He can’t stand anything about her, but can’t keep his hands off of her.
Frankie
I wasn’t looking for him.
He found me.
With his sexy smirk and irresistible body.
I wanted nothing to do with someone like him.
Judgmental and brooding.
So full of himself.
But now, I’m stuck playing the fool.
Falling for him.
And losing it all.
If only for one night.
ZEKE
Stuffy, rich, entitled.
The kind of girl … rich, entitled.
The kind of girl that gets what she wants.
When she wants it.
And I want nothing to do with her.
Yet, I can’t stay away.
I’m drawn to her kindness and compassion.
Her beauty.
She holds me when the pain won’t subside.
And now, if I can help it, I’m going to hold on to her…
Forever.
more
You know when you just want to grab a character and shake them till they see sense or just slap them up the back of the head and say ‘stupid boy’. So many times I wanted to do this to Zeke! The story sucked me in so thoroughly, I had to know what happened in the end! I would have liked to have stayed with them longer and see what happened afterwards.
OMG Frankie and Zekes book is everything a bully romance is meant to be.
I’m not gonna say any more because you need to to experience it for yourself…Just do it, you won’t regret it.
If you liked One Eighty (Westover Prep 1) you will LOVE THIS ONE !!!
This book was full of frustration but only with the way Zeke treated Frankie. I really felt for the poor girl being treated with the worst type of bullying around, the emotional kind. I really wanted to reach in and smack Zeke upside the head a few times. But he did get me to like him in the end.
Marie did not disappoint with the second book in the Westover Prep series! Of course you can read it as a stand alone, by why would you want to do that! Frankie and Zeke’s store is a roller coaster of emotions and worth every turn! A must read for sure!!
She is at her nanas for the summer and she sees him thru the window. He works for her nana. So does his father. He is determined to make her suffer but she doesnt let him get her down. His father is sick and it’s not good. Her nana brings in another foreman to help out. When the new foreman starts and he gets along with her and he is so jealous. He treats her like dirt at times but she keeps on trying to be friends with him. She has a secret and shenleaves for home and she finds out he n his mom is moving to her hometown. It is so good
Another Raw and Brutally written beautiful book …
… written in the Westover Prep series.
Wow, One Eighty was one powerfully written book, but holy crap, Marie James has knocked my poor heart around while I was reading Catch Twenty-Two! The conflicted emotions are huge, and I found it hard to describe my own feelings as I consumed Zeke and Frankie’s story. Even better though, I got to see more of Dalton and Piper.
I’d like to say that I hated Zeke because I can’t stand bullies, but, Marie James did a superb job of getting us into his head, and I saw the angry, confused and just downright ‘sad’ mind of Ezekiel Benson. He thought he’d had everything to look forward to in life. To reach for the stars, as his father had encouraged him to do, until his dream was taken away from him by family obligations, just as his father’s dreams were taken from him. This bitter realisation hit the summer that gorgeous ‘city girl’ Frankie Young, visits her grandmother for the summer, and it seems to Zeke that while his parents see her as perfect for him, he sees her as a weight around his neck, keeping him tied to working the farm for the rest of his natural life. He aimed his bitterness and anger at life, at her, even as he did find that his parents were right, she was perfect for him.
Yes, my heart absolutely broke for Zeke and his situation, but Frankie can’t read minds, and I applauded her strength in the stoic way she handled the disgusting treatment that he dished out to her. I thought for a moment that he could redeem himself, then I thought maybe not. The scars might not be physical, but they will remain, and even though his words of penance might prove a salve of sorts, I wondered if it would be enough.
While this is a dual POV, and we hear from both Frankie and Zeke, it was Zeke that I struggled with more. I vacillated between love and dislike, and more dislike for this young man, who in trying to understand and rationalise his mistreatment of Frankie, still remained selfish at heart. But then, I had to remember that these guys are only 18. And at 18, I was an Engineering Apprentice working with 18-year-old blokes, and our selfish level of maturity probably was similar, so while we thought we were thinking of others, in the end, our views of the world were just as self centred.
This is only the second book from Marie James that I’ve read, and I’m a fan. Typically, I’ve only read college age bully type books from authors I’ve loved, but I’ve seen friends rave over her books. Take my word for it, she’s a fantastic writer, and even if, like me, you’re not a fan of this trope, give this series a go, they are 5 star reads!
4 Stars:
Ezekiel Benson, or Zeke, met Frankie, or Frances Young, at her grandmother’s ranch where he worked, although this story is split into two parts with the first half set in Utah at Frankie’s grandmother’s ranch, then the second half is in Colorado where they both attend Westover Prep for their senior year.
