“I don’t want to die, but I want to live. People call that having a death wish.”
[image]
DNF at 51%
As much as I wanted to love this book, both of us“I don’t want to die, but I want to live. People call that having a death wish.”
[image]
DNF at 51%
As much as I wanted to love this book, both of us just did not get along. There was too many cliches and lately, I've been noticing that those seem to get on my nerves the most. This (short) review will be of my own and does not take away from the fact that everyone who is thinking of giving this book a try - should do it!!
[image]
P.S This review is filled to the brim (staring now) with sexual innuendos. I'm making up for all the pent up sexual tension that this book did not deliver for me. ______________
Things I Shall Take Away From This Book - Try Skye Warren again, Alex. Perhaps this book just did not rub you the right way (all the sexual innuendos for my romance hoes out there) and you needed something....more.
-Many of your friends have loved her books, Alex. Perhaps her past work in dark romance will in fact hit all the right spots. (2 for 2, baby)
“A gentleman would add my name to the guest list.” “Did I give you the impression that I was a gentleman? My apologies.”
Things This Book Has Taken Away From me -My ability to tolerate love triangles. I thought I could do it folks, I really did. I used to enjoy love triangles and when this ARC traveling its way onto my kindle, I did a little happy dance because who doesn't want some angst and drama in their romance every once in a while?
-The amount of shits I give for overused tropes and cliches. Daddy issues, money vs. money, popping the cherry (pick me, pick me!!!), etc etc etc.
-PLAYING HIDE AND SEEK WITH THE PLOT 'nuff said.
Overall, I think this was a stellar case of "it's not you, it's me" and I want to go out and say that the blurb, the author and the cover reeled me in from the get-go. Had it been any other time I read this when I hadn't already read a myriad of other books with cliche and cringe - I wouldn't have minded and perhaps actually enjoyed.
Merged review:
“I don’t want to die, but I want to live. People call that having a death wish.”
[image]
DNF at 51%
As much as I wanted to love this book, both of us just did not get along. There was too many cliches and lately, I've been noticing that those seem to get on my nerves the most. This (short) review will be of my own and does not take away from the fact that everyone who is thinking of giving this book a try - should do it!!
[image]
P.S This review is filled to the brim (staring now) with sexual innuendos. I'm making up for all the pent up sexual tension that this book did not deliver for me. ______________
Things I Shall Take Away From This Book - Try Skye Warren again, Alex. Perhaps this book just did not rub you the right way (all the sexual innuendos for my romance hoes out there) and you needed something....more.
-Many of your friends have loved her books, Alex. Perhaps her past work in dark romance will in fact hit all the right spots. (2 for 2, baby)
“A gentleman would add my name to the guest list.” “Did I give you the impression that I was a gentleman? My apologies.”
Things This Book Has Taken Away From me -My ability to tolerate love triangles. I thought I could do it folks, I really did. I used to enjoy love triangles and when this ARC traveling its way onto my kindle, I did a little happy dance because who doesn't want some angst and drama in their romance every once in a while?
-The amount of shits I give for overused tropes and cliches. Daddy issues, money vs. money, popping the cherry (pick me, pick me!!!), etc etc etc.
-PLAYING HIDE AND SEEK WITH THE PLOT 'nuff said.
Overall, I think this was a stellar case of "it's not you, it's me" and I want to go out and say that the blurb, the author and the cover reeled me in from the get-go. Had it been any other time I read this when I hadn't already read a myriad of other books with cliche and cringe - I wouldn't have minded and perhaps actually enjoyed....more
“Grayson, this is over.” I hold up my hands. The ankle shackles slow his advance, but don’t stop him. “It’s never over.” He positions himself betwe“Grayson, this is over.” I hold up my hands. The ankle shackles slow his advance, but don’t stop him. “It’s never over.” He positions himself between the door and me. “For this to be over, one of us has to die.”
[image]
[image]
Have you ever heard about an amazing plan where so many different things can go wrong?
________________
The Plot I had so much hope for Born, Darkly and although the premise intrigued me, I was skeptical on how the author managed to pull a romance with a serial killer. After finishing I realized, to me... this really wasn't a romance.
It fell more along the lines of a psychological thriller, and it read like an episode of Criminal Minds rather than a New Adult novel. With that purpose in mind, it actually kept me quite interested, it held certain points of suspense that made me want to read on! However, this is supposed to be a romance and as much as I want to give this book any more stars... I really can't.
This is definitely not for the faint of heart.
"Decorative art hangs strategically at eye level to keep my high-paying clients from staring at the shackled criminals in the waiting room."
Trisha Wolfe put the D (pun intended) in Dark. Unfortunately, the D felt more like political philosophy rather than erotica.
Nothing really got me going, in hindsight - seeing all the amazing reviews for this. I feel like I'm the pickiest and stingiest person out here. It wasn't all that attractive, and being a pacifist - murderers and serial killers and people who take other peoples lives in general? Dry as the Sahara.
“No, I see myself as a hunter. They’re not victims; they’re predators stalking the woods in search of prey. If they fall into the hunter’s trap, then they were in a place they never should have been.”
[image]
The Romance
"No, I do not believe rehabilitation is achievable. Especially for the Bundys and Dahmers of the world."
I agree with this quote (taken from the book!) so much! Let me explain why....
Meet Grayson Sullivan He is our lead 'hero' in this story:
“My patient is the Angel of Maine. He kills ruthlessly. Without mercy, though his moniker suggests otherwise. And there’s not a bone in my body that can find fault with his logic. All his victims were deserving of punishment. And I identify with him, because I’m glad they’re dead.”
[image]
What they all have in common: They have all killed people. There is no scale in murder. Killing someone is killing someone.
This book set out to take the Robin Hood complex with it's romance, we saw the equally deranged and broken thought processes of both Grayson and London. It showed how Grayson was killing and torturing people that 'deserved' to be killed because they were killers, or rapists, or criminal themselves. This allowed Grayson to become a vigilante.
In all honesty, those criminals and sick rapists, and murderers probably deserved things worse than death. However, once Grayson chose to take the law onto himself and he himself, started killing and torturing people? He was no better.
There is no scale in murder. Killing someone is killing someone. Murder is NOT sexy, at least not to me.
"The rules of psychoanalysis are simple: there are no rules. In this safe haven, I can confess my excitement, my arousal at watching the woman be bound and racked until her limbs snapped. But I won’t admit that aloud. I refuse to give in to him."
The Writing I really enjoyed the writing in this story. The narration was a brilliant tone that created a chilling atmosphere. It's mood was perfect for the topics it dealt with. At times, the story could get confusing, but I learnt early that, that was the style of the flow and rhythm of the pace.
