REVIEW: Ruin Me by Jamie Brenner

In Ruin Me by Jamie Brenner, Lulu Sterling was born into the world of art. Her father was a famous sculptor before his suicide when she was very young, and her mother opened Anna Sterling Gallery initially to showcase his work. Now on summer hiatus from NYU, Lulu is expected to work at the gallery to learn the tricks of the trade, helping her mother with upcoming events. Her boyfriend Brandt is one of the artists who will have his own showing later in the Fall, thanks to Lulu introducing him to her mother. She likes Brandt well enough, they have been together for about a year. But when she meets street artist GoST one fateful evening, she realizes what real attraction actually is.

‘GoST is real, he is here, and in a single night, he has turned me from an audience into an activist.’

Lulu has been following GoST’s work for some time now. She gets the messages he’s trying to convey on the sides of buildings, so their chance meeting leaves her stunned and wanting more time with his brilliance. GoST proves to be a tough guy to not only find but to get close to as well. Lulu is nothing if not persistent, though, and she begins a relationship with the reclusive artist that changes both of their lives forever. But in doing so, she will be altering the lives of everyone around her and left wondering who she can trust and who really had her best interest at heart to begin with.

‘I worry that he will climb any mountain to stay out of reach of normalcy. That he will always be one step away from me–from us. It scares me because the only future I can see for myself is one with us together.’

Ruin Me is a New Adult novel that is at times cynical, at times hopeful, and which gives us a behind-the-scenes look at what goes on in the fast-paced world of art.

I find that whenever I read a book set in NYC written by someone who has lived there, somehow there is a balance of grittiness and beauty that always comes shining through. And I loved that here it was also mirrored in the comparison of the high-brow world of art galleries and the contrasting underground street artist scene. Our protagonist Lulu was stuck in between these worlds. She grew up amongst the elite in the industry thanks to her parents. But Lulu had been drawn to GoST’s art since the beginning. Her struggle to reconcile both sides of her love for art created tension in all of her relationships unfortunately. Ultimately, though, she finds the balance she needs to grow both personally and professionally.

GoST himself was quite the enigma. I liked his character right away although I wasn’t sure if he and Lulu would be good for each other. She wanted him to go public with his identity so he could talk about the meaning behind his paintings and make sure people got the message he was putting out there. But GoST didn’t want fame, money or recognition. And you have to give him kudos for that. He just wanted to do his art and make a statement for however long it was up until it was painted over and covered up. His story (when he finally confides in Lulu) was pretty harrowing so it’s no wonder he didn’t have a lot of trust in people. After some frustrating twists and turns, I did like how the story ended and thought it was very fitting for everyone involved.

Ruin Me is a solid offering for fans of the New Adult genre. Be forewarned that there are references to drug use and casual sex. But the plot full of deceit and passion is the driving force here.

Book Info:

Published May 6th 2014 by St. Martin’s Griffin

The sexy New Adult e-original from Jamie Brenner, in which Lulu has everything except the one thing she never knew she desired—until now.

She lives in a world of beauty.

His life is shrouded in darkness.

When they meet, she must choose between everything she has and the one thing she has always desired.

Lulu Sterling thinks she has it all figured out: with one more year left at NYU, she’s spending her summer interning at her mother’s iconic art gallery, determined to overcome the long shadow of her father’s suicide and prove herself to her critical mother. With her boyfriend, rising artist Brandt Penn, Lulu also hopes she will finally experience the love and desire that have always eluded her. But passion comes where she least expects it in the form of a brilliant, reclusive street artist known only by the tag GoST, and Lulu must decide how much she is willing to risk – and how far she is willing to go — to claim it.