BC High’s Nick Hallal Reviews ‘Gripped Part 4: Smoke & Mirrors’

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Nick Hallal is a rising senior at Boston College High School who’s interested in sports and fitness. He’s been on the varsity wrestling team for 3 years. At school, he is the president and founder of the Bible Club, and he is the captain of Bowman House, participating in leadership activities in and out of school. Over the summer, Nick works at SNAP camp, a special needs camp, enjoying being able to help out others. In his free time, he likes watching sports and hanging out with friends and family. He plans to major in Health Sciences in college with dreams of pursuing a career in medicine.

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Q&A with Nick

1. Who would you recommend this book to and why?

I would recommend Gripped 4 to really anybody but specifically middle school and high school students. Gripped 4 perfectly displays how peer pressure and drug use can affect people’s decisions, having an effect on not only themselves but also the people around them. I think this is a very important message because it shows the consequences of giving into peer pressure while also making the struggles feel very relevant and relatable. Gripped 4 highlights how important it is to make responsible decisions especially when surrounded by people doing the opposite.

2. Why do you feel the topics covered in the book are relevant for teenagers?

I think these topics are very relevant for teenagers now more than ever. As a teenager myself I can see how many of these problems are significantly affecting people my age. Depression and anxiety are at all time highs and are very serious issues that can have a big impact on people’s lives, it is very important for teens to be aware of these problems and the consequences they can have if you don’t address them. Gripped 4 brings attention to these issues and addresses them in a very realistic way that other books fail to do.

3. Why should parents read this book?

I think parents should read Gripped 4 since it can better their understanding of what their children may be facing or have faced. It shows how easy things like drug use and peer-pressure can overtake a teenagers life. I think most importantly the book will help parents understand these issues in a way in which they can recognize and talk about these issues with their children.

4. At this point in the story, what are you most curious to uncover in Gripped 5?

I am most curious to uncover how Jason and Cathy’s relationship will end up and how bad Jason’s drug use will get. I think both are having a negative effect on each other and I know there will be a big falling out as seen in the present-day story. At the same time I am also very curious to see how Taylor reacts to Donny saying “This is your last transaction.” I want to see what Taylor does with the police and if it will put the rest of the Dunkin family in danger.

5. What did you like best about this book/what kept you wanting to turn the page?

What I liked most about the book and what kept me wanting to keep turning the page is how real the story feels. It truly displays how one bad decision whether caused by peer pressure or not can have a huge impact on not only the person making the decision but everyone around them as seen through Cathy and Jason’s relationship. It seems like right when one situation is about to end, another one begins keeping the story entertaining and unpredictable. Overall, what I liked most about the book is how real, entertaining, and eventful it feels.

6. What did you like about the writing style/setup of the story?

What I liked about the writing style/setup was how there are many different storylines and different things happening at once. The book does a great job of managing all these storylines and bringing them together. It is very interesting and entertaining when these story lines intertwine especially during big parties or at school. I also love how the book jumps from the past to present, leaving you wondering what really happened and making you want to read more to find out.

7. How has your opinion of the characters evolved over time? Specify what you now think of the following people after reading Gripped 4:
   1. Luke

Originally I was not a huge fan of Luke as he seemed careless for himself and for others. He would provide people with dangerous drugs because he thought it was helping them. For example, he would provide Cathy with drugs to help her anxiety. After Gripper 4 Luke has grown on me, I think he does actually care for characters such as Jason and Cathy and provides them with drugs because he genuinely thinks they are helpful.

2. Jordan

Going into Gripped 4 I did not know too much about Jordan besides that he was a good athlete, student, and his rumour with Michelle. But in Gripped 4 I learned a good amount about him and I really like him. I think he is mature, responsible, and cares about his family, specifically making himself look bad to Mark in order to hide Marc from the truth. 

3. Taylor

Since Gripped 1 I have always thought of Taylor the same way. He is a very nice, athletic, and most of the time smart person who has one bad moment that changed his whole life–for Taylor that was his injury and his involvement with drugs. Taylor genuinely wants to get better and cares for everyone but he just struggles to climb out of the hole he put himself in. 

4. Jason

After Gripped 4 my opinion of Jason has drastically changed. Before, I saw Jason as a somewhat responsible kid who was smart and cared about the people around him. But since reading Gripped 4 it seems as if drugs have completely taken over his life and are bleeding onto other people such as Cathy. Jason needs to either cut out drugs and or break up with Cathy because it is having a big toll on her as well. 

5. Cathy

Like my opinion on Jason my opinion on Cathy has also significantly changed since Gripped 1. I used to think of Cathy as a very responsible Christian person who struggled with Anxiety but would stay away from drugs no matter the case. Throughout all the books Cathy has continued to fall for peer pressure which has led her down a dark path struggling with drugs. I think Cathy needs to separate herself from the people peer pressuring her into doing drugs and be open with her parents.

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Book Review

Gripped 4, like the previous Gripped books, continues the very authentic, entertaining, and impactful storytelling that makes this series so special. One of the biggest strengths of Gripped 4 is its character development and the way it shows how a series of bad decisions can change the complete trajectory of someone’s life. Through characters such as Jason and Cathy, we see how peer pressure and drug use can lead to even more problems, while characters like Chris show that it is possible to recognize your mistakes and stop them before you hurt yourself or the people around you. The book also does a great job of showing some of the reasons why people might get involved with drugs in the first place, especially through characters like Lisa and Cathy, who use them as a way to cope with depression and anxiety.

What stood out to me the most about Gripped 4 was its emphasis on peer pressure and how it can influence people to make certain decisions that they would not usually make. Jason and Cathy’s relationship really caught my attention because it showed how two people can both be good people, care about each other deeply, and yet still have a relationship that benefits neither of them. Taylor’s involvement with the drug ring was one of the most entertaining parts of the book, especially at the end when Marc, Jordan, and Cathy all go looking for him at the pizza shop. I was worried they would say the wrong thing to the wrong person and get involved with Donny and his people, displaying how drug use can affect not only the person involved but everyone around them. The ending left me very eager to keep reading to find out what will happen to Taylor, the drug ring, and the Dunkin family. I would recommend Gripped 4 to really anyone but specifically teenagers and their parents. It brings attention to serious issues that are very relevant in teen life, such as drug use, peer pressure, and anxiety in a very real way that feels authentic and relatable while also showing how important it is to understand and address these issues.