this book has the biggest "you wish that was you huh" energy.
do i wish that i have a coworker who looks like clark kent wh**spoiler alert** 4 stars ✩⋆
this book has the biggest "you wish that was you huh" energy.
do i wish that i have a coworker who looks like clark kent who is secretly in love with me and is willing to be my fake boyfriend at my sister's wedding in Spain because my ex is engaged and i don't want my relatives to feel pity, who would buy me 5 fish tacos even though i asked for 4 fish tacos, smuggles doughnut for me, whose favorite movie is Up, and is the definition of ride-or-die?
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yes. yes i do.
✧ p l o t & t r o p e s
⭒ fake relationship ⭒ office romance // similar to the the hating game ⭒ banter + slowburn // almost mariana zapata type of slowburn if you know what i mean ⭒ one-sided enemies to rivals to semi-friends to lovers ⭒ grumpy/sunshine trope ⭒ unrequited love // the dude was in love with the oblivious girl
↳ ok so Catalina Fernandez (h) needs a fake date to her sisters wedding because, as it turns out, the groom's brother is her ex, 6 years before she moved to nyc, and that relationship is the reason why she has trust/commitment issues. so, she lied to her family and told them she has a boyfriend and lo and behold, her rival coworker, Aaron Blackford (H), offers himself up as her fake date for her sister's wedding.
so yeah, this was a cute slowburn book and honestly? it made me feel single so if a book makes you feel like this, you know it's cute.
BEWARE OF SPOILERS AHEAD
╭⋟─────── *.·:·.☽✧ ✦ ✧☾.·:·.* ───────╮
first and foremost, we're gonna talk about the most important thing in this book:
✧ C A T A L I N A
↳ "Exactly. In the same way that I haven't forgotten David Benioff and D.B. Weiss did to us on May 19, 2019... Didn't Daenerys Stormborn of the House Targaryen, First of Her Name deserve better than that?"
ugh. love it when fictional characters telekinetically share the same brainwave as me when it comes to my nonfictional opinions.
why is this the most important thing in this book you ask? because KHALEESI DOES DESERVE BETTER!! but anywho.
i knew from the very first page that Aaron was in love with her. i mean, the first line of this book was Aaron saying, "i'll be your date to the wedding" and i KNEW- i just knew this man is simping. and honestly, from the very beginning it's definitely obvious that the dude is in to her but Catalina is too oblivious to know because she's blinded by her one-sided hatred and unfortunately, this annoyed the hell out of me not gonna lie.
because first of all, i have one question for the heroine: HOW ARE YOU NOT IN LOVE HUH???
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no seriously im confused. because for me, if a grumpy, ex football player, who looks like clark fucking kent did all the things that aaron did to catalina do to me where he bought her not 1, not 4, but 5 fish tacos, knows all about you because he listens, not a ho- i repeat NOT A HO because he's "saving it for someone who's worth it", tries to learn spanish for you and your family, and is willing to travel across the world with you just to pretend to be your fake boyfriend without expecting anything back?
back arched. knees bent. throat open. I. AM. READY.
and this is saying a lot because i'm a picky bitch with high standards. and to be honest, this book really made me realize that the bar is set so low for men because when Aaron bought her 5 fish tacos (yes, im stuck with the fish tacos. it's food, what about it?) i swooned. unashamedly. and then he looks like this sexy ass man?
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... ??? one more:
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... *screams* *punches air* *cries in the corner*
also, let's talk about Catalina pushing Aaron away till the very end of the book for a second though because usually, if you know me, i'm more likely to be annoyed with the male main character because, well, they're dumbasses 99.9% of the time but i was more annoyed with the female main character in this one- not that she's a dumbass by the way, but the fact that she was so oblivious when it was so obvious that Aaron is in love with her for the most part.
i was just screaming at Catalina 85% of the time, GIRL ARE YOU DENSE?! THAT MAN IS IN LOVE WITH YOU AND WANTS TO RAIL YOU 24/7 HOW CAN YOU NOT- *sigh* anyways.
i think the fact that i already knew he was in love with her from the very beginning made me more annoyed because sometimes, she was just being so unfairly rude to him and im like?? girl?? it's so obvious?? and the fact that i know this is supposed to be enemies to lovers, but again, the enemies part was more one-sided so honestly, i just felt bad for the dude. i usually don't mind when the girl pushes the guy away, i actually LOVE when this happens because i love reading the "chase" but again, when the "hate" is one-sided, it's just less exciting and more frustrating especially when she's hesitant until the very end.
(spoilers) and especially with the drama at the end?? when she broke things off so easily just like that? ugh. i was so annoyed y'all. but again, i do understand where she was coming from and how her past trauma can make her more hesitant. but still.
it also doesn't help that Aaron is literally perfect. this was me in the last half:
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what am i doing you ask? well, obviously, i'm looking for flaws because i'm a judgemental bitch when it comes to fictional characters and i saw none. NONE. no seriously i'm not joking. this fictional man is perfect. especially in the last half when they finally went to the wedding. this man...? no flaws whatsoever. well actually, he does have one and it's just him not telling Catalina his feelings from the very beginning. but that's it!! seriously!!
i even wish he was more of an asshole because he was scarily too perfect for me. but you know what? with perfection comes with a little... i won't say boredom buuut... something close to that. i just wish he had more depth honestly but that's it.
➵ ex drama (spoilers) for those who want to know, there's a little bit of OM/ex drama here since again, one of the main reasons why Catalina needs a fake date is because her ex, Daniel, is engaged. he was Catalina's old professor and first love. but when students were suddenly slut shaming her just because she was dating her former professor, Daniel did nothing to protect her and he broke things off. after all this, she then moved to NYC and 4 years later she meets Aaron and 1.5 years after that, that's where the book begins. there's no OW drama.
╰─────── *.·:·.☽✧ ✦ ✧☾.·:·.* ───────⋞╯
i actually dont mind that the dynamic is similar to the hating game because i love the whole dude is in love with the girl but girl is oblivious and thinks the dude hates them trope. because that... that's the one. it reminds me of old KA and MZ books and ugh it's just nostalgic. i have been looking for a book with similar THG vibes so im glad this book exists.
so if you like your typical slowburn book where it's emotional connection >>> smut, sexual tension through cute mundane scenes (y'all know what i'm talking about), bed sharing trope (!!!), and the male main character implicitly showing that he's in love with the female main character but doesn't explicitly say he's in love with her till the end, then i recommend this.
can't wait to read more books by this author ♡...more
Cheyenne (h) was so freaking cute and my inner momma bear naturally came out because she seemed so sw2.5 stars ✧
ok, ok so the prologue got me HOOKED.