I can’t say I liked Zeke all that much for a lot of the story, yes he had trauma and troubles but the way he handled his situations was disgusting and down right nasty. Underneath the layer of cowardice and anger was a nicer person but a weak one too who had to dig deep to find his backbone. Yet, given his age and the loss he suffered I forgave him… magnanimous of me I know.
Frankie on the other hand was a down-trodden girl who had been bullied at school and ignored at home for so long she had tried to build barriers to protect herself. My heart definitely broke for her and I wanted to go to battle with the other bullies on her behalf. By far she was the shining star for me as the leading character in this story, however, Dalton and Piper are terrific support characters as well and it’s great to see their relationship continuing to grow.
Frankie’s parents made me so annoyed with their lack of interaction with her and any sign of feelings except her father’s repeated warning of ‘no hanky panky’! Honestly I have no idea why they even had a child and wonder about people like these characters who unfortunately are very real.
If you haven’t read book one, One-Eighty, then hop right onto that as you need to read it to enjoy the full story plus it’s a great read.
Reviewer: Robyn
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4 Stars:
The story of Zeke and Frankie wasn’t an easy one to read, I wanted to jump into the pages of this book and wring Zeke’s neck quite often he really was an A grade nasty piece of work. You get glimpses of the caring boy under the tough exterior but Frankie bears the brunt of his frustrations at the way his life has gone.
Frankie is a very strong and feisty young lady, who gives as good as she gets. but she has a sensitive side and is always sideswiped by Zeke’s hot and cold attitude.
This story was one of love and hate, family and great friends who will be there when you need them most.
A slow burn, an enemy to lovers romance that will have you swooning. Eventually!!
A really great read, one I highly recommend. Loving this series!!
Reviewer: Natalie
Hatred is a venom which can spread through every vain in a person’s body until it completely consumes them whole. Zeke’s body is filled of hatred and resentment towards the people he loves the most. However, the one person he intends to hurt is the one who never did anything to him. Frankie is bullied back home and knows a lot about hatred. However, she is still pure and filled with light. Until he came into her life. Having to spend the summer with her grandma and her farm for several weeks, She now has to endure Zeke and his immature hateful ways. But will she stay or will she leave and never look back?
This story was Amazing!
So much emotion. So much tension. Just so much scorching, rapid page turning story telling.
Zeke was pretty much awful. He was a perfectly written alpha-hole. He was just the right blend of jerk and glimpses of tenderness to make me hate him while falling in love with him right along with Frankie. So many times I found myself shaking my head at his words and actions. But I couldn’t stop reading.
Frankie was kind and vulnerable and sometimes I just wished I could hold her and tell her that everything will be ok. I hate that her parents were the way they were but there were at least a few bright spots for her in her best friend, her grandmother and eventually Zeke’s mother too. I was happy that she had those moments of fire in her attitude and actions so that she didn’t have that doormat vibe. She was just a really well developed character.
If I didn’t make it obvious enough, I loved this book. I loved it so very much and I look forward to more from this world and these characters.
This is the second book in the Westover Prep series, and the story of Zeke, and Frankie. When Frankie comes into Zeke’s life he dislikes her immediately, and bullies her, but as he gets to know her, he can’t fight his attraction. This was a great read, emotional, intense, dramatic, entertaining, and engaging.
This is book 2 of the Westover Prep series, they can be read as standalones but I suggest to read the previous one to know more about the characters. This is Zeke and Frankie’s story, Zeke is a jerk to Frankie, who has a lot of thing going on, but she know how to put Zeke in place. I love enemies to lovers books and so this series are becoming a favorite to read.
Catch 22 is the second standalone in the Westover Prep Series by Marie James.
We catch up with Frankie and Zeke. This book follows Frankie and Zeke from their summer with her grandma to their school year together back in Frankie’s home town. Frankie has always been the girl who spends most of her time unnoticed in school. When she is noticed nothing good comes of it, and she usually ends up with bullied. In Utah she comes with no reputation, or history. She is able to be who she wants. Her family and Zeke’s push them together into some uncomfortable situations. Even though they both feel something for each other they don’t want to be pushed together by others. They have a push and pull that continues through the summer that ends with night to remember.
They reconnect at school after Zeke’s who world has fallen apart. There is lots of miscommunication between the two that ends up with more heartbreak than is truly needed. However, this is High School and we all can certainly remember how little we actually talked with other people. Soon after school starts Frankie falls back into her old reputation while Zeke is the mysterious jock who seems to have it all. The question is can they figure things out after their lives go sideways yet again?
