Tristan Lopez is loyal to his brothers. He doesn’t really have a choice, born into a gang that has a chokehold on every kid that roams its streets. He gave his life to them willingly, knowing if he did then one day this kingdom, led by boys drunk with power and ruled by fear, would all be his.He was loyal through it all. Loyal when prison took his dad away. Loyal when his face was touched by the … the cold metal of the rival gang’s gun. Loyal even though his mom begged him to run the moment she returned home from rehab.He thought about becoming someone else. It was hard not to crave the life of a regular 17-year-old. It’s the only reason he stayed in school-to pretend. But he always fell back in line.Loyal.Riley Rojas didn’t belong in Tristan’s real world. She should have only been part of the fantasy, one of the many faces he got to pretend with amidst rows of metal chairs and desks and whiteboards with assignments. But there she was, moving boxes from the back of an old pick-up into a house Tristan had shot up on a dare with his friends only a few months before.Tall enough to look him in the eyes and strong enough to fill his shadow, Riley took up space on his streets, her loud mouth fearless in the face of the gang leaders who terrified everyone else. She pushed Tristan around on the hard court, and she balled better than his friends-better than him sometimes. She challenged him. She needed him. He liked it. And when her pale blue eyes stared into his, he quit wanting to pretend.He couldn’t ask her to leave because she’d only dig her heels in deeper. He couldn’t ask because he didn’t want her to go. She was blurring his lines. She was testing his loyalty.He was falling in love.And it was going to tear him apart.
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Ginger Scott is amazing. I love all of her books.
Another amazing book by Ginger Scott!
Ginger Scott is one of those authors for me. That when she releases a book, I HAVE to read it! If I’m lucky enough to get an ARC, then I also buy the book. I love her books, they’re written as though she poured every emotion out of her heart and into her words. They touch me so deeply that when I see the cover months & years later, I am moved by the memory of reading that story.
Cry Baby was so raw, so honest, so emotional and complicated. Nobody could have written this story better. Gang culture is a common and real problem in society today, and they prey on the very young. Sometimes good people become swept up in terrible things, and sometimes choice doesn’t exist. There aren’t easy answers, but in it all, there is love. Somewhere. Often deep and hidden. And there is good. And that’s what this story is about. Tristan was one of these good people, swept up in gang life and the terrible things that came with it. Then Riley came along, and she showed Tristan what his life could be. But getting out of gang life isn’t that easy.
“Riley has opened this window to what I could be. She’s built a bridge between my reality and my fantasyland, and I can’t stop crossing it.”
This YA Romance is HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!!! I give it 5/5 Stars!!
*** Review of audiobook ***
STORY:
Even though he wants to, Tristan “cry baby” Lopez doesn’t cry, thus his nickname. He also doesn’t really want to be a gang member, but since his father was a founding member, he’s obligated. New girl Riley piques Tristan’s interest, motivating him to take the different path he’d been tempted to venture down but had never thought he could.
I absolutely loved Tristan and Riley! I could FEEEEL their struggles, and because Scott is so eloquent, I could see them in my mind’s eye as I read about their lives. My only complaint is that this book is very YA, with the romance scenes being fade to black. I don’t think it needed to have more explicit sex, but I feel that if the romance aspect of this book was more detailed and fleshed out, this book would have been even better.
PERFORMANCE:
I listened to the audiobook narrated by Alex Kydd and Amy Melissa Bentley. I listen to almost 100 audiobooks every year, and I have never been as excited to listen to one as I was when I first heard Kydd’s voice. It’s soo unique! With his raspy, youthful, sexy, unique voice and what I initially thought was a New York accent but soon learned was his attempt to sound Hispanic, his voice reminded me of actor Dave Franco! And he’s just as talented as Franco, too! His performance really added to how much I enjoyed this book!
Bentley also delivered a flawless, impeccable performance, adding believability to Riley‘s character as well. I will definitely be seeking out more audiobooks by these two talented narrators!
