 19, Jamie Zishka rated it it was amazing. Ok it's hard for me to only give this book a 5 star!! I would give it 10 if I could!! This book god it brought so many emotions to me Like I have told Megan while reading this book I imagined the whole time that I could totally be watching a movie that's how well it played out in my head She is simply amazing You must read this book when it comes out!!!!

No not just must u will be missing out on one of the best stories I have read all year and I read about 5 boo Ok it's hard for me to only give this book a 5 star!! No not just must u will be missing out on one of the best stories I have read all year and I read about 5 books a week so that should tell ya something! My review isn't going to tell u about this book sorry I believe u need to read it urself because I don't do spoilers!! It's been a great ride!! View all 3 comments. Feb 19, Erica Alyson rated it it was amazing Shelves: Wow this book was really interesting.

The cover is gorgeous. The story is action packed and mysterious! I was really into it. It was a mystery from the start to finish and I couldn't wait to see how it would come out. I kept guessing and I was never right which makes for a great book! Apr 02, Bridger Bitches rated it it was amazing Shelves: I was blown away by Megan Hand's debut novel. It had me on the edge of my seat the entire time. Lila was such a strong women torn between her two best friends, Nilah and Heather, whom she would do anything for I can relate, I would do anything for the two other bitches on this blog and the love of her life Jay that she can;t imagine living without.

I do LOVE my husband to death and feel her pain.

1. ;
2. FUORIORARIO - DENTRO LANIMA (Italian Edition).
3. Bestselling Series!
4. Che tua madre - From Madama Butterfly.
5. Le Château des Plaisirs - Linitiation de Georges et Georgette (French Edition).
6. Bitter Angel by Amy Gerstler.
7. Di Lavoro E Non Solo Sguardi Pedagogici (Italian Edition).

Can she save herself AND her friends you will just have to read it to find out I don't want to give away any spoilers here so I'm trying to be vague because it so worth hopping into the roller coaster ride called Bitter Angel. Do yourself a favor and click on the link below and read ASAP. You will thank me. Megan Hand I look forward to reading anything and everything you write, for a debut novel you really hit it out of the ball park!!

Apr 15, Sheris Alvies rated it really liked it. Holy hell this concept was freaking awesome!! I literally could not put this book down. It grabbed me from the first chapter and held on tight! Chapters six and seven had my heart in my throat the entire time.

I will definitely be recommending this book! Megan, I eagerly look forward to your future writings and am begging to be a beta!!! Mar 13, Jennifer Benson rated it really liked it. Just as I took a breath and felt relaxed it swept me up again. Jan 01, Jess rated it really liked it. Intense and pulse-pounding at times, completely heart-breaking at others. Mar 27, Jenni Arndt rated it liked it Shelves: This book and me definitely had out ups and downs. It started off with and bang and was really interesting.

I liked how we got to live the same night in two parallel ways and I liked how those two nights essentially wove together in a really good way. After we were initiated into the story and the actual plot got rolling I found that I had to stretch my imagination a bit and power through some definite lulls as I went. Lila lives this particular Friday night twice. In one scenario she goes out cl This book and me definitely had out ups and downs. In one scenario she goes out clubbing with her friends and ends up getting abducted by a group of college guys who want to use them as play things.

In the other she stays home with her boyfriend and has to deal with the things from the first scenario happening to her two best friends who still decided to go. I had expected that Lila would wake up and see how the night could play out and have to make the decision of what she was going to do and attempt to change the outcomes either way but instead I got more of a vigilante justice story as she heads off and attempts to cut everything off before it happens.

This is where I had to stretch my imagination a bit and for the most part I could but there were numerous instances where I was definitely rolling my eyes. The most interesting was when she was on a stake out and had gone what could have been maybe hours without eating and proceeds to hop into a garbage can and go through the bags until she finds some ok looking Chinese and then eats it.

That was pretty darn far fetched to me, no matter the situation. As for the characters I have to say that, for the most part, I liked Lila. She was incredibly head strong and determined and she also proved to be pretty resourceful I guess: Her inner dialogue did grate on me a bit. She was constantly thinking about how her friends needed to stay in the dorm and her intense love for cuddling with her boyfriend Jay and it did detach me from the story and jar me out of scenes quite a bit.

I also came to really like Jay. In the beginning I was annoyed at how perfect he was, he seemed to be the perfect looking, perfect acting guy but as the story wore on we saw that he did make some bad decisions and have his share of flaws. The relationship between Lila and her two friends Nilah and Heather was what really stood out to me. I loved how these girls had grown up together and felt that we really got a sense of how close they were, everyone needs some sisters to put before their misters.

