"I love you and I want you to let me love you and I want to make you mine. My woman. Just mine. All mine. I don't care what you want. I can't let y"I love you and I want you to let me love you and I want to make you mine. My woman. Just mine. All mine. I don't care what you want. I can't let you be someone else's. Mine, babe. Mine."
hold on while i swoon for a sec.
i was so excited for this and you bet your ass i dropped everything to read this and it did not disappoint me. i mean come on.
of course an ex-childhood best friends turned enemies book will reel me in and if you're into that too, then i 100% recommend this.
what i didn't expect were the emotions that i felt while reading this and the conflicts that happened here. this book deals with trauma, grief, and the mental and physical struggles of losing a loved one. i honestly thought this was just your typical new adult book but Stone (H) doesn't even go to college and he's actually already in the NFL. and that's my fault because i didn't read the blurb.
characters: — Dusty (h): she's fiercely independent, a survivor, and kind of a loner (with good reason that im not gonna spoil, sorry!). i felt bad for her in the beginning because of how her roommates treated her and especially when THAT thing happened. i really like and admire her character just because of how strong she is. though, i did wish she grew a little bit of a backbone towards her roommates.
— Stone (H): first of all he is NOT a man ho and has a personality of a slytherin. kinda swoony sometimes but also wanna smack him in the head because of the misleading ways Ms. Tijan made readers think about how he "doesn't" love the heroine and how he rejected her. BUT i do love how he says (or doesn't say) he doesn't have feelings for her but actually SHOWS how much he loves her, so that's a plus.
BUT just because i loved this, there's a reason why this isn't a 5-star read for me.
what i disliked: ↠ the beginning. it was a bit slow and we didn't get to meet Stone face-to-face until the 20% mark . ↠ "enemies" part wasn't that bad? don't get me wrong, they do fight a lot and there's a lot of pushing that came from the Dusty (h) but i don't know... it's not as bad as other books i've read. it's nothing too angsty in my opinion. ↠ Dusty's roommates are fake friends. her roommates neglected her and never tried to be her friend UNTIL they knew she was with Stone. ugh. i don't like any one of them except for Wyatt (one of the mean girls' boyfriend) and Nicole (roommate). i just wasn't convinced about their change. ↠ the romance was just meh. i know, i know. why would i rate a book high when the romance is meh? to be honest, i don't know HOWEVER i still rooted for Stone and Dusty to be together but their romance just didn't give me the giddy feelings i usually get. ↠ couldn't connect with Stone. as i said, his personality is like a slytherin but he just didn't stand out to me. he's doesn't have a lot of depth and i wish he had more chapters because i wanted to know his POV when he walked away from Dusty and their other "breakups". and he didn't show up till the 20% mark sooo...
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
i read this in one sitting because it was a page-turner for me and are the other characters getting their own books? Cammie and Colby? Wyatt and Siobhan (yes i weirdly ship them)?
• This book was so funny and entertaining, I loved every second of it! The banter between both hero and heroine is hilarious and I coul⭐️ 4.5 STARS ⭐️
• This book was so funny and entertaining, I loved every second of it! The banter between both hero and heroine is hilarious and I couldn’t stop reading! I was both intrigued and content because of the dynamic between the two!
• The heroine, Violet, is THE SWEETEST PERSON EVER. Seriously. She’s so nice, kind, and smart. She’s not the usual witty, sarcastic, gives-no-fucks type of heroine but I love her. Her parents died when she was only 4 years old and she’s been an orphan ever since. She’s been alone for a long time but her independence and perseverance makes me admire her even more and I respect her too!
• The hero, Zeke... this dude is PLENTY of things. He is actually the biggest asshole out there LOL. Not only is he the silent and brooding type of hero but he’s also a douchebag who has no filter and I LOVE HIM. Ok, I gotta admit, some of the things he says are a little too mean for my taste but it was so funny at the same time because it’s painfully true. ALSO, he is secretly a nerd and omg he’s my new book boyfriend 💗
• The character development between both Violet and Zeke was written so well and I love reading about them growing more mature and learning from their past mistakes, especially Zeke.
• We see Zeke’s character develop when he spent his time volunteering for BIG BROTHERS with Kyle, the cute little kid who taught Zeke how to be kind and basically inspired him to let people in and finally learn how to love someone and feel loved. Zeke has always been neglected since he was a kid because of his selfish parents and hearing about his story made me cry ugly tears tbh. Because of this, it’s hard for him to have any kind of relationships. When he meets Violet though... that’s when he starts to realize how shitty he is sometimes and how much of a DOUCHEBAG he can be. While Kyle inspired him, Violet was the first person who made him realize that he’s actually a cute teddy bear beneath his asshole veneer and it was so cute how he hides his kindness and sincerity.
