We were perfect together. Until we met. MishaI can’t help but smile at the lyrics in her letter. She misses me.In fifth grade, my teacher set us up with pen pals from a different school. Thinking I was a girl, with a name like Misha, the other teacher paired me up with her student, Ryen. My teacher, believing Ryen was a boy like me, agreed.It didn’t take long for us to figure out the mistake. And … agreed.
It didn’t take long for us to figure out the mistake. And in no time at all, we were arguing about everything. The best take-out pizza. Android vs. iPhone. Whether or not Eminem is the greatest rapper ever…
And that was the start. For the next seven years, it was us.
Her letters are always on black paper with silver writing. Sometimes there’s one a week or three in a day, but I need them. She’s the only one who keeps me on track, talks me down, and accepts everything I am.
We only had three rules. No social media, no phone numbers, no pictures. We had a good thing going. Why ruin it?
Until I run across a photo of a girl online. Name’s Ryen, loves Gallo’s pizza, and worships her iPhone. What are the chances?
F*ck it. I need to meet her.
I just don’t expect to hate what I find.
Ryen
He hasn’t written in three months. Something’s wrong. Did he die? Get arrested? Knowing Misha, neither would be a stretch.
Without him around, I’m going crazy. I need to know someone is listening. It’s my own fault. I should’ve gotten his phone number or picture or something.
He could be gone forever.
Or right under my nose, and I wouldn’t even know it.
*Punk 57 is a stand alone New Adult romance. It is suitable for readers 18+.
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Misha and Ryen have been pen pals since they were kids thanks to a misunderstanding. Ever since then they have written to each other and little by little they created an intense connection. They know everything about each other, their family problems, their insecurities, their fears and dreams. The funny thing is that they don’t know what they look like and they agree to not look each other up. All of these changes when Misha sees a picture of Ryen and gets a peak of who she is outside their letters.
Ryen is a complicated heroin. She does everything she can to fit in and this has made her do and ignore things that are wrong. The sad thing is that she isn’t like this. She suppresses her true self so her peers accept her and not judge her. But once you learn the reasons behind her façade you feel for her because, in one way or another, we have all wanted to be accepted and conformed ourselves to be someone we are not so we can be accepted.
Misha was a huge jerk, but a lovable one. Under all that tough, bad boy personality, is someone who is loyal, loves unconditionally and isn’t afraid to stand up to what he believes. There were times that you just wanted to slap him in the face and then kiss him because the reasons behind his actions just makes you love him even more. And yes he was a huge jerk to Ryen (he has his reasons), but their chemistry was hard to ignore. Trust me, their sexual tension is hot, intense and just wow. And in complete honesty, his attitude towards her, it helped chip away her façade and for her to be more herself.
The story is well written, the twist and turns are well executed, you feel the characters emotions, intensity. So if you want a pen-pal, somewhat enemies-to-lovers and semi angsty book, I’ll give this one a try!
This took me straight back to high school and I loved it. It was an original plot, not your typical bully romance and that made it even better. The motivation of these characters was believable, reasonable and the chemistry was *hearteyes*…..
I’m such a sucker for this book. I just love how Pen can always make amazing twists in her stories.
Ryen is one of my favorite female characters of all times because of how human she is with all her flaws. Misha is also an amazing character and I just loved him since the first moment.
These two were always perfect for each other and I just love to read about their story time after time.
Well, I did it! Punk 57 helped me complete 130 books in 2020! Thank you Penelope Douglas. Penelope is a new author to me and I’m excited to find more of her backlist in 2021!
If you are a fan of any type of high school “bully” romances, this is the book for you. Now, I’m usually not a fan of high school romances anymore, however, this book really sparked my attention. The whole back story of pen pals who eventually meet. I also put bully in quotation marks specifically because half of the book has that kind of feel for a little bit.
This book spoke to me as I felt like Ryen in high school. The girl who just wanted to fit in. Who doesn’t?! I may not have necessarily done the things that Ryen was apart of but I think most people could relate to this feeling.
There are some twists and turns you don’t see coming until the end of the book and it comes full circle. Penelope Douglas has definitely grabbed my attention!
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You’ll Find Your Tribe
This is my fourth book by Pen Douglas and she has quickly risen to one of my top five favorite authors. I love the depth she brings to each of her characters. The whole of each storyline is well developed and carries just the right amount of angst and heat that I crave. With each book, I’ve become more and more intrigued by her writing talent.
