Megan's Reviews > Backstroke

ARC review for Backstroke by LB Martin

Thanks to LB for the ARC opportunity!

Featured tropes: bully/enemies to lovers, virgin FMC, touch her and die, obsessed MMC, masked men, step siblings

Trigger warning: past parental abuse/alcoholic parent, fear of bodies of water, PTSD/anxiety, dub-con, kidnapping, on-page murder

Review: 4/5

Friends. This book had me hooked from, if we're being honest, the content warnings before the book even started! Let's dive in.

Things I liked:
- Would I ever want to actually be with a guy like Remy? Hell no. Was he just the most delicious thing to read about? Hell yes. Remy is a Grade A asshole to, well, pretty much everyone. He always gets what he wants and in Backstroke, he wants our FMC, Fallon.
- I loved Fallon and her ability to instinctively know what buttons to push to piss Remy off. I enjoyed that the way her past molded her into the woman she is now led to her giving no effs. Where everyone else would have been scared of Remy, Fallon poked the bear with no hesitation (which often led to some spicy spicy times)! Remy needed to be taken down a peg or two and Fallon delivers.
- For a bully romance, there were some great moments of banter and sarcastic remarks that had me laughing out loud. I love me a good witty game of verbal tennis.

Things I disliked or missed the mark:
- I would have liked to see the bully/enemies part of the book be extended a bit. Remy was obsessed with Fallon from the moment they ran into each other (literally) for the first time. She told him off and he declared her his new mark. Like, they really hated each other. And I loved it. And then it was legit like a switch flipped and he realized he was instead in love with her. Don't get me wrong, I LOVE that part of an enemies to lovers story too but I think this could have done with a little more build up. Or even just an added scene where someone tries to hit on Fallon or something and Remy goes off. I don't know. Just a little more something on the enemies side of the story would have felt more complete to me.
- We learn a lot about Fallon and her background which really helps us understand her character. I would have loved to see something similar for Remy. Yeah, we know he's Frampton U royalty and that he doesn't get along with his father. But that's about it. A little more insight into Remy's history I think would have been great to connect with his character a little more.
- I had a hard time grasping the passage of time in the book. It wasn't a big deal but I think that was part of what contributed to feeling like we went from hate to love so fast, because I couldn't necessarily grasp how far removed we were from the beginning of the school year which is where the book starts. It didn't make pacing feel off so that's bonus, just left me wondering "when are we?"

Overall, I loved enrolling at Frampton U. Sometimes you just need a dark, gritty story and this one fit that bill. It wasn't the darkest romance I've read but it still scratched that spooky season itch and it was a quick read. I will 100% be reading the next installment because I am chomping at the bit for Nix and Gray's story. I love me a good trio and I'm sure these two Frampton U boys will deliver!