Fear Me--B.B. Reid

I have absolutely no idea how the average rating of this book is so high. This book is basically glorified rape. I know that the disclaimer says dubious consent but I understood that as maybe drunken or drugged sex not the rape that occurred. The main male lead is described as an antihero, and alpha male, when in reality he is in high school, a grade-A asshole, abusive and a rapist--no dubious consent about it. He is a rapist.

The story stars of with Lake’s first encounter of Kieran. They are young, I think around 8.  Someone is stuck up on the monkey bars, no one moves to helps so Lake being the new kid goes to help him.  One quick shove and she is hurt on the ground.  This is when Kieran first starts threatening her and hurting her.  He threatened to kill Lake just like he did her.  For ten years, he is verbally and physically abusive to her for reason she has no idea about except that she reminds him of her.  Her friend informs her that he is back from incarceration. The psychological trauma is so extreme that she hyperventilates to the point that she PASSES OUT!  

Well, now he is back and he threatens to kill her aunt and tells her that she can longer be friends with her best friend of ten years. He controls almost all aspects of her life, including making her quit her job. All of this is done with ulterior motives and sexual ones at that.  As previously stated, he threatens to kill her aunt if she doesn’t become HIS--his to take however, whenever he wants. She fights especially the first few times, Lake even calls Kieran a rapist. Sure she is attracted to him and always has been, but it doesn’t counteract all the crap he pulled.

There is more to the story that is a great big spoiler, but that whole storyline is so not plausible. It’s basically we have two stories one with a bullying rapist and one where someone’s past comes to destroy everything.  Of course the past is also kind of rape-y. This whole book was a cluster of rape and abuse.

This is not okay. This book was not okay. Not only all this but the storyline just is hokey. No! There was just so much wrong with this story. Maybe if it wasn't set in high school? Maybe if there wasn't rape? Maybe if the characters were likable and not annoying? Or maybe not. I'm not sure if this book could have been salvageable to me.