Riley and Tristan were everything. I love these characters so much and I just wanted to embrace them both in a big hug. My heart broke for Tristan and the life he lived. He was stuck and Riley was his salvation. They both needed each other in a way they never knew. There are parts of this book that are fun and sweet, but also incredibly tragic and sad. Tristan is stuck in a life he never wanted because the only way you get out is death. Once he meets Riley he starts to see there is another way, a life that is worth living, and he’ capable of so much more. Riley has such a beautiful soul and she is the sunshine through the clouds.
I really loved this book. If you like The Problem with Forever by Jennifer L. Armentrout you will definitely love Cry Baby. Loved this book so much.
I’m so emotinal right now!! I don’t know what to say.
This book was just beautiful.
Slow build at first but a really good book.
This seemed very different from the Ginger Scott books I love.
See my review in French here
I’m more into NA/Adult romance, but when it comes to Ginger Scott, I just can’t say no to her YA stories: I KNOW it’s going to be another amazing love story.
Because Ginger Scott writes feelings like no one else.
I always connected deeply with her characters.
I just love the way she creates perfectly imperfect heroes and heroines, and the stories in the background are always so emotional…
CRY BABY is a very, very special YA book, with a very strong message.
It’s hard, raw, tragic, realistic and emotional, but also beautiful and hopeful.
Because it’s about a topic that became too familiar, too frequent nowadays. It just couldn’t be handled differently.
I don’t want to tell too much about the story.
You need to read Tristan and Riley’s story.
It will break your heart, but the journey is so worth it…
And when you’ll close the book, you may feel – at first – that you needed a little bit “more”, but honestly, I believe the ending was the perfect one for this story.
Ginger Scott put very few thing int the Epilogue, but they were the most POWERFUL ones.
You’ll get what I mean when you’ll reach this point in the book.
Amazing job, as always, Ginger Scott!
***ARC Provided by the Author for an Honest Review***
Visit my French blog: https://isalacroqueusedelivres.wordpress.com
This was such a raw and wonderful love story. Tristan and Riley were such amazing characters. I definitely recommend this book and this author.
Real is what this story is.It is raw and emotional.
A roller coaster of emotional feels
Cry Baby is a well-written book that will make you crave reading more. Ginger Scott is an amazing writer and I could not put the book down. You are drawn into this book from the very beginning to the end. Highly recommend it!
I’ve been counting down the days for Ginger Scott’s latest release and dove in the moment it landed on my kindle.
Cry Baby is so different from any book I’ve ever read. It’s the tale of Tristan Lopez, a member of the Fifty-Seven, a gang started by his father. He’s loyal, caring, and forced into a life he never wanted but had no choice but to be a part of.
Riley Rojas is new to the neighborhood and doesn’t fit into this new world. She’s an incredibly strong lead—the perfect counterpart to Tristan’s headstrong ways.
As usual, Ginger Scott delivers an incredibly powerful novel with a realistic view into gang violence. How once you’re born into that world, it’s impossible to escape.
Cry Baby put me through the ringer. My heart broke for the life Tristan led, the choices he was forced to make.
Ginger Scott has the amazing ability to take tragic and real issues and turn them into these unforgettable stories that will leave you feeling ALL THE FEELS!!! I want more of their story!!!
No words I could possible say right now could even begin to describe how incredible this story truly was. Ginger Scott is an extraordinary author who knows how to captivate her readers with her one of a kind writing! I am still kicking myself for only just now reading something from her, but I’ve got to say that this was the perfect story to fall in love with her words! I am already looking forward to reading her backlist in the near future (or whenever my bank account will see fit to allow it)!
Cry Baby is a beautifully poetic and tragic love story about two young souls, Tristan Lopez and Riley Rojas, on a journey of self-discovery. My heart ached for these two and the overwhelming emotions I felt illuminated my heart time and time again. This is certainly one of those stories that will stay with a reader long after they reach the end. Trust me. It’s been a few days since I’ve devoured this story and I am still at a loss for words and I can’t seem to shake the feeling I felt while reading this phenomenally written story. Sure I’ve read a few books since reading, but my heart keeps going back to the feelings I felt before, during and after learning to truth that this story held. It is truly unlike anything I have EVER read!
