**spoiler alert** Take a shot every time the main character of this book is described as “small, tiny, fragile.” You'd terminate from alcohol poisonin**spoiler alert** Take a shot every time the main character of this book is described as “small, tiny, fragile.” You'd terminate from alcohol poisoning. One hundred and fifty-three times. She is so sMoL, not like other girls, uncaring of his fame and unaware of it — as though that's believable — and I quote, “have you seen me? I was barely five feet tall and fifteen years old and ridiculously small for my age and I weighed 85 pounds.” I DO NOT JEST. *gag* And Johnny Kavanagh, the rugby prodigy, who is just so big and A MAN while being seventeen years old. And he kept on whining and bemoaning Shannon being fifteen, sixteen, whatever. He was a gentleman sometimes and I loved how he insulted Bella, but... This author clearly has a soft spot for male genitals (balls, penis, d*ck— how many times did I read those words? too many.), riDicUlOuSlY sMaLl girls who always make a damn fool of themselves, seventeen year old MEN, and girls who simply cannot stand up for themselves. The only people who made this book bearable were Claire and Gibsie. I also grew somewhat fond of Joey but a few of his actions were certainly questionable. Aoife is also a sweetheart, and Johnny's parents are lovely, though flawed. The rest of these characters can rot in hell. Along with the main character. I was so sad, reading about all the trauma she was subjected to, but that's where my sympathy ceases. I DON'T LIKE ANYTHING SHE DOES, OR SAYS, OR THINKS. How can one character be so daft? She can't do anything right and that annoyed me profoundly. I was genuinely facepalming at every word she had the intrepidity to utter. This book should have been DNFed by me, probably at the 100-page mark, but I just went on and on to read over eight hundred pages of one of the worst romances I've ever picked up. The ONLY salvageable scene in the entire book was the hospital scene at the end which made me laugh so hard I had to clutch my stomach, but the rest... no. Speaking of laughing too hard— Gibsie and Claire omg, they're very honorable mentions. I love them. As for Johnny, once again, he's not the worst MMC I've ever read about; I like him, but I don't love him. For instance, the Shannon like the river part was cute, the first three times I read it. Then it just began making me cringe internally, like everything else about Shannon. And his injury was just outright ludicrous. It was just an excuse to mention his private parts time and time again. This story had SO MUCH potential, but it was so poorly executed. I found myself wondering whether the author wrote it as a draft for Wattpad and promptly mused "hmmm, I should just publish this because I'm certain people will love reading about tiny girls and massive male genitals" and she cursed us with almost nine hundred pages of this monstrosity.
That being said, let's see the redeeming qualities of this book— some annotations: "That's really your face?" she asked, eyes drooping, as she studied me with a vacant expression. "It's so pretty." "I'm actually hot." "Completely fucking accurate assessment." But it was those wild eyes that really struck me and I had this crazy urge to google eye color charts just so I could figure out the fucking color blue in her eyes. I would do that later, I decided. "No, Shannon." I smirked. "I don’t have a boyfriend." "Why me?" I groaned. "Because we're your babies," Hughie announced, leaning his weight on me. "What the hell is that?" Claire hissed excitedly, gripping my hand. "Johnny Kavanagh is staring at you, Shan. Like seriously, girl, that boy is staring at you!" "Go anywhere near that girl and god himself won't be able to save you." "I want that," Claire sighed, watching her brother pick his girlfriend up and swing her around. "Obviously not with my brother," she grimaced. "But what they have." She sighed again. "I want that someday." "My Shannon?" Hughie laughed. "She's your Shannon now?" "I have allergies." "Me, too. To assholes and bullshit," Johnny snarled. "Now, tell me who made you cry and I'll fix it." Take their pride like they took hers. Scare them like they scared her. Inflict pain on them like they tortured her. I could taste my anger. "I have something to show you," Gibsie told her, brows waggling. "I'm not looking at your penis," Claire hissed. "So stop trying to show it to me." "You're safe," he whispered, cupping my cheek in his hand, eyes boring holes straight through my soul. "I promise." That