“I hate you,” I whisper. “You hate everything but me.”
It made me uncomfortable a lot of the time. The dialogue felt a bit robotic and monotone, but that was defeated by the over empowering monologue with both the characters. The structure of the book was also really cool. It was strategically orchestrated so that every little jigsaw piece the reader got, was put into place later on in the story. So hats off to the author for that!
The last handful of chapters threw me off completely! I did not see any of that coming and the twist had me at the edge of my seat. I wanted to give this two stars for all the points mentioned above, but I felt at the end of the day - It would be doing my beliefs an injustice.
I'm a massive fan of dark romance, and over the years I've read some pretty fucked up shit. I think the fact that we got a psychological and 'therapy' side to this story made things harder to deal with. Especially with everything going on in our world at the moment. With more and more girls coming out and saying they have been raped. With more murder cases and school shootings, I felt in the cultural context of things. I couldn't get myself to feel any empathy for their love.
“It’s a simple yin yang; dark and light feeding each side and devouring. A snake eating it’s own tail. A vicious cycle.”
Merged review:
“Grayson, this is over.” I hold up my hands. The ankle shackles slow his advance, but don’t stop him. “It’s never over.” He positions himself between the door and me. “For this to be over, one of us has to die.”
[image]
[image]
Have you ever heard about an amazing plan where so many different things can go wrong?
________________
The Plot I had so much hope for Born, Darkly and although the premise intrigued me, I was skeptical on how the author managed to pull a romance with a serial killer. After finishing I realized, to me... this really wasn't a romance.
It fell more along the lines of a psychological thriller, and it read like an episode of Criminal Minds rather than a New Adult novel. With that purpose in mind, it actually kept me quite interested, it held certain points of suspense that made me want to read on! However, this is supposed to be a romance and as much as I want to give this book any more stars... I really can't.
This is definitely not for the faint of heart.
"Decorative art hangs strategically at eye level to keep my high-paying clients from staring at the shackled criminals in the waiting room."
Trisha Wolfe put the D (pun intended) in Dark. Unfortunately, the D felt more like political philosophy rather than erotica.
Nothing really got me going, in hindsight - seeing all the amazing reviews for this. I feel like I'm the pickiest and stingiest person out here. It wasn't all that attractive, and being a pacifist - murderers and serial killers and people who take other peoples lives in general? Dry as the Sahara.
“No, I see myself as a hunter. They’re not victims; they’re predators stalking the woods in search of prey. If they fall into the hunter’s trap, then they were in a place they never should have been.”
[image]
The Romance
"No, I do not believe rehabilitation is achievable. Especially for the Bundys and Dahmers of the world."
I agree with this quote (taken from the book!) so much! Let me explain why....
Meet Grayson Sullivan He is our lead 'hero' in this story:
“My patient is the Angel of Maine. He kills ruthlessly. Without mercy, though his moniker suggests otherwise. And there’s not a bone in my body that can find fault with his logic. All his victims were deserving of punishment. And I identify with him, because I’m glad they’re dead.”
[image]
What they all have in common: They have all killed people. There is no scale in murder. Killing someone is killing someone.
This book set out to take the Robin Hood complex with it's romance, we saw the equally deranged and broken thought processes of both Grayson and London. It showed how Grayson was killing and torturing people that 'deserved' to be killed because they were killers, or rapists, or criminal themselves. This allowed Grayson to become a vigilante.
In all honesty, those criminals and sick rapists, and murderers probably deserved things worse than death. However, once Grayson chose to take the law onto himself and he himself, started killing and torturing people? He was no better.
There is no scale in murder. Killing someone is killing someone. Murder is NOT sexy, at least not to me.
"The rules of psychoanalysis are simple: there are no rules. In this safe haven, I can confess my excitement, my arousal at watching the woman be bound and racked until her limbs snapped. But I won’t admit that aloud. I refuse to give in to him."
The Writing I really enjoyed the writing in this story. The narration was a brilliant tone that created a chilling atmosphere. It's mood was perfect for the topics it dealt with. At times, the story could get confusing, but I learnt early that, that was the style of the flow and rhythm of the pace.
“I hate you,” I whisper. “You hate everything but me.”
It made me uncomfortable a lot of the time. The dialogue felt a bit robotic and monotone, but that was defeated by the over empowering monologue with both the characters. The structure of the book was also really cool. It was strategically orchestrated so that every little jigsaw piece the reader got, was put into place later on in the story. So hats off to the author for that!
The last handful of chapters threw me off completely! I did not see any of that coming and the twist had me at the edge of my seat. I wanted to give this two stars for all the points mentioned above, but I felt at the end of the day - It would be doing my beliefs an injustice.
I'm a massive fan of dark romance, and over the years I've read some pretty fucked up shit. I think the fact that we got a psychological and 'therapy' side to this story made things harder to deal with. Especially with everything going on in our world at the moment. With more and more girls coming out and saying they have been raped. With more murder cases and school shootings, I felt in the cultural context of things. I couldn't get myself to feel any empathy for their love.
“It’s a simple yin yang; dark and light feeding each side and devouring. A snake eating it’s own tail. A vicious cycle.”
This had so much potential but I really wish it felt more taboo. There was a lot of talk about how forbidden they were, but when it came downdnf @45%
This had so much potential but I really wish it felt more taboo. There was a lot of talk about how forbidden they were, but when it came down to atmosphere and characters, it seemed like everyone was okay with them being together??? I really wish it was more slow burn, were we could feel the sexual tension between them. The fact that he was her guardian since she was twelve and then proceeded to have a sexual attraction towards her seemed to be taken very normally by everyone. ...more
"Yes. For a woman dressed in a nylon housecoat, she’s hot."
[image] well i mean, at least i'll have a new joke to tell my therapist this week. dnf "Yes. For a woman dressed in a nylon housecoat, she’s hot."
[image] well i mean, at least i'll have a new joke to tell my therapist this week. dnf @30% (i tried, i swear)
_______________
*cracks knuckles* Let's start by taking you on the journey. From start to finish 30% (i mean, i was finished by about 5% but I was raised to be a trooper and troop i did.)
When I first saw that Ms. James was launching a new standalone novel, my first thought like I assume all other people's thoughts were went to FSOG. That trilogy regardless of whether it was a disaster, a passer-by or a godsend in your life, was something of a global Category 5, DEFCON 1, 10th magnitude phenomena that took the world by storm.
Having read FSOG a long time back (just the first one. unfortunately, i couldn't troop for more.) I don't really remember my thoughts and whether I liked it or not didn't matter because looking back now, I don't really like what it stands for. Yet still, I respect all those lovers of the romance because for some, It actually regenerated / originated their love for the genre.