Cheyenne (h) was so freaking cute and my inner momma bear naturally came out because she seemed so sweet and innocent and she did not deserve to be treated the way she was treated aaand the fact that she didn't even know she was being treated like shit? by her own father and stepmom??? ugh just felt my soul weep a little.
so a little backstory,
⤷ back in highschool, we find out that she has something and she's been misdiagnosed A LOT, her mother died and we don't know why, she moved to her uncle's house because her dad don't want nothing to do with her, she went to college with her dad's money, years go by, she had a crush on her stepbros best friend, Cut (H) who's an NHL player and BAM. the book begins and umm....
... i almost dnf'ed this (many times by the way) but then half of my brain said:
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and i was like. alright brain I FUCKING WON'T. i ain't no quitter ...more
single dad that works as a coast guard pilot? heroine who is a little bit messed up because of her past? these two being neighbors? cute lit3.75 stars
single dad that works as a coast guard pilot? heroine who is a little bit messed up because of her past? these two being neighbors? cute little daughter that loves to collect seashells and has 5 different pets? ex drama? the OUTER BANKS??
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ok so everything is just COMPLICATED.
↳ you have Morgan (h) moving to this huge ass house to rebuild it and "heal" herself after losing the man she loved 2 years ago because he was a pilot for the military and he sacrificed his life for her friends' husbands. for the past 2 years, she's had this thing called complicated grief and it got so bad that she had anxiety attacks, can't even open his truck, etc. AND THEN - get this - Jackson, the hot neighbor with the cute little kid that she is falling for is also a pilot soo uhh... yikes.
alright let's talk about the // CHARACTERS // — Morgan Bartley (h)
"God, I didn’t deserve this man who held me carefully as I cried out my grief for another."
so not gonna lie, i was a tiny bit- ok actually, VERY frustrated with Morgan from middle to end but imma talk about that later, however, i felt so bad for her! that scene when she finally confronted her friends about their neglect and lack of care when it came to her pain?? ugh MY HEART. i really liked her character development and growth tho. her grief was so bad and painful in the beginning but i like seeing her overcome that.
— Jackson Montgomery (H)
"I’ve waited my entire life to love you, Morgan. Everything that came before was just to prepare me for your arrival, to teach me how to love you."
this man CARRIED this book. all the swoony, lovey-dovey shit? yup, this man's got it. how do i describe this him... well, he's a simp, in a good way of course (not that there's a bad way??) but yeah, this dude was smitten, guys- he was smitten, enamored and BEWITCHED. it was so cute. and the fact that he fought for her the whole freaking time while knowing she still loves her dead quasi-ex??
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can someone get this man a trophy because damn. i don't know how he handled seeing the woman he loves grieve so hard for another man that she STILL loved at that point (not that the OM deserved it by the way... too harsh? oops).
and now let's get on with the // ROMANCE // like i said, not only did Jackson carry this book but he carried the whole damn romance. guys, this dude was so swoony and 100% all in when it came to Morgan!!
"I'm going to love you so well that you'll never doubt that I choose you. Every day. Every situation. I choose you."
y'all see THIS ⤴ y'all see THAT. yeah... What. A. Man. the patience of this man... i could NEVER. if my future lover is grieving and loving his dead quasi-ex... not gonna lie... i would dip. i'm sorry i know i'm a masochist but i'm not that much of a masochist. but Jackson tho... good for him. i love a Hero who fights for the heroine.
okaaay now let's talk about // EX DRAMA & MORGAN'S "FRIENDS" (spoilers) // you know when it comes to books that has ex-drama, i'm always worried that the heroine might be second best but nahhh. it's the other way around in this book.
✧history with OM
↳ Morgan has been in love with Will (OM) for 8-10 years but they were never together. her love was unrequited because he was in love with Peyton (her best friend's sister who died) and then dated Peyton's sister, Paisley. he ALWAYS chose someone else and never Morgan. but the day of his deployment, he promised they'll be together when he comes back but he died few days later.
you know... obviously i'm uncomfortable whenever she says she still loves Will because like, look:
"Every label I could put on what I had with Will felt too small, too pale in comparison to what we'd been, and what we could have evolved into, and yet too big for our lack of definition."
see? this all makes me ✨uncomfy✨ and i was a little frustrated with Morgan when she kept being stubborn about not loving Jackson, all the while thinking about how much she loved Will like dude. chill. please give my mans Jackson what he deserves, thank you.
but then i'm hit with these:
↳ "The man I loved with my whole heart gave his life so one of the women he loved could have her husband... I've spent the last two years wondering why I wasn't enough to make him want to live."
↳ "Just like Peyton hadn't chosen Will... and yet he'd still loved her until his dying breath. He'd loved Paisley, too, even when she'd chosen Jagger. But he'd never loved me, even though I was the only one who had ever chosen him."
and honestly? Will, does NOT deserve Morgan's at all. this dude made her wait for 8 YEARS while pining after someone else AND dating her best friend. so yeah, i'm mad at him and i feel so bad for Morgan! she wasn't even second, third or FOURTH best, she's literally all the way to the very bottom. i'm not gonna say i'm glad he's gone but...
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do i think that Morgan and Jackson wouldn't happen if Will is still alive? yeah. but do i think their love is stronger than Jackson and Morgan's? hell no.
and her friends suck especially Paisley (Will's ex). i'm not gonna get into it but... they suck. i knew they had their own grievances but neglecting her, not having her back when she had theirs, shoving their happily-ever-afters to her face when she didn't get hers, implicitly treating her like she doesn't deserve to grieve Will, not even checking on her if she was okay when the "love of her life" died, etc.
they suck but... that scene when she confronted them? it was kinda awesome. like, yesss bishh keep yelling at them woo!!
there is a little bit of OW drama where Claire, the baby mama shows up and causes trouble, wanting to reconcile but nothing to worry about because again, Jackson is 100% all about Morgan.