• Zeke also made Violet realize how strong she can be and taught her how to have a backbone. Although everyone hates Zeke, especially women, Violet saw through his veneer and fell in love with him because of his character and not just his physical attractiveness. Zeke also fell in love with Violet because he sees how strong and kind she really is and he admired that so much. Yes, they were physically attracted to each other as well but that was not the reason why they fell in love with one another and I RESPECT THAT. That’s the kind of dynamic I like because I dislike it when the hero and the heroine just “fell in love” with each other when all I’ve read so far is how they find each other hot and how they turn each other on. That’s more falling in lust than falling in love.
• I loved this book more because they talked about Big Brothers and I work for that company haha AAAAND omg can we talk about the Outlander scene?!?! HAHAHA I seriously could not stop laughing while reading that part. Like, how convenient is it that the episode Violet hasn’t watched yet is the “wedding” episode? And Zeke “forgetting” how explicit the sex scenes are in that episode? LOL. I can’t believe Zeke watches Outlander and actually LOVES IT and I fell in love with him a little more because of that.
• If you love friends to lovers, slow burn, sports romance, and NA romance, this is the perfect book! I recommend 100% 💕...more
i will forever love Cletus' and Jenn's story and i solely believe that this is one of Penny Reid's best work ever.
why? becareread: still 5 stars (duh)
i will forever love Cletus' and Jenn's story and i solely believe that this is one of Penny Reid's best work ever.
why? because C L E T U S.
honestly, we need more heroes like him in the romance genre because now that im looking back at all the books i've read, all heroes are so similar with one another but my boy Cletus? nahh. this dude is unique as hell.
not gonna lie, if Cletus ever planned for my demise, i would gladly participate and even thank him for seeking revenge. and if he ever taught a class on how to insult people like an intellectual, then i would gladly drop out of university and take this instead.
and without a doubt, if he ever existed in the world of Game of Thrones, he would outsmart AND outreign all those greedy britches.
and ya know what?
We know no king but the king of the beards whose name is Cletus.
reread #573986 { update } — nah i've been seeing too many people on tiktok slandering this mz book and my feelings arreread #573985 — still 5 stars ✩⋆
reread #573986 { update } — nah i've been seeing too many people on tiktok slandering this mz book and my feelings are hurt. did we read the same book?? because the math ain't mathing.
ok no. but this book ruined every other slowburn book for me tho. if a book doesn't have the whole strangers to enemies to rivals to acquaintances to hesitant friendship to full-on friendship to best friends to girl is oblivious that guy is in love with her but we readers know that the guy is in love with her to lovers then i don't want it.
listen. i love wall of winnipeg and me, vanessa and aiden are my babies but there's just something so... ✨spicy✨ when it comes to sal and kulti. i mean, this has book has:
✧ forbidden romance // kulti is sal's soccer coach ✧ celebrity crush // kulti is sal's celebrity crush since she was a kid ✧ age-gap ✧ slowburn & top tier romantic development // no seriously, this is very slowburn ✧ more spicy than other MZ books // i've read all of MZ books and these two have the most smut scenes ✧ soulmates // no, they really are tho. they're both each other's equals don't tell me otherwise ✧ the banter, guys. THE BANTER!!
main reason why i love this book so much is that the banter is top tier and sal and kulti are both so petty, stubborn, competitive, and they fight/bicker all the time that it's just entertaining af, making everything funnier. kulti was just soo.. well, he acted like a spoiled brat sometimes and even though that sounds like a turn-off, IT IS NOT. i swear. and the fact that sal doesn't take any of his shit and calls him out when he's being rude? we love that.
and i just love how the romantic development felt so natural? honestly, this is kind of a bad thing for me because this was one of the first romance novels i've ever read and it really set the bar too high for me.
anywhoo i could go on and on and on about this book but i'll just recap my favorite moments so // SPOILERS AHEAD //
➵ 7% that time when i related to sal whenever i find out my celebrity crushes has a girlfriend
↳ "It was the worst non-break-up ever in the history of imaginary relationships with a man who didn't even know I existed."
the heartbreak is unmatched. if christopher jamal evans or henry cavill were to ever revoke their single relationship status, that is the day i lose faith in humanity because how dare they not marry me.