Quite amazing! I didn’t think I would like this story but I was so wrong. It grabbed me from the beginning and I didn’t want it to end. The author created such complex beautiful characters that twisted my heart waiting to find out their story and the outcome of the events that shaped their lives and relationship. I just couldn’t see how they would survive. This is a story of supreme tragedy, conflict, love and perseverance. I fell in love with Tristan and Riley. The unfolding of their love story was breathtaking. I loved the baller aspect of the story and Riley’s jock persona. It was a terrific way for them to connect. Tristan was such a man for his age and beautiful human. A lovely character. The story did have a few dinks that I’m sure someone will pick at but let me say…leave it alone. This is a fabulous story. I voluntarily reviewed an ARC. 4.5 stars
5 Stars
Review by Amy
Late Night Reviewer
Up All Night w/ Books Blog
Wow! I think Cry Baby turned me into a great big cry baby! Ginger Scott’s words tore out my heart, ripped it up, and then put me back together just to do it all again. This was one emotional roller coaster of a ride.
Tristan has been handed a rough existence. Born into the gang life, he continues to do what he has done since he was a child. He remains loyal to the gang, his adopted family, even if that means lying, committing crimes and putting his life and those he loves on the line on a daily basis. What makes Tristan unique, though, is he has potential for so much more. He attends school on a regular basis and his teachers and counselors see hope for him. Unfortunately, he does not recognize the potential in himself.
Riley, oh how I loved her. She is a spunky go getter who is not afraid of anything, including Tristan, who does everything he can to distance himself from her. A lover of basketball and a fighter by nature, she pushes her way into Tristan’s life. She began to steal his heart, just as she will steal yours, and that is when things get complicated.
Tristan knows in order to protect Riley, he needs to keep her at arms length, but she does not make that easy. Will Tristan and Riley find a way to overcome their differences and the dangers that stand in their way?
This was such an emotionally draining read. I connected deeply with both Riley and Tristan. I wanted so badly for Tristan to find his way and make a happy life with Riley. His gang made sure he knew that wasn’t and option, but Riley refused to stand back and watch him throw his life away. She saw a part of his heart that he had never revealed to anyone before and she was determined to help Tristan find a different lifestyle. What will Tristan do when his gang has made it clear there is no way out.
This was not a genre I would normally pick up, but the blurb peaked my interest and I am so glad I read this one. It was a deeply poignant read, and I highly recommend you add this one to your TBR list. You won’t be sorry.
I’m hanging my head in shame right now because Cry Baby is my first Ginger Scott read! BUT, it’s not that I don’t have a plethora of Scott’s books on my Kindle, because I do, it’s just about finding the time to read all of the words of so many amazing authors.
I do have to admit, though, that it did take me a bit to get into Tristan and Riley’s story, partly because I needed some time to get used to Scott’s storytelling and the way she sets up the exposition of her text, and partly because I don’t read too many YA, even Mature YA, reads, so putting myself in the right frame of mind took awhile. BUT, I was beyond enthralled by Cry Baby the deeper I got into the plot line and the more Scott developed both Tristan and Riley’s characters, and by the time I read the last page of the story, I knew I had another author whose words and characters appealed to me in a multitude of ways.
It’s clear that Tristan needed someone to tell him he had a choice when it came to the path he led, and while he was always adamant that he didn’t have a say…that his life was already dictated for him at the age of 10 and even more so when Dub branded his mark on Tristan’s skin, Tristan, albeit subconsciously, did crave a way out – one that didn’t result in his demise, and what was also clear is that it couldn’t be someone who was already a part of his life because their voices and their thoughts had already been swirling around in Tristan’s conscience, but it never took hold the way it did when Riley entered his life and refused to be quieted.