I enjoyed some of the characterizations but did struggle going along with some of the plot points. I think the story could have been much stronger had Lila went about the evening one way or the other and tried to stop stuff while it was happening but taking it at face value it was still a good ride. A copy of this book was provided by the author in exchange for an honest review. May 21, Miranda Whore rated it it was amazing Shelves: Review of Bitter Angel by Megan Hand This book was provided by the author in exchange for an honest review.

I hate to even label this book with a star rating because that somehow seems to be too small of praise, but since all the pages ask for stars I will give it a 5 out of 5. I would like it noted that it is beyond a 5 star story, Megan Hand has created something totally unique within this book that is captivating.

I am an avid reader as you all know, but few books get inside me in a way that I Review of Bitter Angel by Megan Hand This book was provided by the author in exchange for an honest review. I am an avid reader as you all know, but few books get inside me in a way that I feel like I am living the events as they unfold; Bitter Angel is one of those few. The writing style is amazingly smooth and the editing is as flawless as I have ever seen from an Indie author.

Hand has an knack for writing witty characters who are each wholly their own personalities. Hand has completely broken the Stepford mold. Lila is witty, snarky, and laugh out loud hilarious. Did I mention he plays guitar AND sings? The mystery and thrills are a mile a minute in this book. Hand comes out of left field and knocks me on my ass.

It has been a long time since I have read such an action packed story that had substance. Friendship, love, mystery, thrills and chills, even a smidge of the paranormal Bitter Angel has it all. Megan Hand has proven to be an author to watch. Reviewed by Mommy's a Book W hore.

Feb 19, Tee loves Kyle Jacobson rated it it was amazing Shelves: I have never ever read anything like this book. First off it dealt with a heavy issue that I will not give away because it is the crux of the story and the incident that happens is tragic but at the same time you find the characters reacting very differently to it. Lila Spencer will live Friday night twice. One will good and one will be bad but the thing is you don't know which one is reality and you don't know which one is not.

This story takes you on a journey unlike no other and I don't want to give anything away because I loved this book that much that you have to read it to believe it. Did I miss something? Where did that come from? Why is she thinking like that? Lila will be over protective one minute and then kind of lost in another. I have to say that Megan did a superb job of putting this thriller together. Lord you go from one night occurrence to another and you are not sure which one is really going on but you know they are some how connected.

Was she clubbing with her friends or was she at home with her loving boy friend? Dec 25, Lisa Harley rated it really liked it. Full review to come May 07, Z. Elizabeth rated it it was amazing Shelves: College sophomore Lila Spencer has lived Friday night twice. In bed with her boyfriend Jay, Lila is save in his arms but once asleep she is sucked into a ni College sophomore Lila Spencer has lived Friday night twice. Completely freaked out about the two dreams when she wakes up, which scenario will be true?

Or did she save them? If you are looking for a fluffy romance novel, then this is NOT the book you should read. If you follow me on Twitter, you would see just how affected I was reading this book It was a few weeks ago now though. I had to know just what in the hell was going to happen. As a debut novel, Megan Hand has written such a fantastic story. Not only is it powerful, but what happens in the book really does go on everywhere.

I know I say this for every book I read but this one is completely out of my comfort zone. I had no idea it would be that far out of my zone when I started it, but I am really glad that I did. It got too much and my stomach was in knots over what I was reading. I was crying my eyes out with sadness over the pain of the situation, knotted up whether anyone would help her get away. It was too much for me but I powered through.

Lila, the heroine, is a strong character. She loves her friends and her boyfriend Jay and would do anything for them — anything to keep them save and out of danger. I did admire her.

I really liked Jay. You could see that Lila is his everything. That he loves her with everything he has and just wants to be with her. He hates living so far away from her for university and it kills him. Lila is his ONE. You really feel for him when Lila is frightened out of her mind and its scares the hell out of him not knowing what is wrong.

I loved that when he heard her dream and her plan to stop it, he stuck by her, even though he was cautious about it, and went with her to help her out. You will see Jay love Lila, help her out, do the best he can to protect her and even save her. Everything he did for her during the book was down to his overpowering love he has for her. I understood everything he did was for her safety but in the end, he gets Lila forever. It was powerful, it was haunting, it had me crying my eyes out, but it also had me smiling at the love the characters had for one another.

How close they are, how much they were there for one another. It had that much of an impact on me. Megan Hart, I love you and Bitter Angel. This is one hell of a great debut and I hope everyone wil give this book a chance. Apr 18, Heather rated it liked it. This was one of those books that I thought was going to be better than it was. Don't get me wrong; it's not bad by any means. It's just an okay read. Lila, a college sophomore, has two dreams. In one, she went out clubbing for her friend's birthday, and the girls were drugged and taken to a remote location to be raped.

This dream lead to a vision where both of her best friends were dead. In the other, she stayed with her boyfriend and all was hunky dory. Which dream was the right one? I admit that the title of this book is what drew me in. Did I think it had anything to do with the book? Lila refers to herself as the bitter angel about twice in the book. This is never really explained why she calls herself that. I never really found her bitter, and I have no idea what an angel has to do with anything.

