Oh god, what a ride! The twists and turns, the shocking reveals, the persistent suspense… It all had me in a constant chokehold! I don’|| 4.5 stars ||
Oh god, what a ride! The twists and turns, the shocking reveals, the persistent suspense… It all had me in a constant chokehold! I don’t want to go into the specifics of the plot since I feel like it would give too much away, but I can honestly say I was insanely engrossed with this entire book! The narration flowed so easily while the story itself was mind-blowing enough to keep me on my toes throughout! This book definitely had me in its grip from beginning to end.
Quite honestly, I was bored out of my mind. I started to drift off so often, I simply couldn’t help but skim the hell out of this book.
T|| 1.0 star ||
Quite honestly, I was bored out of my mind. I started to drift off so often, I simply couldn’t help but skim the hell out of this book.
This book was the definition of “telling, not showing”. I was told from the very beginning that these two have been in love with each other for years, but I was never actually shown what that looked like or why they fell in love. They are constantly waxing poetry about how much they care about each other, but I didn’t get to see an actual connection. It was very superficial, and there was zero development. Everything stayed the same from beginning to end, and I couldn’t care any less.
It was even worse because they were so over-the-top and intense with their emotions and declarations, yet it all felt so fake and forced to me. Their entire love story simply fell flat, and was almost a bit ridiculous. Besides, when they finally got together, all they did was have (weird, domineering) sex, which really hammered home how lust-focused, rather than meaningful, their attraction towards one another had been the whole time.
Anyway, long story short, I literally read this whole thing with a scowl and the occasional eye-roll or raised eyebrow, which is clearly not the vibe you want to have when it comes to a romance book.
Does this book have an actual plot? No. No, it does not. This was pure character-building and nothing else. The full 750 pages are fill|| 3.5 stars ||
Does this book have an actual plot? No. No, it does not. This was pure character-building and nothing else. The full 750 pages are filled with training, training and more training. You’d think that would be incredibly dull, wouldn’t you? Well, somehow it wasn’t. Somehow I started to care deeply about Nesta and I was invested in seeing every single little step of her becoming stronger and happier. I liked watching her journey into becoming a warrior, but most of all, her healing journey into starting to love and accept herself for who she is.
“Forgiveness is not that easy.” “Forgiveness is something we also grant ourselves. And I can talk to you until these mountains crumble around us, but if you don’t wish to be forgiven, if you don’t want to stop feeling this way … it won’t happen.” He cupped her cheek, calluses scraping across her overheated skin. “You don’t need to become some impossible ideal. You don’t need to become sweet and simpering. You can give everyone that I Will Slay My Enemies look — which is my favorite look, by the way. You can keep that sharpness I like so much, that boldness and fearlessness. I don’t want you to ever lose those things, to cage yourself.” “But I still don’t know how to fix myself.” “There’s nothing broken to be fixed,” he said fiercely. “You are helping yourself. Healing the parts of you that hurt too much — and perhaps hurt others, too.”
When it came to the romance between Cassian and Nesta I’m having mixed feelings. It’s weird because I truly loved both of them individually, but I didn’t really love them that much together. I mean, I did love how patient and forgiving Cassian could be with her, especially when he kept reaching out, time and time again, and never stopped caring for her so deeply. However, I would have definitely preferred more emotional affection from them throughout the book instead of having all their interactions result in sex. There was simply way too much smut. The extreme amount of smut was the biggest difference from any other SJM books I have read, and it was not a good change for me.
I also know there are people who have complained about all the other side characters in this book and blame them for how they have supposedly treated Nesta badly, but I found almost all of them to be incredibly understandable in their actions. Furthermore, I actually think the development and forgiveness she found with some of them to be a really beautiful part of her journey.
Anyway, first of all, whoever is complaining about Feyre is actually insane, because she never did anything bad to Nesta, even though she would have been justified to do so after all Nesta said and did to her over the years. But no, Feyre always remained supportive and kind to her, despite Nesta pushing her away in a harsh and cold manner. I genuinely thought it was so nice to see Feyre never give up on her, which, in turn, made Nesta realise how grateful she is to have her as a sister and also how much she truly loves her. Seeing their sister bond heal after all that time was really lovely.
Stroking Feyre’s cold hand, Nesta spoke into the timeless, frozen room, “You loved me when no one else would. You never stopped. Even when I didn’t deserve it, you loved me, and fought for me, and …” Nesta looked at Feyre’s face, Death a breath away from claiming it. She didn’t stop the tears that ran down her cheeks as she squeezed Feyre’s slender hand tighter. “I love you, Feyre.” She had never said the words aloud. To anyone. “I love you,” Nesta whispered again. “I love you.”
