The Side Character

Written by: ZarinLyss

Ever heard of the crazy best friend? That's always setting the good girl up with random guys and cracking weird jokes just so everyone could laugh? That's always embarrassing herself? Well, I'm her. I'm the side character. I wasn't supposed to have a story of my own. Specially not with the bad boy who curses like it's a second language and wears leather jackets like it's a second skin! Bad boys like him are meant for good girls like my best friend. Not with someone like me who takes the lyrics "I'm going to swing from a chandelier" way too seriously. So imagine my surprise when wingman-ing for my best friend, I'm the one that starts getting butterflies. It's not the main character's story you'll be reading this time. Sorry, but you'll have to do with me. The side character. Because is it SO bad that for the first time in history the bad boy isn't falling for the good girl but rather for the good girl's party crazy best friend?

I'll say it now, I don't have any experience with teen fiction/romance. I stay away from it as much as possible. But I decided to read this book, because, well, it sounded very interesting. And it is. 

Alison- the crazy party girl, who most people can relate to- tries to get her "nerd" friend, Chole, hooked up with the new guy, Ryder. Ryder is your typical bad boy, wearing leather jackets, riding a motorcycle and swears without caring if anyone hears him. The plan fails, so Alison tries again, and slowly develops feelings for Ryder. However, Alison doesn't believe that a relationship with her and Ryder will work, only goodgirlXbadboy can work. But as the story goes on, we discover a darker side to Ryder and sadder side to Alison.

Now, where to start? I guess I should start on the characters. Alison is my favourite character, always trying to cheer people up, and no matter what "joke" is thrown at her, she always smiles and laughs it away. But, she is actually insecure and feels that no one gets her. All people see is the person to make people laugh. No one cares that they might be hurting her. I guess this effectively bullying. Unlike most other books, the bully isn't the "mean" girl, who is always trying to steal the bad boy. In fact, all those people act like that because that is how society expects them to behave, when in fact, they are actually nice people. Anyway, Alison is more relatable than the "nerd" person who gets perfect grades. Alison isn't perfect, being slightly chubby and having acne. It is revealed early on that she reads on Wattpad, and loves books. She has common interests with Ryder, who I'll get to in a second. Alison is a very well thought out character, with many flaws and believable pain. 

Moving on, Ryder, the bad boy and love interest. At the beginning, Ryder seems to be very tough (and he is) and doesn't care about anything. But when Alison becomes friends with him, Ryder becomes a much nicer person. About halfway through the book (I think), Alison is forced to go to Ryder's house, because of rain. There, we learn that Ryder has an older brother, or rather, did. It isn't revealed until the very last chapter (actually, the second to last chapter,) what happened. SPOILER WARNING: I hate the "dead loved one" cliche. But there have only been two authors on Wattpad that I actually like who use this cliche, Zarinlyss and tinkertaydust. This cliche has been done very well in this book. SPOILER OVER. These things give Ryder depth, and it is important for the grand finale. 

OK, now that the characters are done, I'll move onto the plot. This is one of the most original ideas/plots I have read. Wattpad has millions and millions of nerds becoming the bad boy's girlfriend/wife. OK, sure, at the end, the various characters you meet all become married in some way. There are a few cliches, but the story is so good, and these cliches help with the book and story/character development.

Lastly, how could I not forget the humour? ZarinLyss, if you are reading this, you should become a comedian. Or write one of those "chat rooms" books with your characters. That humour is on point, hilarious, and very good, and not insulting. Especially the funeral. That was amazingly executed. 

TL;DR:

Characters: 9/10 (I feel as though some people were forgotten)

Grammer: 9/10

Plot: 10/10

Humour: 10/10

Overall: 9/10. You should definitely check this book out, as it is original, funny and will mess with your feels (I'm looking at you, funeral chapter). SO GO READ IT NOW!