Official Review: College: The Good, The Bad, And the Ugly

[Delaney35]

[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "College: The Good, The Bad, And the Ugly" by Alicia Perry.]

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4 out of 4 stars

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College: The Good, The Bad, and the Ugly by Alicia Perry is a chilling look into the mind of a girl in her first year of college. Scarlet is a young woman who is trying to find her place in the world. She dreams of being a writer and is going to college to follow her dreams. However, college parties lead her into the world of drugs and addiction. She starts the year off using drugs only to get a little high at parties, but soon she finds herself needing the high to function. Scarlet also learns family secrets that may explain why her father left and why she never heard from him again.

The characters in this book were very well-written. Scarlet was very dynamic, and her descent into drug addiction was clear. It was scary to watch how she went from not wanting anything to do with the hard drugs to becoming an addict. It viscerally mirrored real addiction. From the lying to the excuses and denial, Scarlet’s experience was realistic and painted a reality that many college students find themselves, or their friends, facing. The character development was my favorite part of this novel.

The book was grammatically sound. I only noticed a few grammatical issues; it appeared to be professionally edited.

The writing style was interesting. It was, at times, written in a poetic form that gave a lot of insight into Scarlet’s mind. The integration of the poetic form was well-done, and it flowed with the regular narration very nicely. However, I think the descriptions could have been stronger at times. There were parts where the narrative voice overtook the description, and it felt a little flat. The events were taking place, but they were not described well. This was my least favorite part of the book.

Overall, I would rate this book 4 out of 4 stars. I think it captured the struggle that many college students face. Scarlet’s story emphasizes the pressure that many people feel in college, both to meet social expectations but to find their place in the world. Unfortunately, this pressure can lead to devastating realities that are captured in this novel.

I would not recommend this to younger audiences as there is extensive drug use, sexual content, and strong language throughout the book. I would also caution readers that are sensitive about addiction as that is a prevailing theme. I would recommend this to readers that are college-aged as it does hit home a lot of the potential realities of college. I would also recommend it to anyone who enjoys books focused on characters; the character development is particularly strong in this book. It is a heavier read, but I truly enjoyed this book.

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College: The Good, The Bad, And the Ugly
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon

[Arun Bohra]

That was a good review. This book sounds good from an adult content point of view.

[Frannie Annie]

Wow this book sounds awesome. I like college settings and have wanted to read more about addiction. Good review!

[khaulah]

I wonder how the main character fares. I would like to read the book if I get a chance. Thank you!

[Splendour0606]

Addiction can really be a dream killer.It starts in bits, then gets blown out once it has drenched your soul.I hope Scarlet found her way out of the addiction.Thanks for your review.

[NIZEYIMANA Mathias]

I am not very interested in reading fiction based books but I have seen that the book must be good for people who are not as me because it contains the topics which are fictuous but which teaches the society about how to behave in general. On my side I would like to encourage my fellow readers who like fictious books to read it because it have good background. As usual, nothing can have good emergence only. Thanks!

[Deborah kalu]

Owsome review!!! Thanks for your honesty,by poiting out what was right and wrong in the book.hope scarlet is going to retrieve her step before is too late because she gave room for distractions instead of focusing on her dream.

[J_odoyo]

It looks like there are a lot of fan in this book. I remember how my college days were dramatical; filled with lies and some funny excuses. Thanks for your review incredible review!

[Diana Lowery]

When I saw the title, I thought this might be a good book to give for a high school graduation present. However, from your warning about the drug and sex content, I think I will not be doing that. I enjoyed your review though.

[Lisa A Rayburn]

It does indeed sound like a heavy read. Still, I agree with you that youth both in college and those about to be might find the book not only interesting but cautioning as well. I am well away from college days myself, but I do have a couple of young friends I might recommend it to. Wonderful review; well done!

[Sunday diamond]

Your review sounds the book will be interesting to me,though I don't story book all that much

[nageena_rasheed]

The review has reminded me about my college days,how students of face different pressures, of high expectation, competition, peer pressure and becoming a functional part of society. Drugs are inevitable in parties of teenagers and very few of them can control the urge to use them without being addicts. They also confine in getting high and forgetting about all pressures and thus falling deep in darkness of addiction! Good read

[Ediomis_Enwongo01]

Scarlet's story is a big lesson for any would-be student preparing to go to college to stay focused and disciplined so as to achieve the desired goal. Good review.

[Leen282]

I was intrigued by the title so wanted to read your review. You did a good job in describing the book, it's one I will add to my bookshelves since I think I will like it.

[Halibean2428]

Based on your review, I think this would be an interesting read. You really sold me on it by discussing the strong characters the author created. I, too, find that sometimes authors can create vivid characters but then struggle to effectively write about the story’s actual events. Thanks for the detailed review!