So, I thought what better way to gather my thoughts about this author then to read her upcoming standalone. By now, her writing would have improved right? her character development and her plot skills must have enhanced somehow? their should be some any sort of improvement?
i can't believe i put on my good crocs for this Without even starting the book, I was cautious about the premise. A wealthy, manwhorey, newly appointed Earl starts getting the hots for his illegally immigrated with a language barrier, beautiful in pink granny panties (he actually had to point this out), apparently limited access to technology house cleaner. Before I even get into all the NO, ERIKA, NO!'s in that... let me give you a treat.
→ Chapter One. First fucking line. *ahem*
"Mindless sex—there’s a lot to be said for it. No commitments, no expectations, and no disappointments; I just have to remember their names. Who was it last time? Jojo? Jeanne? Jody? Whatever. She was some nameless fuck who moaned a great deal both in and out of bed."
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→ We proceed to find out that his brother just died and he is currently fucking his brother's wife.
"She is and always will be my first love, my first fuck…my disastrous first fuck. And years later she’d chosen my brother, not me. But in spite of all that, we managed to remain good friends and keep our hands off each other—until Kit’s death."
[image]
→ He is now "Lord Trevethick." When it comes to names in books, I have no problem if the author has either random-word-generated or dictionary-swallowed names in their story. But that doesn't mean that once in a while I'll get a name that I love to absoulte bits. This name was the only selling point in this story, it brought me comedic relief. Everytime I read it, i giggled. Maxim be thicker than a snicker.
→ The writing was so poor. It felt very amateur and I shit you not, I felt like Gollum was speaking sometimes. Both of them had inner monologues (ofcourse, we like to keep the inner goddesses here in the ELJ headquarters) that were constantly repetitive and yappy. If Smeagle was the vibe ELJ was going for when writing her romance. Then yes 10/10 stars;
"She’s hot. And willing. Yes, very willing."
“It was a surprise finding him here asleep. Yes. That’s it. That’s all.”
[image]
→ The dialogue and the monologue was all very jarring and juxtaposed. It felt like I was in the front seat of a car that kept braking and going, getting whiplash from the damn seatbelt. The writing was juvenile because it wasn't descriptive at all. It was this then that and here's how it made me feel a lil'
“I want to know. No. I don’t want to know. I do. I don’t. I glance at the dashboard. Shit. I’m speeding. Slow the fuck down, mate. I ease my foot off the accelerator. Steady. I take a deep, cleansing breath. Calm down.”
→ I absolutely hate when there is no character development or dimensions, something that lets you get hooked to loving the story because you're rooting for the characters. But something I hate even more is when authors use diversity in their books and don't even get it right. There are so many reviews coming out that note specifics on how the portrayal of Albanians is very incorrect in this book.
→ The insta love was strong with this one. In truth, the whole cliche damsel in distress getting saved by dominating and rich man that suddenly changes his ways is very overdone. But like I say in a lot of my reviews, with romance there are so many tropes that are overplayed. But there is still a way that authors can use that to their advantage and still come out with a good and gripping story! I found it very unconvincing that our male MC went from this;
“I wasn’t sure. Modeling could be mind-numbingly boring, but after I was sent down from Oxford, the work had gotten me out of bed and given me an excuse to stay in shape. I also got to meet hot, skinny women.”
to this;
“I want her…. That’s the truth. I’ve never felt like this before. Everything has happened so fast. And I still don’t know if I’m doing the right thing. But I know I can’t abandon her to those lowlifes. I want to protect her.”
→ Lastly, there was absolutely no chemistry. What there was plenty of though was WTF moments. Lines and directions that just made me jerk back because who thinks of this kinda thing? For example, there is a scene where Maxim is asleep and he unconsciously kisses Alessia. Her monologue shows that she wants it but also doesn't at the same time (there is a lot of foreshadowing to her having a bad history with men). Right after we get this;
“ it’s not just me. Maybe she just doesn’t like men. This thought is even more upsetting, so I brush it aside.”
then this;
“All my plans, all my fantasies will be for nothing if she can’t bear to be with a man…any man. And I realize that I can’t touch her. Fuck.”
[image] Writers are often told to write what you know. Even now, when I think of Shane Primaveri; I see Christine Ri“Can we start over?”
[image]
[image] Writers are often told to write what you know. Even now, when I think of Shane Primaveri; I see Christine Riccio, I hear Christine Riccio, I feel like I fucking know Christine Riccio. So yes, she did write what she knew, because she wrote herself.
[image] _______________
*cries in YA* I was really hesitant to read this book, but I made an effort to read it independent of its booktube writer. I tried focusing on the story and stayed away from any reviews. It really did not let me, I felt uncomfortable, like a fly on Christine's wall.
Firstly, I want to say that I have no problem with Booktubers getting book deals. I think that it's brilliant that readers, reviewers and writers of Wattpad, Booktube, Goodreads and even Fanfiction are getting some seriously needed exposure. A writer can be successful regardless of how they started. We really are in a time where publishers want to take and make "smart deals," so giving a person that has a high following a book deal is more monetarily productive than giving an indie author a shot. Which understandably, can go really swell or fucking-jump-ship awful.
This was the latter for me.
I felt like this book had a check list that needed to be fulfilled but each point was taken to the extreme and failed miserably. The check list, was the "ultimate" guide to creating a "popular" YA novel. *ahem* Hello, my name is Alex and welcome to my TED talk;
Step 1) Unique Writing From page 1, I shit you not, page one - this book had an odd writing style. It was like it was trying to reach for poetic prose but instead fell into something riddling. For example, we are being told she is in a plane here:
"Now, I’m thousands of miles over the Atlantic in a giant hollowed-out pen with wings"
Then there were times where I think humor was added, but again maybe I'm just a soulless sock that doesn't understand comedy. So all in all, this started pretty rough for me.
Step 2) Remember to like, be like, relatable Of course, EVERYONE loves knowing that their issues aren't only their own and somewhere somehow, someone else is also fighting the same issues. Enter Shane...
"Not literally. But, you know that feeling like light being circulated through your veins when you see someone cute, and all the sudden you explode all over with the thrill of said cute person noticing and acknowledging your existence as a human with whom they could potentially fall into a relationship with?"
"I smile back at him and then look away so as not to appear to be a weird statue that stares at him."
"We’re walking down the sidewalk in London together. Pilot and I. Me and Pilot. A cute boy who’s being nice to me. Who I held a conversation with. My heart is having a dance party. It’s also wondering, is this like, a date? No, it’s not a date, but it’s like … a something."