* * *
i just wish we saw more of Morgan admitting she loved Jackson because my girl really made the man work HARD. because you know what, at times, i feel like she didn't even deserve him but oh well. and i also wanted to see more scenes with Finley (Jackson's daughter) because fictional kids are *chef's kiss*
and can we talk about the climax where Morgan chose to save Finley instead of attending Will's medal of honor ceremony, while there was an upcoming hurricane with 14 ft waves?? because that shit was INTENSE.
anyways, speaking of OUTER BANKS, anyone else watch that netflix show? do y'all love JJ as much as I am? do you guys ship Kiera and JJ? anyone else think that... Rafe is... lowkey... hot?
is it just me or does the book cover model lowkey look like my husband #3849 Chris Hemsworth??
you know weirdly enough i've been looking for a3.5 stars
is it just me or does the book cover model lowkey look like my husband #3849 Chris Hemsworth??
you know weirdly enough i've been looking for a book where it's all soft, cute and chill and whaddaya know? this book just showed up on my feed and i was like eehhh why not. and this was actually very cute and adorable!! aaand the fact that Dillon (H) is waaay more into Serena (h) and spent the majority of the book chasing her and fighting for her??
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so the premise also drew me in because Dillon first saw Serena (he was a freshman and she was a junior) at a bonfire and apparently whoever you kiss first at that specific bonfire, they end up being your soulmate so he kisses her and never sees her again until 3 years later. and for those years, she was still "tormenting" his mind even though he had no hope whether or not he'll see her again - but SIKE they meet each other again.
and basically this has a lot of things im trash for like:
— H simping for h // Dillon was SO into her guys i can't even explain it → cute scenarios where there's tons of sexual tension → h "playing hard to get" while H still fights for her → emotional connection // bonding over their trauma of losing a family member → semi slowburn // y'all when i say the h played hard to get she really played hard to get → cute girl friendships // aaahhh i wish there were more scenes of this → paintball scene // The Hating Game anyone?
you guys see this? all chef's kiss material.
// Serena Jensen (h) // ok i LOVED this girl. this bishh KNEW...more
this book is filled with all of my guilty pleasures (well, is it really guilty?) because this has:
↬ unrequited love // Salem (h) is in love w
2.5 stars
this book is filled with all of my guilty pleasures (well, is it really guilty?) because this has:
↬ unrequited love // Salem (h) is in love with her sister's ex bf, Arrow (yikes) ↬ forbidden romance // Arrow is Salem's soccer coach in her school ↬ boarding school aesthetic and girl squad ↬ angst // cuz duh did you see what i wrote above? Salem is in love with her older sister's ex bf!!! ↬ athlete // Arrow is a famous soccer/football player
as you can see, the tropes are all chefs kiss material because honestly, i was in a bit of a semi book slump period because i've been lazy- too lazy to even read so i was hoping this book would get me out of that funk because i mean come onnn!!
« p l o t » ↠ Salem being in love with Arrow who happens to be her older sister's ex of 8 YEARS, then he finds out Sarah (Salem's older sister) was cheating on him with his best friend and then Arrow beat the dude up, which made him suspended from the team, then suddenly becomes Salem's high school soccer coach??
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but... ehhh im sorry. this kinda wasn't for me sooo y'all know the drill, im about to rant so
~ SPOILERS AHEAD ~
first of all, // Salem // is one of the most extra heroines i've ever read. hmmm... how do i describe her... well, she's kinda super nutty and imagine us fangirling over fictional boys but multiply that by a 1000 and make it poetic. that's how lovesick she was towards Arrow. also again she's a bit nutty and dramatic like-
"He can do whatever he wants with me. He can stab me with a knife and I'll be lying on the ground, dying, drawing little hearts in blood."
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dude... Salem. nooo. to be fair, her dramatic inner monologue made me laugh sometimes because she's that extra and lowkey reminded me of me when i think/talk about fictional men *cough* draco malfoy, rhys, damon salvatore, warner, percy jackson *cough*
she was honestly all about the Hero and never about herself so i was like, Salem.. girl... think about YOURSELF for once. what about your pain??? what about YOU?
anywho moving on to // Arrow // i actually liked his character depth when it comes to his obsession with perfection. it honestly made him interesting and i could understand why he was with Sarah (the ex aka Salem's sister) for 8 years and why he suddenly turned into an asshole once he found out she cheated on him with his best friend.
but what bugged me here is that in his chapters during the romantic development stage between him and Salem, we barely get any insight as to how he really feels towards her because he barely even talks or thinks about her. all he did was talk about himself and how Sarah's betrayal "hurt" him.
as for the // ex drama // okay so Sarah and Arrow were together for 8 years (since they were 15 years old) and have been together ever since, planning their future together, living together and he was also about to propose to her until he found out about the affair. Arrow said it "made sense" for them to be together because they're practically the same - both striving for perfection. Both Arrow and Salem's inner monologue about Sarah hurt to read because like ✧ S A L E M
↳ "All I know is that when I was falling in love with Arrow, he was falling in love with someone else. With my sister, Sarah. And they are perfect for each other. Perfect."
✧ A R R O W
↳ "Because I'm empty... I'm hollow. Because whatever I had, I gave it to her. Whatever fucking love I had, she used it up and threw it away. She took it and flushed it down the toilet understand?"
also, thanks for letting us know about this Arrow: ✧ A R R O W
↳ "And sex between us has always been pretty fucking hot. She's small in all the ways I like and I'm big in all the ways that makes things tight and interesting"
this was said around 67% mark and for a sec, with his ex looking at his lips, it "almost got him going" and he thought about this when he already had sex with Salem numerous times. so again, thanks for the lovely information Arrow!! totally needed to know that.
honestly, throughout the book (until 67% mark) everyone thought he was still "in love" with Sarah and he was hurt and tormented by her betrayal because Sarah "took eight years of their love and ruined it". though by the end, he finally realized that he was never in love with Sarah because their relationship was not love, it was "convenience".
and as for the // romance // well, if you know me you know i like emotional connection >>> physical attraction/lust/all about sex kind of romance and their romance is definitely the latter. i don't know... the dude just wanted to have sex with her and Salem just goes with whatever HE wants for most of the book. i can appreciate the sexual tension buuut.. this is all about unrequited love sooo i would hope i would read more about Arrow's emotional romantic connection but nahh this only happened by the end of the book.
aaand i really don't like how she agreed to be his "rebound girl" and let him use her body to get over her sister i-
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nooooooo. again, what about YOU. jesus h. roosevelt christ, think about your own pain and heartbreak not his.