There’s also not a single bad thing that could be said about Azriel. He never judged Nesta or tried to punish her in any way. Instead, he continually offered his silent support and allegiance while being surprisingly sweet and gentle to her. Mor, as well, never actually did anything bad to Nesta. She wasn't particularly warm or loving, but I don't think she needed to be. Now, Rhys was harsh, I agree, but he also never actually did anything bad to Nesta. He judged her, yes, but why shouldn’t he, based on her actions and attitude? Besides, his protectiveness and love for Feyre made any dislike he had towards Nesta completely valid for me; I would lash out as well towards those who hurt the ones I love, and he actually did that surprisingly little.
The only characters I genuinely had an issue with, though, were Amren and Elain. Amren was cruel and mean for no reason, and it actually pissed me off so much. Amren’s immense ego and narcissism were definitely bugging me here and for her to drop Nesta so quickly because of one little thing she said was just awful. With that, she showed that she is not someone who truly has your back or who you can count in. Meanwhile, Elain was even worse. She was ungrateful and truly had no justification for her disdain towards her sister. Elain is actually the only person in the world who has no right to blame Nesta for anything, yet she treated Nesta the worst. She had no right to be so mean and dismissive to her when Nesta had always done anything for her, always stood by her side and defended her, willing to give up everything for her. Thus, for Elain to now be so cold and unloving towards Nesta when Nesta finally needed her most is unforgivable. Elain should have been there for her; should have shown more patience and understanding towards someone who was always her number one supporter. It made Elain appear very unsympathetic, disloyal and compassionless. And it was actually kind of satisfying to see Nesta realise how flawed her sister was.
Nesta glanced up the stairs past Feyre. Elain had again opted to remain in her room when Nesta was present, which was just fine. Absolutely, utterly fine. Elain could make her own choices. And had chosen to thoroughly shut the door on Nesta. Even as she fully embraced Feyre and her world. Nesta’s chest tightened, but she refused to think of it, acknowledge it. Elain was like a dog, loyal to whatever master kept her fed and in comfort.
Also, I’m not sure if this is an unpopular opinion or not but I personally like the Valkyries more than the Inner Circle. Their friendship seemed a lot more genuine and less toxic to me. The Inner Circle always appeared to be bound through obligation and guilt more often than not, while the Valkyries truly bonded through common interests, shared experiences, love and genuine care. Gwyn and Emerie were the exact friends that Nesta deserved and needed, and Nesta was the best friend to them out of anyone in this whole series was to anyone.
Her friends regarded her curiously, and Nesta swallowed. “Let me make a wish for all of us,” she explained, gathering the three charms. A small gift — for the friends who had become like sisters. A chosen family. Like the one Feyre had found for herself. Nesta squeezed the charms in her palm, closing her eyes, and said: “I wish for us to have the courage to go out into the world when we are ready, but to always be able to find our way back to each other. No matter what.”
Also, it might sound insane but my favourite “character” in this whole book was the House of Wind! I swear, they were so supportive, precious and sweet! They were seriously the best kind of friend a girl can have <3 The only one who rivals the House’s spot for being my favourite would be Azriel. There’s something so insanely endearing and precious about him. He’s so broody and aloof, but also so sweet and gentle at the same time. His shy and thoughtful nature really made me love him so much. Oddly enough, I also really like Eris. There’s something so mysterious and interesting about him.
All in all, I think this was an engaging book despite the lack of plot and I think that’s solely due to Nesta being a complex and intriguing character all on her own.
Did I really just read a whole book about a guy falling in love at first sight with some beautiful girl he knows nothing about, becomin|| 2.5 stars ||
Did I really just read a whole book about a guy falling in love at first sight with some beautiful girl he knows nothing about, becoming completely (and creepily) obsessed with her, only for him to reluctantly realise that her normal-looking best friend actually has a quite charming personality, so he might just marry her instead? Wow, how romantic…
Honestly, I just felt bad for Lucy. Especially since she was such a kind girl. Gregory was a good guy too, albeit kind of an idiot, but I truly believed he did not deserve her if he wasn’t even going to appreciate her during most of the book. I’m not even kidding, this was what most of his (decidedly unflattering and passionless) inner monologue about her was like:
Lucy Abernathy would never inspire poetry, but she would make a very fine friend.
Or
She was Lucy, for heaven’s sake. She was quite wonderful, in quite a number of ways, but she wasn’t the sort men lost their heads over.