word. God. That one word broke me. It was all too much. My life. Those girls. My father. And in the middle of it all, I could only see him. This boy. "Now," I sneered, glaring down at their faces. "Who wants to call my girlfriend a whore to my face?" "What's your problem?" she cried. "We didn’t do anything to you!" "You sure as shit did something to her," I snarled. "And when you fuck with her, you fuck with me." It was nice. She was nice to think about. She was fucking beautiful. Her voice. Her hair. Her smell. The way she spoke. Every single part of her. "Myself and Shannon have each other," Joey interrupted, gesturing a finger between us. "That's it." "Not anymore," Aoife told my brother. "You have me." Reaching across the table, she covered his hand with hers and smiled weakly. "All of you." With my phone in my hands, I pondered about what I would do if I had Shannon's phone number. It was good that I didn’t have it. "I'm prettier to look at," he announced with a wink and then proceeded to toss back shots like it was going out of fashion. I could always depend on this fucker. Hail, rain, or snow, Gibsie had my back. That was a comforting notion. "And Bella?" Cormac asked after a long pause. "Are you going to cause problems with her?" "Because you're with her? No," I told him. "If she fucks with Shannon? Absolutely." "Shannon?" "Yes, Shannon," I bit out, tone harsh now. Cormac stared blankly. "Who's Shannon?" "Shannon is the reason you're going to end up with a broken jaw." "The hell?" "Bella was threatening to go after her," I snarled. "If that happens, I will fuck you up." He blanched. "Why me?" "Can't hit a girl which means I'll be coming for the next best thing," I explained. "So, bear in mind that every single time your Bella decides to make a threat, spread a nasty rumor, or fuck with my Shannon, I'll return the favor on your face. Every single, goddamn time." "I'm not used to gas." Gibsie shrugged helplessly. "We have electric at home." "Your mother is a baker," I snapped. "How do you not know how to work a bleeding stove?" "And yours is a flashy fashion designer," he shot back. "But I don't see you prancing around the place in fur coats and Prada handbags." "We're supposed to be on a diet!" Gibsie hissed in an appalled tone before quickly asking, "Did you get me something?" "Yeah, I got you a burger." "Thanks, Johnny." "And then I got hungry so I ate it." "You're a monster." "You two are so weird," Aoife laughed. "Aren't they funny, Joey?" "They're something, alright," Shannon's brother replied. "Hey." Suddenly realizing he was in the company of strangers, Gibsie leaned through the middle of their seats and asked, "Who the fuck are you guys?" "Brian went batshit crazy. Broke off his lead and made for the bathroom. Took a dump in the tub." "Like his owner," I quipped. "My mother has never taken a shit in anyone's bathtub," Gibsie snarled. "Not your Ma," I retorted. "You." "Shannon." Johnny's hand snaked out and wrapped around my wrist. "I don’t want you to go," he said gruffly, tugging me back down beside him. "I want you here." He rested a hand on the bed right behind my back and leaned close. "I want you to stay with me." "You can fix this?" "For her?" I nodded determinedly. "Absolutely." "You like her." Joey arched another brow at me and tilted his head to one side. "Maybe even more than like her." I didn’t bother denying it. Not to him. "I'm going to be there one day," Johnny stated, tilting his head in the direction of the telly. "One of these days that's going to be me, Shannon." "I know," I replied, believing every word. Biting down on my lip, I turned to face him and said, "Don’t forget about me when you're a rich and famous rugby player." "You never know," he said with a smirk. "I might take you with me so you can cheer me on in the stands." Please do. Please take me away with you. "You're very sure of yourself," I said instead. "You can wear my number and shout 'Johnny, Johnny' from the stands," he chuckled before settling back down to watch the game. Don’t tempt me… “Who did that to you?” I wanted to block it all out and concentrate on the one good thing in my life. Him. I didn’t want to give her back. Something inside of me told me that if I did, she would return with another bruise. At least if I kept her with me, she would be safe. "The fifth and sixth-year girls had this stupid competition going last year to see who could get with Johnny," Claire grumbled. "They called it Operation Binding Thirteen because they're completely sad and unoriginal." "I like her." "Okaaay," he