‘If you don’t want to try to make a change this way, Tristan, then I’m going to find another way. For as long as I have access to you, I’m not going to stop. This road you’re on, it’s got you so twisted, and I…God, Tristan, I see it. I can smell it in the air when we talk, and I can taste it. It’s so sour and bitter, and I know it’s making you sick. It’s making me sick for you, Tristan. And yeah, I know I have no idea how bad it actually is, but I know more than you give me credit for. I see your map, and I’m begging you to just look at this alternate route I’m showing you. You don’t have to go this way, Tristan. You can turn.’
These aren’t Riley’s words, but due to Riley’s presence, this speech and its ideas took hold of Tristan and forced him to ‘make a change,’ not only for himself but for a girl who has come to mean so much to him in a short amount of time, and while the resolution of the albatross he wears when it comes to the Fifty-Seven gang doesn’t have an easy fix, he still needs to attempt to carve a new path because it’s the only way he’ll truly be able to be his own man and make his own decisions.
Nothing is guaranteed in life and Tristan and Riley learned that lesson at an early age, and while Tristan has never seen a different path as more than a fantasy, the girl who’s heard his hard truths and didn’t run and keeps showing up proves that regardless of how difficult it is to no longer be nicknamed ‘Cry Baby’ and no longer be under the thumb of a deviant and dangerous man, there’s a way out…there’s a different way to go and it’s a way that makes everything he’s ever wanted a reality.
Ginger Scott is a fantastic storyteller, and the lessons that she teaches throughout the course of her stories are worthwhile for readers of any age. Tristan and Riley’s journey is extremely difficult but it’s also incredibly transformative for both of them, and through their harrowing battles…through their challenging decisions, they supersede their environment and the circumstances that surround them, resetting the course of their lives, both individually and together.
4.5 Poison Apples
I’m broken…this is so real it hurts.
Riley is the new girl of the neighbourood, Tristan is the boy who can’t run away from there.They become kinda friends,they kinda have feels for each other but they are on different paths and their futures can’t be more divergent.
Could Riley’s light bright Tristan’s dark and hopeless life?
I usually don’t read books about mafia or gangs because these subjects are too close to home for me. I don’t appreciate the “romantic” view some authors show in their works but Ginger Scott has once again pleasantly surprised me with her realistic and honest writing.
This goes straight to my favorite books of 2018 list…do not miss it!
This is one of those stories you finish and wonder what you just read. It was a beautifully tragic tale of trying to find who you are and what you stand for in a brutal world. I could not put it down.
Tristan and Riley’s love story isn’t a pretty one. It’s not the “first love” romance you expect in a YA read. It’s raw and honest and so complicated it made my head spin and my chest ache.
There were times I had to stop reading as I was crying so hard I couldn’t see. Their innocence at battle with their hardened lives. The injustices these kids have to face broke my heart. This author packs a punch with her stories and this one just about broke me. Hope for the hopeless – it’s a truly amazing read.
I want to tell you all the good things about Cry Baby. The cover is a perfect depiction of Tristan Lopez. The story ebbs and flows with an exact picture of the teenage condition – push and pull, choices, path in life, love, friendship, loyalty, right and wrong. It’s a gritty story of the streets and what some have to do to survive. The thoughts of a ten year old Tristan are troubling when they are focused on gang life he was born into. It’s not anything I’ve ever lived through, but I completely knew the tough life yet loyalty he felt to that life right from the beginning. A sense of hopelessness sinks in and you just want to reach out and hug him. Then anxiety crashes in as Riley Rojas enters the picture. She brings a new dimension to his world and he ponders life outside of the gang. Being a teenager is tough enough, growing up in violence and chaos significantly worsens the prospects. But through it all their growing relationship builds and gives a front seat to the beauty that is young love. It’s all there and as much as I loved the actual story we were being told, I feel a little let down by the ending. With such a heavy subject the end didn’t give me closure I needed. Overall, this was a great and emotional read for m