Also, I got so insanely annoyed over all of the ridiculous obsessing that every single person seemed to do over Lucy’s best friend, Hermione. There wasn’t a page that went by where I wasn’t reminded how beautiful she was or how many men were foolishly in love with her. I mean, I know it wasn’t really her fault, but I’d go crazy with a best friend like that. I don’t know how Lucy was able to stand it. Constantly being overlooked by everyone and permanently living in someone else’s shadow isn’t fun…
Anyway, last but not least, now that I have finished this entire series, I want to voice a general complaint I have had about almost all of the books (with this one certainly not being an exception): Why, on earth, does this author continually choose to make her heroines so unattractive? I know I’m not speaking for everyone, but I personally find it incredibly off-putting when the hero constantly remarks how plain or unremarkable the heroine looks, while she just goes on and on about how handsome he is… She doesn’t have to be the most beautiful person alive, but jeez, at least try to even the playing field a little! The way it was now, the couples’ dynamics always seemed super off with the hero having the upper-hand and the heroine always appearing more lucky to have him than the other way around. I prefer it to be more equal, and if not, I want it to be the heroine who is out of the hero’s league. That way, he will at least truly worship her completely, and not have him reluctantly admit he might enjoy her company well enough to marry her, while she’s been swooning after him like a lovesick fool from the beginning, which is exactly what happened in a lot of these books…
This was a lovely and undoubtedly sweet romance. It’s about a rare, exceedingly humble beauty and a scarred, disabled war-hero in a cla|| 3.0 stars ||
This was a lovely and undoubtedly sweet romance. It’s about a rare, exceedingly humble beauty and a scarred, disabled war-hero in a classic beauty and the beast retelling in true historical romance fashion.
Philly and Arthur are both exceedingly gentle people, and so all of their interactions were incredibly soft. They were both insanely selfless, and were always preoccupied with making the other person as happy as possible. Philly adored Arthur, and Arthur seemed to think Philly hung the moon and stars. Their love for each other felt very genuine, and I especially liked how enamored Arthur appeared with her. He was protective and possessive, of course, but above all, incredibly grateful for and astounded by his luck to have gotten to marry a woman so beautiful and kind as Philly.
By heaven, but she was beautiful. More than beautiful. She was radiant. Glowing.
Nonetheless, the romance’s overt and excessive sweetness was a little overdone for my tastes. I had reached the maximum of my tolerance towards sugary sweetness at at least the halfway point, and I was desperately waiting for a modicum of angst or drama or some sort of intensity to come along. Granted, there was some suspense with regards to a creepy villain threatening their happily ever after, but the relationship itself was steadfast and rock-solid. They were so… healthy and communicative, it was almost a bit boring. Even more, Philly’s selflessness, naivety, and overall perfection reached certain heights during this book that I just did not deem believable nor did I find it very enjoyable. I honestly felt like I was reading about a Disney Princess, which, in all fairness, was very cute and nice at first, but after a while became a bit repetitive, and dare I say, even slightly annoying. It made her seem like a flat, empty shell of a human being; not real and without true emotions. I wanted her to lash out at east once or otherwise show a hint of tension or genuine feeling, but that never happened. She remained the perfect Work of Art from beginning to end.
Thank you to my dear friend Dab for recommending this book to me!...more
I loved Hyacinth, but I hated that Gareth didn’t appreciate her whatsoever. I truly despised the fact that she fell first AND harder…
I|| 2.0 stars ||
I loved Hyacinth, but I hated that Gareth didn’t appreciate her whatsoever. I truly despised the fact that she fell first AND harder…
It’s extra unfortunate because Hyacinth was probably one of my favourite heroines in the series so far and she truly had a lot of personality, so her romance could have been so much better. It definitely feels a lot like wasted potential. I just wish that Gareth adored her for her wit, enthusiasm, intelligence, banter, sass, honesty, sarcasm and quirkiness, rather than just tolerated it… She deserved to be worshipped, and instead he acted like she was a nuisance he reluctantly enjoyed against his better judgement. I mean, imagine if this is how your future husband decides that he wants to marry you:
She was sometimes vexing, occasionally infuriating, but always entertaining. She would make a fine wife. Not for most men, but for him, and that was all that mattered.
The whole romance was made even worse by the fact that Gareth only pursued her because he had daddy issues and he wanted to proof to him that he could marry Hyacinth if he wanted to. It made me a little sick to my stomach. I also really disliked the plotline where he tried to seduce her so she’s be trapped into marrying him. It was not only unromantic and uncomfortable, but it also made his love for her seem very dirty rather than gentle. It made me feel so bad for Hyacinth, and made me dislike Gareth even more.
In conclusion, Hyacinth had a great personality on her own, but she completely lacked a backbone when it came to Gareth. He treated her pretty badly and she just took it. She never held him accountable and even ended up being the one fighting for him over and over again instead of the other way around. Yuck.
Well, I officially can’t stand Adrian anymore. He’s a weak, pathetic excuse for a boyfriend. Sydney was being tortured for months and t|| 3.5 stars ||
Well, I officially can’t stand Adrian anymore. He’s a weak, pathetic excuse for a boyfriend. Sydney was being tortured for months and this dude never actually did anything to save her; he was partying, laughing, flirting, drinking, and even kissing other girls. In what world is this supposed to be someone I like, let alone someone I’d swoon over? He’s a self-pitying, petulant, selfish loser and I don’t respect him at all. Sydney deserves a million times better than that sad excuse of a man. It genuinely broke my heart to see Adrian’s chapters of partying be alternated with Sydney’s chapters of bravely fighting through pure agony and torture, while constantly believing Adrian would come for her. I got angry every single time I saw how much pain and sorrow she was going through, only for her boyfriend to be a sad waste of space, with no genuine plan to save her. He disgusted me, and I don’t think the last book could do anything to change my opinion of him after what he did here.