drawled. "Tell me what the problem is?" "That's my problem," I bit out. "I like her, Gibs. I think I really like her, man. Like really as in a lot. A lot more than fucking like. Christ!" He shrugged a shoulder. "Still not seeing the problem here, lad." "I. Don’t. Want. To. Like. Her." "Bella can be a right bitch when she wants to be." "Oh yeah?" Claire shot back, placing a hand on my shoulder. "Well, so can I." "But you won't have a jacket," I blurted out. "But you will," he shot back. "Now, are you going to put your arms in the sleeves, or am I going to have to do it for you?" Who was I kidding; he had a gorgeous everything. "He's done a terrible job of keeping you quiet." Mrs. Kavanagh added with a smile. "I saw you in the papers with him the other week. Beautiful picture, love. You two look absolutely stunning together." Did she think… "What? Oh no – No!" I blushed an ugly shade of beetroot red. "It's not like that." "Oh no?" She smirked. "I thought maybe Johnny had gotten himself a little girlfriend while I was away." "Um, no." I squirmed in discomfort. "We're just –" "Friends?" Mrs. Kavanagh quipped, a small smile tugging at the corner of her lips. "So I've heard." "We are just friends," I bit out. "You're in love." My jaw fell open. "We are bleeding not." The look my mother gave me was one of disbelief. "That girl is fragile, Johnny." Mam nibbled on her lip, brows furrowed in concern. "There is something about her that makes me want to wrap my arms around her and cuddle the sadness out of her eyes." Yeah, I knew the feeling. I knew that feeling very fucking well. "I thought you were having your first crush. I thought I was catching you in time." Fair point. "Ma, I'm almost eighteen," I tried to comfort her by saying. "You were married to Da by the time you were eighteen." "That's different," she sobbed. "How?" "Because you're my baby," Mam sniffled. "Oh, god, my baby is sexually active." "No, I'm not," I coaxed, hugging her. "I promise, I am not having sex." Right now. "I'm not, Ma." "Tell me who put their hands on you," he coaxed, as he stood behind me, my face in his hand and his fingers on my throat. "And I'll make it better." It wasn’t fair to give this much beauty to one person. They could have spread it out across the entire school and he'd still be perfect. "I want to help you." He placed his hands on my outer thighs and looked up at me, blue eyes wide and sincere. He squeezed my thighs gently. "All you have to do is tell me what's happening, okay?" Reaching up, he tucked a wet strand of hair behind my ear, "Just tell me who's hurting you and I'll make it go away." "I'm a prize to her. A shiny trophy," he muttered under his breath. "That's all I am to most people." "Not to me," I told him. "You want to keep her, period," Gibsie countered. "Because you are ass over tit in love with that girl." "Keep it." "Sorry?" "The hoodie. Hang on to it." "Why?" I shrugged. "Because it looks good on you." "I like a lot of stuff," I told her. You, most of all. "You would do that for me?" she asked, voice soft. I would do pretty much anything for you. "Yeah," I replied, unable to keep the gruffness out of my tone. "I would." "But you're so busy." "Doesn’t matter." "Why are you always trying to help me, Johnny?" she whispered, blue eyes burning holes inside of me. There was the million-dollar question. And I had no fucking clue how to answer it. "Because I want to," I finally said, deciding on the truth. "I want to help you, Shannon." She giggled and Christ, it was a lovely sound. Shannon didn’t do enough laughing. I racked my brain thinking of other things I could do to get a repeat of that sound. I had a whole heap of ideas – terrible, awful ideas. Don’t worry, baby, I thought to myself, I'm flustered too. You. I would like to eat you, Shannon. I was on fire for this girl. In a matter of months, I'd lost my head to a fucking girl. And my heart? Once I committed myself, once my heart laid claim on her, I might as well slap a label on my forehead stating I'm yours, please be gentle with me because I'm here to stay. It was hard to dwell on the negative when something so incredibly positive had just happened to me. "But just so you know?" Gibsie added, "She's always been your Shannon." "I will ruin you," I repeated, voice deathly cold. "Your reputation. Your status. Your friends. Your future relationships. Everything. If you fuck with Shannon Lynch again, I will take everything from you." "Nah, your mind's still there," Gibsie chuckled, patting my shoulder. "It's your heart your losing, lad." "Binding