In this book, we meet Misha and Ryen, who have been pen pals since they were kids but they have never met and make promises not to look for each other. But as usual, life throws in unexpected circumstances that can disrupt plans.
Ryen doesn’t seem to be the person Misha thought he knew. She is that cliched “mean girl” but only on the outside. Over the years, she has developed a model of behavior similar to “If You Can’t Beat Them, Join Them”. My first instinct was to hate her character but since we had a glimpse into Ryen’s internal thoughts, I could see the hope for her character.
Misha was another drool-inducing complex character that had me falling in love early on. There was also a bit of suspense where he was concerned and the answer to his actions snuck up and shocked me which is usually hard to do.
I really loved how the book ended and as I read the last sentence, I was smiling and my heart felt full.
Really I read this book to read Nightfall. Lol My first book by Penelope was Credence(wowwwzers), and then I went on to Corrupt, Hideaway, Killswitch[], Conclave. And Punk57! I love this title. It took me a minute to get it but finally I did lol. I loved this book and every word in it! But the only thing that I wonder about is the very beginning. Whenever they were assigned as penpals. I’m so curious how those first letters turned out. What were the first impressions they had of each other. I wish I read that. But aside from that I loved all the different factors that played out in this storyline. Misha is awesome and I really like him. Pretty cool how he is such a good person way better than I expected since reading Killswitch. Lol he seems genuine in this book and a kind hearted person. He isn’t ugly on the inside at all, unlike someone else. Lol Poor Misha. The very ending was a shock. Unbelievable about his mom. Ughhh. Horrible. I don’t like her. Crappy just like her crappy stepson! Ryen was cool, even though she was shady here and there. But she too had some issues. Her sister sounds like a total witch and she sucks!!!! Reading about Mishas dad was sad too. Real sad. The horsemen were mentioned a bit and like always they’re awesome sauce. I’m realizing Penelope Douglas is becoming one of go to authors!!! I absolutely love these stories and the movies I play in my head are great. Such good detail and creativity!!! Amazing. I like reading more into this family.
This was my first book by Penelope Douglas and since then I have read a bit more of her books. I am so glad I found this author. I’m so in love with her characters and their worlds.
listen. This book is awesome. I just read it and I’m going to buy the physical copy so I can re-read it whenever I want.
I’ve listened to this book several times. It’s got the most perfectly cast narrators that bring the characters completely to life. They are so good in their roles that I now hear their voices in my mind when I read the book on my kindle. The story is compelling, especially since the reader knows something that one of the characters doesn’t. Awaiting the reaction to this discovery is part of what kept me hooked, but the interactions between them were always exciting too. This author really knows how to build sexual tension, and it never waned. The history they shared also added a unique element to their situation. The mix of familiar and unfamiliar is really original to this story and kept me engrossed in it from start to finish.
Punk 57 was so much more than I expected. Starting off as pen pals from a school project Ryen and Misha wrote letters for years until an accidental run in. From there what unfolds is amazing!
Misha is young man enjoying playing with his band until a heartbreaking moment starts him on the hunt for things that completely took me by surprise. It truly is a small world out there! Ryen, like many young girls today, is just trying to survive high school life and does it exchanging who she really is for what she thinks everyone wants to see.
After their run in where Misha learns who Ryen is he continues to pop into her life but not as the boy she knew in the letters. He sees the pretend Ryen she wants everyone to see and can’t believe its the same girl he has been pen pals with. Their “relationship” does not start off well until her facade starts to crack and he starts to see the real Ryen underneath. When secrets are finally revealed they are so much more than I thought. This book exceeded my expectations and I look forward to more from this author!
Ryen and Mischa are one of my all time favorite NA Romance couples. I am a fiend for the friends to lovers trope and this one is one of the best. Mischa and Ryen are penpals since the 4th grade and even though they only live 30 minutes away from one another they have never met. No social media, phone calls, nothing.
That all changes when Ryen unknowingly shows up at party for Mischa’s band. Mischa is shocked to find the girl who he’s been writing letters to for all these years isn’t who she says she is. Suddenly things change and Mischa finds himself in Ryens orbit. All the while she still doesn’t know its him thinking he just ghosted her. The growth of Ryen through this book is amazing and her and Mischas bond is swoon worthy.
Mischa brings out the best and the worst in Ryen and whew the steam. Mischa is one of those amazing guys who absolutely knows who he is and is comfortable enough to tell the world to go screw themselves if they don’t approve. This rubs off on Ryen who has one of my favorite character arcs in a romance ever. Seriously you will not like Ryen at first but man is she relatable.