Maybe it's just me being dumb. The cover of this book is interesting. I don't really know if I like it or not simply because I can't figure out what's going on with her lips on the bottom part of the cover. I've stared at this cover long and hard and still can't figure it out. The world building was alright except for how Lila and her boyfriend decide to act on a nightmare Lila had. I could understand Jay's, Lila's boyfriend, reluctance, but I've never known anyone to do what Lila did based on a nightmare.

I also didn't get how Lila woke up with Trigger's t-shirt if she just dreamt about what was happening. That part really left me stumped. Other than that, I had no problem setting up the world in my mind. In fact, Lila's world was even a little bit scary! For the majority of the book, I found the pacing to be a little bit too slow for my liking. I felt that some of what was in the book wasn't really necessary such as Lila's mental letter for Jay. For that bit, I just skipped the whole thing. The pacing was good for the very beginning of the book and the last twenty-five percent.

I admired the way Lila wanted to protect her friends no matter what, and I liked the way she kicked butt. I just wish we had more of a glimpse into her background. I think a back story would've helped out a lot. I liked Jay, but I didn't love him if that makes sense. I liked the way he was good to Lila, but there wasn't anything special about him. As for Lila's two best friends, Heather and Nilah, I wish they were featured more in the book instead of just the beginning. I thought Trigger was a cool character. Maybe I just have a thing for nerds, haha.

I felt that he really grew as a character in this book. I thought Alpha was a great baddie. I really, really hated him!! The author did a good job on him! I wish that it was explained better why Alpha did what he did. The dialogue was okay. Sometimes it felt a bit forced especially between Jay and Lila. Lila's internal dialogue is what had me laughing. I loved how sarcastic she was and how she always had a fighting spirit and would coach herself.

There is some swearing and scenes of violence though if you're not into that sort of thing. Overall, Bitter Angel by Megan Hand is an okay read albeit a bit slow. The last twenty-five percent of the book is what really saved it for me. I was expecting a book where there's a lesson to be learned, not one where the main character decides to act on some random nightmare she has.

The synopsis is a bit misleading I think. I did enjoy the ending between Alpha and Lila though, and as I've said before, I loved Lila's sarcasm. I also enjoyed reading the author's acknowledgements as well! I'd give Bitter Angel by Megan Hand a 3. I was provided with a free ebook of this title from the tour host in exchange for a fair and honest review.

Mar 29, Rachael rated it liked it Shelves: If you take a look at my past WoWs , you might notice that a good number of books featured involve parallel worlds or different dimensions. As expected, my favorite part of the book was actually the beginning. Basically, Lila lives the same night twice - once with her friends, celebrating, and once with her boyfriend Jay.

After that, though, was where I started seeing issues. From what I know, most people are unable to even recover after such a short time, let alone try to save potential future victims. Throughout the story, I also felt like lots of her decisions were reckless or not well thought through. Though reckless, Lila is really determined and refuses to let any of her comrades get hurt. At times, I even found her strength a bit too strong, as you see her withstand so many things.

I feel like I should also mention Jay, Lila's love interest. As a whole, I really liked his character - he was always loyal and loving towards Lila and wasn't afraid to take action in order to save her.

Bitter Angel

He wasn't a perfect character either, as you see his internal conflict to let Lila stay independent or protect her in his own way, and his struggle to restrain a more violent side that even Jay might fear. But at the same time, I also felt that his character wasn't as developed as I wanted his to be. Specifically, though we had a general idea about his history and personality, we never really get to know the gritty details or specifics, instead focusing on Lila's goal of battling injustices.

Nonetheless, I did end up liking his character. I'd say that if you're looking for a quick and exciting mystery and seem to like Lila, this is definitely the book for you. If you're a fan of New Adult contemporary, this might also be a good read if you're looking for something different, though still featuring New Adult elements. This did not affect my opinion of the book. Apr 20, Amy Fournier rated it really liked it Shelves: I feel like there have been a lot of parallel universe, or alternate reality books lately, but they still intrigue me. This one actually didn't have a whole lot of it, but it was enough to make an insane storyline that kept me wanting to know what would happen.

This was quite an intense read too. There are a lot of crazy things that go on and situations that might be hard for some people to read. It has a lot of violence so if you aren't big on that you might not like this as much. To me it was like a fantastic thriller. Lila seems like a normal college girl. She's lucky enough that her two BFF's are her roomies, and she has a boyfriend who loves her more than anything. She is a super loyal friend, but I have to say that she makes some really, really dumb decisions. I know that it comes from a good place, but sometimes I really just wanted to smack her and tell her she was being stupid.

She really cares about her friends more than life though, literally.