The romance was very two dimensional, and maybe because the characters felt under-developed to me. A lot of the time, they came off as cartoonish and unrealistic. I mean come on, if you are going to name the love interest Pilot Penn, he's got to have something going for him? Poor guy got a name from a stationary set.
The romance was all over the shop and insta-love, and as a romance reader, I've read my fair share of messy love stories. Pilot was a character I really didn't enjoy and being 50% of the romance in this story, it was really hard for me to cheer on Shane and him. The underlying cheating throughout the book added angst but it also makes me wonder why a romance is going on between them in the first place?
Step 3) Let's add an unrealistic depiction of a mental disorder In all seriousness, this was the asset of the book that I really didn't gel with. Shane has social anxiety and at first, I was happy that this was represented in the book. But then, I saw her "social anxiety" and I wanted to literally curl into a ball. Whoever has anxiety or any mental disorder for that fact, knows that it is not just an excuse for awkward and odd social behavior. It is your mind coming up with 10,000 paranoid alterations of reality and it leaves you feeling completely helpless.
I hated the portrayal of anxiety through Shane and if there is one thing I cannot handle is the way people use actual mental diagnoses to sensationalize and romanticize "regular" behavior.
Like when I hear people say shit like "i like having my pens in order, i'm soooo OCD" or "wow, i hate this traffic, I'm actually gonna commit" or "shit, it's monday tomorrow... i'm depressed"
uhmmm NO.
Also the fact that Shane is magically going to cure her anxiety and social nervousness by going to another country and falling in love and making friends and etc etc etc. is false advertising. You cannot measure mental health progress on a linear scale and say this is the start and this is the end. It's such a distorted representation of how truly unforgiving mental health can be.
Step 4) Diversity! YAY! Any progressive reader knows that diversity in any book is a fucking gift from heaven. I would love to have a shelf solely for diverse reads, our own voices and minority representation. Even better, I would love for those characters to be the main characters *cough cough* but moving on.
But I hate when authors force diversity, like they are doing something just to check it off. That's not the point of what you are trying to achieve. So yes, I will give a point to Christine for trying to add diversity to her storyline but then just because I wish the execution was better, I'm going to take back half that point.
Which brings me to the character dialogue. Everyone shared the same voice. Everything ended with a '!'
Step 5) Writing what you know Shane is the main character. Shane is Christine.
I'm not even going to get into this one too much because I'm pretty sure I've said enough already. Everything about Shane Primaveri was Christine Riccio. Their habits, their dialogue, their hobbies... If you want to know Christine on a really personal level, then this might be for you. Unfortunately, it wasn't for me....more
"My father says I was born a fighter. He would say if a man can’t use his hands, then what is he good for? The only difference is that my father pa"My father says I was born a fighter. He would say if a man can’t use his hands, then what is he good for? The only difference is that my father pays to use someone else’s hands."
[image] DNF at 37% I guess this book just goes to show how much characters can make or break a story.
____________
╭∩╮(-_-)╭∩╮
When I saw the blurb for I Dare You, I got excited and like usual - I started hyping the book up in my head before I even started reading it. I love the dark romance genre and this being the first of a new author I was trying out, I thought it was a win both ways. Both those things are risks that I love taking.
In all fairness, the plot was the least of my problems with this. In fact, had it not been for the plot, I wouldn't have even read on to the part that I did.
When Austin Lowes arrives in town in effort to get away from her mother - her homecoming welcome gift is bearing witness to cold blooded murder. Conducted none other by our main hero, Cole Reynolds! Cole seemingly hears Austin and then hunts her down to threaten her into silence. ONLY WAIT! Austin is actually pretty?? Cole is actually hot for a murderer??? ... So the only obvious answer (come on, guys) is to.... ASK AUSTIN TO JOIN HIS LITTLE MERRY MEN TRAVELING BAND OF FUCKING PSYCHOPATHS. ... ONLY WAIT! They're all good looking!
Even though I say that with malice and mischief, I really did like the sound of it - no matter how awkwardly plotted and unbelievably unrealistic it was. What pulled me in was the promise of some hot scenes and even hotter swimmer men boys.
“These waters are infested with sharks. And you are bleeding.” She looks over my shoulder at Cole, then back at me. “But there are worse ways to die.”
┌∩┐(◕◡◉)┌∩┐
Austin and Cole.
[image]
I cannot think about them without screaming. To put it very bluntly, I hated Cole and Austin annoyed me. I felt zero chemistry and it all felt too forced and unreal. If there is one thing I really dislike that is repeatedly accomplished by dark romance authors is ensuring that their girls are pushovers.
The concept of this book was senseless and structure-less to begin with, but then sprinkle two main characters that absolutely made me cringe and want to throw my kindle across the room. There was not a chapter that went by where I didn't highlight dialogue or a quote on my kindle and note how awful it was. It would be bad readership if I stroke out this author after having read one novel, so if there is a time when I see another book that they write that peaks my interest - I will pick it up. However, I Dare You and me were like repelling magnets and I can’t get myself to pick up where I left this and give it another chance.
“He’s a manwhore, don’t get me wrong, but he is very discreet about who he takes to bed"
"If I was brutally honest with myself, I was mostly in love with her and I’d never even said hello."
[image] I had to read this book sectionally. "If I was brutally honest with myself, I was mostly in love with her and I’d never even said hello."
[image] I had to read this book sectionally. Only because I promised myself I would not DNF it, nor would I make my final judgement until and unless I've read that last page. I knew I had to leave my review for a handful of days after release day, because for all intents and purposes - Pepper Winters deserves any and all success with her releases, and I wanted to give myself time to try and understand this book. Unfortunately, the case seems to be that whilst I will continue to support and read Pepper's future material, this book will never be for me.
[image] _______________
The line between Romance and Romanticization
Firstly, this is a note that there will be spoilers sprinkled across this review, so read with your own caution.
No matter how much I love a good 'dark' romance, I will always differentiate between romanticization and romance itself. The romanticization of a toxic relationship can be very detrimental to those reading, especially in this genre - where I know that there are young readers. No matter how many trigger warnings you forewarn a reader with, (which there weren't any, but that's an entirely different bone to pick) there will always be some form of absorption when you read new information.
I have read a lot of romance that does tackle dark themes as well as abusive relationships in the "correct" manner. Wherein, both parties realize that it is a abusive relationship and either get help or walk away. That being said, we all love our happily ever afters and our romances to be coated in all sorts of sugar, I know I do. Yet, sometimes we also love reading about stories with a sense of realism, with problems that people face in real life. These are the stories that are the most dangerous when done "wrong." When a little girl or boy, becoming a young adult perceives the behaviors in the book to be true and justified. This was my constant fear with The Body Painter.
