The Girl of Tokens & Tears by Susan Ward

This is book two in a four book series. Read my reviews of the other books here: Book 1, Book 3, Book 4

Book two in The Half Shell Series continues Chrissie Parkers life after she moves on to college and her complicated love life.  Chrissie left Manzone in NY after her 3 week Spring Break (not sure if private schools do 3 week Spring Break?) and book two is about Chrissie falling for rocker number 2 to complete the “two rockers fighting for her heart” as outlined in the box set description.

• Chrissie is unbearable.  I hate her as a main character.  I didn’t love her in the first book, but she had issues and it felt forgivable.  In book two, she is the personification of spoiled rich brat.  I don’t root for her at all.  I kind of root for the guys to wise up and drop her like a bad habit.
• She had a serious issue in the first book (I won’t say what it is for those of you thinking of traveling this book journey), but she just magically stops.  Big topic of conversation in book one, never mentioned again after it calls out she stopped.  Ummmm, no.

Still, I persevered.  Glued to the series.  It’s honestly like a bad car wreck a little bit?  Like the morbid part of you can’t look away.

• Neil is likable.  He’s the opposite of Alan Manzone.  He’s had struggles to get where he’s going and his and Chrissie’s relationship is WAY healthier than hers with Alan.  It develops normally, and you root for it to work out for them.
• Alan doesn’t magically disappear, but he’s not all up in her grill either.  It makes sense that pride and his career would keep him from being all stalker-y after she bails on him in book one, so I like that she kind of moves on and he kind of does too.  That feels realistic.

I think this series got so under my skin because it feels just realistic enough to be plausible.  It references real events and because the characters are so flawed, they’re definitely relatable, even if you hate them.  This is a solid sequel to book one.  But you’ll definitely hate Chrissie in a slap her full on open palmed to the face kind of way.