She is willing to do whatever it takes to make sure they are safe, even if it means risking her own life to do it. But beyond that, she really just has this need to do what she thinks is right. She is stubborn, and brave. I really liked her despite her bad judgement at times. Jay her boyfriend is kind of a pushover, but he doesn't want to be.

He just loves her so much that he will pretty much just give in to anything she says. That is until she is at risk of being harmed. OMG one of the things he does, which he does because he cares, pisses me off like you wouldn't believe. I totally do, but I can't blame Lila for how livid she is about it! He really, genuinely is just a great guy though. I can't say that he had me swooning, but I liked him because I could almost feel the love he has for Lila. The rest of the characters were interesting too.

Bitter Angel : Amy Gerstler :

Quite a dynamic group really. Then the bad guys, seriously creeped me out. I mean they are crazy, for real!! Face me with a psychotic person and I will be more terrified than some paranormal or mythical being. It is just more real and you know that there are people like that out there! So the story I thought was good, but some of it a bit far fetched. I get that it's fictional so I tend to let things slide, but it's also realistic fiction besides the odd living the same night twice thing.

That's the only thing in it that seems to hint at paranormal at all. I liked how it kind of switched back and forth between both times she lived Friday night, then the story continues with her trying to figure out what happened. So technically she lives Friday three times, but the third day she tries to fix what went wrong.

See a Problem?

After all the crazy ventures she doesn't keep repeating the night. I think that maybe she was meant to change things and then she did and everything is all good now sort of. In general I thought this was a great book. Yes, there were little things here and there that bothered me, but it was full of action and suspense. I loved the thrill of reading it and hoping that Lila and Jay could basically save the day! It was fast paced since it all really occurs in one day or three really I guess. I thought that the concept was great and I liked the characters. If you are looking for a great thriller with a slight paranormal aspect to it, this is a book you should pick up.

I did not receive any compensation. Feb 24, Kim rated it it was amazing Shelves: The synopsis was different and intriguing. But for some reason I put off reading it because it was not my typical romance type of book. But I picked it up today and was soon sucked in. This book is unique, brilliant, terrifying, confusing, emotional, raw, and riveting. There is a romantic relationship with her boyfriend, Jay that is integral to the story, but it is not a romance book.

It is more of a suspense thriller with a slig 4. It is more of a suspense thriller with a slight paranormal twist. I'm not crazy, I swear. I don't know how, but it did. I lived the same night twice--and not like that Groundhog Day movie, but like that Sliding Doors movie. I did two completely separate things in one night, like two halves of me split off in different directions Like a choose-your-own-adventure book, I somehow know that I only lived one of them. I'm not sure which one. Lila wants to spend the evening with her boyfriend Jay, but her long time best friends Nilah and Heather are demanding she go out clubbing with them.

At this point the story fractures into two separate realities: Her and her friends end up in a terrifying situation that has you anxious and squirming. But then she wakes up Was it a dream? And from there the story takes even more twists and turns. There is suspense, danger, panic, fear, and really bad situations. It is a pulse pounding race to find answers and keep everyone safe. I am not going to give any spoilers because trying to figure out what is going to happen next is the best part of this book. To see what your friends thought of this book, please sign up.

To ask other readers questions about Bitter Angel , please sign up. Lists with This Book. This book is not yet featured on Listopia. Nov 23, Kristin rated it liked it. Couldn't really keep my interest; I had a difficult time finishing this book, which is strange to say about a book of poems. I like the prose poems best, although those were also hit or miss.

All of the poems in general were a bit too prosaic for my taste. The book as a whole didn't seem to stand up to the promise that many of the best poems in it offered. Jul 11, Hans rated it liked it. I liked many phrases or sections e. Their urine smells of pinenuts and justice. To be fair, I've recently fallen hard for the words and works of another poet--Mary Ruefle--so other poets' poems don't feel quite as shiny right now. It is probably just a literary crush story, so there will be room for other poets at some point.

She seems like a cool chick - modern, liberal in the true sense of the word , a bit edgy but tender when appropriate as well. Some of her pieces have longer lines than I prefer, but she sticks to the subject of humanity usually. As I mentioned in a previous review, I'm not a fan of nature poems. I think I was left with the feeling that she didn't tap fully into her potential. Mar 02, Emily rated it it was amazing.

You can read a poem breathless to get to the end and still not know exactly what it is about. Mike rated it really liked it Dec 17, Emily rated it liked it Jun 17, Jessica rated it it was amazing Aug 29, Greta rated it really liked it Jul 08, Gina rated it really liked it Apr 14, Jessica Gilliam rated it liked it Dec 04, Richard rated it it was amazing Mar 28, Jamibea rated it really liked it Jul 17, Robert Young rated it liked it Apr 30, Ish rated it liked it Dec 03, Hailey rated it it was ok Sep 09, David rated it it was amazing Apr 18, Grace Krilanovich rated it really liked it Jun 26,