"I love you... a crazy fucking amount," she whispered... "I love you too-" my voice cracked... "Most in the world."
you know those type of long "I love you... a crazy fucking amount," she whispered... "I love you too-" my voice cracked... "Most in the world."
you know those type of long ass books where you're satisfied but you still want more? yeah, that's how i feel reading this book and it's rare for me to feel this way. it's a perfect contradiction, really.
i don't know what to say but JUST. READ. THIS. BOOK. it's perfect. it literally has everything i never knew i needed. it's long because it has a lot of showing than telling. reading this, it honestly felt like i was there with all the characters, i didn't feel disconnected or anything because the characters felt so real.
the first book ended with a cliffhanger and this was the continuation of everything unresolved. Johnny FINALLY pulled his head outta his ass so him and Shannon are a couple, so everything that didn't happen in the first book, definitely happened here... if ya know what i mean.
"I'm going to keep you," he whispered... "if that's okay?" "That's definitely okay," I breathed... "I want you to keep me."
honestly, there's so much going on in this book and i dont wanna give anything away so imma just list out everything i love:
bromance & friendships: Gibsie's love for our H, Johnny, was just so UGHHHHH *insert a million heart eyes*. it was too cute for words. Gibise was so loyal and supportive with everything Johnny. i mean, there's so many scenes that made me love their friendship like the scene where Gibsie cried when Johnny was leaving for rugby, when Gibsie sat on *ahem* "tissues" because, ya know, teenage boys and their hormones, when Gibsie acted like a proud mom whenever Johnny accomplishes something, and when Gibsie was always there for Johnny when tragedy happened... WE NEED MORE MALE FRIENDSHIPS LIKE THIS.
and the bond between Claire and our h, Shannon? fucking great. Claire is definitely the female version of Gibsie and their sisterhood/friendship made me so happy, especially after what Shannon has gone through.
Johnny, Gibsie & Shannon's brothers i LOVED all of Shannon's brothers (except for Darren, he's aight). all her brothers are crazy and loveable, i mean how can i not love Tahdg, the 11-year-old potty mouth with no filter; Ollie, the most innocent and cutest 9-year-old kid who hustled Johnny for money and who is not ashamed of his cute lil tummy; Sean, the 3-year-old kid who made me aww so many times; and Joey, the second oldest of all the siblings and who basically raised/protected all of them from their abusive father and neglectful mother.
and Johnny's and Gibsie's (yes, I'm counting him), relationship with all of the brothers was so heartwarming to read. those kids was literally living in a nightmare for a looooong time and when Johnny supposedly "kidnapped" the baby brothers and took them to McDonalds and the park just because he knew they were all hungry was just so cute and adorable, my heart couldn't take it. and the scenes between Gibsie the manchild and the kids were one of the funniest things i've ever read.
Claire & Gibsie yes, yes. i know i've been going on and on about Gibsie but he's honestly the best character here. he completely outshines everyone, even the MCs. not even sorry that im completely more invested in Claire's and Gibsie's love story than Shannon's and Johnny's.
i mean, them being best friends since childhood and have been in love with each other since forever but of course, something happened and now Gibsie is a man ho and all that but still loves and protects Claire fiercely. honestly, I dislike characters/heroes who supposedly love the girl but goes on to be a man ho, but he still does things to the girl he "loves" that clearly shows how much he loves her but they're a "coward" and all that. thank god Gibsie didn't rub any of his OW escapades to Claire and i'm pretty sure he wasn't with anyone in this book, except for that creepy secretary. yeah, i dislike characters like him in other books but Gibsie was just... idk how to describe him because my words don't do him justice but just know that he's fan-fuckin-tastic.
they're story is literally the same as Knight's and Luna's from Broken Knight but in my opinion, Claire and Gibise are way more adorable and loveable and i just know their story is gonna make me cry.
"She freewheeled my hormones out of control and KO'd my heart"
anyways, I can't wait to read Joey's (Shannon's older brother) book and i DEFINITELY cannot wait for Claire and Gibsie's book
tw: emotional and physical abuse (scenes from the past) & murder/arson (off-page)
Merged review:
"I love you... a crazy fucking amount," she whispered... "I love you too-" my voice cracked... "Most in the world."
you know those type of long ass books where you're satisfied but you still want more? yeah, that's how i feel reading this book and it's rare for me to feel this way. it's a perfect contradiction, really.
i don't know what to say but JUST. READ. THIS. BOOK. it's perfect. it literally has everything i never knew i needed. it's long because it has a lot of showing than telling. reading this, it honestly felt like i was there with all the characters, i didn't feel disconnected or anything because the characters felt so real.
the first book ended with a cliffhanger and this was the continuation of everything unresolved. Johnny FINALLY pulled his head outta his ass so him and Shannon are a couple, so everything that didn't happen in the first book, definitely happened here... if ya know what i mean.
"I'm going to keep you," he whispered... "if that's okay?" "That's definitely okay," I breathed... "I want you to keep me."
honestly, there's so much going on in this book and i dont wanna give anything away so imma just list out everything i love:
bromance & friendships: Gibsie's love for our H, Johnny, was just so UGHHHHH *insert a million heart eyes*. it was too cute for words. Gibise was so loyal and supportive with everything Johnny. i mean, there's so many scenes that made me love their friendship like the scene where Gibsie cried when Johnny was leaving for rugby, when Gibsie sat on *ahem* "tissues" because, ya know, teenage boys and their hormones, when Gibsie acted like a proud mom whenever Johnny accomplishes something, and when Gibsie was always there for Johnny when tragedy happened... WE NEED MORE MALE FRIENDSHIPS LIKE THIS.
and the bond between Claire and our h, Shannon? fucking great. Claire is definitely the female version of Gibsie and their sisterhood/friendship made me so happy, especially after what Shannon has gone through.
