Oh my god, this was so incredibly good! This book had me completely gripped from beginning to end. The writing was so engaging in a suc|| 4.5 stars ||
Oh my god, this was so incredibly good! This book had me completely gripped from beginning to end. The writing was so engaging in a succinct yet powerful way, and the characters were woven so perfectly into the story, I simply could not stop reading for even a second! The pacing was also done in the exact right way. The book never gave too many details that would make the story start to feel like it dragged, but instead it always managed to say exactly what needed to be said for the reader to understand what was going on, what it meant, and how it must feel for everyone involved. Overall, it was such strong writing and I instantly fell in love with it.
I am struggling to provide a summary of this book considering it tells so many little stories of many different characters. I hardly think it’s possible to choose one of these stories and point towards it saying: “This. This is what the book is about.” Moreover, so many of these stories were more subtle, never fully fleshed out or even acknowledged, that it would be very hard to describe them in my own words. So really, if I were to attempt a summary, I honestly wouldn’t know where to look or where to begin, and the end-result would be incomplete and wrong anyway.
That said, I do want to point out that this book genuinely made me feel so many emotions! I had very strong opinions on all of the characters, of all the things that happened in the past, present and future, but also of the social issues that were raised.
For example, I genuinely felt so much pain for the McCulloughs; I think what happened to them embodies the worst fears of any parent thinking about adopting or of those who have already adopted a child. To live with the fear that your child can be taken away like that… Just because someone thinks they have a claim on a child they abandoned due to some irrelevant blood-connection. It’s devastating and terrible and unjust. A parent is someone who takes care of their child, who nurses them, who loves them, who provides for them, who will never ever think of leaving them. Being a mother is more than giving birth to someone.
It came, over and over, down to this: What made someone a mother? Was it biology alone, or was it love?
Although I had intense feelings about them all, I think there was really only one character I truly felt an immense dislike towards, and I am willing to bet not many readers will think the same on this as me: The person I had a distinct distaste towards was Mia. Her ungrateful, fanciful and irresponsible attitude bothered me, but it was mostly her hypocrisy that made my skin crawl. First of all, I genuinely believe Mia was a bad mother. I don’t care how she tried to justify it, whether it was due to her “artistic spirit” or her young age, but she never ever did what was best for her daughter in those early years. She never chose to take care of her daughter properly, and instead continued to choose to live the life of a starving artist, as if she didn’t have a whole child depending on her! She dragged that child from place to place, never staying somewhere for more than a few months, never letting her daughter set up roots anywhere, forcing her to be forever lonely and homeless. And really, this would be enough reason for me to dislike Mia, but it was her superior attitude, despite her own many flaws, that distinctly bothered me. She acted like she was a great mother, a great person, this pinnacle of wisdom and goodness, when she was anything but. She was aimless, she was irresponsible, she was selfish, but, like I said earlier, she was also insanely hypocritical. She had a very strong opinion on the adoption case of the McCulloughs (her own actions even being the sole cause for why Linda and Mark now had to fight to keep their adopted child), and she argued this by saying that a child should be raised by her “real” mother and that the “real” mother deserved to raise her child, but she never, not even once, mentioned (to herself or anyone else) the very real fact that she stole her own child away from her father. Did she simply think this sentiment does not apply to fathers? Is she truly that unfair and cruel? Because it’s important to note that her daughter’s father desperately wanted to raise this child, but Mia just took her from him; she stole his child. And she never thought she did a single thing wrong. The hypocrisy! It baffled me.
And yet here was Mia, causing poor Linda such trauma, as if she hadn’t been through enough, as if Mia were any kind of example of how to mother. Dragging her fatherless child from place to place, scraping by on menial jobs, justifying it by insisting to herself — by insisting to everyone — she was making Art. Probing other people’s business with her grimy hands. Stirring up trouble. Heedlessly throwing sparks. Mrs. Richardson seethed, and deep inside her, the hot speck of fury that had been carefully banked within her burst into flame. Mia did whatever she wanted, Mrs. Richardson thought, and what would result? Heartbreak for her oldest friend. Chaos for everyone. You can’t just do what you want, she thought. Why should Mia get to, when no one else did?