thirteen," Gibsie snickered. "Little Shannon blew that shit clean out of the water." "Do you mind?" I asked then. He smirked. "No, baby, I don’t mind." With a devilish grin etched on his face, Johnny leaned into my ear and whispered, "I reckon I can make those pretty cheeks of yours turn pink." I turned scarlet. "Wh-what?" "Too easy," he laughed, thoroughly delighted with himself. "Shannon Lynch has banter. " Johnny leaned back, both sounding and looking reluctantly impressed. "Who'd have guessed?" "Well, obviously not you." "Keep poking your tongue out at me and I'm going to catch it." I popped my tongue back in and gaped at him. "Yeah, right." "Try it," he dared, grinning. "Go on." In neat capital letters were the words: Shannon like the river. Will you please be my friend? "Fair warning, though," he chuckled. "I don’t have sisters and I've never been friends with a girl before so if I fuck this up or say the wrong thing, you'll need to have patience with me." "Well, I have plenty of brothers," I replied, "so I'm used to boys saying the wrong thing." The smile Johnny rewarded me with was wide, genuine, and breathtakingly beautiful. God, he looked like a different person when he smiled. His entire face transformed. His eyes lit up. The dimples in his cheeks were visible. He was simply beautiful, and I almost told him just that. Thankfully, I stopped myself just in time, scrambling together, "You look brilliant," instead. "Sorry." "Say it again." "I'm sorry, Johnny –" "To her!" Johnny roared, loud enough that it drew the attention of the entire bus. "Apologize to her. Now." "Sorry, Shannon," a chorus of male voices called out. Pressing his lips to my ear, in a voice barely more than a whisper, he said, "I'm scared, Shannon." "Scared?" I felt him nod, his stubbly cheek rubbing against mine. "Of what?" "You." Something inside of this boy called to me. I had no idea what that something was, but it made me brave. It made me want to step out of my comfort zone and help him – even if helping him meant doing the wrong thing. "I like you," Johnny shot back without an ounce of hesitation. Well, I love you, Johnny Kavanagh! Even though you're leaving. Even though you don’t feel the same. Even though loving you is going to break my heart. I love you with everything I have. And I probably always will. "Because you're beautiful," he stated, causing my cheeks to flush a deep shade of pink. "Inside and out." Those extra words did the trick. Those extra words ruined me. "When you're around, I feel safe." "Because you are," Johnny confirmed in a gruff tone. "I've already told you that I'm not going to hurt you, and I hope like fuck that I've shown you that, too." "Well, thanks for caring," I breathed. "Thanks for being worth it," Johnny replied, hand still on my cheek. I carefully scrolled through his playlists and almost had a heart attack when my eyes landed on the one named Songs for Shannon. The adoration, the lust, the downright infatuation I had for him…it was insanity. I had never felt this much. I had never felt so consumed. I was so lost in this boy I could hardly breathe. If feelings were objects, then I was teetering on the edge of a great precipice, and if girls were weapons, then Shannon Lynch was the greatest weapon of mass destruction my heart had ever been exposed to. "I want to know if he is okay! Him. Johnny! The person. Not the fucking rugby player!" Gibsie tilted his head to one side, studying me with a curious look. "Well, aren't you a keeper?" he finally mused, tone low. "What?" "Never mind." I wanted to fight all her battles. I wanted to give her all her smiles and make her laugh and snatch her away from the rest of the world and keep her all to myself. I just wanted her. For keeps. "I can go and get Gibsie?" I offered weakly. Johnny shook his head. "I only want you." "Why are you sorry?" I breathed, trembling from head to toe. He cupped my cheek with his free hand and tilted my chin up. "Because I shouldn’t do this," he whispered. And then he kissed me. "Shannon, please–" I kissed him again. "Am I hurting you?" I asked against his lips. "Only if you stop." He knotted his hand in the back of my hair and deepened the kiss. I think I'm in love with you. I think I'm falling. Please don’t hurt me. Please don’t ever hurt me. "You're sure my dick's still there?" I kicked my feet, but they weren't being cooperative. "I really like my dick, Da. I'll cry if it's gone." "I'm so in love with him, Claire," I confessed, and then I burst into tears. "I love him so much that the thought of him not being okay