First of all, I will say that I love this story. There is so much more going on than has not yet been revealed. A lot of people are condemning Madi, Dante, etc and while I understand their POV I feel that all of the background story hasn't been revealed yet for me to pass judgment. Besides its just a story born out of the imagination of K Carr and my hat is off to her because it grips you by the throat for sure.
I went back and reread a bit of the background of the characters which in itself is intriguing. Madi lost both parents at the tender age of 6. She blames herself for that. An aunt, her father's sister a woman she'd never heard of or laid eyes on before comes and gets her and takes her from her home in England to America. This woman told a six year old that she and her now deceased father were on the outs because of her mother and then the aunt makes a comment to Madi that she looks just like her mother. How does a six year old process all of this: dead parents, new homeland, strange relatives all at once, an aunt who made it clear right off the bat that she didn't like her mother and then tells the child that she looks just like her so don't give her any trouble.
Now I wonder did the aunt get her any type of counseling? I'm sure that'll come out later. (Chapter 4 gives this background).
Dante and her became friends because her aunt and his mother were friends. They both danced and for some reason Dante decided not to abandon her for his career but stuck by her side. Yes they've been close since she was seven. I'm not passing judgment on their relationship because he made it clear that the mess she is now is a lot better than the mess she was in the beginning. Who knows what happened in those early years that made him keep a close eye on her. If drinking is better than what she used to do, there's no telling what dark road she went down in previous years.
I don't think that there's any romantic feelings towards her from Dante. He's been there for 21 years. I think he see's himself as her protector, her brother. He isn't bothered by Matt being her boyfriend. He has a girlfriend. I think that Madi was crushing on him a bit because he looked after her. I never took advantage of her crushing on him.
Even though I don't agree with the drinking etc, if a person insists on self destructive behavior to deal with something, who can stop them? What could Dante have done short of trying to have her committed? I still refuse to pass judgment on Madi because if the aunt never got her the help she needs, then that would explain the mess she is now. However until she decides that she wants to change, NO ONE NOT EVEN MATT CAN CHANGE HER.
I still have my parents. I can't imagine or possibly know how I would have turned out being in that situation, especially with an Aunt who tells her off the bat to basically suck it up.
While there are those readers who are irritated by her behavior and can say what she "should be doing" no one knows how they would have turned out if they'd been in that situation as a six year old.
I think that there are layers to Madi's personality that are being revealed little by little and I can't wait for more to be revealed.
In chapter 34 she stated that family was important which was why she didn't want to tell Matt what Grumps said to her. She didn't wan't to be the one to cause a separation so she kept quiet. She wants family no matter how messed up they are. She knows what it feels like to miss someone that you love and she doesn't want to do that to Matt.
Now I don't know what else K Carr is going to reveal about Madi, her mental stability, her desire to hold onto whatever family she has regardless of how unhealthy it may be, but I'm here for the long haul. It was interesting to me that back in Chapter 4 Dante relayed in his conversation with Madi just how much her aunt HAS NOT SUPPORTED HER, yet she does whatever the aunt says because she's family and Madi wants to hold onto whatever family she has left regardless of how she's treated.
It will be interesting to me to see how Matt deals with it and what he does to help her move forward. Since he's checked into everyone's background, maybe he needs to try to find out what help she got in the past (if any) by talking to Dante and coming up with a plan to get her to talk to someone now. Even though she may go back to being "normal" for a while, it's a ticking clock and I'm sure that everyone wants to get off of that boat before the next birthday comes around.
This story deserves to be published! It's funny, yet tragic and it has people engrossed in it which is why everyone is so passionate about it. Even though some say they are irritated by the last few chapters, I can bet that they will come back for more once more chapters are added. Good job. K Carr!!!