↳ "He could go suck a big dick. And I hoped he gagged on it.
ENEMIES TO LOVERS part of the story is finally activated!!
[image]
they finally hate each other!!! if this is not true love then i don't know what is. and don't you guys love it when the girl always thinks about shoving imaginary dicks on their love interest's throat. it's so romantic.
➵ 47-48%
↳ "You're one of the best I've ever seen, period, man or woman. What kills me is that you are a complete fucking pushover who's hung up on worthless words in front of a person who doesn't matter. Grow some balls, Casillas. Fight me for this. Fight anyone that tries to take this away from you."
ugh STOPPPP. kulti really went from being a normal asshole to an asshole who cares. and can we just appreciate how he sees her as his equal, supports her, and is ALWAYS on her side with no hesitation?? and the fact that he pushes her to be the best version of herself and challenges her? i love that. he doesn't coddle her or treat her like a baby (most of the time) and is actually threatened by her skills because, again, he sees her as his equal and a true competitor ugh why are they so cute?
and let's not forget this iconic moment:
↳ "Instead of saying anything, he walked past me, bumping the side of his upper arm against my shoulder, lightly... playfully."
oh my god. OH My- did y'all see that? their shoulders... touched. I REPEAT, ...more
This is one of the first NA reads I’ve ever read and it essentially introduced me to the romance genre.
I LOVED everything about All the freaking stars
This is one of the first NA reads I’ve ever read and it essentially introduced me to the romance genre.
I LOVED everything about this book! Hannah and Garret will forever be my all time fave characters/couples in the Elle Kennedy universe.
And can we talk about the perfect pacing, development and slow burn this book has?? I never felt their relationship was rushed and everything was perfect.
And since I’m the type of reader who prefers emotional connection happening first rather than intense sexual/physical attraction, I’d say it was perfectly fine here. Yes, they were physically attracted to one another but I LOVED that it was sort of platonic at first and they were just appreciating each other’s beauty, then it slowly gradually turned into something meaningful and hot.
I really hate it when the inner monologue of the MCs in other books (and gotta admit, in Elle Kennedy’s later books) is just them saying over and over and OVER again how hot the other person is and how much they wanna bang em. I really don’t like it when the MCs are just a bunch of horn dogs. I find this super annoying cuz when they finally say their “i love you’s”... ya i don’t believe them. “I lust you” is better.
Anyways, this book was just perfect honestly....more
ahh sorry! - 1 star cuz i really hate how Tate fought the mean girls and her attitude annoyed me sometimes. like, the whole oh yreread (2019): 4 stars
ahh sorry! - 1 star cuz i really hate how Tate fought the mean girls and her attitude annoyed me sometimes. like, the whole oh you gotta be a bitch to rule the world message? nahh kill em with kindness girl.
and Jared wasn't that likeable here not gonna lie. he got off way too easy and grovelling? what even is grovelling? there's barely any here. thank god for the novella though cuz he was way Way WAY more likable there.
but anyways, i really love how Tate stood her ground against the guys. i mean:
"You've already made me cry countless times." I raised my middle finger to him slowly, and asked, "Do you know what this is?" I took my middle finger and patted the corner of my eye with it. "It's me, wiping away the last tear you'll ever get."
or
"Hey, Tate. I'll do a threesome with you. My compass always points North." Nate Dietrich fist-bumped his buddy as others laughed again. Surprising myself, I threw back, "Thanks, but I think your right hand will get jealous."
like wow, 15-year-old me was SHOOK. i was all like, [image] yes, yes. i know 15 year old is too young to read this but i didn't know it was gonna have steam in it. but now with my 21 year old mind, this is the tamest i've ever read from Pen Douglas.
anyways, this book will forever be special to me cuz it's one of the first romance books i've ever read.
- - -
original review: 5 STARS
This is actually the first book I've read in the more mature world of the romance genre and it is definitely one of my favorite romance novel of all time. I don't remember how many times I've read this before but I know I was addicted to it and I still am. The story never gets old and the characters here are so memorable and even though they have their flaws, I still love em. This book is full of angst, enemies/friends-to-lovers trope, and the steamy scenes? HOT DAMN. And they're only teenagers, right? Wow, ok. Anyways, with these aspects present in the novel, obviously, imma love it. And rereading it again after such a long time, I'm still addicted and the feelings I felt the same way the first time I read it are literally magnified ten times more. No joke.