Sydney, of course, was still as admirable as always. Her cleverness, compassion, and bravery never fail to inspire admiration in me, and my respect only flew higher at seeing her character continue to stay strong in that torture camp. She was a true hero, for herself and others, unlike her pathetic boyfriend, or anyone else for that matter. After the amount of times she saved everyone around her, it physically hurt me to see how idle and useless everyone else was when she was in danger. The only person who ever did anything substantial was Magnus, and not any of her so-called friends.
Bully romances are already the least romantic thing in the world to me, but I wouldn’t even call this that. This was just plain bullying|| 1.0 star ||
Bully romances are already the least romantic thing in the world to me, but I wouldn’t even call this that. This was just plain bullying. No romance. Just cruel, unnecessary, childish, ridiculous bullying.
Oh, and of course, this was also written like it came straight from Wattpad. It kind of reminded me of some sort of awful Harry Potter fanfiction written by a 16 year old with an obvious masochism kink.
So, if you feel like reading a stupid, immature book that seems to be about nothing more than a whole school randomly abusing two girls, who, of course, do nothing but take it over and over again, then I’d say give this a go. If you’re interested in actual romance, a well-developed fantasy story, or just a remotely good book in general, then I’d recommend giving this book a wide berth....more
WARNING: THIS BOOK WILL GIVE YOU THE FIERCEST BOUTS OF CRINGING YOU’LL EVER EXPERIENCE!
I was only one chapter in and already near tears.|| 1.0 star ||
WARNING: THIS BOOK WILL GIVE YOU THE FIERCEST BOUTS OF CRINGING YOU’LL EVER EXPERIENCE!
I was only one chapter in and already near tears. It told me everything I needed to know about the kind of book this would be, and I immediately had a feeling I would be in for a miserable time, which unfortunately, proved to be true. After about the halfway point I couldn’t take it anymore and decided to skim. I think it surprises no one that I missed absolutely nothing while doing this, since it was the simplest, most meaningless, uneventful book that gave me nothing but ridiculous quirkiness and over-the-top immaturity. Every single page was the exact same and nothing ever changed!
The beginning already showed me exactly how dreadful the heroine would be as it had me sit through an entire monologue about how AWFUL Bree thinks Nathan’s girlfriend is because said girlfriend doesn’t like her. Of course, the girlfriend’s dislike is entirely valid since Bree DID have feelings for her boyfriend, Bree DID want to steal him from her, Bree DID treat her like she didn’t remotely matter to Nathan, and Bree DID look down on her for merely existing as a female like the big pick-me girl she is.
These men could all squash me between their thumb and forefinger, but they are all softies who honest-to-goodness treat me like their queen. They would carry me around on a chair lifted above their shoulders if I let them. I have no idea why—probably because I’m that girl who doesn’t have an ounce of threat in my five-foot-four body. To these guys (Nathan included), I’m just Bree Cheese, the fun-loving, curly haired girl everyone loves with the dance studio above the pizza parlor.
Anyway, clearly I hated “I’m not like other girls” Bree with a fiery passion, and, although he was definitely better, I did not hold any love for Nathan either. These two were so painfully immature, and I couldn’t deal with their whole quirky dynamic that was supposed to be cute somehow, but just wasn’t. They both just needed to shut. up. Mostly Bree, but still. Nathan deserves to get shamed too just for loving that behaviour and going along with it.
Also, both of them had to be the most blind people on the planet. They both think the other had “friend zoned” them, even though they’ve clearly been desperately in love with each other for years. Of course, neither of them is ever willing to admit their feelings to the other or act on them, so they’re continually in this stupid kind of limbo where they keep dating other people (basically stringing them along) while behaving towards each other like they’re in a relationship anyway. I mean, God, they really gave me a headache. Just be honest and communicate with each other, or at least just open your damn eyes! It’s not that hard. In all fairness, though, I blame Bree a lot more for their miscommunication than Nathan. At least Nathan actually had to deal with Bree constantly shouting she only saw him as a friend or as a brother and saying she would never date him, so I get why he’d be confused by the mixed signals. Bree had zero excuse, though, since Nathan was obviously in love with her and never really claimed he wasn’t. He tried to, sort of, make multiple moves on her and she shot it down each time for no reason.