Johnny, Gibsie & Shannon's brothers i LOVED all of Shannon's brothers (except for Darren, he's aight). all her brothers are crazy and loveable, i mean how can i not love Tahdg, the 11-year-old potty mouth with no filter; Ollie, the most innocent and cutest 9-year-old kid who hustled Johnny for money and who is not ashamed of his cute lil tummy; Sean, the 3-year-old kid who made me aww so many times; and Joey, the second oldest of all the siblings and who basically raised/protected all of them from their abusive father and neglectful mother.
and Johnny's and Gibsie's (yes, I'm counting him), relationship with all of the brothers was so heartwarming to read. those kids was literally living in a nightmare for a looooong time and when Johnny supposedly "kidnapped" the baby brothers and took them to McDonalds and the park just because he knew they were all hungry was just so cute and adorable, my heart couldn't take it. and the scenes between Gibsie the manchild and the kids were one of the funniest things i've ever read.
Claire & Gibsie yes, yes. i know i've been going on and on about Gibsie but he's honestly the best character here. he completely outshines everyone, even the MCs. not even sorry that im completely more invested in Claire's and Gibsie's love story than Shannon's and Johnny's.
i mean, them being best friends since childhood and have been in love with each other since forever but of course, something happened and now Gibsie is a man ho and all that but still loves and protects Claire fiercely. honestly, I dislike characters/heroes who supposedly love the girl but goes on to be a man ho, but he still does things to the girl he "loves" that clearly shows how much he loves her but they're a "coward" and all that. thank god Gibsie didn't rub any of his OW escapades to Claire and i'm pretty sure he wasn't with anyone in this book, except for that creepy secretary. yeah, i dislike characters like him in other books but Gibsie was just... idk how to describe him because my words don't do him justice but just know that he's fan-fuckin-tastic.
they're story is literally the same as Knight's and Luna's from Broken Knight but in my opinion, Claire and Gibise are way more adorable and loveable and i just know their story is gonna make me cry.
"She freewheeled my hormones out of control and KO'd my heart"
anyways, I can't wait to read Joey's (Shannon's older brother) book and i DEFINITELY cannot wait for Claire and Gibsie's book
tw: emotional and physical abuse (scenes from the past) & murder/arson (off-page)...more
you know, i read this whole damn series for Rose and Connor but i ended up still reading it for Daisy and Ryke. i didn't even know they exist3.5 stars
you know, i read this whole damn series for Rose and Connor but i ended up still reading it for Daisy and Ryke. i didn't even know they existed before i started this series but now this book was my most anticipated read for the series because i mean-
the age gap? mutual pining? forbidden romance?? the angst? sunshine/grumpy asshole trope?? two characters FINALLY being together after impatiently watching them be a couple even though they're not a couple for 4 books??
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and does anyone else see the resemblance between AelinRowan and DaisyRyke dynamic?? because i do.
↳Exhibit A: Daisy/Aelin both flirt with Rowan/Ryke just to annoy the shit out of them even though they shouldn't flirt with them because it's ~forbidden~
↳Exhibit B: Daisy/Aelin are both crazy (respectfully) and Ryke/Rowan both have sticks up their asses and just lets their women do whatever the f they want while smiling proudly at them.
see?? do y'all see the resemblance? no, just me? ok moving on.
i have been waiting- WAITING for this book since i read Ricochet because, well, i have a weakness for the whole sunshine, happy-go-lucky heroine and broody asshole Hero trope. plus i'm a little biased because Ryke and Daisy became my favorites but did i like this tho? ehhh.. mostly, about 75% of it??
✧ plot
↳so this is Ryke (H) and Daisy's (h) story (a year or so after Kiss the Sky). these two have been circling each other for YEARS but they can't do anything because of the 7-year age gap and Daisy was only 15 when they first met. 3 years later, Ryke is still a bit hesitant because of Lo (his brother) being overprotective when it comes to Daisy, and of course her problematic mother. but then they realized that they just wanna be together and they were like ehh fuck it. consequences be damned.
again, this story is more character driven so there's no "plot" BUT this does have the whole road trip storyline for the most part.
*∘✧WHAT I LIKED✧∘* ➵ Connor & Ryke bromance y'all know i love the whole enemies to lovers trope right? well these two do it PERFECTLY. they hated each other back then (don't really know why) and now Connor is all like,
"... Your brother's existence caused your parent's divorce, and yet, you gave up most of your time and energy to help him through his sobriety. How can you possibly think you're a pain in their life? What you've done for them, it's nothing short of heroic, and if you can't see that, then you're blind my friend."
oooooohhhh my god. he said "my friend" awww. these two are so cute. i love the development of their friendship because you can just see their respect for each other grow throughout the whole book. and honestly... i liked reading their bromance more than the main romance of this book (because of my pre-existing salty mood of course but we'll talk about that later).
