This book is so underrated. I can’t believe it barely has ratings and reviews. Nikolai was swoon worthy from start to finish, a perfect balance of sweThis book is so underrated. I can’t believe it barely has ratings and reviews. Nikolai was swoon worthy from start to finish, a perfect balance of sweet and tough. Alina was a relatable character who felt very real to me because of her hesitation to love even though she had so much love to give. I loved this one....more
Absolutely obsessed with this story and this author! I’m on my third re-read and realized I don’t have it in my goodreads list! A complete and total mAbsolutely obsessed with this story and this author! I’m on my third re-read and realized I don’t have it in my goodreads list! A complete and total must. LJ Shen is the QUEEN of enemies to lovers!...more
Oh, Colton. You were everything I'd looked forward to and more!
I'm truly devastated to see the end of the series but this has been a journey I'll neveOh, Colton. You were everything I'd looked forward to and more!
I'm truly devastated to see the end of the series but this has been a journey I'll never forget. Hands down one of my favourite series and one I'm going to be re-reading very soon! I just love the gang so much!
I'm also secretly hoping there will be a book ten. Gah! I just can't let go!
What do you have next for us, Linda Kage? I'm ready for more of your stories!...more
How in the actual hell did I put this book off for as long as I did?
It's been in my TBR for so long and when I finally got around t5 "I'm Good" Stars.
How in the actual hell did I put this book off for as long as I did?
It's been in my TBR for so long and when I finally got around to it, I wanted to hurt myself for ever doubting it would be worth my time.
God.
This book changed my life. It was so raw and real and damaged and painful and my heart literally feels like stone right now because I'm so overwhelmed with how deeply this story made me feel. I cried pretty much in every chapter and laughed like hell in others. This story got to the deepest parts of me and I was entranced from page one. After that, it was like a train-wreck I couldn't stop watching unfold and next thing you know it's 5am and I'm a broken mess who's sobbing and curled under the safety of my covers.
My heart broke for both the MC's. My heart broke for their children and their significant others. My heart broke for pretty much every character in this story.
Never have I come across a book so vulnerable. I feel like the author laid her heart out on the line writing all of this and us readers felt her pain in every inch of our souls. This was all so intense. So much happened and so much kept happening that I felt like I was the one going through the constant pain. I felt like I was the one who couldn't breathe anymore. I felt like I was the one who's heart was being rebuilt only to have it smash into a million pieces once more.
There is no way I'll be getting over this any time soon. This book will always live with me and I've cherished every word so I never forget how it made me feel.
I feel like I should make this review longer because I have so much to say. I don't know how to write down all my thoughts without breaking down, though. Just know this has easily become my favourite read of 2016. Hell, my favourite read of all time. I can't express how much I adored this. I just finished reading it and I want to read it all over again.
God, I'm a mess right now.
To those who've read this, any tips on how the hell to move on?!...more
Fast-paced and gripping for sure. If you're looking for an intense emotional rollercoaster with a troubled hero you'll love to hate and grow4.5 stars!
Fast-paced and gripping for sure. If you're looking for an intense emotional rollercoaster with a troubled hero you'll love to hate and grow to love, this is right up your alley! I'm super excited for Neighbour Dearest....more
This is a read I won't be forgetting for a very long time. Unique, gripping, and all-around intense, I devoured this shit!
At first, I wasn'Holy. Hell.
This is a read I won't be forgetting for a very long time. Unique, gripping, and all-around intense, I devoured this shit!
At first, I wasn't particularly encouraged to consider this a read worth my current time. The first few chapters admittedly left me confused and slightly bored. Then we had the very first scene between both MC's and let's just say my jaw stayed on the floor the entire time. Yeah...WOWZA. Jake is intense and as alpha as it gets and that normally doesn't work for me. Normally. In this case, I think my card of innocence has officially been revoked because I seem to have taken an interest in a new type. There were definitely times where I'd physically draw back from some of his "harsher" moments, and I use that word lightly, but at the same time I felt his pain to my very core. He was so real.
I absolutely adored Gillian. She was tough and determined and feisty, none at all in the normally "makes my blood boil" kind of way. She held her ground when she needed to, gave in when she couldn't hold back, and laid her heart on the line when she thought she was doing the right thing. She was human and the realism of her character touched me. Her blog posts were nothing short of entertaining and I had the feeling there was a form of importance for them that the readers had yet to uncover. So when the loose ends tied together and the beginning of the story met the end...*cue another jaw drop* I don't think my mouth stayed closed at all for the duration of this story. There were surprises and twists at every corner and I just could not put it down!
Addicting, compelling, entrancing, any other synonym to basically sum up how this book was practically glued to my hands, it's a read I'll always remember!
Ugh, from the blurb I so wanted it to be a five! The only reason I deducted one star was because of the DRAMA.
Oh, God. I was so done with all o4 stars!
Ugh, from the blurb I so wanted it to be a five! The only reason I deducted one star was because of the DRAMA.
Oh, God. I was so done with all of it.
I feel like the reason I love the NA genre so much is because it diverts from the drama and immaturity that YA contemporary has. It's refreshing, you know? We've all gone through our own drama and (hopefully) grown out of it so we want to read about mature characters in mature situations. The blurb definitely had me hooked, line and sinker. Sadly, that childish undertone took away from just about every character in the book and got on all of my nerves. I also didn't particularly enjoy Summer's humour. Seriously. It started off as quirky but gradually headed towards "forcing myself to be the klutzy and cute female lead." A lot of her lines were cringe, elicited eye rolls, or had me flat-out confused. I felt the progression of her character was seriously butchered. She started off as such a gem.
I also wanted a little more steam, which brings me back to NA aspect of these books. Hello!!! I love me some steamy, feel-it-in-my-tummy, descriptions that adds to allure of the chemistry between two characters! Everything here was so vague and, once again, a bit childish. From the snippets it's obvious Tijan knows how to write some hot as hell detail. I wanted more! I felt the slow-burn but I didn't feel the chemistry. By the time they got to the "I love you's," it felt more like it was the appropriate time to incorporate that aspect in the book than the two characters genuinely meaning it.
Cut those factors out, though, and you've got a bangin' book!
The plot was a little twist on the cliche "stepbrother romance" and I thoroughly enjoyed watching Summer progress from her douche of a crush to the seriously smoldering and alluring Caden! I was all too taken with the Banks brothers and found their story to be far more interesting than Summer's. That being said, I actually really wish that the entire story was told from Caden's perspective. That might've made this book beyond spectacular! These men has purpose, charm, angst, and seduction! Who wouldn't want to be lost in a mind like that?!
All in all, an enjoyable enough read that I would read the second book if there was one! ...more
I adored this, oh my goodness! Something about big, brooding men, handling adorable, little babies does something to me! This was such a touching storI adored this, oh my goodness! Something about big, brooding men, handling adorable, little babies does something to me! This was such a touching story and one I was not able to put down for a second! ...more