Of course, I also had very strong opinions on all of the other characters and plot points; some positive, some not, and some… unsure, but I won’t bore anyone with going into details about all that. It doesn’t really matter what my own specific opinions were anyway, the only thing that really matters is that this is the type of book that invokes those strong emotions about its characters and its plots. I felt everything while reading this: indignation, sympathy, suspense, anxiousness, endearment, unsurety, pity, all of it… And isn’t that the best kind of book? A book that makes you feel intensely and makes you form strong opinions about its content? For me it is. And that’s why I loved this!...more
This was such an adorable, fun, heartwarming, and swoon-worthy romance! It’s about a grumpy single dad and the sunshiny firecracker he || 3.5 stars ||
This was such an adorable, fun, heartwarming, and swoon-worthy romance! It’s about a grumpy single dad and the sunshiny firecracker he hires as a nanny for his five-year old son.
I realize in that moment maybe I am heartless after all, because the beautiful girl with the copper hair grinning back at me right now is the one who stole it.
I’m honestly not sure where to start, because I really enjoyed a lot of things about this book. First, I think I just want to point out how much I genuinely liked all of the characters. Willa was such a fiery, passionate, carefree, fun, loyal, and witty woman I couldn’t help but adore in every way. She was the perfect combination of soft and fierce! I needed a little longer to warm up to Cade, but I quickly fell for him as well. He was super crabby and ill-mannered, but I found it to be oddly charming. And Luke… Well, Luke was just the cutest little boy on the planet, wasn’t he?
I need to pick my next words carefully so I don’t come off like a condescending asshole. I know I often come across that way, and I don’t want to with Willa. It’s an unfamiliar feeling, wanting someone to like me.
The funny thing is, I just know that Cade could have been a very annoying character if he had been judgemental or condescending to Willa, but he was luckily never like that. He was so in awe of the happiness and lightness that always hung around her, and, even though he wore a permanent scowl on his face, he could never find it in his heart to be mean to her. He adored her so much, and it became insanely obvious in the way she was the only person in the world, other than his son, who could make him smile and feel genuine warmth. He truly put her up on a pedestal and was scared she was way out of his league. He felt jealous and possessive of her, but never wanted to drag her down to his level. He genuinely thought the world of her, which is why I could never judge him for the scowls and grumpiness he gave her from time to time. That was just the way he was, and it made his gentle moments all the more sweet.
How hard would it be to smile more, to laugh more, if it made her look this happy?
It wasn’t just the romance that stole my heart in this book, though. I was also melting at the true love that developed between Cade’s son, Luke, and Willa. Not only was Luke the cutest little boy ever, it was also really obvious that he was craving a mother’s love so much. He was so enamoured with Willa’s free spirit and fondness for fun, and I could tell he fell in love with Willa just as quickly and just as deeply as his dad. Their bond was simply the best thing ever.
“Do you think . . .” He peers back up at me now. “Do you think it would be okay if I called you mom too?”
Nonetheless, despite, the many things I loved about this book, I do have to say that it lost me a little in the second half. The beginning had a lot of delicious pining and tension, whereas the book became a little more boring to me after they finally gave in and had sex for the first time. I was actually surprised at how long it took them to get to this point, so I do have to give the book credits for that, but when it did happen, the book lost a lot of its intensity for me. It was still really sweet and did make me feel all warm and fuzzy, but I wasn’t as engaged as I was before.
“See, Dad? I told you not to be sad. I told you she’d come back. Our wishes came true! She loves us too much to leave.”
All in all, I really thought this was a nice read. I especially enjoyed the way Cade’s grumpy scowling slowly and reluctantly melted away by Willa’s fiercely happy attitude, and I loved seeing their little family click together. It was very wholesome!
This story had a great build-up and I really liked the way it was structured. The book was constant|| 4.0 stars ||
Well, damn. That was pretty creepy.