Honestly, the only thing I did like here was how insanely whipped Nathan was. That boy was head-over-heels and in full-on adoration mode when it came to Bree. He would have done anything for her and loved every little bit about her. I adore love-sick heroes like that, especially if they treat their girl delicately and like they’re the most important thing in the world. Even when the heroine doesn’t deserve it because she’s an annoying pick-me girl like Bree, I can still appreciate the love he has for her. Sort of....more
Although it may sound slightly contradictory, this book was somehow way too smutty and way too sappy all at the same time. The result e|| 2.0 stars ||
Although it may sound slightly contradictory, this book was somehow way too smutty and way too sappy all at the same time. The result ended up being pretty boring and far from engaging.
This was just another superficial romance with a ridiculous premise and two unlikable main characters. There’s nothing new here and ins|| 2.0 stars ||
This was just another superficial romance with a ridiculous premise and two unlikable main characters. There’s nothing new here and instead, it only rehashes silly cliches (with poor execution) I’ve never liked in the first place, let alone enjoy reading the billionth replica of. In short, this book brought me nothing but boredom, eye-rolls, and a whole lot of skimming.
'Dreamland Billionaires' series: 1. The Fine Print - 2.0 stars 2. Terms and Conditions - 2.0 stars...more
This was the most addicting train wreck I have ever witnessed and I simply could not look away! It’s non-stop, idiotic drama, but I cou|| 3.5 stars ||
This was the most addicting train wreck I have ever witnessed and I simply could not look away! It’s non-stop, idiotic drama, but I couldn’t get enough of it. It was so fun for some reason. That said, the angst between the main couple did feel very repetitive, and I was constantly waiting for that moment where either of them (preferably Magnolia) would truly snap and just finally break the never-ending cycle between them. That never happened, though. Magnolia let it go on and on forever, even though she shouldn’t have. She even let him blame her for their situation sometimes, even though she was genuinely in the right about every fight they had.
I have to say that this whole book reminded me a lot of Gossip Girl. The rich socialite lifestyle and the entire vibe of the book was very similar. Moreover, the relationship between BJ and Magnolia was a lot like Chuck and Blair’s with their extreme toxicity, unconditional love, constant push-and-pull, and never-ending tendency to hurt each other. However, Magnolia’s personality and status was completely unlike Blair and much more like Serena, so that did make their dynamic a little different.
Magnolia might have been a little self-absorbed, but she had her heart in the right place and I honestly felt bad for her. She deserved better from most of the people in her life. That said, I had actually started to forgive BJ quite a bit throughout this book, even though he was incredibly unreasonable and hurtful and selfish, because I truly thought he might have had a good reason for his “cheating” (I actually thought he might have been drugged or blackmailed because of the way he talked about the incident). However, then the final revelation came at the end, and there’s really no coming back from that. Before the ending, I have to admit that I wanted him and Magnolia to maybe work it out somehow; I thought their love might have been bigger than that one mistake (even though BJ didn’t show it with his actions). But then when I finally learned the details of that mistake (and the why), I fully realized that I don’t want Magnolia to ever get back together with him. She can’t after what he did. Especially since he did it for no reason while showing no care for her in the moment. He randomly wanted to sleep with someone else, and that shows me his love is worth nothing. Anyway, I truly hope the rest of the series will give her a new love, someone who will make her forget that slutty man-child, and I hope he will do nothing but suffer while watching her live her best life.
All in all, every character in this book was a complete mess and not particularly likable, but I didn’t dislike them all either. A few of them really did have some redeeming qualities or something that still endeared them to me. The only side characters I truly could not stand were Jonah and Paili. On the flip side; Henry was definitely my favourite. Or maybe the sister, Bridget; I really liked her too.
'Magnolia Parks Universe': 1. Magnolia Parks - 3.5 stars 2. Daisy Haites - 3.0 stars...more
Oh, this was such a pleasant surprise! It wasn’t what I expected it to be at all, but that actually turned out to be good thing.
This w|| 3.5 stars ||
Oh, this was such a pleasant surprise! It wasn’t what I expected it to be at all, but that actually turned out to be good thing.
This was about a romance between a motorcycle club member and a tattoo-artist, but their relationship was super gentle and sweet. Of course, their interactions could also get rough when they fought, but their relationship was extremely soft and delicate under normal circumstances. It was oddly endearing.
“I want to be everything to you.”
I also really liked both of the main characters. They were both strong and independent, but also surprisingly vulnerable. Both of them managed to stood their ground when it came to their boundaries, yet they were willing to change for the other as much as possible.
I do want to give a quick warning that this book was pretty smutty, which, if you know my tastes at all, is not something I enjoy reading, but it was actually not so bothersome to me in this case. I think it’s because all of their intimate scenes held a lot of emotion and depth; it wasn’t just sex, it was them opening up to each other in the most vulnerable way. These scenes were always very gentle and meaningful, which took the crassness out of it for me.
P.S. I wish everyone in that motorcycle club had died a fiery and painful death, and it actually makes me sick to my stomach that they got away with everything they did.