➵ road trip timeeee anything that has a storyline where road trip is a big thing, well, i fucking love that. i don't know, i guess it just reminds me of The Lightning Thief and that book was my childhood so im pretty sure i associate road trips to that book hence why i love this trope... but ANYWAYS. my favorite part in this road trip is the bromance and can we talk about the bonding time this group had when the girls swam in a lake full of leeches? *sigh* good times.
after overcoming trials and tribulations of school after withering a brewing storm of papers and assignments after vanquishing the horrendous 3.5 stars
after overcoming trials and tribulations of school after withering a brewing storm of papers and assignments after vanquishing the horrendous ordeal known as "midterms"
I FINALLY FINISHED THIS.
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honestly this book feels more like a very very long prologue to Calloway Sisters series so i'm not complaining.
so this is the continuation of Lo and Lily's story when they reunite after 3 months of Lo being in rehab. there is a bit of drama here where someone is blackmailing Lily and threatening her that they'll out her as being a sex addict and then... that's it.
↬ Lo & Lily ↫ okay ya know what...? there IS character development/growth here and i really appreciate that. they were so toxic in the first book, always enabling each other, being selfish and unlikeable, not seeking help, etc. but these two characters are genuinely trying their best. Lo helping Lily with her sex addiction and how he's even scheduling their intimacy and supporting her? it was very sweet actually. im genuinely proud.
↬ Daisy & Ryke ↫ let's talk about these two for a sec because imma need to rant a little bit okay? okay.
FIRST OF ALL. these two had more drama (mainly OW drama) than the main leads. SECOND, i'm Melissa, the OW's name is Melissa... i- i don't want my name to be associated with an OW especially if that OW is with Ryke tf?? the one time i finally see my name in a book and im an OW?
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no thanks. why can't i be a main character for once ...more
sooo we all know the main characters here are from the first book aka Not My Romeo and we all know the slight unfortunate drama that occu2.75 stars ✩⋆
sooo we all know the main characters here are from the first book aka Not My Romeo and we all know the slight unfortunate drama that occurred there where Giselle (the h here) got with her sister's boyfriend and thus ruining their sibling relationship. so starting this book im kinda... meh. i ain't judging but like...
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it's natural OK. when someone hurts a main character in their book, especially when it revolves around cheating, obviously imma have a little bit of dislike towards the character who hurt them. plus what Giselle and her ex did was shitty i mean seriously?? you're gonna get with your sister's mediocre sized-dick boyfriend, rub it all over her face, and choose him over your own sister?? i- ANYWAYS.
『 p l o t 』↠ 5 months after Giselle Riley (h) found out her fiance cheated on her, she's suddenly desperate to be a part of the dating game and finally wants to lose her virginity to someone. because of unfortunate circumstances which made her homeless, Devon Walsh (H), a wide receiver of an American football team and her brother-in-law's bff, decided that they should be roommates and he should help her with her dating life.
the summary drew me in because look at the tropes:
↬ forced proximity & friends to lovers ↬ forbidden romance // h's brother in law don't want them together ↬ push and pull // H wants her but ~ commitment issues ~ ↬ H is a famous American football player, h is a physicist by day, alien romance writer by night ↬ roommates ↬ H being h's wingman when she's on dates
reading the summary where this apparently has the whole experienced dude teaches inexperienced girl how to date trope similar to before jamaica lane y'all know i snatched this book real quick but not gonna lie, i didn't really feel the tropes here if that makes sense. i don't know. it's weird.
･ﾟﾟ･｡｡･ﾟﾟ･ c h a r a c t e r s･ﾟﾟ･｡｡･ﾟﾟ･
➷ ｡ Giselle Riley (h)
"No wonder I can't keep up in my classes. I live in my own head too much to focus on the facts."
⤴ lol same. i'm on season 5 episode 21 of my enemies to lovers, ceo romance starring me and henry cavill in my head so. ok first of all "heartbreakingly innocent"? i dont think so. sure she's a virgin but she reads romance like us... are we innocent?? HELL NO. we're the least innocent people ever. i don't get why female characters who read romance are deemed "innocent" like ma'am please... everything in our head is rated r.
even though i had a slight "dislike" towards her before i started this book... eh im kinda neutral. i didn't hate her, i just felt nothing?? she made me laugh sometimes with her weird one-liners. she's chaotic because one moment she's writing an alien romance book called Sexy Alien Warrior and His Captive Earth Girl, and then the next thing you know she's smashing pots and vases at an old barn, dyeing her hair blue, or going on a date with a random guy just because he has an emu in his profile pictire. but sometimes, even though she makes me laugh, i'm just like yes girl we get it you're quirky ...more
this took me waaaaay too long to finish but i don't care cuz it gave me 2000s rom com flashbacks and I. LOVED. IT.
➝ heroine working at a fas
3.5 stars
this took me waaaaay too long to finish but i don't care cuz it gave me 2000s rom com flashbacks and I. LOVED. IT.