This story had a great build-up and I really liked the way it was structured. The book was constantly teasing me with little hints about what happened and about who Verity and her husband really were, but still never gave me enough information to loose its suspense. It kept me hooked and guessing throughout the whole thing.
SPOILERS: I’m actually very curious about what other people who read this think about the main question this book leaves us with: Did Verity kill Harper or was she telling the truth in her final letter to Jeremy? I think I’m leaning towards her telling the truth in some way (even though her telling the truth would still make her insane for writing a book in which she talks about her dead daughter like that) but I’m honestly not sure what to think, so I’d really like to know other people’s opinions and thoughts on the matter!
Also, was I the only person who was expecting Lowen or Jeremy to be a little more sinister than they ended up being? I was constantly waiting for Lowen to go absolutely insane. I was constantly thinking things like: What happened with her mom? Was Lowen imagining everything with Verity? Was she seeing things that weren’t there? Would she do something creepy in her sleep? But nothing happened there. I also kept waiting for it to be revealed that Jeremy had been a manipulative psychopath all along. But that never happened either. Or maybe that did happen and we can interpret the story in a different way: Maybe we could say that since Jeremy knew about the manuscript all along that he could have possibly orchestrated the whole thing… I definitely didn’t trust him and many things he did do not make sense when you think about them. So maybe it was all his plan. Maybe. That would have definitely been creepy as hell, though. But oh well, I guess we’ll never really know anything for sure....more
Okay, so I’m not quite sure what to say about this. On the one hand it was painfully stupid and exceedingly frustrating, but on the oth|| 3.0 stars ||
Okay, so I’m not quite sure what to say about this. On the one hand it was painfully stupid and exceedingly frustrating, but on the other hand I breezed right through it without any boredom or reluctance. I mean, this book was somehow insanely addictive to read, even though I didn’t actually like it? I know, it doesn’t really make sense, but it’s the truth.
This book is commonly known as “the grovel book”. Meaning, the plot is supposed to have one big scene of groveling after another. Which, technically, this did. But it wasn’t really what I was expecting or hoping for. When I think of groveling I think of desperation, of longing, of regret, of pain, of pure and complete love. I didn’t get that here. The ‘groveling’ felt… random? There was no build-up to their relationship, and the book basically began with the grovel from the get-go. This meant that we didn’t understand their dynamic or any previous feelings they might have had. I have absolutely no clue whatsoever why the heroine had fallen in love with the hero at the beginning, and I also have no idea why the hero suddenly changed his mind about her and loved her back. I only understood why he was no longer angry with her, but why that would mean he was suddenly irrevocably in love with her, I have no clue. Therefore, the grovel felt emotionless, and I had no real investment in it. Also, groveling usually means romance, softness and gentleness for me. It means the hero wanting to show himself from his best side to get the heroine to forgive him. To fall back in love with him. With this book we didn’t really get that. The hero mostly felt indignant and entitled when it came to the heroine’s forgiveness. He acted like she was just being difficult by not crawling back to him. Like that was what she was supposed to do, and he didn’t understand how she could possibly not! That’s not really the attitude I was hoping for.
Which brings me to my next point, namely; the hero and heroine’s disappointing personalities. When you think of a book with a lot of groveling, you assume the heroine is strong-minded with a real sense of self-respect, right? But no. Theresa wasn’t like that. She was stubborn, sure. But she wasn’t strong and she didn’t have any self-respect. At heart, she was just like all the other horrible heroines who have absolutely no back-bone. I mean, it literally wasn’t even that she didn’t want to forgive the hero, it was simply that she didn’t believe he would actually want her, and thus, she didn’t trust him to not break her heart again. It had nothing to do with her not wanting to be with someone who had caused her so much pain, humiliation, grief and loneliness. It was just a lack of her believing he would actually want her… After all, she was still constantly horny for him, and even had sex with him multiple times while he was supposed to be groveling. Which is not what I wanted from this. At all.