* * *
all Salem did was give, give, give and all Arrow did was take, take, take. so the roles have reversed and now Salem is like Arrow, and Arrow is like Sarah if that makes sense.
and all i ever did while reading this book and while Salem would say something like this:
"I'm not asking him to love me, am I? I'm only asking him to use me, use my body, and he won't even do that. And I'm too hurt and too much in love with him so I've lost my mind over it."
was think about giving her a lecture about ✨ self-respect ✨honestly, i feel like Arrow doesn't even deserve Salem's love and devotion for him but that's just me.
also, i wish there were more moments with the girl friendships and i wanted to see their development but most of it was mentioned and not shown which sucks because this had potential.
i don't know... i just feel like Salem's love was kinda one-sided (except at the end when Arrow gave her a speech) and if it's like this in an unrequited romance, i just know i wouldn't enjoy it and i didn't, mostly. oh well.
im looking forward to the other books tho! there's a snippet between Callie and Reed for the second book and im exciteddd!
ok so we can all agree that Wicked Princess was just a long ass prologue for this book right? RIGHT??3.75 stars; ☆
~ this right here was chaotic good ~
ok so we can all agree that Wicked Princess was just a long ass prologue for this book right? RIGHT?? ok. now that that's settled, Oakley and Bianca never took a break cuz it was drama after drama, tragedy after tragedy like sheesh let them breathe a little damn.
✧plot
↳ 8 months after Stone (OM) proposed to Bianca (h), Oakley (H) finally got out of prison but because of guilt and the fact that the love of his life is engaged to another man, he decides to leave her alone until Bianca felt a sudden connection when she sees him again.
they then become friends and suddenly, all the memories of her and Oakley comes back and now she's not sure about everything.
so apparently everyone's theories are mostly correct. i don't think this is a spoiler but Stone is indeed trash and BiancaOakley are endgame!!! fuck YESS
the banter and slowburn in this was frustratingly ~ immaculate ~
also, the tropes here are chef's kiss material because, well, i'll list them4.5 stars
the banter and slowburn in this was frustratingly ~ immaculate ~
also, the tropes here are chef's kiss material because, well, i'll list them out:
→ slowburn (mariana zapata type of slowburn if you know what i mean) → great banter // heroine is the funny, playful and carefree type of character while Hero is the grumpy, stay tf outta my way or i'll beat your ass type of character → age-gap (10 years i think??) → NO OW/orgy scene. halle-fucking-lujah !!! → soulmate trope // there is a little bit of insta love here from the heroine but i didn't mind it because it made the banter so funny → "unrequited" love → forced proximity trope (Gavin is Ginny's "bodyguard" and all that) → found family trope // Hero bonds with heroine's brothers (aww) → and a little bit of a road trip and "bed-sharing" trope
you do have to read the first book before reading this because this starts right after the end of the first one. also, you won't understand Ginny and Gavin's soulmate connection in the previous book. but a little backstory,
⤷ Ginny (h) and Gavin (H) are soulmates but they haven't met until Ginny's secret blood sister's wedding, singing her song about losing her soulmate and lo and behold she finally sees him. after 10 years of being raped and tortured, and when he was rescued 2 years before, Gavin no longer exists, thus, Reaper is introduced. in this book, Gavin/Reaper protects Ginny from her stalker while also finding out who her stalker is.
Ginny always believed in "soulmates" and once she saw Gavin, she had no qualms in letting him know that they are meant to be together but because of what happened to him in the past, he was all like ha ha ha. no... ˡᵒˡ ʲᵏ ⁱ ˡᵒᵛᵉ ʸᵒᵘ ᵗᵒᵒ ᵇᵇ ᵍⁱʳˡ..
— tw (spoilers): Gavin/Reaper is Viper's (viper's run // 2nd book) younger brother and from his book, we all know that everyone thought he "died" until he was rescued in train's clash // 9th book. He was raped, drugged and tortured the whole 9 years or so, and there's also suicidal thoughts and attempt.
// characters // i really liked both Ginny and Gavin. them and this trilogy is probably my favorite out of ALL the last riders books because i have a weakness for the soulmate trope, plus, their connection is more on the emotional side than physical side. also, even though Ginny has characteristics found in a last rider heroine (she's an innocent virgin), she actually has a lot of backbone and gives Gavin shit when he's being mean, though, she is a little forgiving and she spoils him a lot BUT i could understand why because of what he went through and all that.
// "OW/ex" drama (spoilers) // first of all, i never thought i'd see the day when a last riders book does NOT have OW/orgy scene. thank fucking god for that.
OW drama in the first book
⤷ since the first book is about Ginny and Gavin's story before they even meet and Gavin was 25 and Ginny was 15 before he was kidnapped, he was "in love" with Taylor and asked her to marry him. there were 2 intimate scenes between them there and he used her image and their future plans as a way to survive his torture (don't worry about this little tid bit. he'll explain in this book why that's a mistake. trust the process y'all). he even begged her to stay with him once he was rescued but it was not about love, it was more about Gavin trying to hold on to a piece of himself before he was kidnapped.
in this book, there is a bit of this drama but the ex never even shows up and it's more of Ginny (h) thinking that he still loves the ex (but he really doesn't, he even admitted that he won't get back with her). Gavin/Reaper (H) thinks he still loves her but really, he's just using the idea of the ex to protect himself. he was never pining after her (even though Ginny thinks he is) but his comparisons of the ex and Ginny were annoying tho.
his comparisons were like backhanded compliments where Ginny was the innocent looking girl who you bring home to your parents but also friendzone, while Taylor (the ex) had that oomph aka sex appeal that every man wants and you'll feel like you did a touchdown during a super bowl once you had sex with her (yes, this is what Gavin said). but whatever. at least with his comparisons, it always ends in a bad note when it comes to Taylor. also i felt more tolerable about this just because i liked how extreme his emotions are whenever Ginny smiles at him or when she tells him she'll give him space soo oh well.
this book does end in a cliffhanger so if you're impatient like me, it's best to wait for the third book but im a dumbass so i didn't wait and now i feel empty ughhh
so basically, this is like the Target version to twisted hearts' Walmart version- a little better, but... it's not Costco.
ever since i read twisted pride (remofina) i was salivating for this book. boy was i READYYYY. like- are you kidding me???
⤷ Sofia (h) being infatuated with her older sister, Serafina's, ex fiance, Danilo (H) (before she got kidnapped by Remo of course), then Sofia becoming Danilo's new fiance making her feel like the consolation prize/second best but of course nothing happens for years because they were betrothed when she was only 11 years old but Sofia is still pining over Danilo while he's still hung up on his failure??
yes, yes, and YES.
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though while i was expecting ✨ flavor ✨, all i got was an unseasoned romance. the whole time i was wondering, where was the spice? the flavor?? why is it unseasoned??? this needs more paprika or maybe even sriracha. the first half kinda annoyed/pissed me off because, well, nothing happened.