➝ heroine working at a fashion magazine company? ✓ ➝ hero is the grumpy boss of the heroine? ✓ ➝ hate to love and cute banter where the MCs are seconds away from either killing each other or taking each others clothes off? ✓ ➝ NYC setting? ✓ ➝ cute scenes filled with sexual tension?? ✓✓✓
this honestly just gave me nostalgia cuz i watched a lot of rom-com movies when i was a kid and this reminded me of 13 going on 30, Confessions of a Shopaholic, Devil Wears Prada, etc. and now after reading this, I JUST WANNA WORK AT A FASHION MAGAZINE COMPANY AND HAVE A HOT BOSS!! [image]
so this book starts with Dominic Russo (H) going to a pizza restaurant where he's supposed to meet his mother (owner of the magazine company he works at) and a waitress told him that there were no phones allowed but he's an asshole so he ignores her then proceeds to be rude to her. the waitress, who is none other than our heroine Ally Morales, isn't taking any of his shit so obviously, she's rude too and she makes him a pizza where the pepperonis are written in "FU". he gets her fired cuz again, he's an asshole, plus all his frustration from the past year finally blew up and he took it out on her. his mother was having none of his attitude and chased after Ally and then proceeded to hire her.
then obviously after that there was a ton of push and pull, cute situations with sexual tension and the MCs "fighting" but its just foreplay, the whole "i want you but i can't be with you" trope from the H, etc.
Dominic annoyed the hell out of me in the first half. it just seemed like he wanted Ally just for sex cuz his inner monologue is him whining over and over and over about sex and how much he wants her but can't have her cuz his dad used to sexually harass female employees before he got hired and he didn't wanna be like him. ↳ D O M I N I C
"I've never not wanted you. I only want you. I'm no better than that dickhead you went out with. I don't want a relationship with you. I want a quick, dirty fuck to get you out of my system. But we both know it won't be enough. You'll get your hooks into my soul and-"
see what i mean? i don't mind this in other books but it was just sooo excessive here since 95% of his inner monologue in the first half revolved around him wanting to have sex with Ally but can't do anything about it so he just "uses" his hand every night. [image] like, ok?? thank you for not sleeping with OWs while thinking about the h i guess. plus, he kept rejecting her and kept giving her mixed signals which made me wanna smack him in the head a couple times.
honestly, if you're planning on reading this, this would be a great drinking game where you take a shot every time he lusts after Ally and only talks about her physical description cuz y'all would 100% blackout. fun right??
he does get better after their first kiss tho which was around 60% so yup, this was also a slowburn. he was sweet and started to become the alpha possessive asshole we all know and like BUT he does have idiot moments in the last 20%, though, there is GROVELLING and i was all for that.
as for Ally, i LOVE her. she didn't take any shit from Dominic and even called him out for playing games with her. ↳ A L L Y
"You say you care about me. You're obviously attracted to me. And as much as you bitch and moan about me ruining you life, I think you actually like me. But not enough to want to be with me. And because of that, I can't trust you, Dominic. I'm not going to open up and share my life story with you. You haven't earned that access."
like yess bish THANK YOU. i have another one ↳ A L L Y
"You showed up on my date. You showed up at the club. You say you don't want to want me, yet it was your idea to get to know each other better. You wear vests just to mess with me. Then you tell me to quit the job that I desperately need so you can feel better about wanting to fuck me."
so yup. Dominic told her to quit just so he could fuck her. granted, he didn't know her situation where she's literally working 4 jobs so he could take care of her dad who has dementia but since he's obsessed with her and read all her files, doesn't he think that there's something fishy?? working 4 jobs is A LOT. but did he think about that? nooo because all he ever did was lust after her. ANYWAYS, im glad he felt bad once he realized what's happening and tried to help her.
as for the drama (spoilers), there were a few OM drama here but nothing too serious. Ally went on a date, Dominic showed up and ruined that cuz he was jealous. Ally "flirting" with this hot designer, Dominic got drunk cuz he was jealous. this is actually my favorite part in the book cuz Drunk Dominic was adorable!! i wish he was drunk all the time honestly. and Dominic accusing Ally of cheating on him with said designer and also accused her for basically using him for his money.
i mainly liked this but even as a slowburn lover, i was impatient as hell. the cute moments filled with sexual tension? loved them but also disliked them cuz there was just too much. it's a perfect contradiction really....more
WAIT. guys... this is- this is actually so cute?? don't get me wrong, i wanted to smack Lou & Wren 99.9% of the time but still... they were j4 stars ✧
WAIT. guys... this is- this is actually so cute?? don't get me wrong, i wanted to smack Lou & Wren 99.9% of the time but still... they were just *chef's kiss*.
so to get a little backstory, this book goes along with the timeline in the first book and there are 2 parts of this book. the parts are NOT separated by past and present. the only flashback here is in the prologue and one chapter about this past OW. Lou (h) was homeless when she was 15 cuz her parents abandoned her and one night, Wren (H) and her meet and after that he basically becomes her bodyguard/best friend/protector for 2-3 years. Lou is an orphan runaway, and Wren is part of a gang called, Exiled where Ever was a part of in his book. if y'all are into:
〚 best friends to lovers trope, crazy h where she does ridiculous things to get H's attention, slow burn but with tons of cute and sexual tension moments that would make you so frustrated you scream at your kindle for them to FINALLY DO IT. 〛
then i recommend this.
« l i k e s » ⇢ Lou & Wren are fucking crazy and i love it. Lou is just- well, she's plain crazy, super spoiled, but innocent at the same time. she runs away from her foster home whenever Wren ignores her and she did that a lot. not even exaggerating.
"I'm the moth to your flame, Lou. I'd rather be burned a thousand times than be free of you."
Wren is the most stubborn dude i've ever read and i wanted to smack him most of the time. he literally rejects the h all the time, for a reason, that i don't wanna spoil right now but let's just say he did something in the past that revolves around Lou. their dynamic is just so cute cuz he's the grumpy protector while she's the crazy one who does ridiculous things just to get his attention.