I have mentioned in the past that I have been in very toxic relationships but in this instance, for the life of me, and I didn't know why - I kept thinking to myself, "What if I had a daughter in Olin's position?" or "What if I had a son in Gil's position?"
This book made me uncomfortable, and not in the way that gripped me. I did not like a single damn character. The relationship between Olin and Gil was toxic to its core. I spent most of my time fearing for Olin because I felt Gil would snap at her at any moment. I understand that kindness is a virtue, and at first I thought Olin was being both strong and brave. As the story went on however, I felt like grabbing Olin and getting the fuck away from Gil together. There was so much foreshadowing of physical abuse and dialogue that made me want me to throw my damn kindle.
Let me walk you through some examples;
1) Let's start by the dialogue and the way Gil and Olin spoke to each other. I almost feel like I was able to stomach the constant back and forth between the two MC's because I thought somewhere down the line, Olin would stand up for herself. I knew that the end of the book would try and "justify" his cruelty towards her, but there should be no justification for treating and talking to a girl like she's an object. None.
▶︎“I’m going to fuck you and then you’re walking out that door and never coming back.” The lace of alcohol in his tone didn’t slur but added a cruelty that only sent more fire into my already bleeding need." ▶︎“I promised myself I’d be as cruel as necessary to keep you away. That I’d hurt you all over again if that’s what it took. But...I’m too fucking weak. You’re perfect. You’ve always been perfect.”
2) These are threats, that on the surface level - manipulate you into thinking that Gil is about to hurt her. Even if he means a third party will hurt her, these are all manipulations of violence and promises of abuse.
▶︎Gil:“I’m better off alone, believe me.” Olin: “You need medical attention.” Gil: “So will you if you don’t leave.” ▶︎“His eyes flashed with history. Of the time he’d physically hurt me. Of the time his words had the power to stop my heart.”
3)The constant danger of physical abuse and fear that Gil is going to be "pushed too far," is the terror that drives Olin to be cautious. Yet, she keeps coming back. There is nothing called being "pushed too far" that equates to physical violence. This is not a justification, nor should it be to anyone reading.
▶︎"But what if he doesn’t ask me to leave next time? What if he threw me out physically? What if he hurt me like he had when I’d pushed him too far at school?" ▶︎“For fuck’s sake, Olin.” His eyes flashed, reminding me all over again of the nastiness he was capable of. “I told you to go! Don’t make me hurt you.”
4) The repetition bothered me too much. He would treat her like shit, she would go away only to come back the next day. Rinse and repeat. This isn't romance at all, this is something you see on a psychologists pamphlet that lets you know you're not in a working relationship. Gil would say such awful things and Olin would justify it herself.
▶︎"He’d bit me, licked me, devoured me, and ordered me to never go back. But he’s hurting..." ▶︎“I didn’t want you then, and I don’t want you now. You’re embarrassing yourself, Olin. Chasing after a man who has no intention of ever being with you again.”
5) Olin started pissing me off and soon as she inherently became a carpet. Gil would be an ass to her and she would be bothered that they didn't get to keep kissing or fucking. Then I felt a mixture of confusion and irritation because she genuinely wanted Gil to reach his breaking point in the most poisonous way. The main heroine wondering if she was safe or not with her supposed love interest is not something I really look for in a romance...
▶︎"“I think there is a connection.” I looked up briefly, studying how close I was to pushing him over the edge. Push harder. Earn answers. Be prepared to run if he snaps." ▶︎“Yes, I’m very lucky Gilbert was there. I’m safe with him.” Are you? Are you truly?” ▶︎"I’d lied for him. I’d drained myself of everything at his request.
6) Eventually, there was two scenes that completely threw me over. The first one entailed Gil mocking Olin's sanity because she was concerned about the bruises and cuts he sported. The second was an incident where Olin "slipped," and then Gil went on to ask her to lie to the police without giving her any fucking reason other than to trust him, right after he hurt her.
▶︎“Why? Did you not see his injuries?” The bruise on his jaw. The cut on his lip. Gil stiffened as if I’d given away all his secrets. Shoving hands into his hoodie pocket, he stormed toward a trestle table chock-full of glass jars containing brushes and rags. “She’s seeing things. I actually fear for her mental stability. Get rid of her, will you, Miller?”
▶︎“Wh-what happened?” I licked my lips, wincing as another throb of pain found me. He jerked as if I’d slapped him. “You slipped.” ... “I slipped? How?” I didn’t slip. I was slammed into the door. ... “Wait...” I swallowed hard. “You did this to me?” I ripped my hand away. “You knocked me out?” He hunched, his green eyes flashing. “I didn’t mean to. I only meant to unbalance you. I just wanted your phone. But...I pushed too hard. You tripped and fell against the door.” ... “So, you thought it would be better to maim me?” “I deserve everything you have to say to me.” His hands curled into fists. “But...first, I need you to do something for me.”
7) Lastly, through all of this, Gil finds it in himself to blame Olin for it all.
▶︎“What do you want from me, Olin?” His sigh was endlessly heavy. “You push me until I snap. You taunt me until I retaliate. You’re not supposed to be in my life, yet you barged in anyway.” His eyes flashed. “This is your fault. You made it all so fucking complicated.” “You’re blaming me for all of this?” He nodded, moving forward and stopping in front of my chair-shield. “All of it.”
The Finale
In the end, I guessed the twist and I also ended up feeling very repulsed in general by this story. I felt like if the main concern was (view spoiler)[Gil fighting for his daughter, then he should have had the fucking strength to prioritize her and not have sex with Olin in the process only to disregard both. (hide spoiler)]. Pepper Winters has written some of my favorites in the past and to say I was looking forward to this for a year is the truth. I fell in love with the synopsis the first time I read it and the teasers after that only added to my love.
It is with such a heavy heart that I write this review, and during writing this review, I thought I read a different book to everyone else. Toxicity is not romance, it should not be marketed as such. I don't think I have the energy to read the second book, regardless if it clears things up, simply because this book took such a massive emotional chunk out of me. The storyline felt lost to me because Gil and Olin kept going back and forth with the "stay away from me," "no wait, I need you" plot. I tried folks, I really did.
----Prior Reading---- The Body Painter ★ Most Anticipated Expected publication: Summer 2018
"Beautiful. Like a captured angel." This review just about sums up my thoughts on this book. What started off really strong and pulled me in left m"Beautiful. Like a captured angel." This review just about sums up my thoughts on this book. What started off really strong and pulled me in left me high and dry....more
"All the girls he brings home (roughly twenty percent of the US female population) do moan and scream for an average of forty minutes."