— SOFIA MIONE (h)
"I'd tried to imitate her, but an imitation would never be the original. I was an echo of the perfect melody. A shadow of an immaculate image. Always less. Never enough."
my girl needed a hug, like, yesterday. listen, i felt bad for her in the beginning as she felt insecure the whole time because of not only Danilo but also her family and she felt like second best and the consolation prize. though, as the story progressed... uhh... she did some fucked up things- to put it lightly - which was honestly kinda annoying to me.
— DANILO MANCINI (H)
"I wished I could turn back time. I'd spent so much time regretting the past and what was lost that I hadn't focused on what fate had given me."
*cough* yes you should've you lil bishh *cough*. anywho, straight up, just wanted to punch this dude in the first half and i would've if i could've, but i couldn't so i shouldn't. when he was doing what he was doing, you know... with all the blondies, i was just like
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im sorry but i couldn't. i cannot for the life of me like this dude because he was just so BLAND. i don't even know what to say about his character because that's how uninterested i am of him. i just know this dude likes blondes and didn't have any genuine feelings towards Sofia until the wedding which happens at 50% mark by the way.
☞︎ SPOILERS AHEAD ☜︎
➳ WHAT I LIKED can we appreciate the friendship between Sofia and Anna please and thanks?? the way Anna would be on Sofia's side no matter what, being her ride or die and being her biggest hype man is just so sweet and cuuute.
"Be selfish for once, Sofia. In this world, we women get so few choices, so little freedom. We have to grasp happiness by the collar and drag it with us. We can't hope for happiness to jump into our lap. Be selfish. You deserve it."
AWWWW STOP
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so cute.
Danilo and Emma were cute too. love seeing sibling relationships in books and the only time i could appreciate Danilo's character was him being protective towards Emma but i wish there's more scenes of them tho. aaannd the last few chapters where there's actually romance. i thought FINALLY Danilo and Sofia are fucking cute. maybe. i don't know. though, was i convinced with Danilo's feelings? nahhh.
oh and let's not forget about Santino and Anna of course. they're the ones who made this book at least bearable. aaaand Remo pointing a gun at Danilo while protecting Serafina ...more
ever since i read wall of winnipeg and we were introduced to Zac, i humbly proclaimed him as the ✨chosen one✨. i knew- i just knew that he w3.25 stars
ever since i read wall of winnipeg and we were introduced to Zac, i humbly proclaimed him as the ✨chosen one✨. i knew- i just knew that he was gonna be a future MZ hero so i was so excited to read this.
though, since y'all know this book long af, this was me for the past few days trying to finish this participating on team no sleep
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but anyways.
as with any MZ book, y'all ready know that this is gonna be a slow slow burn where you know, they don't become a couple till the very end but honestly, i was all for it because emotional connection with good development >>> physical attraction and relationship that only focuses on sex is superior.
okay so a little backstory,
⤷ Bianca Brannen haven't seen Zac Travis for 10 years or so because Bianca thought Zac wanted nothing to do with her anymore as he "ignored" her texts back when she was 17 and he was busy because he was a professional american football player. they were both childhood best friends, though, there is a 7-year age gap and her cousin is also Zac's best friend.
and now 10 years later - Bianca (27); Zac (34) - they have reunited once again, though, Bianca is still a bit salty since she thinks Zac didn't want to be friends with her anymore so that's why he ignored her. aaand because she was also in love with him for a couple of years back then so she was extra hurt. but after a while Bianca slowly let Zac in her life and once again become best friends.
so as y'all can see from above, this has the childhood bffs, friends to lovers, unrequited love, slowburn with a little bit of forbidden romance.
characters i honestly liked both characters. MZ is really good at writing realistic characters and this is one of the reasons why i love her books. i actually liked reading about Bianca's vlogger (she has youtube - sorry i mean watchtube - channel where she cooks and bakes food) lifestyle because she was so ambitious and she's so goal-oriented and then there's me like
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add this with a book in my hand and that's 100% accurate.
as i was saying, i felt connected with Bianca but not with Zac and it's mainly because she just went on and on and on about herself, especially in the beginning. no shade tho. i just felt like i don't really know Zac. i feel like i knew him more in wall of winnipeg as he seemed like he had more depth there than in this book. he seemed kinda dull here but like, the goofy, sweet kind of dull character. he stood out for me in wall of winnipeg but not in his own book. i don't know why.
romance ehhh. this is where it gets iffy. even though im used to the whole heroine not knowing hero has feelings for them but we readers know they're crazy about them that MZ does, i just did not feel anything. im sorry!! but their relationship felt really platonic and more of a sibling type of relationship which felt weird.
y'all wanna know why i feel this way?? hmm? well, it's because Zac keeps calling her "kiddo". like come on. that's not romantic at all. my own father calls me that which makes me feel even more weird. i don't know... i just didn't feel any chemistry. sometimes i did, but most of the time i didn't. i guess i just wish there were more scenes where they actually have romantic sexual tension without Zac calling her "kiddo".
i did like some scenes where i felt some sexual tension tho. i liked the haunted house scene, the whole quince chapter with the whole back scratch, the part where Zac was a part of her video, and the last 90% when he finally confessed. i thought those were cute but yeah... sometimes i really did cringe with how their banter was especially when that fart bomb attack came up.
drama (spoilers) there was a bit of OW drama here where Bianca thought Zac ditched her to go to a club and she saw a picture online where a woman was sitting on his lap but it was fake. also, there were times when Bianca felt jealous/insecure about other women because Zac was kind of a playboy back then. also, there was a confrontation with one of his exes that basically ruined their friendship.
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this wasn't bad in any sense as i did like some parts but yeah... it took me till after Bianca finally confronted him about how hurt she was (35% ish) about him "ignoring" her to get into the book. i just didn't feel the romance, wasn't connected to Zac, the writing in the beginning was repetitive because Bianca went on and on about their past, and the "kiddo" nickname threw me off as it wasn't romantic in the slightest. all in all, i just needed more from these two i guess.
also seeing my babies (Aiden and Vanessa) with their kids and them talking about Zac's ass which made me think about captain america's ass (was reading this in 4th of july) which then made me think of chris evans (my husband) and him and Zac have similar features and now i can't unsee chris (my husband - gotta mention this twice) as zac... well, this revived 2020 for me.