is killing me." "I think I love that girl." "Well, who's this girl?" "She's a river," I sighed and closed my eyes. "I'm keeping her, Da." "Okay, son," he coaxed. "You keep the girl." "She makes my heart go, like, whoa." "Is that right?" he mused. "So bad, Da," I sighed. "Boom, boom, fucking boom." I shook my head. "All the time." "She's my wife," he announced then, blowing my mind clean open. "Johnathon Kavanagh," his mother snapped. "Stop this right now! You'll scare the girl." "What are ya talking about?" Johnny slurred. "I’m not scaring her. I love her." "I love you, Shannon like the River," he slurred. My heart stopped. Did he just? No. No, of course he didn’t. "I fucking love you," Johnny said again. "You lie and it hurts my heart," he groaned, tightening his hold on me. "All those marks. It hurts when I know someone's hurting my Shannon." "Johnny –" "Who's hurting you, baby?" he slurred sleepily. He yawned loudly and then sighed. "I'll fix it." "It's a secret," I breathed, feeling my body shake. "I won't tell," he whispered. "I think I need you for keeps," he slurred. "I think I need you for keeps, too," I confessed.
Whether I'll subject myself to the sequel, to 900 something pages of more torture, still remains a mystery. If I do, I'll leave myself appalled... but I just might, because I'm a masochist. Thank you for coming to my TED talk! ...more
I hope they live happily ever after, in another life. In Heaven. I feel like I've punctured a lung.I hope they live happily ever after, in another life. In Heaven. I feel like I've punctured a lung....more
**spoiler alert** I am genuinely a proud mother. My dreams of friendships I never really had are perfectly represented by the two magnificent friend g**spoiler alert** I am genuinely a proud mother. My dreams of friendships I never really had are perfectly represented by the two magnificent friend groups in this series and I will never stop raving about them, whether that is when they make me laugh so hard I begin crying because of the exertion, or when they make me cry so hard I begin laughing because I realize I'm crying over people's joy. Imaginary people's joy, but shhh. We don't talk about that. ...more
Had THIS made it into the book, my rating of it would've dwindled with every word of the cursed chapter I just had the misfortune of reading.Had THIS made it into the book, my rating of it would've dwindled with every word of the cursed chapter I just had the misfortune of reading....more
**spoiler alert** I am a masochist, meaning I love when I ugly cry, specifically because of sad book scenes. Keep that in mind while reading this revi**spoiler alert** I am a masochist, meaning I love when I ugly cry, specifically because of sad book scenes. Keep that in mind while reading this review. Thank you. ❤️ This was truly an amazing book. There were a few quirks and particularly unholy scenes which frankly made me close my eyes and breathe because they were either too intense or too stupid (in other words, I wouldn't wanna be Dante's driver... Thomas, was it? If you know, you know.) Nevertheless, the banter? Adorable. The man? Swoon-worthy. The friendships? Enviable. The parents? Loathsome. The female main character? Strangely relatable. That NICKNAME makes me weak in the fucking knees. Mia cara. WHAT? Why are you doing this to me? I shall spend a week crying over how I'll never find such love. Even their breakup was exquisite. Though their dates..? I genuinely teared up. So cute I wanted to throw my book across the room. And the love confessions were obviously just as swoon worthy as our delightful Dante Russo. Meanwhile, my favorite thing was how we got to read about both of them slowly but surely falling in love with each other. The workaholic man got back from a work TRIP because she'd been in danger. And before you say that's the bare minimum, she was okay, and he "hated" her! That's when I said hehehe he's in love. To conclude this entire review and my book reading experience: definitely deserving of five stars based on my opinion, just because I enjoyed it so much. Also, Dante. If you ever get bored of Vivian (which you made clear won't ever happen, but a girl can dream), I'm always volunteering to be your business wife hehe
Merged review:
I am a masochist, meaning I love when I ugly cry, specifically because of sad book scenes. Keep that in mind while reading this review. Thank you. ❤️ This was truly an amazing book. There were a few quirks and particularly unholy scenes which frankly made me close my eyes and breathe because they were either too intense or too stupid (in other words, I wouldn't wanna be Dante's driver... Thomas, was it? If you know, you know.) Nevertheless, the banter? Adorable. The man? Swoon-worthy. The friendships? Enviable. The parents? Loathsome. The female main character? Strangely relatable. That NICKNAME makes me weak in the fucking knees. Mia cara. WHAT? Why are you doing this to me? I shall spend a week crying over how I'll never find such love. Even their breakup was exquisite. Though their dates..? I genuinely teared up. So cute I wanted to throw my book across the room. And the love confessions were obviously just as swoon worthy as our delightful Dante Russo. Meanwhile, my favorite thing was how we got to read about both of them slowly but surely falling in love with each other. The workaholic man got back from a work TRIP because she'd been in danger. And before you say that's the bare minimum, she was okay, and he "hated" her! That's when I said hehehe he's in love. To conclude this entire review and my book reading experience: definitely deserving of five stars based on my opinion, just because I enjoyed it so much. Also, Dante. If you ever get bored of Vivian (which you made clear won't ever happen, but a girl can dream), I'm always volunteering to be your business wife hehe
Merged review:
I am a masochist, meaning I love when I ugly cry, specifically because of sad book scenes. Keep that in mind while reading this review. Thank you. ❤️ This was truly an amazing book. There were a few quirks and particularly unholy scenes which frankly made me close my eyes and breathe because they were either too intense or too stupid (in other words, I wouldn't wanna be Dante's driver... Thomas, was it? If you know, you know.) Nevertheless, the banter? Adorable. The man? Swoon-worthy. The friendships? Enviable. The parents? Loathsome. The female main character? Strangely relatable. That NICKNAME makes me weak in the fucking knees. Mia cara. WHAT? Why are you doing this to me? I shall spend a week crying over how I'll never find such love. Even their breakup was exquisite. Though their dates..? I genuinely teared up. So cute I wanted to throw my book across the room. And the love confessions were obviously just as swoon worthy as our delightful Dante Russo. Meanwhile, my favorite thing was how we got to read about both of them slowly but surely falling in love with each other. The workaholic man got back from a work TRIP because she'd been in danger. And before you say that's the bare minimum, she was okay, and he "hated" her! That's when I said hehehe he's in love. To conclude this entire review and my book reading experience: definitely deserving of five stars based on my opinion, just because I enjoyed it so much. Also, Dante. If you ever get bored of Vivian (which you made clear won't ever happen, but a girl can dream), I'm always volunteering to be your business wife hehe
Merged review:
I am a masochist, meaning I love when I ugly cry, specifically because of sad book scenes. Keep that in mind while reading this review. Thank you. ❤️ This was truly an amazing book. There were a few quirks and particularly unholy scenes which frankly made me close my eyes and breathe because they were either too intense or too stupid (in other words, I wouldn't wanna be Dante's driver... Thomas, was it? If you know, you know.) Nevertheless, the banter? Adorable. The man? Swoon-worthy. The friendships? Enviable. The parents? Loathsome. The female main character? Strangely relatable. That NICKNAME makes me weak in the fucking knees. Mia cara. WHAT? Why are you doing this to me? I shall spend a week crying over how I'll never find such love. Even their breakup was exquisite. Though their dates..? I genuinely teared up. So cute I wanted to throw my book across the room. And the love confessions were obviously just as swoon worthy as our delightful Dante Russo. Meanwhile, my favorite thing was how we got to read about both of them slowly but surely falling in love with each other. The workaholic man got back from a work TRIP because she'd been in danger. And before you say that's the bare minimum, she was okay, and he "hated" her! That's when I said hehehe he's in love. To conclude this entire review and my book reading experience: definitely deserving of five stars based on my opinion, just because I enjoyed it so much. Also, Dante. If you ever get bored of Vivian (which you made clear won't ever happen, but a girl can dream), I'm always volunteering to be your business wife hehe
Merged review:
I am a masochist, meaning I love when I ugly cry, specifically because of sad book scenes. Keep that in mind while reading this review. Thank you. ❤️ This was truly an amazing book. There were a few quirks and particularly unholy scenes which frankly made me close my eyes and breathe because they were either too intense or too stupid (in other words, I wouldn't wanna be Dante's driver... Thomas, was it? If you know, you know.) Nevertheless, the banter? Adorable. The man? Swoon-worthy. The friendships? Enviable. The parents? Loathsome. The female main character? Strangely relatable. That NICKNAME makes me weak in the fucking knees. Mia cara. WHAT? Why are you doing this to me? I shall spend a week crying over how I'll never find such love. Even their breakup was exquisite. Though their dates..? I genuinely teared up. So cute I wanted to throw my book across the room. And the love confessions were obviously just as swoon worthy as our delightful Dante Russo. Meanwhile, my favorite thing was how we got to read about both of them slowly but surely falling in love with each other. The workaholic man got back from a work TRIP because she'd been in danger. And before you say that's the bare minimum, she was okay, and he "hated" her! That's when I said hehehe he's in love. To conclude this entire review and my book reading experience: definitely deserving of five stars based on my opinion, just because I enjoyed it so much. Also, Dante. If you ever get bored of Vivian (which you made clear won't ever happen, but a girl can dream), I'm always volunteering to be your business wife hehe
Merged review:
I am a masochist, meaning I love when I ugly cry, specifically because of sad book scenes. Keep that in mind while reading this review. Thank you. ❤️ This was truly an amazing book. There were a few quirks and particularly unholy scenes which frankly made me close my eyes and breathe because they were either too intense or too stupid (in other words, I wouldn't wanna be Dante's driver... Thomas, was it? If you know, you know.) Nevertheless, the banter? Adorable. The man? Swoon-worthy. The friendships? Enviable. The parents? Loathsome. The female main character? Strangely relatable. That NICKNAME makes me weak in the fucking knees. Mia cara. WHAT? Why are you doing this to me? I shall spend a week crying over how I'll never find such love. Even their breakup was exquisite. Though their dates..? I genuinely teared up. So cute I wanted to throw my book across the room. And the love confessions were obviously just as swoon worthy as our delightful Dante Russo. Meanwhile, my favorite thing was how we got to read about both of them slowly but surely falling in love with each other. The workaholic man got back from a work TRIP because she'd been in danger. And before you say that's the bare minimum, she was okay, and he "hated" her! That's when I said hehehe he's in love. To conclude this entire review and my book reading experience: definitely deserving of five stars based on my opinion, just because I enjoyed it so much. Also, Dante. If you ever get bored of Vivian (which you made clear won't ever happen, but a girl can dream), I'm always volunteering to be your business wife hehe
Merged review:
I am a masochist, meaning I love when I ugly cry, specifically because of sad book scenes. Keep that in mind while reading this review. Thank you. ❤️ This was truly an amazing book. There were a few quirks and particularly unholy scenes which frankly made me close my eyes and breathe because they were either too intense or too stupid (in other words, I wouldn't wanna be Dante's driver... Thomas, was it? If you know, you know.) Nevertheless, the banter? Adorable. The man? Swoon-worthy. The friendships? Enviable. The parents? Loathsome. The female main character? Strangely relatable. That NICKNAME makes me weak in the fucking knees. Mia cara. WHAT? Why are you doing this to me? I shall spend a week crying over how I'll never find such love. Even their breakup was exquisite. Though their dates..? I genuinely teared up. So cute I wanted to throw my book across the room. And the love confessions were obviously just as swoon worthy as our delightful Dante Russo. Meanwhile, my favorite thing was how we got to read about both of them slowly but surely falling in love with each other. The workaholic man got back from a work TRIP because she'd been in danger. And before you say that's the bare minimum, she was okay, and he "hated" her! That's when I said hehehe he's in love. To conclude this entire review and my book reading experience: definitely deserving of five stars based on my opinion, just because I enjoyed it so much. Also, Dante. If you ever get bored of Vivian (which you made clear won't ever happen, but a girl can dream), I'm always volunteering to be your business wife hehe
