~ Sean’s character is just a complete mess, and that’s the main reason this book is getting only two stars. Overall though, I could tolerate this because his arc was compelling and he got a great ending. Andre is very disconnected from the other three characters, which was a bit frustrating. Andre’s connection to the group is that he dates Kendra’s sister for a little while. Three of them make sense: Cara is dating Sean, who used to be dating Kendra, who used to be dating Cara’s brother. The connection between his character and the others is not well built. Her relationship with Dani is also pretty instalove and I never felt for them. I didn’t connect to her on any level, despite the fact that her character’s situation should have felt relatable. She’s supposedly trying to live a perfect life, but I didn’t feel that. I went in really expecting to love her, and I just… didn’t. What impact does she have on this story? Why is her non-arc there at all? But her ending was 1) too open, and 2) her character ended up being kind of a pointless inclusion in this book. Sure, people do sometimes not conquer anorexia. ~ Kendra’s character spent 600 pages in the throes of anorexia, and did not develop at all. Now, the characters themselves were not as much a strength as I usually find they are. Usually, her verse style gives good character insight, but I didn’t totally feel that here. The writing style is good, as long as you like Ellen Hopkin’s writing. This book had some really good stuff going for it, which was ruined by some really horrible treatment of rape victims and lgbt people.

Impulse by ellen hopkins