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07/05/2020
currently reading — this book >>>> 3 10-page paper that's due next week ...more
i'd rather read draco malfoy and cedric diggory love triangle fanfictions in wattpad than read about savio sleeping around and being a ho for1.5 stars
i'd rather read draco malfoy and cedric diggory love triangle fanfictions in wattpad than read about savio sleeping around and being a ho for 60% (!!!) of this book.
a little backstory,
↳ this is about the second youngest Falcone brother, Savio Falcone (H) aka the worst man ho out of all of them (aka my least favorite Falcone brother), falling in lust with Gemma Bazzoli (h) aka his best friend's little sister.
basically, Savio just wants her because she's the "hottest girl in Vegas" and he really wants to sleep with her so they're engaged when she's 16, he's 20 yada yada, a year or two goes by he still hasn't set up a date because he's too busy fucking other girls blah blah then something happens and BOOM. they're married, the end.
so this has ✧ arranged marriage, brother's best friend, and mafia tropes ✧
aaanyways, don't mind the intro because this is actually a Savio Falcone appreciation post!! yaaayy!!
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ugghhh he was just soOoO romantic and swoony im gonna list out the reasons why im iN lOvEeEe with him so:
☞︎ TOP 7 REASONS WHY SAVIO IS THE BEST BOOK BOYFRIEND OF ALL TIME!!! (SPOILERS) ☜︎
#1: ➳ when Gemma (16 years old) was engaged with someone else, Savio (20 years old) fought him for her HONOR and finaly won her!! ughh he was just sooo excited to marry her right away i mean look:
"Now that I had secured Gemma, there really was no rush. I didn't want word to get out that I was taken. It would lead to more unpleasant discussions with the girls I fucked, and I really didn't need that."
aww guys.. don't you feel the love? the passion?? the LONGING?!!? ughh i feel it deep in my bones. it's true love people!
#2: ➳ oh- OH! and of course, he just had to celebrate winning Gemma over by having a quickie with her nemesis in his car the same night!!! and GUYSSS look at what he said to her brother/best friend when he was caught
"You are promised to each other." It took considerable effort not to roll my eyes. "And I'm going to keep that promised, but I'm not going to retire my fucking dick until I marry Gemma. I don't give a fuck if that pisses you off."
awww!!!
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#3: ➳ and THEN a few weeks later when they are officially engaged, he just loves and cares about her so much that he plans on delaying the wedding just so Gemma could go to college! awwww ...more
oh my f god these two frustrated me in the beginning.
obviously, since this has the childhood 3.5 stars
so basically, this was me in a nutshell: [image]
oh my f god these two frustrated me in the beginning.
obviously, since this has the childhood best friends to lovers trope, y'all know there will be some teenage angst in this one where the MCs deny they like each other and then be with other people to push the other away. was it too bad? nah i don't think so, i've read worst but yup. im pretty sure y'all would yell at them to stop being stupid and be together at one point.
》Violet (h) and Miller (H) met when they were 13 years old when Miller stumbled upon her house. They instantly become best friends and hung out the whole summer but then Violet finds out that Miller was homeless this whole time, living in a car, and also discovers that he has diabetes which almost killed him.
Both of them realized they were in love with one another but Violet didn't do anything because she's scared they would turn into her parents (falling out of love). Miller has been pining for years and has unrequited (but not so unrequited) love for Violet and he was about to profess his love for her but pushes her away because he has abandonment issues. there are 4 parts in this story which all takes place in 3 years or so.《
even though both MCs frustrated me in the beginning, i still liked both of them. they were both so sweet and too nice for my liking and their kindness can sometimes lead them into doing stupid shit - *cough* Miller & Amber *cough* - but most of the time, their generosity can literally save lives.
characters — Violet McNamara (h)
"An understanding that he and I were inevitable. Fated. The boy with diabetes and the girl who was going to be a doctor. The girl with the romantic heart and the boy who wrote love songs."
this girl annoyed me in the beginning, especially when i was biased when it came to Miller and she kept being stubborn and was going after this OM and i was like OH MY GOD go get your mans girl he fucking loves youuu. but did she listen? nooo. ugh. but then after that happened i felt bad for her. i don't think she deserved to see that.
— Miller Stratton (H)
"God, the endless well of love I had for that woman, as if I were born with it already inside me, in my marrow and cells. She was in every part of me that was whole and good, and what was broken in me, she had dedicated her life to healing."
I CANT STOP PICTURING HIM AS HARRY STYLES. like im sorry i cant. i aint complaining tho. i really like him in the beginning and i felt so bad for him because he loved Violet so much and she just kept low key rejecting him. but after he did that and still kept doing it for 5-6 months, my annoyance transferred onto him because by then, i didn't really feel his pining or regret.
honestly, even though i liked them - despite them annoying the hell outta me - i just couldn't connect with both of them. they barely interacted with one another in parts 1 and 2 because of all the other plots that were happening, i also couldn't connect with their romance. i didn't feel their passion or any other overwhelming emotions that i should feel because of the time jumps and there was also a lot of telling >>> showing.
OW/OM drama (spoilers) gotta be honest here, before that scene where you know, h sees H getting a bj from OW 4 days after their first kiss, i was like fuck it he can be with any OW i don't care anymore. but when the scene actually came up?? im like HA HA HA never mind i fucking hate this. then the H is "honorable" so instead of ghosting OW, he dates her for 5-6 months, where apparently they did nothing and instead did a lot of "aggressive cuddling". my neurotic obssessive self obviously googled what aggressive cuddling means and apparently it means heavy petting?? but i dont think they did ANYTHING cuz according to H and OW, they barely even kissed each other (the H kissing her only when he's drunk). so yeah i don't think they did any of the bases if you know what i mean.
also, the whole Evelyn drama was unnecessary and stupid in my humble opinion.
i didn't care about the OM drama because i spoiled myself and i know who the next book is about but the h did kiss him a few days after she kissed Miller (he cheated on the OW cuz of this cuz they haven't broken up yet). i was kind of annoyed with this just cuz she felt more regret than Miller did. i personally dont think she should've felt regret cuz at least Miller didn't see her kiss the OM ...more
one of my most hated tropes is when an h is a virgin then pines over her man ho “best friend” while he dates her roommate knowing that said1.75 stars
one of my most hated tropes is when an h is a virgin then pines over her man ho “best friend” while he dates her roommate knowing that said roommate is a bitch to her.
did i just summarize the first half of this book? yes.
this book just made me feel annoyed with both MCs, i rolled my eyes so many times i lost count.
anyways, did i like it when h was pining over H while being jealous of the OW (this OW was h's roommate btw)?