The first time I read this was when I was 15 years old, which was a looooong time ago, and I remember I couldn't put the book down because I thought it was so good. Gotta admit though, it's definitely VERY inappropriate for a 15-year-old girl to read this even if the characters are in high school. TO BE FAIR, I honestly thought this was a YA book but noooo this is DEFINITELY not YA.
Though, the summer before they go to high school as a freshman, Jared came back home from spending time with his dad, and changed drastically. He was not the same boy and he started pushing everyone away, ESPECIALLY the only person he's ever loved, Tate. He not only pushed her away but he started hating her, humiliating her, spreading rumors about her, and basically isolated her from everyone. He was nothing but a bully to her. And, after leaving for France during her junior year, she comes back a changed girl, for her senior year. She doesn't run away or cry from Jared's constant hate towards her, and instead, fights back.
Rereading it now, I still love it so much. However, as a grown woman no longer a 14-year-old girl, there are some things that are quite problematic such as Tate's behavior and mindset, especially towards women. Don't get me wrong, I like her and I like that she's standing up for herself and fighting back. HOWEVER, is it really necessary to call every female that throws themselves to guys as "skanks" and "sluts"? Literally, every time she talks about women in the book she calls them these labels, and THAT IS NOT OK. I don't care if it's out of jealousy and some other shit, this is unacceptable.
She literally "solves" her problems by being violent. She punched Madoc in the nose, hits and humiliates Piper, hits Madoc AGAIN, and destroys Jared's car with a crowbar. She's an act-first-think-later type of girl. I get that she's being bullied by her former best friend and carries a lot of baggage but her actions here, especially towards Piper, is hypocritical. She KNOWS what it's like to be bullied and, yet, does the same thing to a girl who had a thing with Jared. I get Piper is kind of a villain here, but seriously? Tate is no better than the rest of them if she keeps up with this shit.
Tate thinks of herself as kind, smart and a good girl, BUT I hate how she doesn't fault herself and completely blames everyone around her. She lacks self-awareness and it's troubling. Sometimes, she is self-aware as she thinks This is how bullies are made... but after that, she completely forgets about this and continues being an asshole to everyone. ALSO, I honestly think she has anger issues because whenever shit hits the fan, she acts wild, erratic and violent. She lets her anger consume her and after that, she has a tantrum. Tate's "tough act" should not be interpreted as this.
At least Jared knows he's an asshole and owns up to it, whereas Tate doesn't. I gotta admit, Jared is a good alpha-male asshole. He's the silent and brooding type. Though, If this character in real life exists, I will for sure hate him because I don't have time for jerks, but he won me over in this book. He's such a complex character and he has his obvious flaws BUT I LOVE HIM. Even though I was rooting for Jared and Tate to be together, I REALLY think she forgave him too easily!!! Even though he's not the kind of guy who grovels, he should at least do something BIG to win Tate back after all the shit he put her through.
Another thing that I REALLY fucking hated here is KC, Tate's so-called "best friend". She is THE WORST "BEST FRIEND" IN THE ENTIRE FUCKING UNIVERSE. The hate that I felt towards her was so strong to the point where I actually skimmed her scenes. She made out with Jared, always teases Tate that she likes him (even though it's quite obvious he's fucking bullying her) but ends up having a "thing" with him IN FRONT OF TATE, and CONSTANTLY defending Jared's asshole ways. She did all this BECAUSE SHE WANTED TO HURT HER CHEATING BOYFRIEND. Ok, I get she wanted payback but did she really need to use Jared, WHO USED TO HURT HER BEST FRIEND ALL THE FREAKING TIME THROUGHOUT HIGH SCHOOL?! I don't care if she has "valid" excuses but where is her loyalty? If she knew Tate had a thing with Jared, why did she still use him to make her bf jealous? She could've used MADOC for all I care.
AND when Tate confronted her about it, KC had the audacity to be mad at HER?! The fuck is wrong with this bitch. I hate how Tate was the one who said sorry, while KC never fucking apologized for literally betraying her best friend's trust AND choosing the dude who tormented her for years. EVEN right after they made up, she openly texted Jared in front of Tate AND invited Tate to go to the Loop even though she is going with Jared as her date. KC was even mad at Tate for not trying to be friends with Jared, even though SHE KNOWS why Tate is hesitant. I honestly hate her and I hate how she treats herself as the “victim" in all this. She is the worst best friend ever.
Overall, even though this book has problematic aspects, I still love this book as it's special to me and I thoroughly enjoyed myself. The angst here was GOLD....more