Don’t Kiss the Messenger
(Edgelake High School #1)
by Katie Ray
Publisher: Entangled Crush
Publication Date: April 10, 2017
Genre: Young Adult
Rating:
For most of her teenage life, CeCe Edmonds has been dealing with the stares and the not-so-polite whispers that follow her around Edgelake High. So she has a large scar on her face—Harry Potter had one on his forehead and people still liked him.
CeCe never cared about her looks—until Emmett Brady, transfer student and football darling, becomes her literature critique partner. The only problem? Emmett isblindsided by Bryn DeNeuville, CeCe’s gorgeous and suddenly shy volleyball teammate.
Bryn asks CeCe to help her compose messages that’ll charm Emmett.CeCe isn’t sure there’s anything in his head worth charming but agrees anyway—she’s a sucker for a good romance. Unfortunately, the more messages she sends and the more they run into each other, the more she realizes there’s plenty in his head, from food to literature. Too bad Emmett seems to be falling for the wrong girl…
Disclaimer: This Entangled Teen Crush book involves one fiercely scarred girl who wants the new guy in town, the new guy who thinks he wants the new girl, and the new girl who really isn’t sure what she wants, and the misunderstanding that brings them all together. This modern Cyrano de Bergerac retelling will make you laugh, swoon, and fall in love.
My thoughts…
Don’t Kiss the Messenger is supposed to be a modern retelling of Cyrano de Bergerac but that’s not something I’m familiar with. So, I went into this story only knowing what the synopsis told me. I knew there would be deceit with Cece writing Emmett on Bryn’s behalf but I honestly thought it would only be in the beginning. I had no idea Cece would keep the farce up throughout the entire book.
Because of Cece’s facial scar from a car accident, she’s used to people looking at her differently. She’s always known how to deal with the people who are rude, and it also helps that her classmates all have her back. Cece’s definitely not a woe-is-me character. She’s strong, smart, and is fully capable of handling her own against others. However, when two new transfers come in, Cece’s world starts to get complicated. For some reason, Cece agrees to write emails on behalf of her fellow teammate who is crushing hard on the new kid. Apparently the girl gets tongue-tied when she’s around him and needs Cece’s help. What was supposed to be only a one-time-deal to help break the ice between the two snowballs way out of control. Pretty soon Cece is feeding her lines while they are on a date, she’s wearing Bryn’s clothes and hiding in the shadows, yelling poetic things up to his room to help out when they get into a fight, and she continues to email him her thoughts and feelings. To say she took it too far is an understatement.
“I felt like an actor, standing in the shadows, calling out all the lines but never taking the stage…”
I think for me, the deceit is what really did me in. If it was a one-time thing just to help break the ice, okay. However, Cece continues to do it throughout their entire relationship. She’s become very good friends with Emmett, is even falling in love with him, and she’s still emailing him as if she’s Bryn! Not to mention that Bryn didn’t even deserve him. I mean, she craves and loves the attention from a different boy, is too busy ordering shoes online to pay attention to his musical piece he’s preforming… for her, and is just so incredibly shallow I don’t know why Cece helped her out. I mean, the girl obviously didn’t care about Emmett, she just wanted in his pants. So, for me, I really REALLY disliked all the lying that took place because it went on for far too long and the girl wasn’t even invested in the guy she was trying to obtain/hold onto. I just didn’t get it.
Favorite quote…
“It’s strange how you can have a hundred conversations in a day that never go anywhere, that hardly amount to anything. And then one day, in a two minute conversation, you hear words that are pivotal. Words that make you do more than listen. They steer you in a new direction.”
I love retellings but this is one that I think can be hard to be successful because of the deceit. Actually, I think Roxanne (the movie) seems to be the only retelling of this story I liked. I have a feeling that the deceit would also go on too long for me so I do think I’ll pass on this one. Brilly review!
It sounds to me that they relied a bit too heavily on the Cyrano de Bergerac story instead of being inspired by it. I know the gist of it though not in a ton of detail and that’s pretty much what happens.
Yeah this is too juvenile for me. I can see kids doing this but like you, I won’t be able to relate to the situation fully
I love that quote! This does sound like a cute read but maybe more for a younger audience.
I am familiar with the original and yes the deceit is hard to swallow.