Title:  He’s So Not Worth It [Indie Bound] [Amazon]
Author: Kieran Scott [website] [twitter][facebook]
Genre:  Contemporary, Romance
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Series: He’s So/She’s So Trilogy
Format: eGalley
Source: Provided by Publisher
Parental Advisory: sex, drugs, alcohol, language, criminal activity
Teachable Moments: fidelity, teen pregnancy

“It’s amazing how in five short hours, everything completely and irrevocably turned to crap.”

Summary (from the publisher):
Ally Ryan, come on down to the Jersey Shore and forget your troubles!

Have you recently been humiliated in front of your friends and family at your former best friend’s birthday party?  Was your almost boyfriend partly responsible for that humiliation by withholding some vital information about where your estranged father is?  Did you come home to find said estranged gather sitting on your stoop?

If so, then it sounds like you could use a vacation!  The Jersey Shore is the place to be.  Your mother may be living with her boyfriend of only a few months, but at least the stunt Shannen pulled has put some of your friends back in your court.  Even so, you’re still angry and what better way to get over Jake than to blow off some steam with a local guy. Cooper?  People will hardly recognize your new attitude, but the old one wasn’t getting you anywhere, so who cares!

Jake Graydon, an exciting opportunity is waiting for you in the service industry!

Are your grades so low your parents have grounded you for the summer?  Did the girl you really like unceremoniously leave you behind?  Would you rather eat dirt than see your friends again?  Then a job at the local coffee shop is just the ticket!  Surprisingly, Ally’s father is the new manager so you get to be reminded of her nearly every day. Maybe it’s time to start flirting with your best friend’s ex or even taking school a bit more seriously.  Especially when you finally see Ally and she’s hanging around with some loser and it couldn’t be more clear that she is over you.

Have a great summer!

Opinion:
You may already know that She’s So Dead to Us was one of my favorite reads of 2010.  I found it to be a really angsty (in a good way) but realistic look at a girl who is alienated from her friends as a result of the actions of her father.  Ally was a strong girl who withstood so much and still managed to avoid being whiny and all “woe is me”.  Jake, the boy she longed for, was fair to her, was charismatic and independent enough to make the effort to do the right thing. I just loved it — the story, the characters, the whole dang thing.

This is why I’m so super sad that He’s So Not Worth was such a disappointment.  It took a cliched and predictable turn that left me feeling astonished that I was reading a book about the same characters and the continuation of the same story.  Unfortunately, for me, It went way far off the rails.  So, I’m going to give it a go and try to describe where this book and I didn’t connect.  Sadly, I can’t really describe my feelings about the book without giving away spoilers so from here on out if unless you want to know what happens in this book you should stop reading.

**spoilers ahead**

Let me start by talking about the characters.  The characters in this book were not the characters I met in the first.  They weren’t the same in any way.  Don’t get me wrong, I get that changes result from plot developments.  I even expect that.  But the extreme to which Ally, Jake and others changed was so jarring and not in a positive way.

Let’s talk Ally.  In book one she had a quiet strength that allowed her to endure the torture her friends put her through.  She was somewhat understanding of all sides of her situation and was surprisingly compassionate given her treatment by others.  She loved her family (even the father that deserted her) and treated most everyone with respect.  In He’s So Not Worth It she was just a whiny, self absorbed and selfish mess.  It was awful.  I didn’t like her at all and I couldn’t root for her to find happiness.  Frankly, I just didn’t care.  While I get where her motivation came from the way she handled betrayal was spiteful and childish.  I recognize that this is something that would come natural to a girl her age but I’d have preferred it in limited doses.

Then there was Jake, a really sweet guy in book one.  Someone who was tentative about rocking the boat of popularity but man enough to do so when it counted and Ally counted.  He was fair-minded, though easily misled, and was generally laid back and easy going.  Well, here, in book two.  What a high strung wuss.  Much like Ally, he turned into this whiny mess of self-pity.  He was a constant complainer, didn’t do much to take responsibility for his actions and was always looking for a quick fix.

About the only characters that seemed to either stay somewhat unchanged or made reasonable development were Grey, Ally’s mom and surprisingly Shannen.  I quite enjoyed seeing how Shannen changed between book one and two.  THIS was the kind of character development I was expecting.  She had moments where she as the same manipulative bitch but she also showed heart and remorse and a genuine desire to be a better person both to herself and those around her.  Frankly her story (though a small part overall) was the most interesting part of the book.

So the central focus of the plot was not the kind of angst I enjoy and, more importantly it wasn’t remotely productive.  Jake pretty much pines away for Ally for part of the time and then decides (briefly) that there are greener pastures and hooks up with someone else.  For her part Ally is all about solving her romantic problems by attaching herself to a Shore townie who’s bad news on a variety of different levels.  Neither of the two make any real effort to resolve their efforts as a couple which results in them being slapped back together abruptly in the end.  The hows of it all is a series of predictable and convenient plot points.

In an attempt to keep from being too dire I will also admit I liked that there was a positive focus on Jake’s changing academic focus.  This was also a rather realistic portrayal of a boy his age.  He really just wanted to hang out with his buddies at the Shore all summer but when forced to go to school he reluctantly embraced it and found himself enjoying the challenge and rewards of his hard work.  It was during these moments that he was the Jake from book one that I adored.

I could speak to other parts of the story that relate to Ally’s relationship with her father, it’s influence on her relationship with Jake, and how she interacted with other friends and family.  But really it was all pretty much points in time to set up the inevitable cliffhanger of Jake & Ally getting back together just in time to find out he’s gotten the rebound girl he dated pregnant.  All of which sets up the third book.

Honestly, I almost put this book down.  I knew what was going to happen very early on and reading it all play out was an exercise in both futility and frustration.  And really, the cliffhanger?  There wasn’t another way to head into book three?  The pregnancy thing is way cliche and only makes me hesitant to read book three given the way this book went.    But, because I’m a glutton for punishment, and because I’m hopeful (for whatever reason) that book three will bring back some of the rootability and charm of book one back to the story, I will likely pick it up.  Probably not right away and definitely not with as much anticipation as I did with He’s So Not Worth It, but I’ll probably finish this series out.