Punk 57 by Penelope Douglas offers a captivating premise: two penpals who have corresponded for years, only to discover that their long-awaited meeting falls short of their expectations. The narrative delves into the complexities of their relationship, exploring themes of bullying and intense tension.

I chose this because of the popularity on TikTok... New Adult is not the genre for me. I felt no connection to the characters, they felt shallow and mean.

This is definitely not my favorite book by Pen Douglas, but it's a good bully romance for sure. I wasn't like immediately sucked in, but I was able to finish it and still be like ok that wasn't bad. Definitely not my favorite of theirs though.

I don't know how I never made the connection that while Punk 57 is a standalone the characters cross over to the Devil's Night Series. I had finished Killswitch and Conclave and was thinking man I would love book about Misha and Ryen's story and boom it's been here the whole time. I thought the beginning was a bit slow, but I still didn't want to put it down.

This was my first pen pal story but it quickly turned into enemies to lovers and I couldn’t put it down! I honestly couldn’t stand Ryen in the beginning! She was the school mean girl and I had a hard time liking her. But, her character growth was amazing to read and I felt heartbroken for her. I absolutely loved Misha! He was everything I love in a MMC! This story is about loving and accepting yourself and standing up for what is right. And I was shocked by that plot twist! I am looking forward to reading more from this author!

#NetGalleyARC There was so much hype about this book on social media, people absolutely raved about it but I thought it was just meh. I know that this style/trope of romance is popular and I’m okay with that but I’ve read so many other titles that did it better. Not horrible but not social media frenzy worthy.

Thank you so much for this copy of Punk 57! I loved the fresh material and continue to enjoy Penelope Douglas' work.

"Punk 57" by Penelope Douglas completely grabbed my attention when I first picked it up in October 2022. It's a wild ride of a story that left me with mixed feelings, but in the end, I just couldn't put this book down.

I loved Misha and Ryen being pen pals, especially how they knew each other more than they knew themselves. The entire time I couldn't wait for their identities to finally be revealed. Their relationship is no doubt intense and complicated. Their young, passionate love leads to some heated moments. However, their flaws and imperfections make them feel real, and that's what makes their story so gripping.

One thing I really appreciated was getting to see things from Ryen's perspective. I haven't read many stories starring the popular girl as the male lead, and when I do, they're typically portrayed as pristine and perfect. But Ryen's journey is refreshingly different. We witness her struggles to discover her true self and become someone she can be proud of...and it's honestly refreshing.

"Punk 57" does tackle some dark and intense moments that might be a bit challenging to read, but it also beautifully captures the complexities of young love and self-discovery. The characters' flaws and the hurdles they face make their journey all the more relatable and human.

While this story may be a turbulent ride at times, the emotional depth and intensity of the narrative make it a worthwhile read for those who appreciate raw and passionate love stories.

Thank you to Netgalley and the Publishers for this Advanced Readers Copy of Punk 57 by Penelope Douglas!

This story is staying with me for many years! The book follows Misha and Ryen, two childhood pen pals who have made it their mission to not look up each other but have developed a deep relationship with one another. This friendship turns out into more and going deep into the different POVs was extremely enjoyable! Douglas does a fantastic job with making sure the reader feels the teenage angst that Misha and Ryen experience throughout the story. I can’t wait to tell everyone about it!

I read and loved Penelope Douglas’s Birthday Girl, that’s the main reason I requested this one. But honestly it was just a bit bland for me.

I'm learning that Bully Romances aren't for me.

I didn't buy why both of these characters were so awful in any given way. They were both deeply and unforgivably flawed, but I suppose that's not a bad thing in some cases.

Misha giving Ryen a hard time about not being herself while at the same time hiding huge parts of his own life was laughable. They Both had better than thou complexes that I simply couldn't get past. And it does worry me that teenagers might read this and think this kind of behavior is acceptable.

If you like bully romances, you'll probably like this.

Thank you to Netgalley for an advanced readers copy of this.

I always wanted a pen pal when I was younger, so I loved this story of pen pals grown up. This story from start to finish held my attention, so much so that I dreamed about it last night! I related to Ryen since she just wanted to fit in, but I loved how Misha encouraged her to be true to herself just like she used to do for him in her letters. I am definitely a Penelope Douglas fan now!

Well, that is another Penelope Douglas book I started and finished in one day. I couldn't put it down, even when I should have gone to bed. I was intrigued with the premise of this one and couldn't figure out how it was going to play out. This storyline surprised me a few times but I was in love with Misha from the start. Ryen was very likable to me even if on the exterior she acted like a stuck up brat. I could see through that by being inside her head. She was at war with herself and you could feel the struggles through the words. Misha was so very broken after the first night he met Ryen and it was understandable why he distanced himself from her. It was inevitable with the love they shared that nothing would keep them apart in the end though. This story was beautiful and I am in love with these characters. I loved getting a glimpse of the DN characters too.

I haven't read much of Penelope Douglas's work, but I feel like if I had then I would have been more prepared for this book. I tend to think she has a style and an audience and I just wasn't the targeted demographic. The book had some intriguing storylines but I felt like the drama and chaos overruled the underlying lessons and truths that could have been much more prominent. The characters were in high school but the amount of freedom they had was insane. Even amongst the teachers/administrators at school. So much so that they could come and go at all hours of the night (one character - a STUDENT - was even given A KEY to the high school.... um... ok.). I did like the author's note and could relate to the message of being yourself, not giving up, things will get better, etc. but again - it felt like the absurdity of some of the situations and characters overshadowed these messages. Thank you to NetGalley and Berkley Publishing Group, Berkley for the ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.

It's extremely readable and I can see exactly why TikTok has gone crazy over it.

Thank you to NetGalley and Berkley for the ARC.

I had a fun time reading this story, but it wasn’t my favorite of this writer’s works. Still very entertaining though. Some of the things I enjoyed were the constant back and forth banter between the main characters, the drama and, of course, the spice levels. My only problem lies with the pacing of this book. It felt like it dragged too much for the first half and didn’t really pick up until after halfway. Otherwise, I would still recommend this book for any fan of dark, angst fueled romances.

Punk57 was such a fun read! Ryen and Misha have been penpals since 5th grade and now they’re in their senior year. they had this perfect image of the other person because they never contacted outside of their letters together, so they could curate the right image. Misha was an open book to her and to everyone else, the only thing he kept to himself was his band name so it wouldn’t cause her to search him. But when they collide and he finally sees past the written letters and to her true self, that’s when things burst and could go either two ways, an awful destruction or a delightful collision.

i’m so shocked i’ve not read that many books by penelope douglas, they’re so unique and a breath of fresh air to the happy and sweet romances i’m used to. this felt true to the high school life, not always sunshine and daisies as it can seem in most fiction.

Thank you Netgalley for the ARC. I avoided this book honestly because most hyped books just don’t meet the hype. That being said this book did. This book was everything! Friends to enemies to lovers, bad boy vs cheerleader. But I great dose of reality I think honestly every highschool kid needs (Minus the spicy bits) a real message about the way you treat people and bullying and how times have changed and you can’t escape the pressure of being perfect anymore. It’s fantastic. Now the romance was like lighting that struck throughout the book. It was fast and intense and gone. A real slow burn with an aggressive twist. The characters were real and easy to relate to I think everyone will relate to one of them. A great book cover to cover and I’m sad it’s over.

slay mama this is enemies to lovers epistolary new adult steamy perfection!!! penelope douglas is at the top of her game in NA and spicy booktok books!