⇢ there was just so many cute/sexual tension scenes here. for me, i usually like it when the H does all the chasing but Lou's possessiveness is SO funny.
"My best friend might be a big bad gangster, but I had him wrapped around my finger. Now if only I could get him wrapped around the rest of me."
don't get me wrong, both of them are extremely possessive of one another but her antics and "seduction" to make him crazy so that he could finally pull his head out of his stubborn ass was one of the highlights here especially in part 1 but in part 2? meh it kinda got annoying not gonna lie.
⇢ for slowburn lovers im pretty sure y'all will like this one too cuz they don't get intimate until like 60% and before that it was all push and pull, and situations where there's a lot of sexual tension. but the slowburn in part 1 made me so frustrated (in a good way) that i just wanted to [image] SERIOUSLY. it was so frustrating ugh.
⇢ also, Wren has an Impala!! WHERE MY SUPERNATURAL FANS AT?
⇢ the friendship moments in part 2 was also fun to read especially Jamie and Lou's friendship. also, Ever, Jamie, and Vaughn made Wren a part of the bros and i love that.
⇢ all The 100 references. Lou and Jamie are fans of this show and let's just say i can definitely relate to Lou's love when it comes to Bellamy.
« d i s l i k e s » ⇢ yeah, yeah i know i said i liked the slow burn but i only liked in part 1 but in part 2? it started to get really annoying. Wren's rejections were starting to annoy the hell outta me and he was just a plain asshole to Lou by then. Lou's insistence and "chasing" almost made her look like a doormat and i aint about that life.
⇢ there is a little bit of OW drama in the beginning. apparently Wren was mostly celibate when he met Lou. he was not celibate the first year or so they know each other and i don't mind this cuz Lou was like 15-16 and Wren was 17-18. i don't think Wren had any romantic feelings towards her at that time but lustful thoughts? yeah definitely. there's also this one chapter in the past about Wren trying to get it on with Lou's neighbor and he made her think that he slept with her but he didn't and from then on, he was definitely celibate. i don't know sometimes i think he was celibate from the moment he met Lou cuz he says stuff that make me think he is but then he tells Lou something that completely contradicts his statement so yeah. let's just pretend he was celibate the whole time okay?
⇢ also, when they finally got together in part 2, i didn't really feel the explosiveness?? like the "holy shit we're finally kissing" kind of feeling? i don't know, i guess it was the way it was written or something. there were some fade to black scenes especially when they started to become intimate and i don't like that. nuh uh. i was tortured with all these sexual tension from the beginning and you're gonna pull that on me? nahh. i wanna know EVERYTHING.
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am i the only one who reads purposely slow with the books they like?? cuz that was me here. this literally took me 4 days to finish just cuz i don't want this to end.
i think this is my favorite so far and i know it'll just go down from here so i am mentally and physically preparing myself cuz I KNOW my stress level will go up with the last 2 books. am i masochist for knowing that the next books will frustrate me? hell yeah but im prepared for the battle im about to face [image] wish me luck guys!
i just want to move out of the city and live in a small town so i could meet a Damon Salvatore/Hook look-a-like and meet all these quirky peo3 stars ✧
i just want to move out of the city and live in a small town so i could meet a Damon Salvatore/Hook look-a-like and meet all these quirky people. that's the dream.
i really thought i was going to ugly cry here like how i cried when i read landon & shay and i was so prepared for it too but nahh. i shed a tear once in a while but this was actually such a sweet and super cute romance that i was aww'ing all the damn time.
i love small-town romances cuz i know there will be plenty of great side characters and this had one of the best i've read. my boy Connor? that dude DESERVES THE WORLD. i love him. i mean, he used Frozen reference to play matchmaker between Kennedy (h) and Jax (H) and he reminds me of Kirk from Gilmore Girls so he's an automatic favorite of mine. he really needs his own book ASAP. [image] and another memorable side character is "Crazy Joy" whom i absolutely love and would want to be best friends with even though she's an 80-year-old woman.
this has the childhood best friends to lovers trope where the MCs separate when they were kids (13 yrs old), haven't seen each other for years and is suddenly reunited because of coincidence/destiny.
some might be a little turned off by the fact that Kennedy had a husband in the first chapter but they divorced real quick since the husband was a selfish, manipulative asshole who kicked her out of their home because she was too "emotional" or traumatized" from her daughter and parents' deaths. so there is a little bit of ex drama on both sides but nothing too major.
the bromance between Jax and Connor was the best thing here i mean come on, just look at their banter
"I don't mean to take away your man card, Jax, but adding kale to your protein shakes makes you look a lot like those chicks who wear Ugg boots and are addicted to Starbucks and Target." "Are you calling me a basic bitch?" "Are you going to tell me to watch my language if I call you a basic bitch?" "Yes." "Well then stop being a basic bitch and eating kale. Next thing I know, you'll be Instagramming avocado toast while drinking kombucha." "What's kombucha?" "Oh, thank God. You still have your balls."
i feel personally attacked here cuz i too am guilty of being a basic bitch.
the romance here was cute and emotional and had the signature "destiny" trope that ms. Cherry does but it was just ok for me since they got together pretty fast and there was a lot of telling than showing. the beginning was slow but once they start hanging out, their relationship development was too fast for my liking. and that fake disney sing-along sex dream that Jax had was hotter than the real sex scene. but to be honest, i liked these couple's moments more when they were 11/12 cuz those chapters were so freaking adorable. i don't know, everything just felt so easy even though there were hard subjects here but i can appreciate on how this book talks about trauma and grief.
anyways, this had Gilmore Girls vibes where Jax is Luke with a splash of Captain America (because of that language joke he does with Connor and he's grumpy) and Kennedy is Lorelai with a splash of Joe from You. ...more
"Our stories stemmed from the same place, intertwined, and wouldn't be what they are if it weren't for each other."