“Honestly, I spend an embarrassing amount of time thinking about Dylan having sex. Does he tease her as they start to kiss? Is he smiley, laughing Dylan? Or is he just so hungry for it that he’s too busy stripping her clothes off to talk or smile?”
nope.
did i like it when we find out the reason why H was dating the OW knowing that she was a bitch to the h, his best friend?
Kaitlyn is always horny, just like I am. That’s why I broke my No Dating rule to be with her. The sex is fantastic. Also, she’d insisted. We’re exclusive, or we don’t fuck, she’d said the first time I got her naked. Then? She’d swallowed my entire cock to the back of her throat and sucked me dry.
nope. very nice to read about H and OW's fantastic sex life by the way. i really wanted to know that.
what about when h heard H and the OW having sex right next to her room wishing she was the OW?
“I break out in a sweat. He grunts, and I shiver. Every little noise he makes is gold. I close my eyes, and I could almost be the one underneath him. My heartbeat syncs to his rhythm. Inside. Straining. More. Yes. “Please,” she moans. “Please.” Her begging is the soundtrack of my life. Please, Dylan. For once she and I are in perfect agreement. I clench my legs together against the ache. And then I do it again.”
ha ha ha. nope.
oh OH! and what about when H and OW broke up, did i like it when he hooked up and planned to hook up with other OW?
“The last thing I remember was Pink Panties leaning over me in bed, taking my cock into her mouth. At that, I let out a groan. Because I can't believe I fell asleep in the middle of a perfectly good blowjob. What kind of loser does that?”
nope. at least he knows he's a loser tho.
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anyways, i was waiting for the MC's to have any redeeming qualities but it never happened. h was pathetically pining over H (like have some self-respect girl jeeZUS) and H was thinking with his D.
this book just gave me With Every Heartbeat (Forbidden Men #4) vibes and y’all know i hated that book with a passion (love the series tho). and the tropes that happened there are very similar to what happened here.
i’ve only read Brooklynaire by this author and loved it but this was a just big NO for me.
if there’s gonna be future books with tropes that are similar, at least make the heroine have more self-respect and GET OVER the man ho H who puts her in the friend zone because he’s a martyr and thinks h deserves better but doesn’t stop them from sleeping with tons of OW and implicitly/explicitly rubs it in h’s face.
i really really REALLY don't like it when the H is dating this OW (and yes, they sleep together and the H implicitly/explicit**spoiler alert** dnf 30%
i really really REALLY don't like it when the H is dating this OW (and yes, they sleep together and the H implicitly/explicitly rubs it on h's face) the first half of the book while h pines (pathetically) for him.
some of the books i dislike (With Every Heartbeat & Heartland) have this trope and what made me hate them is because of said trope. like, i love romantic development so how can i believe the development between H and h if H spends half the time being with OW in the beginning and easily screwing her, disregarding h's feelings?
so, yeah, nope. the Chase Mattson cover fooled me. damn it
whoever chose the cover is a marketing genius because y'all know we've been thirsting on Chase Mattson for a while now.
ok so when i first discovered twhoever chose the cover is a marketing genius because y'all know we've been thirsting on Chase Mattson for a while now.
ok so when i first discovered that Nico (H) was the one that was PINING over Demi (h) for years i was like y e s. that shit is so rare.
and the fact that this has a fake relationship trope where H's reason is to secretly make the h fall in love with him, while h's reason is to make Alex (OM) jealous because she had zero romantic feelings for the H before this all happened?? y e s.
though, i know a lot of people are hesitant to read new adult books takin place in high school, i still think this was still pretty good so i would still recommend this.
↠ characters: Demi was your not so typical new adult heroine where she's smart and doesn't date, though, she was also atypical since she wasn't a virgin (surprising right?) and she's part of the popular crowd.
Nico was apparently your typical football player, quiet and kind of a loner man ho. but honestly, his man ho vibes were actually pretty tame compared to other H's i've read so i appreciated that at least.
as for the side characters/friends, i found them soo annoying in the beginning. they were the literal definition of cockblockers and i don't know... they were just too much and too loud for me if that makes sense. mostly in the beginning tho.
↠ OW/OM drama (SPOILERS): one thing i hated here was that little voyeur scene in the beginning where h sees H having sex with OW in his hot tub (h & H are neighbors and H lives behind her). i don't really know why this scene was included because it was kinda irrelevant and honestly, compared to the intimate scene between h & H, this whole scene just made it seem like H enjoyed his time with the OW more than with the h since there was only one scene with h and all the other intimate scenes after that were either fade to black or it was only told. i think the main reason for this is how it was written.
i'll give y'all an example of a quote from the h:
"They were so lost in each other they didn't even—or couldn't even—realize how loud they were being. He had Sandra in tunnel vision, a tunnel that leads straight down his shaft. I mean, he was enjoying her just as much, his groans... deep and exhilarated as he chased his release."
i know H was probably thinking about h since he caught her but like-
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WHY ??
silver lining to this was that Demi didn't feel angry or hurt and she actually didn't even feel any romantic feelings towards the Nico till they were fake dating. but you know. still. this scene was just ew.
as for OM drama, Demi lost her virginity to Trent aka Nico's best friend. to be fair, i understand his anger and betrayal and im actually pretty glad he knew he was being hypocritical since she literally saw him have sex with someone else AND he also hooked up with her dancing coach soo.
↠ fake relationship: this was my favorite part of this book since we get to see Nico doing most of the chasing. there were a lot of cute moments because of this and ugh i was all for it.
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one of my guilty pleasures is new adult high school romance since the first romance book i've ever read has this trope so it's kind of sentimental to me and i think that this was a pretty good NA book despite of my dislikes.
anyways, the best thing about this book is the Chase Mattson cover soo.
didn't feel Rider's love AT ALL. i mean, even i felt the H's love in the previous books even when they were trying to2.75 stars
this was disappointing.
didn't feel Rider's love AT ALL. i mean, even i felt the H's love in the previous books even when they were trying to forget about the h with OWs. but here? Rider's "feelings" just felt so emotionless.
i know what the author was trying to do but imo, it was honestly a fail. the little fall out should've happened WAAAY earlier rather than almost at the end so that us readers would've been convinced that Rider is actually in love with Jo. instead, because of the fact he was using Jo selfishly (making her fall in love with him even though he had no intention of falling in love with her) every action and every words he said to the heroine left me thinking everything he did was fake.
the redemption was too little too late, and honestly, the book should've spent more time focusing on Rider actually falling for Jo AFTER she found out he was faking it.
we got no grovelling whatsoever and the fact that Jo accepted his "apology" so easily was baffling. idk about her but if someone i love has been faking it with me for the past few months and i found out he was using me to fulfill HIS dream of starting a family without any intention of falling in love with me, basically MANIPULATING me the whole time, i would NEVER forgive the bastard.
and speaking of manipulation, I HATED that scene where they had a fight and Rider was manipulating the whole situation so that Jo can forgive him. this was the scene where she found all the Valentine's Day gifts from a lot of his ex f-buddy's on the bad.