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DNF "All the girls he brings home (roughly twenty percent of the US female population) do moan and scream for an average of forty minutes."
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DNF at 25% I am so fresh out of fucks at this point.
This book annoyed me faster than Speedy Gonzales can do his thing. This book, (if I had the power and the effort) would have a running mp3 track of Amy Winehouse singing "no, no, n.o" in the background. This book, to me was all the yikes in the world coming together for a hot cocoa.
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*lawyer voice* alex, please stfu and sit down I couldn't... I'm really sorry but I couldn't get past the quarter mark. Sage (one of our mc's) made me want a medical coma. I don't think I have ever tried harder to like a book than I did with this one. He had the manwhore factor going and maybe it's me, but that play very rarely works in my liking the character. Because (and let me explain myself), I find it really hard to follow and root for dialogue and monologue like this:
“Do you really want to throw away ten years of friendship for a quick lay?” He smirks. “First of all, it’s not going to be quick. I know what I’m doing in the sack. We’re talking a minimum of twenty-five minutes, lady, and I’m being humble here, because I might be a little on the excited side when I finally get you in my bed.” He cups his groin and winks, and I would roll my eyes if it weren’t for the fact that his room is down the hall, and the thin walls confirm his statement."
Maybe that didn't justify my explanation enough. Here, have another little bite.
“Your hot roommate. Did you ask her if she’s into me?” Again, I find myself wanting to punch my own balls for downplaying my relationship with Jolie. This is all my doing, and the reason I don’t tell people how close we are is because I don’t want any cock-blocking scenarios to get in my way of a good pussy."
Those were just the starters, and you bet your sweet ass I left before the main course arrived because I did NOT want to be there for that. This review isn't going to be a long ass review of what I think went wrong because there were a lot of people that loved this. I read Midnight Blue by this author earlier this year and I enjoyed that so much more - I seem to find a pattern with Shen and the manwhore + s/o trope.
That's perfectly fine, just it reeallyy wasn't for me. I usually try my best not to DNF a book, because everything and everyone deserves to be complete. I just couldn't.
"There’s so much you need to know, but I want you for a moment. Just us, before the world descends.”
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English: no German: nein Italian: no Swedi"There’s so much you need to know, but I want you for a moment. Just us, before the world descends.”
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English: no German: nein Italian: no Swedish: nej French: non Afrikaans: nee Arabic: لا Bulgarian: не Danish: nej Chinese: 没有 Croatian: Ne Finnish: ei Hindi: नहीं Hungarian: nem Turkish: yok hayır Russian: нет Tagalog: hindi Greek: όχι Portuguese: não Polish: nie Persian: خیر Klingon: ghobe’
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incase you didn't understand what the aforementioned means This book was the epitome of disappointment. It wasn't that it was bad... more so, just not good.
I was hoping for a kickass finale that wraps up everything and has an immense climactic buildup etc etc etc. What I got felt like an odd mix of wattpad fanfiction and amateur erotica. It just didn't add up and I was confused with so much that was going on. There were so many broken sentence fragments and the writing felt all over the place.
I really enjoyed the first book and then I read on the series, but unfortunately I really could not connect with Freed. It felt like a cop out ending, and perhaps it would have been better if it were longer. All the books in this series could maybe add up to be one full length New Adult novel.
So when you're asking your readers to read through your words like butter, you damn better make sure that butter tastes good.
“She pleases more than anything on the planet ever could,” I answer on a roughened rasp, eyes connecting with Ivy’s again. “She always will because she’s everything, and you already know that. That’s why you picked us.”
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I really aimed to enjoy this book because I've been looking for an amazing read for a while now, I was so thoroughly disappointed in what it gave me and maybe that's because it's my five star slump that seems to be going on or....
Look, here's the deal. I think being an author takes guts. Because believe it or not, even I couldn't handle some of the criticism that I hand out - I'm pretty hard to please and there are a million other readers out there that's just like me. It's tough knowing that what you put your heart and soul into isn't being enjoyed by your reader audience. So I really do appreciate both these authors and I wish them all the best for the future and I will continue to read their books and hope for more.
“We’ve become the one thing they didn't plan on: them."
"Every day I fucking drown in you and I don’t wanna come up for air."
Don't read this review. Especially don't read this review if you plan on pick"Every day I fucking drown in you and I don’t wanna come up for air."
Don't read this review. Especially don't read this review if you plan on picking up this book in the future.
However, if you do plan on reading this review - I will hide the spoilers, but that will not take away from the fact that I am going to be addressing a very important issue in today's reader society. Specifically, that which occurs in the New Adult / Romance genre.
→ Some of you will agree. → Some of you will choose to ignore it. → Most of you will be fucking furious.
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Recognition I'm going to start this off with some facts.
A survey done in 2014 (out of 815 participants) showed that 98% of the reader-based audience that reads romance novels are female.
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It's human nature to learn from external stimuli, so everytime a person picks up a book. Without a single doubt, we take away something from it. Even if it's a new word we don't understand or a scenario that we know now can be solved a certain way in life.
We are social beings. A lot of the time, what we do also affects others.
Here's something that (and I can explain this in no other way) literally makes me want to cry and throw up at the same time: I imagine a girl, or any influential person picking up books like this one. Reading till the bitter end, and taking away that no matter how fucking toxic and unhealthy a relationship can be. It's okay to get back together with that source of toxicity in your life.
Corruption I have experienced the toxicity that a relationship can come with and I've grown stronger from it. It can destroy every single thing, and love is a fickle thing that can make or break you as a person.
Enter our characters. Evie Hart and Abel Adams.
We get the dichotomous retelling of Adam and Eve, as the towns princess falls for the local outcast. Leaving aside all the cliche tropes and the cringey lines, we also get their story from start to present. The time jumps can get confusing, but it's cute so we'll stick with it..right?
I started seeing the signs at about the 20% mark, folks. It was like a chill that very eerily ran down my spine and I couldn't stop reading because for the life of me, I was hoping that this would be a story that showed how wrong love can get.
There's this quote that comes to mind now that I've read till the end page.
"You made flowers grow in my lungs, and that was beautiful... except I couldn't breathe."
I thought that this story was going to end telling the readers that it's not okay to let yourself go through an unhealthy and mentally abusive relationship because "she/he loves me and I can't live without them." However, it ended with both characters getting back together. Right there for that "Happily Ever After".
A Timeline
SPOILERS AHEAD!! PLEASE DON'T READ IF YOU PLAN ON READING THIS BOOK.
1) This may come as a surprise, but I actually started this book thinking this was going to be the best damn thing. The writing was good, the young love trope was going well, and the narration was spot on for the visual image of the characters in my head.