This books touches on a lot of real issues like bullying, self acceptance, peer approval and loss
This book was everything. I love Misha & Ryen together. Misha & Ryen are couple that no one will ever forget. Not only is this an amazing story, but also to let you know to be yourself and if no one likes you for who you are then you don’t need them in your life. Another remarkable read by Penelope that I really enjoyed and was absolutely glued to my kindle.
I don’t know why I waited so long to read this book. It consumed me from beginning to end. There’s so many secrets, it kept me on edge the entire time! Ryen and Misha boy let me tell you. These two had such a fire.
This book is the perfect mix of hotness and sex. You won’t be disappointed.
“We were perfect for each other. Until we met…”
A little misunderstanding with names started a beautiful friendship through letters with Ryen and Misha; for years they confided in each other, discover love and so many new things as pen pals, after 7 years they still write each other to tell about everything, they can be their true selves in those letters…but they agreed to never look each other up, they don’t know what the other looks like; until Misha discovers who Ryen really is, the girl he read in those letters is nothing like the girl that is standing right in front of him…
Ryen’s entire life is based on pretending, she feels different and as a kid they treated her like a freak, so she decides to be someone else, and never show her true colors…only to Misha, but from one moment to another he stops writing and she can’t understand why he left her, when he knows how much she needs him…she starts to feel alone, and the only one who can resemble to Misha’s words is this boy who just arrived at school and he seems to be trouble but there’s something familiar about him…
I loved reading this book, if you’re up for a little unexpected high school romance, you have to read Punk 57, this book has so many good things, drama, secrets, love, pain and lies. Believe me this one is not dark at all but it’s not entirely sweet…
I really enjoyed this book. It had me hooked from the first page. I read this entire thing in one sitting. I had to see what was going to happen next with Misha and Ryen. Their story was so good. It is Angsty and super freaking sexy. I really loved Ryen. She just wants to fit in and I get that. She is a complex character and I loved her even when I got mad at her. Misha is complicated. He is angry and is on a mission to get some answers. I really loved him. He shows real emotions and is honest with himself. He knows what he wants and one of those things is the real Ryen. These two have such an undeniable connection. From the moment they meet you can feel it and it only grows stronger. They make each other better. I loved reading about them falling in love. It was absolutely incredible. This book surprised me. It was angsty and sexy and I could not put it down. I definitely recommend this friends to enemies to lovers romance. It will captivate you.
P.S. I LOVE this cover. It is so colorful and it fits the book so well. It is so pretty!
Punk 57 follows Misha and Ryen who started writing one another in 5th grade. 7 years later they are best friends, even though they’ve never met. After tragedy strikes Misha ends up at Ryen’s school, though she has no idea who he is. But when they come face to face our hero isn’t sure if he actually likes her at all.
They’re journey is rough and not conventional in any sense, but if you like high school romance, you will love this.
Punk 57 is a bully romance done right, in my opinion. I have tried a few bully romance books in the past, and disliked them.
This book made me see what the appeal of this sub-genre may be to so many.
The way Penelope Douglas wrote it, neither of the characters is clearly the bully or the victim. Both have their own strengths and weaknesses, and the conflict is largely a battle of wits, which I enjoyed very much.
Can always count on this author to bring us a well written story. This one doesn’t disappoint.
Pen pals for years, divulging their secrets in letters, promising to never track each other down.
Really enjoyed this one!
Ryen wanted to be accepted and not be the outcast, the only time she was herself was with Misha, her pen pal from primary school, his teacher thought she was a boy and hers thought he was a girl, they were mismatched but their friendship was everlasting, until it wasn’t.
Ryen was mad a Misha for disappearing and showed it the only way she knew how, although she was in the in crowd, they were also the school bullies.
Masen shows up and Ryen can’t believe the attraction to him, but he fights back when they bully him, and calls her out on everything. Ryen starts to miss Misha more and more, and with Masen around she’s wondering if who she is, is who she really wants to be, she’d never been happier than when she was writing to Misha, but she’s getting the same feeling with Mason, can she become who she wants to be again instead of who she thinks everyone wants to see.
Penelope Douglas knocks it out of the park every single time! I enjoy her books tremendously! They’re always different from what other authors write and her writing is amazing! Punk 57 was not at all what I was expecting and that makes me love it more!