I love Marie James stories they have a way of hauling you in and you don’t want to stop till the very last page. The angst, the heart ache and the emotions in this were amazing.
Catch Twenty is second book in her Westover Prep Series. Catch Twenty-Two can easily be read as a stand-alone,I recommend to read the books in order.
This is Frankie and Zeke’s story.
Frankie spend the summer on her grandmother’s ranch. A ranch where Zeke works. He’s about to become a senior at highschool, his family life is a bit complicated. And that makes him hard and bitter. Frankie becomes his target.
Did not grab me.
For as much as I loved the first book – this one really didn’t grab me at all. Zeke had absolutely no real reason to be so cruel to Frankie, so I never really liked him. And Frankie – I can’t believe how many times she gave in to him to just be rebuffed in such a cruel way.
“I hate her, but I hate myself even more for despising a girl that has done nothing to deserve my wrath.” Yeah – that about sums it up.
The scene in the barn really bothered me and had significant ramifications later on in the book.
Not all books connect with the reader, but since Book 1 was so good – I’ll give this series another try.
I voluntarily requested and read an advance reader copy.
This one was just as good if not better than the first one. Frankie goes to Utah to visit with her grandmother. Her grandmother has been telling everyone about her granddaughter including the young man that works for her. But once Ezekiel finally meets her he doesn’t know what to think. So he treats her like crap. He wants to be close to her but he knows that she isn’t going to stay and live the life that he does. I absolutely loved the chemistry between these two. It was instant and hot. You can easily see that there is something between these two. I absolutely hate what happens when he shows up to her school. I hate Ezekiel and what he does. But Marie gives you a wonderful storyline between these two. And I want more. A great storyline with two amazing characters. There are several sad upsetting moments in this one, have tissues ready. Another great book to this series. Cant wait for more.
This bully romance filled me with a whirlwind of emotions. I paced, and had my kindle in death grip from start finish. Saying OMG! over and over…..I couldn’t stop flipping pages. I NEEDED to know what happened next with Frankie and Zeke. What a fantastic story!
Catch Twenty-Two is the second book in author Marie James’s Westover Prep series. I really enjoyed One-Eighty, and since I love a good book series, I happily dove in. And while I liked the story overall, there were a few things that made this slightly less than the rating I gave One-Eighty.
So what did I like about this book? I liked that this bully romance wasn’t the typical bully romance in the beginning. Both the hero and heroine are coming from worlds of hurt in different ways. And as with a lot of first impressions, both of their first impressions of each other do not quite reflect the reality of each other’s situation. And they slowly begin to understand this, but while Frankie is willing to give Zeke the benefit of the doubt…several times over, in fact, Zeke is too hurt and angry to actually act more humane towards her. Even when he can internally acknowledge that she wasn’t what he thought she was at first.
NICUnurse’s Rating: Let me preface the next part of this review with the fact that I’m long past the time in my life where I might understand the emotions and thought processes of young people, especially those of the YA age range. While I could absolutely sympathize with the thoughts, feelings, and actions of Zeke in Utah, I was more than disappointed in how his character responded once they were both at Westover. I’ve always been proud to say that my feelings about how characters should act or the way the story developed and/or ended shouldn’t color my rating on a book. But this one had me struggling with that because I just felt it was more of the same from Zeke and he never really learned from his mistakes with Frankie. And when he did, it seemed too easy. Like Frankie gave in too easily. But this was not my story to tell. What I can say I enjoyed was the author’s writing and character development. Even though I was thoroughly annoyed by Zeke by the time he moved to Colorado. The story flowed well and the author had me invested enough in it that by the time I wanted to smack Zeke with each and every turn of the page, I kept turning the pages because I just HAD to know where this book ended with these two. And for those elements alone…
I give Catch Twenty-Two by Marie James 4 out of 5 stars!
Marie did not disappoint with the second book in the Westover Prep series! Of course you can read it as a stand alone, by why would you want to do that! Frankie and Zeke’s store is a roller coaster of emotions and worth every turn! A must read for sure!!
Frankie and Zeke are amazing! This book was such a heartbreaking book. I wanted to smack Zeke a few times. This is not a book you want to miss!!
Loved this bully romance! I had a strong love/hate relationship with Zeke but loved Frankie. She was so sweet, kind and strong even though she was at the core of some serious bullies (not just Zeke). My heart cracked for Zeke, he’s had to learn at a very young age that life isn’t all puppies and rainbows and it has shaped him into a very very angry teenager and unfortunately for Frankie his hatred for no reason for her was just as strong as his attraction for her and it drive him crazy.