Thanks to Wattpad, I've been able to read a free copy of Fight For Her prior to its release.

- This is a review based on the version published by Wattpad Books -

Title: Fight For Her
Author: Liz Plum (@Liz_Plum)
Genre: Contemporary teen fiction
Narrative: First-person, present tense
Content: 27 chapters, plus a small prologue and epilogue
Link: wattpad.com/story/143647068

Summary:
Scarlet Tucker is a teenage girl living in Texas, and at the beginning of the book, we learn she's lost her brother. Scarlet is dating the school's most popular boy but has her doubts about him since he bullies a guy named Elijah Black, who always appears to have cuts and bruises to his face. Scarlet befriends Elijah, discovering he's part of an underground fighting ring to earn enough money that he can pay off a debt accumulated by his deceased brother. Scarlet eventually breaks up with her boyfriend as she and Elijah become closer. What she doesn't expect is finding out Elijah and she has more in common than their shared feelings, and it's connected to their departed older brothers and the fighting ring.

Cover:
I like the cover. Who doesn't like looking at cute attractive people? And I think the yellow title fits it really well. I have nothing negative to say apart from that the image doesn't relate to the story.

Blurb:
The blurb does a great job of setting up the story while also building interest.

The good:
I can sum up the best thing about this book in one word: Elijah. He is by far the most enjoyable aspect of the story. The way he's described, his behavior and reactions being more sensible, is a welcome change from the other characters. I was genuinely happy whenever he entered a scene, knowing I was going to like his actions and honesty. It is because of his manner I liked the relationship between Scarlet and him. There were several sweet and witty moments between them that made me smile. Their shared kisses were very cute as well.

One element I especially liked in the book is Scarlet comparing getting out of her boyfriend's big shiny truck with Elijah's old beat-up truck: "...I get out of Jack's truck and land with a thud that sends a jolt up my legs..." – "I stepped down, mentally preparing for a slight jump like with Jack's truck, but instead my feet instantly rest on the ground." It's a clever way of showing Elijah being a better fit for her despite being a beat-up "truck."

Another thing I liked was the fighting ring. There are some really good descriptions detailing the environment and the people attending.

Toward the end of the story, I found myself trying to guess and theorize the plot. That, to me, is a sign of good storytelling. The book also includes a twist I didn't expect, so, kudos to Liz for that.

Lastly, I want to acknowledge how the last line in the book ties to the title. It was a great little detail.

Quotes I liked:

Chapter 3 - Scarlet and Elijah:
       "... I don't have a car." I sense his surprise. "You stereotype me pretty hard."
       "Don't you do the same to me?"

Chapter 8 - Scarlet and Elijah:
        My arms fly out to the sides and hit the rod holding the [car] hood up and knock said rod down, causing the hood to fall. I place my hands above my head just barely before the hood cuts my head off.
       "What's up?" I ask as I spin to face Elijah, trying to act cool even though I just about concussed myself.
       "You want me to pretend that didn't happen?"

Chapter 12 - Elijah and Scarlet:
       "You're stronger than you think."
       "I wish I didn't have to be."

Chapter 13 - Elijah:
       "It's okay to not be okay."

Chapter 18: Scarlet and Elijah:
       "I'm not heartbroken. I ended things, remember?"
       "That doesn't mean it doesn't hurt."

The bad:
Unfortunately, for me, the good parts of the book are overshadowed by an overall inadequacy in editing. The book includes so much repetition it frustrated me to the point of maddening. The pacing of the first half of the book could also use some tightening up. It isn't until chapter 11 some real development pushes the plot forward. That is too late in a book consisting of 27 chapters.

The grammar is unfortunately also lacking. I don't think I've ever seen so many random exclamation points. When dialogue ending with an exclamation point is followed by a "he says" and it hasn't been caught in editing, it's not good enough. Sorry to say so. I expect better when the book has gone through a professional process. There are also several typos throughout that I wish had been corrected.

To my dismay, the narrative was continually telling and over-explaining rather than showing, which meant my interest was veering and I never connected with the characters. The book opens with a scene where Scarlet learns her brother has been killed, but since I don't have a connection to any of the characters yet, the scene doesn't have any impact on me, and that, unfortunately, never changed as I read the book.

The narrative, likewise, reminded me why I don't enjoy first-person POV. I don't like having to read all those endless inner monologues. They honestly bore me.

While reading, it became clear Liz Plum is a pantser. Nothing wrong with that! But when there's a scene where it's necessary to make an "oh, by the way, this happened previously"-explanation/excuse to make things fit, it becomes obvious in a negative way. All that had to be done, during the editing process, was go back and make a small comment about it. It would have tied things up so beautifully when it's later brought back into play. I love when authors make a small remark that comes in later and impacts the storyline. I saw a couple of missed opportunities like this.

I'm guessing it's the same reason why some plot points felt forced, and why Scarlet only has one small scene in the entire book with the girl that's supposedly her best friend. Why isn't the friend more present? Normally teenagers hang out with their best friend at any opportunity.

Finally, I didn't like how Scarlet was a bystander to her boyfriend's bullying, or how there are a couple of 'red flag'-situations that weren't addressed further. Not when the target audience is in the younger category.

Conclusion:
I  actually tried reading this book before the team at Wattpad got involved, and I had to quit partway through the first chapter. I could not tolerate the negative way in which Scarlet talked about the people that supposedly were her friends. So, I was hopeful to see the changes the book had gone through with the help of a professional editor. And while the aspect which made me quit the first time has been softened, I, sadly, don't feel the editor has done a good enough job here. The overall book would benefit from a lot more work. Tighten up the storyline and pace. Get rid of the endless repetitions. Get to the stuff that actually sets the plot in motion a lot sooner, and you'd be on the right track.

That said, the story has good elements, too. As I've mentioned, I very much enjoyed the character of Elijah and the scenario surrounding the fighting ring. He was the reason why I kept reading. This proves Liz Plum can write and develop some great characters, and she does have an interesting premise with Fight For Her. But, overall, the book needs more work for me to recommend it.

Two stars
★ ★
(Two stars = I cannot recommend the book, though it has some good elements.)