Gwen’s Book Nook

Gwen is currently a sophomore marketing major at Clemson University. She is an active member of Chi Omega where she has helped organize social activities and attended philanthropic events dedicated to the Make-A-Wish Foundation. She has also participated in dance teams and clubs throughout high school and college. One of her favorite dance events is her university’s Panhellenic Dance Battle where her Chi Omega team has won two years in a row, raising money for GirlUpGreenville, a nonprofit foundation supporting young girls. Gwen loves going to the beach, doing yoga and pilates, and spending time with family and friends.

Book Reviews

Gripped Part 1: The Truth We Never Told is a gripping and educational novel exploring the lives of adolescents and young adults entangled in substance abuse. The story follows Taylor, a college athlete who becomes addicted to pain-killers and, in turn, starts supplying drugs to high-school students, including his own younger family members. As his own addiction and involvement in distribution escalates, he ends up in a police investigation that could alter his future. The novel weaves between past and present, revealing how Taylor and other young students gradually slip into addiction, often without realizing the full extent of its consequences.

What makes this novel especially compelling is its portrayal of young relationships, whether romantic, familial, or friendships, alongside a powerful message about substance abuse. The book not only highlights the dangers of addiction but also sheds light on how easily one can fall down this path, even when they believe they’re just experimenting. The Truth We Never Told serves as both an engaging story for teens and a cautionary tale, illustrating the unexpected ways addiction can begin and the social pressures that fuel it.

Coming Soon!

Interviews with Gwen

January 2025: Gripped Part 1

1. Who would you recommend Gripped Part 1 to and why?

I would recommend Gripped Part 1 to students in middle school or early high school. Schools often try to educate students on the dangers of substance abuse, but they often take it as teachers and other adults acting like they know what’s best. If they read a story where they can truly understand these struggles and how addictions can come out of nowhere, they will better protect themselves from these dangers and see it as more than just a school lesson.

2. How do you as a young adult relate to the story?

As a young adult in college, I am often surrounded by drug and alcohol use. Substance abuse is often normalized at this age with the excuse being that we’re in college so it doesn’t count. I have noticed many peers who fail to recognize the dangers of their overindulgence, so I connect to the characters who worry about their peers falling down a dangerous path when they are oblivious to it.

3. What did you like best about the story?

I liked how it showed multiple points of view, both from characters who are addicted and those who stay away from substances. I think it allows the reader to empathize with the characters that made bad choices or pressured other characters. Everyone is going through their own hardships and processes them differently, and the book highlighted that.

4. What message does this book send to readers?

I think it sends the message that it’s very easy to fall into a pattern of addiction. You don’t have to be a kid with a hard life or trauma to resort to hard substances. It can start with one drink to reduce anxiety and lead to worse.

5. There are a few different storylines running through Gripped Part 1 because it is setting up the rest of the series. What storyline do you find the most interesting and why? (For example: Taylor and the police, Cathy and Jason, Cathy and Chantal, etc.)

I find Cathy’s relationship to Jason to be the most interesting. The exciting friendships and romances in the book make the story real and enjoyable rather than just educational. This realness allowed me to put myself in Cathy’s position and understand how she navigates her life, relationships, and addiction.

6. Gripped Part 1 sets up the rest of the series but leaves a lot of things “hanging.” What are you most curious to uncover by reading Gripped Part 2?

I am most curious to find out what Jason did to ruin his relationship with Cathy and ultimately how she got to such a bad place with her relationship to drugs. Where I left off, they seemed very strong and shared values, especially related to substance use, so I am curious to see where it went wrong.

7. About the characters…
   1. Who do you feel bad for and why?

I feel bad for Jon because I think he is somewhat misunderstood. He made a lot of mistakes, especially with his relationship with Chantal, but it is clear he is going through something deeper than just wanting to get drunk. I think he has some serious mental health issues affecting his relationship with Chantal and drugs.

2. Who frustrates you and why? 

I am frustrated by Chantal because of her lack of communication with Cathy. The book articulates that Cathy’s substance abuse is a large result of her falling out with her twin sister Chantal. As a sister myself, it frustrates me that they let their relationship get to that point over miscommunication when they were so close before.

3. Who do you most relate to and why?

I most relate to Lisa, because of her personality traits and the way she navigates substance abuse. Cathy and other characters have the mindset that substance use is immoral and are strictly against any of it. While I agree that there is way too much substance use for middle school characters, I like that Lisa views it in a healthy way, where she understands the consequences and does it somewhat responsibly. I also like that she can read people, because I feel like that is a strong trait of mine as well.

4. Who do you like and why? 

I like Jason because of the way he changes himself for Cathy. He was previously known to be somewhat of a player, but even with that he is responsible in other ways such as not participating in drinking. Cathy assumed he was a bad guy who objectifies women, but he proved that he really did have an emotional connection with her. 

5. Who do you dislike and why?

Even though I feel bad for him, I don’t like Jon very much. He is clearly dealing with issues, but that doesn’t excuse the way he’s treated Chantal and refused to communicate. Even out of spite, it is very disrespectful that he would hang out with Alyssa more than Chantal and slowly make her feel less prioritized. I also don’t agree with the way that he chose to not communicate his feelings to the person he should care about the most.