"Abel’s watching me in a new way. I’ve never been watched like that. Like if he moved his eyes, I’d disappear and he’d never see me again."
2) Then I saw it. Not through the characters words. Through the words from the characters father.
"He used to say, don’t ever take no for an answer from the woman you love, Abel. Keep at it. She’s gonna give in eventually. She’s gonna see how much you love her.”
3) Then it became this uncomfortable feeling because I hoped this book wouldn't be exactly what it was to me.
“No, I don’t. If this is how you want sex, it’s not going to work.” “Oh, I’m gonna wear you down, Pixie. You’ll see.” I think he loves it when I say no.
4) Here's the argument that I told myself, Evie gets it. She sees that this is a toxic relationship. The author is indirectly showing the audience how wrong somethings can get with unhealthy and obsessive love. So I told myself that this story would end unconventionally, that even though this is their love story. It's not one that shows how beautiful love can make a person, but shows how heartbreakingly ugly it can get. Truly, it would have gotten all the stars in the galaxy if it had done that.
"In fact, even our arguments end up in sex. Especially, when I scream at him to pick up his clothes because he’s a slob, or demand that he close the door while taking a piss, as he calls it. “Boundaries, Abel!” He laughs, finishes up his business in the bathroom and fucks me against the wall of the hallway."
5) Now we see how the heroine is weak. It dragged with how tedious it was. I wanted to scream at my kindle because even after our Evie starts to understand how wrong their type of love is, she is too weak to make a stand.
"As he opens the flap and gets it going, I realize I don’t want the camera. I don’t want Abel to tape our sex. I want him to look at me, be with me in the moment. In the next second, he thrusts inside me once again and my back arches, making my protests dissolve on my tongue."
6) It got near the end and we finally got Abel's point of view.
"I will tie her to the bed and fuck her and fuck her until she forgets everything else but me. Or until I put a baby in her and can’t run from me again."
(view spoiler)[Then finally, the story ends with Evie pregnant after having gone away for 70+ days, only to argue with Abel about getting back together. After he practically tells her that he wouldn't be good to her or the baby because of how he is. She tells him he needs to be there for both of them. what does this teach girls? What does this teach people who are trying to get out of toxic relationships? (hide spoiler)]
"You don’t have bad parents and do porn to get revenge. Risking as well getting pregnant. Not in a book where the writer can control the content and we’ve seen enough documentaries to know the truth. " - A Note from Tia's Amazon Review.
A Note I really don't have any ill intent towards the author or the people who loved this book. I love that every single person in the world can read a book and perceive it in a different manner. This is my opinion. I wanted needed to share it because that's what writing reviews is all about. I wanted to love this book. I really did....more
"If I can’t skate with you, I don’t want to skate with anyone else.”
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Well this is awkward... This started off as a solid 4 star read"If I can’t skate with you, I don’t want to skate with anyone else.”
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Well this is awkward... This started off as a solid 4 star read for me, and it all went downhill from there. Not to say that this was not a fun read - because it was. I was just expecting more
*ahem*
Ladies and Gentlemen, let me introduce you to one of the slowest slow burns in the history of slow burns. ____________
Here's what I think's going to happen This was a unique romance novel. I would even go as far as saying that this was more than just a romance novel. I will go even farther and just put it out there...
This was not a romance novel.
You're confused. I know. So am I.
I mean, yes it had romantic elements to it, but this story was revolved around people finding themselves and developing and friendships and family and so so so much more. Romance wasn't even an undertone until about the 70% mark.
"I could have been the bigger person, but fuck it, I was five foot three and I wasn’t built to be that person ever."
I was expecting a chemical and passionate story about two people falling for each other, instead I got a fiery little cracker who at first was someone I thought I wouldn't get along with, but I grew to love Jasmine. It was her story about learning to love herself as she was, forgiving and growing. And it was so successful in that.
I really think a lot of people, like me will enjoy this... I also think a lot of people will love this story for what it is - just like I have. Unfortunately, I speak for myself when I say this story just did not do it for me as a romance, but did so much more as a self journey.
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The Writing The narration in this book worked in two ways for me:
The inner monologue felt odd and frankly, a bit too much at times. I loved Jasmine as a character because even though she was a bitch, and different to any other MC we usually get, she showed how she developed as a person as the story unfolded. The character development was so strong with Jasmine. Cheers to the author for showing that so well.
Furthermore, I felt like there was a lot of elements to this story that just dragged on or was all together unnecessary.
“I… I… I…,” one of them stuttered while the other looked like she was about to crap her leotard and tights. Good. I hoped she did. And I hoped it had a diarrhea-like texture so it would go everywhere"
However, The banter and the budding relationship between Ivan and Jasmine was something that I loved! I laughed out loud multiple times and longed for more screen time of them just going back and forth with comebacks.
“You probably sit in your Tesla and cry every time you wrinkle your sweaters.” Ivan barked out another laugh that was pretty much shouted up at the ceiling."
They worked so well off one and another, and that epilogue chapter actually made me smile. I'm happy for them and I would be more happy if I could see more of their relationship growing as a couple rather than just friends. Although, I think what the intention was that for them to reach that stage of familiarity, they needed to be friends first... which in a way, I understand.
“Take a picture, it lasts longer,” Ivan drawled all of a sudden. I blinked and thought about glancing away but decided that would look even worse. “I will. I think the encyclopedia needs an entry on Assholes and could use your picture as an example.” His right hand let go of the steering wheel and covered a spot over his heart. “Ouch.” I snorted. “Oh please.”
The Chemistry [image]
This is where things get messy for me. While reading, I could completely feel the sparks going off between both Jasmine and Ivan, and through each endeavor they faced together. Their chemistry was great. But here's the thing:
Personally, I felt like their chemistry was at a constant 'best friend' level, because both of them needed that at the time. It felt weird and odd in the last 10% for them to get together as more than just that. It felt rushed and like the author needed to get out that they were actually more than friends.
Which brings me to the fact that they only did really make a move at around 88%... When they did get together, it all felt too cringey and unrealistic because it was so sudden and anti-climactic. Sure, there was always tension between them.. but whether or not I would classify that as romantic or sexual tension is debatable.
It was like I was building myself up for this massive thing between them to explode and hyping myself up. Once something did happen, I kinda just looked at my kindle and went "Oh..."
“Don’t sound so excited,” he replied. Then he smiled. “Which bridge do you live under and how do we get there?”
DNF at 44% There are so many levels of no that this book made me feel. I could not possibl"Little red riding hood fell for the wolf."