“Theresa, don’t you dare beat yourself up about it. If the divorce rumours are true then he’s a bastard for abandoning his pregant wife when she needs him most,” Rick fumed. “No, I’m happy for him. He was trapped…” she was so dazed, she barely realised what she was saying and Rick swore in disbelief. “My God, it’s like you have battered wife syndrome. Stop making excuses for him, he’s an ass who hurt you time and again.”
Now, moving on the the hero, it doesn’t get much better. He might possibly be the most stupid person on the planet. This man does not know what the word “communicate” means. None of his problems would exist if he just opened his mouth and spoke what he was thinking once in a while. Why didn’t he say he loved her? Why didn’t he say he wanted to stay married to her after they had a son? Why didn’t he say he wasn’t in love with Fransesca? Why didn’t he say any of the things he needed to say to get Theresa to understand and/or forgive him? Why would he constantly let her assume the worst? It would almost seem as if he was actively working against himself on his quest of winning Theresa back. It was insane! And don’t even get me started on the fact that he was still an arsehole, even while he was trying to win her back, because I don’t even want to get into it. He still did some very questionable and rude things, which was a shame, since his nicer moments were often glossed over or even skipped entirely in the book. The narration would just say something like: “they played board games all night,” and not really get into any of their conversations or interactions during those sweeter or softer scenes.
All in all, I really didn’t like the characters or the romance, but the book itself was somehow still entertaining. It wasn’t great. But it wasn’t bad either. Just some simple, mindless fun with a heavy dose of stupidity....more
I’m not sure how to feel about this one, since the whole thing left a very nasty taste in my mouth. The omegaverse this story takes pla|| 3.0 stars ||
I’m not sure how to feel about this one, since the whole thing left a very nasty taste in my mouth. The omegaverse this story takes place in is utterly horrendous and completely unfair; you constantly feel the anger and helplessness of it all.
One of the main characters has also done a lot of awful things, especially to his love interest, so it was extremely difficult to forgive him. Ned claims to have loved Ezer from the very beginning, but he never stopped his friends from bullying and harassing Ezer, and he even stood by and watched while his friend attempted to rape him. How can you ever get over such a thing? I mean, even after reaching the end of this book, I’m still not sure if it is even possible to ever truly forgive him. In the end, it is clear that Ned was an utter coward, but I do believe he loves Ezer with all of his heart and he would never let such a thing happen again in the future.
I honestly felt a little squeamish while reading this book and some of the things that happened were questionable at best. Seeing people have no right over their autonomy at all is so devastating and completely enraging: It makes me feel like utter shit.
I also thought there was far too much smut and I would have liked a little more talking and bonding between the love interests without sex involved.
Nonetheless, I did think this story was interesting and I was intrigued by a lot of it. The characters had their issues, but their characterization was done well and I was invested in seeing their lives unfold.
The romance had an intense beginning, and a difficult path ahead of it. I definitely loved the obsessive devotion from Ned and I also appreciated that Ezer stood his ground, refusing to forgive Ned without a fight. Ezer did not open up until the end, which was good for him, but also a little frustrating to read sometimes. I would have loved to see more true development in their relationship with more depth, understanding and true love. I still don’t entirely know how I feel about their love story, but it was surely quite fascinating....more
➛First read: March 2022 | ★2.5 stars ➛Second read: July 2023 | ★2.5 stars
Okay.. So.. I actually think this book deserves an even worse r|| 2.5 stars ||
➛First read: March 2022 | ★2.5 stars ➛Second read: July 2023 | ★2.5 stars
Okay.. So.. I actually think this book deserves an even worse rating than I gave it, as I absolutely hated everything about it. But then again.. I also found myself enjoying hating it.. If that makes any sense?? Like, yea, it's terrible, but I wasn't bored once and it did capture me in some way? Like, I wanted to keep reading, even when I hated it. I know. It's weird.
Anyway, back to the actual reasons I hated this.
Firstly, I have to say that this one had far too much inner monologue for my liking. I was really craving a bit more action and dialogue.
