The Not-Outcast
A very complicated and pretty much crazy read for my not that smart self.
⭐⭐⭐
1. THE NOT-OUTCAST by Tijan
SYNOPSIS
Cutler Ryder was everything I wasn’t.
He was the hockey star. I was an outcast.
He was best friends with my stepbrother, that same stepbrother who hated me.
His two parents loved him. My mom was a junkie. My dad barely knew me.
Years passed.
I got my life together. Cut went onto NHL stardom.
Then there was a text. I was drinking. There was a party. Cut was there...
I loved Cutler Ryder since the first moment I saw him.
The only problem? He never knew I existed.
BOOK REVIEW
Ever since Enemies by Tijan, I’ve been patiently anticipating more sports romances from the author. I find her writing style very unique in spite of being rather hectic for my liking. The Not-Outcast was yet another example of how unpredictable Tijan can be when it comes to her story-telling. The book was… extraordinary, to say the least. But I haven’t decided yet whether it was some genius artistic statement or slur of a madman…
I heard the yelling, then a wave of everything else hit me. And it hit me hard. The smells of the club rose up swiftly. The techno music, the hard bass, the neon lights flashing flooded me. Sweat. Grime. Beer. Perfume. Cologne. And other smells that I didn’t want to identify. It was jarring, and I sucked in my breath, remembering to fortify my walls.
Cheyenne was a good representative of someone who suffers from an attention deficit disorder. Her thoughts and feelings were so diverse and all over the place. But I loved her strength and determination to fight for the power over her own mind and body. And I was very appreciative of her attempts at positive thoughts and kindness.
Cutler Ryder was a completely random love interest. At least, that was how I saw him. Don’t get me wrong, he was very understanding and supportive, very down-to-earth but still random…
To elaborate on the aforementioned point, the chemistry between Cheyenne and Cutler seemed forced because the whole relationship was based on insta-lust/love. Besides, all the sex scenes were very fade-to-black. And that was quite unexpected coming from Tijan. The dialogues, as well as the banter (which I’m usually looking forward to in sports romances), were ridiculously weird. I did understand that considering the mental disease the heroine was struggling with, the words conveyed through her perspective were somewhat necessary in terms of the writing choice but still…
And honestly speaking, The Not-Outcast felt more like women’s fiction rather than romance simply because of focusing more on Cheyenne’s life struggles with Cut being some sort of a happy outlet. Also, instead of giving me a story of how the relationship between the main characters evolved, I had to endure the boredom of her doing her thing and him doing his thing, all while going through the drama of the secondary characters (which I didn’t care about at all).
So, sadly, it can be concluded that the book was not for me.
Also, on a side note:
Attention Deficit Disorder
ADD is a highly genetic, brain-based syndrome that has to do with the regulation of a particular set of brain functions and related behaviors.
These brain operations are collectively referred to as ‘executive functioning skills’ and include important functions such as attention, concentration, memory, motivation and effort, learning from mistakes, impulsivity, hyperactivity, organization, and social skills.
There are various contributing factors that play a role in these challenges including chemical and structural differences in the brain as well as genetics.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Tijan is a New York Times best-selling author that writes suspenseful and unpredictable novels. Her characters are strong, intense, and gut-wrenchingly real with a little bit of sass on the side.
Tijan began writing later in life and once she started, she was hooked. She is currently writing to her heart's content in north Minnesota with an English Cocker Spaniel she adores.
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