OH MY GOD. that epilogue. wow. j"Our stories stemmed from the same place, intertwined, and wouldn't be what they are if it weren't for each other."
OH MY GOD. that epilogue. wow. just, wow. it made me so sentimental and sad at the same time because i need more from these characters. but honestly? that epilogue (especially Theo's pov) was the perfect ending for this series that i couldn't be happier.
i've been waiting for Lance's story since Theo's book mainly because he was the silent, brooding type of H and that personality trait is one of my number one weaknesses in books but Lance didn't really give that vibe here. BUT i can 100% tell y'all that this is tied with Theo's book as my #1 fave in this series mainly because of round 3 (there's 3 parts in this book).
i loved Lance for, like, 60% of the book (round 1 & 2) he was just so swoony and i just loved reading his inner monologue about how much he loves and pines for Harper. but honestly, i just wanted to smack the douchbaggery out of him in round 3. and as for Harper... weeelll. i really couldn't connect with her in round 1 & 2 and it's because i was biased as hell when it came to Lance and the fact that she just left him so suddenly? nahh. but when i found out why she left i just wanted to HUG HER. i fell in love with this girl in round 3 and she became my favorite.
why not 5 stars? now, i really did love this but the only reason why i didn't give this 5 stars is because round 1 & 2 were so hard to get into and the only character i connected with was Lance. i didn't like the time jumps and i didn't really like the 2-year-separation and the fact that Lance slept with OW (rarely tho! at least he wasn't a ho thank god). but honestly, i didn't really care about Lance not being celibate cuz, again, i barely cared about Harper at that time and there's not much details about it.
another reason is that i just wish round 3 was longer! this part of the book was the best part because of the angsty drama and a lot of the push and pull that i was looking for in the first 60% of the book. i was also low key annoyed that i only got to see ONE grovelling scene from Lance and then BOOM. epilogue time. but yeah, i just wish we get to see more of Lance being Lance in this round because he was just too mean.
overall thoughts: again, the angsty drama in round 3 is what made me love this because the book became a page-turner for me at that point but i also loved the sweet and genuine romance in rounds 1 & 2 because the banter there was just *chef's kiss*.
and the epilogue made me cry! like, it wasn't even sad or anything. it was just PERFECT. the Theo and Laney ending made me so happy.
anyways, please, PLEASE for the love of god let there be a book about Trevor.
Sketch(H), Romi(h) & Pres(best character in this series) = Harry, Hermione & Ron/Percy, Annabeth & Grover. yes, i know. Pres is definitely the HermionSketch(H), Romi(h) & Pres(best character in this series) = Harry, Hermione & Ron/Percy, Annabeth & Grover. yes, i know. Pres is definitely the Hermione/Annabeth in this group.
rescue mission, roadtrip adventure cuz duh people are hunting them, figuring out the mystery around their fucked up families.
honestly, what’s not to love?
this is book 2/4 and it’s fairly short. i THINK the author divided this book into 4 parts because if it’s one book, it would be too long. so, this is definitely not a series.
i don’t know what else to say without giving anything away so imma just show my favorite scene from my favorite character (Pres).
“Yes, that was sex, you inconsiderate bastards," a familiar voice slurred from the far side of the room. "Very good sex, by the sounds of it. Congratulations, vagina-muncher; making her orgasm during vaginal penetration her first time round is impressive. No whiskey dick for you, huh? Alas, you're both virgins no more. Now, pull your bionic dick out of the female and stop rocking the damn headboard. Some of us need a full eight hours sleep to function.”
we all love a good loyal/third-wheel bff like Presley. ...more
you know the kind of drama that's OTT but still makes you feel all the feels? yeah its this book.
i know some might be tired of the typical popular quyou know the kind of drama that's OTT but still makes you feel all the feels? yeah its this book.
i know some might be tired of the typical popular quarterback falling in love with the nerdy, religious girl that everyone makes fun of BUT this was still pretty good despite its flaws and a weakness of mine is friendship dynamic/group and i think it had a good one here.
i was a bit nervous to read this cuz apparently Cole is worse than Jace but he honestly is NOT. Jace was an unlikeable asshole, whereas Cole was a somewhat loveable asshole. he had more personality and substance compared to Jace in my opinion, and for that i ended up connecting with him and being emotionally invested in him.
but anyways, if you liked the first book and in the mood for the new adult high school romance with dark subject matters (suicide, bullying, fat-shaming, body dysmorphia, drug-use) then i recommend this.
now moving on to SPOILER talk:
↠OTT drama: there was A LOT of drama here and to be honest, some are pretty OTT but others aren't. though, there was so much drama that there's so much happening in the book. and at times, the resolution for the dramas were too quick so then another drama comes in and then it goes on and on. it was just a circle going round and round. i did actually have the feels here especially when it came to Liam, i really love that dude and i wish there were more flashback scenes with him, however, there was just too much going on that i ended up getting a headache.
