The NerdHerd Reads: Because I'm Disposable {by Rosie Somers}

Title: Because I'm Disposable

Author: Rosie Somers

Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
Purchase: Barnes & Noble | Smashwords
Received via publicist

Sixteen-year-old Callista Tanner was in the bathroom slitting her wrists the night her father took a fatal plunge down the stairs. People around her think she attempted suicide because she found him dead -- or worse, because she had a guilty conscience. Few know the truth; Michael Tanner had been beating her for years.
The freedom that should have come with her father's death becomes a cage of rumors and self-doubt. Callie seeks escape in the most destructive ways, bringing her emotional scars to the surface for the world to see.
One bright spot exists in Callie's dark world.
Lincoln Devaux refuses to let Callie sink fully into the depths of her own depression, stepping into her life when she needs someone the most. She tries to push him away, but Link is determined to save Callie from herself. Even when she doesn't think she's worth saving.

With myself in this current mood of starting books and then putting them down because I'm not in the mood for them, the fact that I actually finished this one speaks volumes. (And, okay, also it was really short which doesn't hurt.) This wasn't the best book I've ever read or anything, but it was interesting enough to me that I kept reading.

Callie tried to kill herself the night her father died. He had been beating her for years, and she couldn't take the abuse anymore. She did everything in her power to keep him from touching her little sister, which meant she took all the beatings herself. And her mother would never stand up to her father, to protect Callie. So she's basically alone. When her father died, it should have brought relief, but this has affected her so much that she still can't get away from the demons in her head. Enter Lincoln, the boy next door (er, across the street) and someone who sees Callie for who she is, and wants to help her.

I was very meh about this book the whole way through. Like I said, I was interested in knowing what happened, but I think the fact that this was so short worked against it. There wasn't much character development. Yes, Callie gets into bad things (drugs, drinking, self-harm, etc.) and at the end, does realize the error of her ways and wants to get better. But there was very little actual development. And we don't see much from the other characters. They're just sort of...there. Yes, they have their important roles to play, but that's it.

The writing was okay, enough to keep you reading. The plot was a little predictable, but not bad or anything. I will say though...Lincoln. I mean, please, show me a 16-year-old boy that is like that. He was so sweet and nice. Definitely swoony.

All in all, this was a pretty okay book. It was pretty short, which seems to work against it for some points, but not bad. Although this does deal with more sensitive, heavier topics, it was just a quick, interesting read.

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