'SEX & MAYHEM' UNIVERSE:
Hounds of Valhalla MC: 1. Road of No Return - 3.5 stars
This was such an adorable, fun, heartwarming, and swoon-worthy romance! It’s about a grumpy single dad and the sunshiny firecracker he || 3.5 stars ||
This was such an adorable, fun, heartwarming, and swoon-worthy romance! It’s about a grumpy single dad and the sunshiny firecracker he hires as a nanny for his five-year old son.
I realize in that moment maybe I am heartless after all, because the beautiful girl with the copper hair grinning back at me right now is the one who stole it.
I’m honestly not sure where to start, because I really enjoyed a lot of things about this book. First, I think I just want to point out how much I genuinely liked all of the characters. Willa was such a fiery, passionate, carefree, fun, loyal, and witty woman I couldn’t help but adore in every way. She was the perfect combination of soft and fierce! I needed a little longer to warm up to Cade, but I quickly fell for him as well. He was super crabby and ill-mannered, but I found it to be oddly charming. And Luke… Well, Luke was just the cutest little boy on the planet, wasn’t he?
I need to pick my next words carefully so I don’t come off like a condescending asshole. I know I often come across that way, and I don’t want to with Willa. It’s an unfamiliar feeling, wanting someone to like me.
The funny thing is, I just know that Cade could have been a very annoying character if he had been judgemental or condescending to Willa, but he was luckily never like that. He was so in awe of the happiness and lightness that always hung around her, and, even though he wore a permanent scowl on his face, he could never find it in his heart to be mean to her. He adored her so much, and it became insanely obvious in the way she was the only person in the world, other than his son, who could make him smile and feel genuine warmth. He truly put her up on a pedestal and was scared she was way out of his league. He felt jealous and possessive of her, but never wanted to drag her down to his level. He genuinely thought the world of her, which is why I could never judge him for the scowls and grumpiness he gave her from time to time. That was just the way he was, and it made his gentle moments all the more sweet.
How hard would it be to smile more, to laugh more, if it made her look this happy?
It wasn’t just the romance that stole my heart in this book, though. I was also melting at the true love that developed between Cade’s son, Luke, and Willa. Not only was Luke the cutest little boy ever, it was also really obvious that he was craving a mother’s love so much. He was so enamoured with Willa’s free spirit and fondness for fun, and I could tell he fell in love with Willa just as quickly and just as deeply as his dad. Their bond was simply the best thing ever.
“Do you think . . .” He peers back up at me now. “Do you think it would be okay if I called you mom too?”
Nonetheless, despite, the many things I loved about this book, I do have to say that it lost me a little in the second half. The beginning had a lot of delicious pining and tension, whereas the book became a little more boring to me after they finally gave in and had sex for the first time. I was actually surprised at how long it took them to get to this point, so I do have to give the book credits for that, but when it did happen, the book lost a lot of its intensity for me. It was still really sweet and did make me feel all warm and fuzzy, but I wasn’t as engaged as I was before.
“See, Dad? I told you not to be sad. I told you she’d come back. Our wishes came true! She loves us too much to leave.”
All in all, I really thought this was a nice read. I especially enjoyed the way Cade’s grumpy scowling slowly and reluctantly melted away by Willa’s fiercely happy attitude, and I loved seeing their little family click together. It was very wholesome!
This was a story about a woman who never learned to stand up for herself in an abusive home environment, who never learned to accept he|| 3.0 stars ||
This was a story about a woman who never learned to stand up for herself in an abusive home environment, who never learned to accept herself for who she really was, but also about a woman who was forced into a role of caregiver when she was wholly unprepared and unsuited for it. I think that last part is the one that I found the most intriguing here; the portrayal of being a caregiver was very raw and bold in this book, showing the ugly and dark sides, while also not shying away from the reality of not wanting to dictate your entire life to someone else’s needs, not even when it’s for a person you love. Eventually, someone might simply burn out after having to spend each day that way for months, and I think that’s understandable.
Anyway, I think it’s obvious that, in a way, I did like this book as it dealt with some very interesting themes, but most of it got overshadowed by how much I despised the heroine, Anna. She was very selfish, egotistical, naive, passive and weak. I know she was autistic and had her struggles because of that, but that wasn’t an excuse for every single thing. Some of it simply showed bad character.
For example, the fact that she let her dad brutally suffer for months and months, knowing he didn’t want to live that way, only because she didn’t dare open her mouth to her mother and sister was honestly disgusting and cruel. If it had been because she couldn’t say goodbye or face the truth of her father’s hopelessness I could have understood, but no. She never opened her mouth only because she didn’t want her mother or sister being disappointed in her or thinking bad of her. That’s why she let her father be tortured for months. It genuinely made me a little sick.