↠characters: the characters i hated in the first book ended up becoming likeable here. I grew to like Bianca even though she was a mean bully but my feelings towards her are like my feelings towards Blair Waldorf. can't help but like the bishh. And Oakley? I LOVE THAT DUDE. he honestly made this book for me and there were so many funny moments because of him! love a good character development.
speaking of Oakley and Bianca...
i DO NOT ship these two. im sorry. i secretly ship Stone and Bianca more. can y'all just imagine the angst for that book? and honestly, Oakley's too much of a ho and im not down for petty OW drama in her book.
i definitely liked Cole waaay more than Jace. there were plenty of grovelling scenes here and i appreciated it. i loved how he fought for Sawyer and basically GREW THE F UP. he learned from his mistakes and ya know what, good for him. though, i wish we got more inner monologue about him regretting his actions towards Sawyer since he had a hand on bullying her and humiliating her plenty of times, feeding into her inner demons.
as for Sawyer, weeelll i didn't really connect with her and i knew that THAT was gonna happen to her at the end. her inner monologue didn't really annoy me because i understand her insecurities. i actually studied a bit bout body dysmorphia (though, im not an expert) and it helped that i understood that this is an occurrence prominent with teenage girls, so with that knowledge, it definitely helped me understand more about Sawyer's psyche. i honestly just wanted to hug her but also give her some tough love at the same time.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
↠ overall thoughts i thought that this was a pretty solid book. i agree with Phuong's review, but i also agree with Bee's review. i honestly didn't know how to rate this cuz im kind of in between but just know that this was a decent read and be ready for hard hitting subjects.
it’s been a long time since I’ve read a book where i don’t want it to end.
i was expecting this book to be the typical high school romance where jock mit’s been a long time since I’ve read a book where i don’t want it to end.
i was expecting this book to be the typical high school romance where jock meets shy girl and ya it kinda is but it’s definitely much more. i love books that focuses on the characters, friendships, relationships and family dynamics and this book has all of it. tbh, i wasn’t gonna read this book but the rating is so high and i was curious and all but i’m so glad i did.
ALSO, i wasn’t expecting this book to have a Mariana Zapata type of slow burn and i was all for it. and i know this book is long af but it’s like that because there’s more showing than telling and i loved this.
story & characters this book is long af but it didn’t feel long. if books are like this, you know it’s really freakin good and it is.
what drew me in are the characters. the story is pretty simple: girl gets bullied in her old school, she transfers to a more preppy/private school, she meets the most popular guy who also happens to be a rugby prodigy, they fall in love slowly but they both hide it from each other cuz duh its forbidden and all that. you know the drill. but the characters? fucking great. they were so relatable, hilarious, and the banter? the best thing i’ve read in a long time.
the side characters, Gibsie (H bff) and Claire (h bff) are THE BEST. i don’t think i’ve ever laughed so hard, i feel nonexistent abs forming on my tummy until Gibsie is introduced in my book-life. and Claire? she’s the kind of friend every girl needs. both of these characters’ loyalty and support was so refreshing to read, i just love em and i ship both of these characters so bad too.
Shannon (h) & Johnny (H) i felt so bad for Shannon that i just wanted to protect her from every single person who bullied and abused her. and knowing and reading about how she was being abused by her father? ughhhhh MY HEART. Shannon may seem weak, innocent, awkward, and naive (which is understandable after what she’s been through), but she’s actually so fucking strong, mature, the sweetest thing ever, and quite admirable tbh.
and omfg Johnny is the best hero i’ve read in a loooong time. he’s the perfect balance of sweet and alpha/protective/possessive type of hero. even though his pushing away from the heroine and implicitly leading her on frustrated me to no end, i’m still really glad that he was the one doing most of the chase. he may say to her he’s not interested but i mean, actions speak louder than words right?
im also so glad that Shannon calls Johnny out when he makes mistakes instead of just “giving in” just because, you know, he’s hot. ugh *cue eyeroll*. i’ve seen this trend in soo many NA books that it’s annoying as hell but thank god Shannon ain’t one of those weak and doormat/horny heroines.
drama wellll most of the drama here is the push and pull from both MCs, it can get frustrating, not gonna lie, but it’s definitely worth it.
the OW drama here was kinda entertaining but also kinda not important? i don’t know it just feels like it’s there for the sake of drama or putting a wedge between the MCs and im honestly not complaining because i’ve been in the mood for petty teenage drama for quite a while.
anywaysss, this book doesn’t have sex in it and it focuses a lot more on the stages of slowly and innocently (but genuinely) falling in love with your soulmate so if you like that, i recommend this 100%....more
#1: the guy on the right ↠ 5 stars #2:the guy on the left ↠ 3 stars #3: the guy in the middle ↠ tbr
but can we have more “guy on the right” type of hero
#1: the guy on the right ↠ 5 stars #2:the guy on the left ↠ 3 stars #3: the guy in the middle ↠ tbr
but can we have more “guy on the right” type of heroes though??
friends to lovers, slowburn, perfect amount of drama, college setting, funny af scenes, TONS of sexual tension, and how they talk about the clear difference between lust and love? damn this book has everything i like.
ive been reading so many romance novels where the MCs say they love each other but all they did was have sex so i don’t really believe em when they say the L word, but here, we get to see the progression of their relationship that comes so naturally to me that i BELIEVE them when they said their i love you’s. honestly, this is one of the most important things i look for when im reading romance and im so glad it was well done here!
seriously tho, i have the biggest crush on Theo and i literally want to marry him. and Laney? she’s so crazy, i love her.
and can someone please tell me if Lance (H’s recluse roommate) will get his own book? will Troy (OM; H’s man ho/jock/arrogant roommate)? ahhh i need to know because they seemed so interesting!
anyways, this is definitely one of the best friends to lovers i’ve ever read ♡. ____________
update: I definitely picture Theo as the actor who played Carter from the Happy Death Day and Josh To All The Boys I've Loved Before....more
This was a really good book. It was funny, the characters are likeable, it was heartbreaking and the friendships are heart warming. Buuuuut it 3 stars
This was a really good book. It was funny, the characters are likeable, it was heartbreaking and the friendships are heart warming. Buuuuut it was only ok for me.