More importantly, however, I just hated these characters and their entire relationship. Gabriel is no saint, and I found him a bit of a pathetic character, but nothing compared to my annoyance and dislike towards Jared. The sheer audacity and entitlement of this guy was outrageous. And the worst thing about it is that Jared is portrayed as the good guy, and Gabriel is set out to be like some horrible human being. But, seriously, how is Jared not the problem?? The whole drama of this book starts only because Jared somehow thinks Gabriel owes him his love or something. For some reason, the idea is that gay guys cannot just be friends with a straight guy; that would somehow mean that Gabriel is leading him on???? As if it is his fault that Jared has a crush on him and cannot accept the fact that he is straight. The fuuuuuck??? The premise is literally: Jared cannot be friends with Gabriel if he won't put out. He would literally terminate their friendship over Gabriel's sexuality. What a dick move. I genuinely felt bad for Gabriel when he was being abandoned by his best friend because of this. Imagine that? Your friend saying 'yo, I have a crush on you, but I know you don't swing my way, so I'm gonna remove you from my life after all these years, because.. well... Because.' I would cry. Gabriel said it best himself:
"Unrequited love? What are you talking about? What unrequited love? You're not leaving because your love is 'unrequited'. You're leaving because—because sex means more to you than love."
And Gabriel was genuinely trying, you know. Jared literally got him to start putting out just so Gabriel could keep him. The fact that Gabriel eventually started 'liking' it on his own was a mere coincidence and doesn't take away from the sheer creepiness and unfairness of it all. He shouldn't have to be sexual with his friend just to keep him? Fuck Jared. Seriously. Gabriel was so attached to Jared, he would do anything for him. Jared was his physiotherapist when Gabriel was a sixteen year old, paralyzed boy who didn’t think he could ever walk again. He had no one. So he thought he needed Jared. And Jared took advantage of that. He groomed him. So seriously, how is Gabriel not the victim??
"I can give you anything you want." "I don't want a pity fuck." "It wouldn't be a pity fuck. It has nothing to do with pity. I love you and want to make you happy. What's wrong with that."
Honestly, Gabriel's girlfriend voices my thoughts pretty accurately, and I was quite literally screaming 'PREACHHH girl' when she finally snapped and gave Jared a piece of her mind:
"You know he can never love you the way he loves me. So what is the point? Stop ruining our relationship! He was sixteen when you two met. He was an impressionable, vulnerable, paralyzed kid and you took advantage of him—you must have encouraged his weird fixation on you. And now he wants to make you happy. Don't you see you're coercing him into something he doesn't want? You make me sick."
You know what might possibly have annoyed me the most, though? The way every single person pretended like Gabriel was Satan incarnated. No one has a good word to spare for the poor guy. Not even Jared. Jared who supposedly loves him soooooo much that he cannot accept being merely his friend, and is basically emotionally manipulating him into giving him what he wants sexually. Yea, that guy. That guy apparently not only thinks Gabriel isn't much to look at, but also thinks he has an absolute shite personality. Jared repeatedly talks about what a trash human being Gabriel is; how selfish, how rude, how unkind. I think the only positive thing he has said about him is that he is supposedly loyal. Kay. Great. So, um, quick question: WHY EXACTLY ARE YOU IRREVOCABLY IN LOVE WITH A DUDE YOU DO NOT HAVE A SINGLE KIND WORD TO SAY ABOUT??????? At the end of the day, I cannot for the life of me understand how this poor kid's confidence wasn't absolutely shot to hell.
"What do you see in me? I mean... Looks-wise, I'm nothing special. And it can't be my personality. I'm not nice or anything." "Who told you only nice and conventionally beautiful people deserved to be loved?" "So you don't really think I'm attractive. You love me despite my being plain and weird-looking."
Really, though, plain and simple: Jared was a freaking creep. And apparently he knows it too:
"You probably think I'm a pervert. I thought so, too. I tried to convince myself I wasn't attracted to you. You were a teenager and I was an adult. You were so vulnerable and fragile—and you depended on me—so I had no right to feel it, but it was useless. You could make me breathless just by looking at me. You should have never trusted me."