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DNF at 44% There are so many levels of no that this book made me feel. I could not possibly even begin to put this review into any systematic sense; so endure this one with me...
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The Characters I feel like stating that if I had to give a star to anything - anything at all, it would be how the two main characters met and the first maybe 3 (more like 2) chapters panned out.
Constantine and Dulcie are... an enigma
Probably not in the sense you're thinking, folks. I'm talking if Ted Bundy gave a TED (ever so welcome for the pun) talk - these two would be the only two fucking psychopaths sitting front and center wearing "Make America Dead Again" hats.
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"She thought maybe she didn't need oxygen anymore. He could just breathe for her."
There are multiple trigger warnings given by the author, and it would be wise to read them before you read this book. Con Masters and Dulcie Travers meet unexpectedly, but both of them have noticed each other before. It seems he is one of the only people that actually does notice her. Both of them fester a creature of darkness inside them that sparks and lights on fire when they are together.
Do they know this is harmful? Yes. What do they do? Kill people.
There a couple things I found that I hated besides the gore and the toxicity. Not that those weren't overkill because they are - even for my tastes. I enjoy dark romance because the author is explicitly stating that the novel that the reader is about to venture in is going to be something you must go in clear- minded and not looking to judge on the thinking processes of (most times than not) fucking sociopaths.
The Bad Ones was something else entirely. There's this shade called vantablack:
"Vantablack is the trademarked name for a chemical substance made of vertically aligned carbon nanotube arrays and is the darkest artificial substance known, absorbing up to 99.965% of radiation in the visible spectrum"
If ever there were to come a shit show that could uphold that kinda shade of fucked up - let me tell you about The Bad Ones...
"She wanted his darkness to swallow her whole. She wanted to be a part of it. She wanted to give her own darkness back to him."
The Bad and The Ugly (It Was A Buy 1 Get 1 Free Kinda Thing) Now don't get me wrong if this is you're kinda jam, then jam it out. Unfortunately, it was not mine. So to make everyone's life easier; I'm going to list some things that made me want to chug a Gordon's straight from the bottle.
- Dulcie the Doormat. God this one was so bad.If anything this aspect of the book took away at least 3 stars. It felt like the author was making up for how weak and constantly chasing she was with Con, by making her seem strong in other places. But all it ended up doing was having a flat and poorly executed character. Everytime Con left and came back 234o2912379 years later. There she was standing with a home-baked pot roast, and a massive "Welcome Home" smile on her face as if I didn't just read infinite number of chapters of her bitching about Con leaving her.
- The whiplash that I got from these characters nearly, just nearly made me rip my hair off. One minute they were yelling and the next they were dirty talking each other after nothing got resolved. It was like poorly written fan fiction that needs to give readers some angst and "ooh he's so mysterious" and "damn, i want to be her right now".... Shut the fuck up. Honestly, shut the fuck up. (Was that petty? That was probably petty - especially because I can totally imagine a 13 year old me hiding and reading smut and thinking those exact things...)
- It felt like the author was trying to one up herself each time with shock value. In a sense, their was too much of trying to make it as dark as possible, and that took away from any sort of storyline, plot or character development. I felt zero reliability with anything that happened, and everything - including the sex scenes were drier than the Sahara.
- The time jumps pissed me the fuck off. Time Jumps piss me off anyway if they have no significant meaning to the plot at hand. But this book had neither a plot, nor any sense to it - so it ended up making me want to scream.
“Dulcie,” he whispered, and for a moment, she wondered who he was talking to. Dulcie? Dulcie who? No Dulcie here. She's buried in a ditch by an abandoned train station."
"God, I want him. I want to strip right down to nothing in the parking lot and ride him like my life depends on it."
DNF at 22%
I am mad. I am fucki"God, I want him. I want to strip right down to nothing in the parking lot and ride him like my life depends on it."
DNF at 22%
I am mad. I am fucking furious. I don't think I have ever 'hated' a book much like I do this one.
If a young girl picked this book up and learn't that everything inside it was okay. If you picked this book up and thought that fucking objectification of women was okay. If anyone, in the 21st century fighting for women's equality picked this damn book up.
The system would collapse. So I am mad, you guys. I am so so mad. _________________
Why Alex's Ears Are Blowing Fire
→Here's the thing about 'being sexy': I 100% agree that consent falls under 'being sexy'. If anyone participating in sex does not give consent - it is rape, and a violation of basic human rights.
→Here's another thing about 'being sexy': I read a lot of dark romance, and yes. I read the trigger warnings about rape, and abuse etc. All themes that violate basic human rights. Moreover, sometimes I do give those books high ratings. THIS DOES NOT GO TO SAY THAT I CONDONE RAPE. Far fucking from it. I will only ever give a high rating to a book that touches upon rape, if that said book grows from it. If it teaches the reader that it is not okay, that it is in fact a violation of basic human rights.
→Here's the thing about Watching: There is no rape in Watching. It is all consensual sex. The girl was attracted to the guy, and wanted him. And the other way around.
But there are a myriad of ways that one can cover up consensual sex, and really it's something much more fucking gruesome.
A Timeline Now, I only read to the 22% mark, because anything after, I shit you not - I would have killed my poor kindle and let's be honest... that's never going to happen. But I'm going to walk you through a timeline of some of the statements made through this book.
Please ask yourself, if you had/have a daughter or a son - or if you yourself at a young age would allow to read this book. If you would want someone saying this to them.
1) "He shakes his head, a small grin playing at his lips. “If you worked for me, I’d be facing a sexual harassment suit day one.”
2) “I’ve been picturing you in my bed since this morning. I’m attracted to you. I think you’re attracted to me. Why play games?”
3) "His lips are on mine before I have a chance to react. All day I’ve worried over seeing him again, over being so attracted..."
4)“I’m not asking you to dinner. I’m not saying I never will, but right now, after thinking about filling you with my dick all day, and after that kiss, fuck.”
5) "His eyes lower back to between my legs and I flatten my hands against his car to hold myself upright. “Tomorrow night, this pussy is mine.” I gasp. “What?”
I'm also going to add this little tidbit in here: This was all after they have known each other for around 5 hours.
Misc. There are also a plethora of other reason's why this book didn't work for me. However, I feel like the above should be reason enough. Nevertheless, since this is a review of the book. I feel obliged to talk about the other elements that lead to me disliking this book further.
- There was little to no character development. It felt very static - It sounded like a teenager was narrating, which made the above situation very easy for me to gag. - She gulps more times than she speaks - Very rarely can authors pull off first person, present tense. This one did not.
I ensure to write my reviews with respect towards the author and anyone involved in the love towards the book. I apologize if I couldn't for this one. I really can't get myself to....more
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