The heroine can be annoying sometimes (in the beginning mostly but I liked her in the end). I prefer subtle humour than in-your-face humour but that’s just my personal preference.
I didn’t really like the development/progression of h and H relationship here and that’s my favorite part in any kind of romance novel. Idk, it just felt unreal? Like she was the biggest fan girl ever then suddenly she’s mellow towards him. Maybe its cuz of the more telling than showing kind of writing. She tells us that she suddenly thinks of him as a normal “man” but there’s no action that indicates this.
I liked the characters but halfway through the book, I’m not really rooting for the MCs to be together because there’s not enough scenes of them that MAKE me wanna root for them. All those cute, heartwarming with a little mixture of sexual tension moments that I love wasn’t really present here when they were in the “friend zone”. In some scenes that were like this, it was mostly the hero teasing the heroine in almost a brotherly way and then suddenly they’re talking bout their shit and they’re having sex? Yeah... don’t really like that.
And the fact when cute scenes are about to happen it just ends abruptly, then were off to the next chapter... uhh no thanks. This even happened when they first slept together. We never got to read that part because it was only told and not shown.
Anywaysss this was still really cute, funny and sweet but my enjoyment was just meh....more
This was so freaking cute omfg. No joke, I was literally smiling the whole time I was reading this book and it's cuz the inner monologue's o4.75 stars
This was so freaking cute omfg. No joke, I was literally smiling the whole time I was reading this book and it's cuz the inner monologue's of both MCs are hilarious af. And the whole girl soccer team storyline? LOVED IT.
What won this book for me is Jake though. Oh man. He is one of the best heroes I've ever read, hands down. Not only is he the best history teacher/cross-country coach, but he's also the best human being ever?? Like, how is that even possible? How can someone be so perfect? Ugh, its disgusting (jk, love this dude). I really like Marsley too but her constant belief of wanting something "more" at the end was super annoying. I get it. Character arc and all that shit and gotta respect a girl who strives for something big, but damn was she blind.
Only reason why I didn't 5 star this is cuz I thought it lacked the development/progression that I wanted from the romance department. Idk, I just felt like there was no build up. Like, one second Marsley likes Jake as a friend, then the next they're kissing. Where's the build up on that? I don't like that at all but gotta admit, once they do get "together", it's steamy as hell....more
I never thought Hank would be so swoony and interesting but he's honestly one of the best KA heroes ever imo.
I hate insta lust/love or anythin5 stars
I never thought Hank would be so swoony and interesting but he's honestly one of the best KA heroes ever imo.
I hate insta lust/love or anything insta but KA does it in a way that's not annoying and feels genuine and entertaining that I found myself already cheering for the two MCs to get together in the beginning! Which is super rare for me.
This is by far my second fave Rock Chick book (after Rock Chick Revenge). ...more
Fake relationship is a favorite trope of mine and this book did not disappoint! This book reminds me of my all-time fave Before Jamaica Lane bec5 STARS
Fake relationship is a favorite trope of mine and this book did not disappoint! This book reminds me of my all-time fave Before Jamaica Lane because of the whole teach-me-how-to-date thing (another fave trope of mine) AND Crushed because of the whole h-is-in-love-with-OM-so-H-helps-her-win-him-over and, again, I love this trope. So, if you love all these tropes, I definitely recommend this!
The h, Lanie Carmichael, is the best. She's definitely no doormat even when her sister and mother treat her like shit. She's confident in her own way and definitely sassy but also shy and innocent at the same time, and honestly, I love this combination. Aaaand she's a badass lawyer. What's not to love?
I was a bit hesitant with the H, Kyle Manchester cuz the first page we get of him was him checking out this red head's boobies and guessing what size they are... Ya... He was so RUDE to Lanie when they first met! Like, I get why he was creeped out with her and thought she was a psycho but he openly told her she was the ugliest girl, she's not a catch and it would be very impossible for her to date a handsome man... like, RUDE! AND he kept checking out this leggy blonde during their first date/meeting... he ended up sleeping with this OW.
Although he did all this, the OW scene (before and after he met the h) was just mentioned in one sentence and I'm honestly glad we didn't get to see a whole scene, otherwise, I would have DNF'ed this. One thing I REALLY hate is when H sleeps with OW after meeting the h... I honestly hate that (I can tolerate it sometimes tho)
What won me over is his character development. We see him grow and truly change and I honestly love that. He sees how everyone the h cares about, especially her mother and her sister, treats her like shit and he protects her from that and tries to help her gain her confidence. And I love that. He definitely changed when he was with her and I was like ummm is this the same guy in the first few chapters?? wth.
Overall, I loved the funny banter and cute moments here (and there were TONS), so I definitely recommend this!...more