Ames’ review of The Taming by Teresa Toten and Eric Walters.

Main Character: Katie
Love Interest: Evan
Series: n/a
Authors: Teresa: Website|Goodreads Eric: Website|Goodreads

Katie likes to believe she’s invisible. It seems much safer than being exposed as she is–shy, poor, awkward. So getting up on stage in the school production of The Taming of the Shrew should be complete torture. But as Katie tells it, something totally unexpected happened when she stepped on stage: “My head exploded. I loved it. Acting hit me like a sucker punch and I loved, loved, loved it! . . . Invisible Katie became visible Katharina.”

Evan Cooper is, as they say, another story. He knows just what it takes to get noticed, and he uses every one of the skills he’s honed after years of being the new kid. Like tossing the keys to his father’s high-end Audi to a kid he’s never met, first day of school. “I have insurance for car theft,” he explains to a shocked Danny. “And there’s a full tank.” An abuse of the power that comes with privilege and money? Sure.

But more dangerously, is his romance with Katie another version of the same thing? Or is it the real thing?

I went into this book thinking it was going to be light and fluffy. My goodness was I ever surprised by the turn it took! And just like the heroine, I was lulled into believing Evan was a nice guy. That was very sly of the authors. So this review is going to be a bit spoiler-ish.

Katie likes to stay invisible. She’s perfected it actually. Why? Let’s just say mom doesn’t have the best taste in men. Katie and her mom move around quite a bit and Katie is used to not making friends, because she never knows how long she’ll be in any particular place or school. But now she has friends, super supportive friends that accept her for the way she is – which is really nice but unobtrusive. So how does Katie end up the star of the school’s play? She’s in a drama class and to receive credit, you need to be involved in some way. And Katie’s way just happens to be as the star – something she did not plan on and is surprised as everyone else that she is amazing at playing Katharina, from Shakespeare’s The Taming of the Shrew.

And then there’s Evan. He’s been expelled from his very posh private school and is only going to public school as a last resort. His parents are rich and distant and he basically does whatever he wants. His father is also abusive towards his mother, something that drives Evan crazy. He hates that his father treats his mother that way. So he gets back at his dad by being a bit rebellious and letting strange kids use his car on the first day of school. He gets in with the popular crowd right away and as he is also registered in the drama class, he has to help out with the school play. And that’s how he meets Katie. He didn’t notice her that first day in drama class, but his new friend’s point her out as the star of the play and he’s intrigued. More so after he sees her perform during rehearsal. And despite all the popular girls who throw themselves at him, he wants Katie.

The Taming is told from both Katie’s and Evan’s point of view. It works really well because it gets us in both their head spaces and like I said, it lulls the reader into a false sense of Evan’s character. At first he comes across as a great guy. He’s nice to Katie, attracted to her…and then slowly little thought’s start creeping into his narrative and then you’re thinking to yourself, “Wow, this guy is a little bit of an a-hole.” That was a very neat trick on the part of the writers. You’re as flabbergasted as Katie is when Evan’s dark side comes out. Because despite the fact that he hates his father, he’s more like him then he realizes.

Ok, I enjoyed this book a lot! The alternating POV makes the book fly by. You’re totally immersed because you’re in both head spaces. And yeah, very crafty the way we’re drawn in, just like Katie was. And despite the dark tone, there is some levity among the characters. It’s a high school setting and I thought this was portrayed really well by the way they talked to each other:

“It’s Petruchio, not Pinocchio,” I said, correcting him.

“Not the way he plays it,” Danny said. “He’s made of wood and trying to be a real boy. But the difference is that Katie is doing a really great job.”

But this book definitely has a dark side and we’re right there with Katie when things turn sour. I thought the authors handled the subject matter very well. I really liked how supportive Katie’s friends were. I would definitely recommend this book – it’s one that has stuck with me since I’ve read it.

..and that’s your scoop!