I want to tell them to stop, that he’s moaning because he doesn’t want to live this way, and all their ministrations are torturing him. But I don’t. I know it won’t do any good. I’m not here to talk
I also feel like she didn’t appreciate Quan enough. She took him for granted and didn’t give him the same care, support, interest and consideration as he did her. She let her family treat him like trash without ever correcting them. Even more, she never actually broke up with her other boyfriend, even after months of dating Quan, which was just insanely disrespectful. He really deserved better, and I could never quite figure out why he was so in love with her. She truly wasn’t all that great to him (or anyone else), so it didn’t make sense to me. I almost felt like she was using him a little bit, and he just accepted it for no reason. He gave her everything, while she gave him basically nothing.
“Anna, I’m in love with you.” “I love… being with you. You’re the one person I can really be myself with. But I don’t know if I’m in love with you yet.”
Long story short, I think this book had an interesting story to tell but I sometimes struggled to get over my dislike for the heroine.
Honestly, I did kind of like the tension and the chemistry between them at the beginning, but after they had sex for the first time it || 2.0 stars ||
Honestly, I did kind of like the tension and the chemistry between them at the beginning, but after they had sex for the first time it all became super bland. And it’s not even like there were only sex scenes after that, but it’s just that I didn’t get a deeply romantic vibe from them. Luckily it did take them a while to get to the sex stage, but once it did, I was super bored and I lost all investment in their relationship. It suddenly felt a lot more superficial and forced, and they just didn’t interest me whatsoever.
Also, I really struggled with the tone of this book sometimes; it’s like nobody was ever capable of having a real, genuine conversation with meaningful emotions. Like, for example, when her dad finds out she’s been groomed as a teen by her doctor and sister’s husband, he just… jokes about it? And doesn’t mention it again?? Nobody takes it as seriously as you’d expect and that really threw me off. Weird situations where serious topics are brushed aside like that happened quite often in this book and it made it pretty hard for me to feel connected to the story or the characters. It made everything seem pretty lame and silly.
Furthermore, I kind of hated how Summer let everyone walk all over her. I know she’s supposed to be this sweetheart with a giant heart, and I do like her because of that, but it also really frustrated me when she was so forgiving towards people who genuinely treated her like trash.
Lastly, Rhett truly behaved like a child 99% of the time. He could be pretty gentle and galant towards Summer, so I didn’t hate him or anything like that, but he was just so childish and petulant that I honestly couldn’t respect him. It’s like Rhett’s one goal in life was to be as stubborn as he possibly could. He also never really took other people’s feelings into consideration, and it made him seem so immature. This dude was literally destroying his own body for no reason; he was doing it just because he was so damn desperate for attention. Thus, like I said, I simply couldn’t respect him.
All in all, this was a disappointing and lackluster read for me. It wasn’t terrible, but it was just super underwhelming.
This book proved that you really don’t need constant, over-the-top love declarations for a book to be insanely romantic!
Khai is autisti|| 4.5 stars ||
This book proved that you really don’t need constant, over-the-top love declarations for a book to be insanely romantic!
Khai is autistic, and because he has never processed emotions the same way as other people do, he has convinced himself he has a heart of stone and can’t feel anything at all, but nothing could be further from the truth. He actually experiences things very deeply, and is capable of extending a tremendous amount of care. I mean, even though it isn’t until the end of the book that he is finally able to recognize he has loved Esme this entire time, it was already so obvious through his subconscious actions and thoughts towards her. It was such a touchingly sweet and gentle story, and I loved it from start to finish.
I also thought it was a very nice detail that Esme never really learned what autism was, and never saw Khai as different in any way. She fell for him exactly the way he was, and she didn’t need any excuses or explanations. It was honestly adorable; Khai’s broody cluelessness and Esme’s bubbly naivety truly made for the cutest couple.
Well, shite. What a big disappointment. Especially after I had such high hopes…
This book really started out promising; it was gentle an|| 2.0 stars ||
Well, shite. What a big disappointment. Especially after I had such high hopes…
This book really started out promising; it was gentle and sweet and delicate. Archer was such a broken but heartbreakingly kind man, and Bree was the sunshiney goodness he needed in his life. They were both so pure and warm, I instantly loved them. I adored seeing their quiet but strong connection grow over time; it was so endearing to see Archer find a safe place and a person he could talk to. It was sad, but also really beautiful.
However, the minute these two decided to get intimate in a romantic way was the same moment the whole book went downhill. Gone went all of their sweet and meaningful interactions, and in its place came nothing but horniness, smut and the occasional love-bombing. Sex was all these two seemed to do with each other anymore and their love declarations felt a little over-the-top and underserved; the book just lost all depth and beauty for me, and it simply became boring and repetitive. Super disappointing.
