Review: BREAKING FREE by L.L. Collins (novella)

This is all about a young girl’s will to “break free” from her home and family to find independence at a college university. Right away, I applauded the pursuit of higher education and growing up. I agree that high school is nothing like college—it’s better.

On first impression, Alexis seemed too perky and perfect—valedictorian, cheerleader, lots of friends, guys asking her out, and wanting to be a doctor. And then there was Greer, who was the opposite—the nerd, the tech-geek, the friendless, the one people made fun of. The fact is that Greer has Aspergers. So when the two get teamed up as lab partners, it made for an compelling spin. This is all about looking beyond first impressions.

The interesting thing with both of these characters is that they don’t necessarily fit the stereotype. Alexis may be a cheerleader, but that didn’t make her a blonde bimbo; and Greer may be called a loser, but he had movie-star good looks and a sculpted body.

I liked Greer. He may not be sociable and his communication skills may need some work, but he was a walking encyclopedia of knowledge. I find that interesting, and, apparently, so did Alexis. I found it sad how the college cheerleaders can be just as mean as high school cheerleaders. What problem did they have with Greer? He was a nice guy! Like Alexis said: Why are people so mean?

This is a cute college friendship-turned-romance. The story is sub-par and somewhat banal. It’s practically an after-school special to teach kids good behavior (a must, in my opinion!) “If we all spent more time worrying about helping others rather than thinking we’re so much better than them, the world would be a much better place.” (36) A cliché you’d so hear in one of those programs.

My rating: 3.5 stars