Review: Until Friday Night (The Field Party #1) by Abbi Glines

Title: Until Friday Night

Series: The Field Party #1
Author: Abbi Glines
Publisher: Simon Pulse
Published: August 25, 2015
Pages: 336
Genres: Young Adult, Contemporary, Romance
Source: Ebook
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To everyone who knows him, West Ashby has always been that guy: the cocky, popular, way-too-handsome-for-his-own-good football god who led Lawton High to the state championships. But while West may be Big Man on Campus on the outside, on the inside he’s battling the grief that comes with watching his father slowly die of cancer.

Two years ago, Maggie Carleton’s life fell apart when her father murdered her mother. And after she told the police what happened, she stopped speaking and hasn’t spoken since. Even the move to Lawton, Alabama, couldn’t draw Maggie back out. So she stayed quiet, keeping her sorrow and her fractured heart hidden away.

As West’s pain becomes too much to handle, he knows he needs to talk to someone about his father—so in the dark shadows of a post-game party, he opens up to the one girl who he knows won’t tell anyone else.

West expected that talking about his dad would bring some relief, or at least a flood of emotions he couldn’t control. But he never expected the quiet new girl to reply, to reveal a pain even deeper than his own—or for them to form a connection so strong that he couldn’t ever let her go… 

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MY REVIEW

DISCLAIMER: This review MAY contain spoilers. 

This is my first Abbi Glines book and I would say that I enjoyed this book for the most part. I did take issue with some of the things in the book, but not so severely that I disliked the book. 

I truly liked the plotline and the issues that are covered in the book. The author didn't shy away from the sensitive issues, which I liked. These issues are really the heart of what this story is really about and the two main characters journey through them and tackle them. I felt that the story was strong and that the small southern town world-building was adequately portrayed. The writing in the book was very welcoming and easy to read. The storytelling was very relatable. I felt that the pacing of the story was a little off. Some parts seemed to drag on too long and others passed by in a flash when there should have been more. 

I did enjoy the romance. I felt that the author did a great job of showing Maggie and West glow closer over their shared grief and pain. They both could relate to each other in ways that no one else could. They latched on to that, nourished it, and it turned into love. There were some sweet moments between the two of them. I felt that their break up and then the makeup was a bit rushed though. 

I did not think that the characters were very strong. They left much to be desired. I thought that Maggie was the best character out of everyone. She had depth in the right places and mystery in the others. Her journey with her grief and PTSD was written well in my eyes. The rest of the characters, apart from Maggie's aunt and uncle, really didn't pan out as well as I hoped they would. Let's start with West. While I thought that his journey with his grief was also written well, the other parts of him irked me at times. For instance, he was a complete man-whore. And this was before his father was sick. It wasn't just something he did to deal with his feelings. It is just one of his less than stellar personality traits. I felt that Maggie's cousin, Brady, and all of their football friends were basically filler. They didn't have any character growth throughout the story at all and the reader doesn't really get to know them. So when they are around the main characters you don't feel that pull of chemistry. They are just there. I feel like this book would have been excellent if the other characters had more importance and a personal connection. And while we are discussing friends, let's chat about how Maggie had NO friends other than West, her cousin that barely spoke to her, and all of their football friends that also barely spoke to her. She literally had no female friends. None. Not ANY other friends and that really bothered me. Even if she was mute or didn't talk, there are still ways to make friends if she had made an effort. 

Overall, this was a very emotional read with a heartfelt romance and an engaging plot. The characters could have used some more development but, that aside, the story is still worth reading. I would definitely recommend this book to contemporary young adult romance fans. I fully intend to read the other books in this series to see what happens to some of the other characters. 

Check out my reviews for the other books in this series!

Under the Lights (The Field Party #2)

Find my review here.

After the Game (The Field Party #3)

Find my review here.

I have read the first three books in this series and each one had a different feel for me. I liked two of them well enough and I adored another. Do you ever read a series and have such rollercoaster feelings for the individual books? What have you added to your shelf lately?