Fight For Her by Liz Plum

I had the absolute pleasure of receiving an ARC of Fight For Her from NetGalley and Smith Publicity in exchange for an honest review. This is such a cute, adorable and fast-paced high school story, but with some more depth than what might be expected at first glance, and some really great character developments. Some parts were perhaps a bit too unrealistic for this book to be fully as gripping as it could have been, but it was overall a very sweet and enjoyable read.

Most high school books and movies take the outsider’s perspective, but here the main character, Scarlet Tucker, is the popular girl who has it all. A lot of friends, wonderful parents and a boyfriend, Jack, who is captain and quarterback of the school team and on his way to becoming an NFL superstar, but also “with the looks and a southern charm that would have made every girl drool over him anyway”.

But what if being that girl isn’t as great as it would seem?
 
“Looking in from the outside, it would appear that high school has really been the best four years of my life. Every day people in our small town see the muscled arm of our school’s star quarterback wrapped around me and friends surrounding all sides. The view from the outside, however, only scrapes the surface of who I, Scarlet, really am.”

After the tragic death of her brother, life has become a struggle for keeping up appearances for Scarlet and she’s starting to question if her perfect life really is that perfect. Why can she no longer stand her friends ridiculous conversations that are all about posturing and bragging? And why hasn’t she noticed before the mean way Jack treats other, how he always chooses football over her, and how he cares more about his reputation than about her feelings? And if she’s so happy in love with Jack, why does her heart race for no reason whenever she feels bad boy Elijah Black’s eyes on her? Is it only because she feels a connection to him since they share the same sorrow from losing a brother, or is there something more to it?
 
“There’s nothing selfish about wanting to be someone’s first choice.”
 
I really rooted for Scarlet and loved that she had so much more depth than her peers. She’s so strong and capable and had such integrity; she’s the opposite of a damsel in distress! I really appreciated that Liz Plum avoided most of the high school stereotypes and that she let Scarlet be into fixing cars and helping the guys out, and that Elijah wasn’t made into the typical bad boy with a leather jacket on a motorbike (even though he got a leather jacket in the end…), but more of a bully victim. Elijah was definitely my favorite character in this story, my heart ached so much for him!
 
The first part of the book had a little bit too much descriptions of how rich the Tuckers were (although not compared to the richest kids in Scarlet’s school) and how perfect and good looking her parents were, and how beautiful and hardworking Scarlet herself was. I understand that it was to set a backdrop to explain that living a privileged life doesn’t automatically make you happy, but some parts were a bit over the top. But then came this twist when Elijah let Scarlet into his hidden life of underground fighting, and some major secrets started to unravel that would seriously impact both of their lives. Some parts here were a bit unrealistic, but that set aside, the last part of the book was so unnerving and suspenseful, and kept me on the edge all the way through!
 
Overall, this was a great debut by Liz Plum and a sweet, easy and highly enjoyable high school story, even though it might not be the most realistic one. I read the book in one sitting, not able to put it down until all mysteries had been solved! So, 3.5 stars rounding up to 4 for the way this book kept me entertained and in suspense the whole way through.
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Rating:
4 stars

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​Author info:
Liz Plum