Also, I got really frustrated with their relationship near the end. At first, Archer seemed to think Bree hung the moon and stars and adored her with a fiery passion. This woman was his whole world and you’d think he could never live without her. But then, randomly, and without reason, this man decides to leave her for months because he loves her too much and needs to learn how to live on his own…?? EXCUSE ME!? He literally just left her. With a dumb, weak note. For months. Bree had no idea if he’d be back, or when that would be, and he even said he didn’t expect her to wait (so apparently he was fine with her moving on??? What the hell??). But obviously she does wait, and when he comes back she doesn’t even get mad. Nope, she welcomes him back with open arms like nothing happened and they live happily ever after. And I guess their happy ending was that Archer now learned to love her less, so he won’t be afraid of losing her, and that’s… good somehow? I dunno. I thought it sucked. And honestly just kind of ruined their whole relationship dynamic for me.
Lastly, the plot of this whole book was insane. You’re telling me Archer’s dad and uncle shot each other, but nobody ever thought to ask the only witness, Archer, what the hell even happened? Even if he couldn’t speak, they could ask him to write it down! Jeez. How incompetent is the police department in that town??...more
Oh my god, this was awful. It felt like it was written by a 14-year old girl who didn’t even bother to check whether any of her writing || 1.0 star ||
Oh my god, this was awful. It felt like it was written by a 14-year old girl who didn’t even bother to check whether any of her writing made a lick of sense before publishing it. The sentences had no structure whatsoever, the plot gave me whiplash, and the characters were as ridiculously unbelievable as possible. The romance had to be the most random and underdeveloped thing I’ve ever encountered; it’s a bully romance, but the book starts with the bully being halfway in love with his victim from the get-go, so the very first time we see them interact he says “sorry”, they hook up, and start a relationship. This all happened in the first damn pages, and it was simply insane.
Anyway, after I’d read about 20% of this book I knew it was utter trash, so I decided to skim the rest of it. I’ll just recap the gist of the plot, because wow, it was so dumb and I feel like people need to know just how dumb it is before choosing to waste their time on it: Okay, so the book starts with the arsehole bully having an epiphany about lusting after the guy he’s tormented for years, so he decides to have some sort of hate make-out session with him (which the victim was totally okay with for some reason?), and then they immediately start dating and talking about love. It was super random and had no build-up. However, it gets worse, because some big “misunderstanding” happens that has the victim running away for five years, which leads to the bully being all pissy and angry at him (hypocrisy is a foreign concept for him, I guess). Anyway, this means that after the victim comes back he spends the whole rest of the book groveling and trying to win the bully back. Like… excuse me!? You’re telling me the bully gave his victim severe anxiety, OCD and dissociative disorder with his abuse, but the book decides to focus on the grovel the VICTIM gives to the bully? A grovel we NEVER got from the bully in the first place?? And the victim has to grovel for leaving for very valid reasons, because who can blame the guy for not assuming the best about his abusive bully when everyone tells him horrible lies about what the bully was planning to do to him?? I’d have left too! Well, I’d never have forgiven the bully in the first place, so the whole point is moot, but still. Just… What a mess. So frustrating.
P.S. The victim’s dad casually ended up dating and impregnating his recently legal son’s closest friend, which was totally accepted by everyone and the dad was considered the good guy in this story. I feel like that should tell you all you need to know about the quality of this book and the decency of the characters....more
Aww, this was actually super sweet and adorable. I didn’t expect to feel so much affection for this book, but I did.
Stella and Michael|| 4.0 stars ||
Aww, this was actually super sweet and adorable. I didn’t expect to feel so much affection for this book, but I did.
Stella and Michael had such a gentle romance with a true love connection. They were absolutely perfect for each other, and I love how they took everything slowly to make Stella feel more comfortable and safe. It felt so soft and nice. They were both very insecure and thought the other person was way too good for them, and somehow they failed to realize that they were absolutely perfect in the other’s eyes, and neither one would change a thing about each other, even if they could. They gave each other complete acceptance, which was exactly what they both needed, and it was lovely to see them come together.
I do have to say that it got a little ridiculous at times when they were so blind to the other’s feelings; nobody can be that oblivious! It was so clear that they both fell in love and it was no longer “just an arrangement”, but their insecurities refused to let either of them accept that… I kind of understood why Stella was unsure considering it was Michael’s job to play a role and make women feel good, but what was his excuse for not recognizing her (very obvious) feelings for him??
That said, the thing that truly made me fall in love with this book was the heroine herself. Stella was utterly endearing, forever loyal and caring, always honest and direct, and so very kind. My heart broke for the insecurities she felt about being autistic, and I hated seeing her try to change to be “normal”. The fact that she thought she needed “lessons” to help her be better at sex and relationships was a little heartbreaking to see, but then again, it did lead her to Michael, so I guess it was a good thing in the end. She was just such a precious person, and I really wanted her to he happy so badly. Seeing her finally find happiness and understanding and affection after being so lonely for so long truly made my heart feel so full. I really loved seeing her find her happily ever after, and she couldn’t have found someone better to do that with than Michael.
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