So glad we can finally agree on something, Jared! You are indeed a pervert, and Gabriel should indeed never have trusted you. Too bad you only say it this once, and afterwards go back to ignoring it and pretending like you are holier than thou, while Gabriel is somehow a dickhead for being straight?? God forbid straight guys are super close with their gay guy friends!! They must be leading them on!! *sigh* Yea rightt
➛First read: October 2021 | ★4.0 stars ➛Second read: October 2021 | ★4.0 stars
Oh, this was good. This was really really good. This play || 4.0 stars ||
➛First read: October 2021 | ★4.0 stars ➛Second read: October 2021 | ★4.0 stars
Oh, this was good. This was really really good. This play leaves so much unsaid yet says so much. It's truly fascinating, and it completely enthralled me.
There isn't much happening plot-wise, but that's not the point. The play is more like a character-study and a great one at that. The characters are truly all so interesting and.. sick or broken in their own twisted ways. I was curious about them all from the jump and they only got more enrapturing as things went on.
I love the concept of not being able to distinguish imagination from reality and it's done so well here. The play leaves you wondering, it leaves you confused, but not confused enough for it to be frustrating.
I really loved it. I don't have many complaints or any big critiques. This play might be rather old, but it definitely still holds up....more
This book really disappointed me. It wasn’t at all the fun and sweet novel I have grown accustomed to with this series. And it wasn’t e|| 2.0 stars ||
This book really disappointed me. It wasn’t at all the fun and sweet novel I have grown accustomed to with this series. And it wasn’t even the good kind of serious either, because I didn’t particularly care for any of the drama and neither was it executed very well. The whole thing was rather boring and everything fell a bit flat.
To be fair, I actually kind of liked the beginning of this novel. It really wasn’t bad and it had potential. When Sabrina got knocked up, however, everything went completely down the drain. I hate accidental pregnancy tropes, and this one was no different. It ruined all the tension and it just became forced and too much: Slow-burn passion (which was already not so slow-burn due to a bunch of insta-love on Tucker’s side) became immediate obligation.
It’s not even that I didn’t like Tucker and Sabrina. They were okay; I just didn’t really care for them. They made such odd choices and their communication was horrifyingly bad. Also, Tucker lacked personality in my opinion. He was nice, but he was kind of just there. He didn't seem like a real person to me.
If there’s one thing I learned after this last book though, it’s that I really freaking dislike Dean. He’s always been my least favourite of the guys, but now he actually makes me kind of angry. He’s such an arsehole.
Speaking of people I didn’t like in this book: Tucker’s mom. Damn, did that woman get on my nerves. She was such a hypocrite too, as she was more than happy to let Tucker change his whole life to live with her in Texas, but got all bitchy to Sabrina when her son had to alter his life for their upcoming child. I hated her with a fiery passion and I, more than once, wanted Tucker to tell her to shut up and mind her damn business.
Anyway, I am glad, however, that my fav, Garrett, still appears to be the cutie that we know and love. Every time I did laugh during this book, which was few and far between, it was because of something he (or Logan) said. Garrett and Hannah will always be the best couple. Love them. And honestly, seeing flickers of them in this novel really made me realize how much more I liked The Deal than any of the other books in this series. I mean, the series really started off on such a high, but it’s been going down-hill ever since. I still have faith that the spin-off series will pick up, though, so I’m not going to quit this universe just yet.
'Off-Campus' series: 1. The Deal - 5.0 stars 2. The Mistake - 4.0 stars 3. The Score - 3.5 stars 4. The Goal - 2.0 stars
This book is written in such an interesting and diverse way. There are multiple formats used, and the point of view changes between cha|| 4.0 stars ||
This book is written in such an interesting and diverse way. There are multiple formats used, and the point of view changes between characters as well as time. The present is narrated by Monique, and I honestly did not care much for her. She was a flat character and came across as quite empty. Luckily we don't spend much time concentrating on her. The past is narrated by Evelyn, and she is the main character in every sense of the word: You really get to know Evelyn and start to care for her deeply. She is an incredibly intriguing character and she would have definitely deserved the icon status for her true nature rather than what she portrayed to the media. She was such a strong and fascinating woman. I wished her all the best, and was truly rooting for her every step of the way.