"He was my Romeo, and I his Juliet, and our families be damned—we were going to make it."
3.5 stars
again, no surprise, the Becker brothers
"He was my Romeo, and I his Juliet, and our families be damned—we were going to make it."
3.5 stars
again, no surprise, the Becker brothers left me S W O O N I N G.
i loved the whole Romeo and Juliet, forbidden romance going on here and honestly, that's what drew me in in the first place because anything forbidden is [image]
characters: — Logan (H): i just love this dude. i love how he was the one who crushed on Mallory (h) first ever since they were in high school and there was this unrequited thing going on. i loved how he would sometimes get shy and embarrassed and ugh he was just adorable honestly.
— Mallory (h): not gonna lie, she annoyed me in the beginning. i kinda loathe h's who are "bad girls" mainly because they're unrelatable and them being "strong" is just them being dumb. and when she rebelled her first day of touring but then that little rebellion bit her in the ass? damn, i was kinda happy to be honest. didn't feel bad for her whatsoever. HOWEVER, she completely won my heart when she realized her mistakes and did everything to make it right.
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only reason why i didn't rate this higher is because it wasn't a page-turner for me and nothing really happened in the middle that made me NOT wanna put the book down but alas, this was still full of sweet moments.
i definitely recommend this series because the characters are just so likeable and the Becker family is goals. i really can't wait to read Mikey's book because i have love/hate relationship with H's being hung up on their ex. i love it because it usually has one of the best grovelling i've read (ex: Before Jamaica Lane) and i hate it because h may look like second best/consolation prize. sooo we'll see! *fingers crossed*....more
but where can i get myself a Becker brother because they're all just oof-
sooo yeah, the Becker brother left me swooning... again (not as much as the fbut where can i get myself a Becker brother because they're all just oof-
sooo yeah, the Becker brother left me swooning... again (not as much as the first two books tho because Mikey got on my nerves).
this was really sweet and short and to be honest, i was a little iffy because from the previous books, i knew Mikey (H) had a gf and he was extremely in love with her. in fact, he was so in love with her that he lost a "piece of himself" for a whole ass year.
he lost his love for everything. his job, music, his fucking guitar that his dad gave him!
and, yes, he was hung up on Bailey (OW/ex) almost till the end aaand i didn't like that.
i mean, he would say things like this:
"Bailey was my high school sweetheart, but I'd never classified her as that. I'd always seen her as my everything. She wasn't just high school. She was college, and first job, and marriage, and first house, and four kids of our own."
or this:
Bailey still had her hooks in me. And even at the risk of hurting Kylie, I needed to see her.
this just went on and on and on and i was just like
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like shhh, Mikey. just shhh.
yeah... he was an I D I O T (sometimes). he learned his lessons too little too late and i kinda didn't like how his mom basically told him that he should grovel. i know that was a sweet moment between mother and son but when it comes to the h hung up on ex trope, i prefer it when the H ignores the h's rejections and grovels without anyone telling him to. because his mom telling him that he should honestly just showed that he gave up on Kylie when WE KNOW he begged and pined for his ex *eyeroll*.
but then there's also Kylie's own heartbreak:
"I've been waiting my whole life for you to kiss me, Michael Becker," I said, voice trembling and hoarse... "How dare you do it when you're thinking about her."
don't worry guys he wasn't thinking about her but her heartbreak tho!! anyways, imma give y'all just one more:
"I watched the boy I'd loved my whole life fall in love with someone else, and I'd somehow smiled through it all."
i just-
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and i felt for her! i can't imagine feeling her pain, seeing the man you love fall in love with someone else and basically choose their relationship over your FRIENDSHIP? UGH MY HEART!!!
i really did like this but i don't know... it just felt so incomplete and rushed? i wanted to see more Kylie and Mikey as an actual couple and i feel that Mikey's love for Kylie is nothing compared to how she feels for him. i needed to see more balance when it comes to that. AND i just needed more grovelling.
but anyways, i can't wait for my bb Jordan's book!
it's rare for me to give a 1 star review but this was just so frustrating to read.
this is quite possibly the most painful Oi hated this. i really did.
it's rare for me to give a 1 star review but this was just so frustrating to read.
this is quite possibly the most painful OW drama i've ever read and there aren't even any explicit scenes here with OW (except that one semi-explicit scene). okay sorry, that's a little bit of an exaggeration but it was still very painful to read.
it's a shame cuz i really like the series so far and from the previous books, i have fallen in love with Quinn (H). i mean why not? he was the cute innocent, virgin football player but he completely annoyed me in this one and just the whole OW drama in the first 55% of the book.
this whole series is about forbidden romance and well, the forbidden thing here is that H has a gf and she is also h's bff/roommate. and yes, the H spent nights at their place with the OW doing things to her while h was in the same place for weeks.
i was expecting a cute slow burn between two introverts but nope.
backstory: we've met Cora (OW) in the previous book during that auction scene where she won and she picked Quinn to be her server of the night. H loses his virginity to her, they start dating and OW eventually becomes his first everything. few months later, OW is hiding her illness but she coerces the h to come live with her so she could willingly donate her kidney to her. and this was all for her own benefit btw so yeah, OW is a "sociopath".
what i liked: - Ten and Caroline - Ten and Zoey's (h) friendship. - when Zoey and Quinn became a couple cuz they were actually cute BUT the whole first half ruined every emotional connection, sweet and touching moments between them as it felt forced and i couldn't help but compare the H's actions towards the OW and the h.
what i HATED: ❥ H and OW being affectionate and kissing each other in front of the h:
His hands continued to cup Cora's face as if he treasured her... I glanced over just as he pulled away. But the adoration in his eyes as he simply gazed at Cora seemed just as, if not more, intimate than the kiss they'd shared. He really liked her.
very nice to read about H looking at OW like she's his world in front of the h ...more