Merged review:
I am a masochist, meaning I love when I ugly cry, specifically because of sad book scenes. Keep that in mind while reading this review. Thank you. ❤️ This was truly an amazing book. There were a few quirks and particularly unholy scenes which frankly made me close my eyes and breathe because they were either too intense or too stupid (in other words, I wouldn't wanna be Dante's driver... Thomas, was it? If you know, you know.) Nevertheless, the banter? Adorable. The man? Swoon-worthy. The friendships? Enviable. The parents? Loathsome. The female main character? Strangely relatable. That NICKNAME makes me weak in the fucking knees. Mia cara. WHAT? Why are you doing this to me? I shall spend a week crying over how I'll never find such love. Even their breakup was exquisite. Though their dates..? I genuinely teared up. So cute I wanted to throw my book across the room. And the love confessions were obviously just as swoon worthy as our delightful Dante Russo. Meanwhile, my favorite thing was how we got to read about both of them slowly but surely falling in love with each other. The workaholic man got back from a work TRIP because she'd been in danger. And before you say that's the bare minimum, she was okay, and he "hated" her! That's when I said hehehe he's in love. To conclude this entire review and my book reading experience: definitely deserving of five stars based on my opinion, just because I enjoyed it so much. Also, Dante. If you ever get bored of Vivian (which you made clear won't ever happen, but a girl can dream), I'm always volunteering to be your business wife hehe...more
“I have it in me to become a different man.” “Perhaps—if your doll is taken away from you.” Now, I've never been wed to anyone, but a few notions must “I have it in me to become a different man.” “Perhaps—if your doll is taken away from you.” Now, I've never been wed to anyone, but a few notions must be unequivocally certain to everybody: a) If the relationship between two spouses resembles that of two siblings, that is not a healthy marriage. b) If the relationship between a father and a daughter even slightly resembles that of a married couple, in any aspect, that is pedophilia, not a paternal bond. c) If one feels as though the relationships in their life all look the same, meaning they act the same way with their parents and/or siblings as they do with their partner, that is outlandish and concerning. d) If you're often remarked upon by your husband as a damsel in distress, that is wrong grammatically and... on so many other levels. On a less serious note, what did this girl do with her father?! HOW can she compare the aforementioned relationships?! How can a husband suggest that his own wife is a child? How can anyone's husband know their wife's father better than they know their own wife, unless he is said father's age? How did they get married, and STAY MARRIED for eight years if this was the relationship they had?! How can a mother wholly abandon her kids because of a fight with her husband?! How can people be such incompetent fools? Despair and desperation were portrayed rather nicely, but otherwise, this is a frightening work of fiction. It leaves my mind reeling for what might've happened between the characters in question, if the outcome was this ending. I am concerned. This is wrong on SO many levels. Although, some quotes were nice and poetic and that is the only reason I've not rated the book one measly star......more
**spoiler alert** I am broken. I am shattered. I have been slain. I am being incinerated from the inside. My chest HURTS, and my eyes are bleary from **spoiler alert** I am broken. I am shattered. I have been slain. I am being incinerated from the inside. My chest HURTS, and my eyes are bleary from all the tears. I couldn't stop picturing all the death and destruction and obliteration and woe and desperation, but the worst was the thought of the dying souls' acceptance. Just imagine being on the brink of death, on its threshold, on the cusp of being bombed and having your rump turned to rubble, and yet you choose to stay. To burn if you must, because you can't bear the thought of abandoning your entire life, in hopes of a new one. I am a victim of my own imagination. My brain is slowly felling me. ...more
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