Because this novel covers the entirety of Evelyn's life, it's all very fast-paced. This is a big positive because one will not have to be afraid to feel bored with this story, but a more negative consequence is that it is hard to really get into a true emotional state with each of the separate scenes. Some events are quickly glossed over whereas a lot of other books would have probably built a big climax around it. Oddly, the fast-paced nature does seem to fit with this story though. Evelyn was not one to dwell on things, so it sort of makes sense that her life story wouldn't either.
As the title already states, Evelyn had seven husbands. This is in itself, of course, already fairly interesting, but is was also just super well-executed. The reasons for Evelyn marrying all of them varied, yet all of it made sense and fit perfectly into the story. All her husbands were engaging in their own way: some were likable, some really really weren't, but they were definitely all interesting. Evelyn's 'wife', Celia, genuinely annoyed me though. She was self-absorbed, selfish and just not good enough for Evelyn. I wish Evelyn would have fallen in love with someone else, but apparently true love actually makes blind, because once Celia was presented as the one real love interest, Evelyn would not budge on that: Celia was the love of her life, and although the woman enraged me, I did want Evelyn to get what she desired, and so I was still hoping for their happy end together. *Cue sad music here*
My favourite 'relationship' in this novel is without a doubt the one between Harry and Evelyn. Theirs was a true and real friendship. I felt their love for each other. Their family was absolutely adorable, and although the reason for them having to get together in the first place is of course devastating, I am super happy that they got each other out of it. They were platonic soulmates, and I wished them so so so much joy and happiness.. *Cue even more sad music here*
DISCLAIMER: I accidentally deleted my review for this novel just now and so I had to write this new review from memory even though it is a long time since I actually read and initially reviewed this book. What I wrote down is all still very much accurate though, as I luckily remember this book very well....more
This short story covers the subject of abortion in which the man is trying to convince the girl to get one. To me the story is mostly a|| 3.0 stars ||
This short story covers the subject of abortion in which the man is trying to convince the girl to get one. To me the story is mostly about emotional manipulation. The man is smooth talking the girl, saying the “operation” isn’t a big deal and it will make them happy again: basically, he states that such an abortion will erase the worry that is now preventing him from projecting his love for her. This thought is probably the main reason why the girl is even considering an abortion, hence said emotional manipulation....more
This book really did a big 180 with its plotline. It started off really cute and it genuinely had me thinking I was in for a totally sw|| 4.5 stars ||
This book really did a big 180 with its plotline. It started off really cute and it genuinely had me thinking I was in for a totally swoon-worthy romance. Thus, I treated it as such until I was led to believe otherwise.
I had made it a point to not know anything about this novel beforehand, so I went in completely blank. I advise everyone to do this, as it makes the story as well as Lily’s experiences feel much more authentic. You understand her shock when certain things come to a head as you feel that exact shock and surprise yourself as well. You truly want to think you have it all wrong (just like she wants to) and you still want to think the best of the situation. You keep at this until you can no longer outrun the truth and you have to realize that this story is not what you thought it was going to be like.
The whole story was just really well done when you think about it, and I really appreciate the psychological side of it. I think anyone should be able to appreciate this novel, not to mention that it’s also a really enjoyable read. I did swoon, I definitely smiled and even laughed, but most of all I felt quite unsure and disturbed. I was questioning a lot.
This isn’t a light story, but I think it makes it better that the novel tricks you into thinking it will be. You are just like Lily with how she felt at the start of it all: thinking she was in for a swoon-worthy romance, but instead being in for quite an unpleasant surprise.
'It Ends with Us' duology: 1. It Ends with Us - 4.5 stars 2. It Starts with Us - 3.5 stars...more
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