Just like all the other previous books in this series, I absolutely loved this installment.
I loved the female protagonist, London. She was incredibly Just like all the other previous books in this series, I absolutely loved this installment.
I loved the female protagonist, London. She was incredibly independent, definitely the most independent of the four leading ladies. She is completely comfortable in her own skin and completely comfortable being single. I loved that we had a female protagonist who wasn't looking for love or felt they needed love to be validated or whatnot. She embraced and took advantage of the single life. Furthermore, the male protagonist was the one who was struggling with being single. He was the one who didn't feel comfortable being alone and facing his demons. I felt like it was a nice change of roles from the typical male/female leads.
Additionally, I loved that this book explored second love. So often, we read about characters falling into epic love for the first time. However, both of these main characters had very serious relationships in the past and were dramatically affected by what they went through. I loved the conversation surrounding learning to trust and love again, learning to move on from one relationship and feel comfortable in the next. It was such a refreshing storyline. It felt very realistic and very representative of what a lot of people go through emotionally when they open themselves up to the possibility of love again after being hurt. It was just such a touching and real story.
I will definitely be looking out for future works by these two ladies because I have nothing but positive things to say about this series. It's an absolute favorite....more
I was super nervous and excited about this next installment. I felt that Lola and Oliver were the two characters I knew the least about, felt the leasI was super nervous and excited about this next installment. I felt that Lola and Oliver were the two characters I knew the least about, felt the least connected to. And, they didn't have this raw passion right off the bat either. So, I was worried.
I do have to admit that I didn't enjoy this one quite as much as the other two. However, I found Lola to be such a relatable character. There were quite a few personality traits that she and I have in common, and parts of me just feel really represented by parts of her. She is avoidant. She isn't quick to trust. She throws herself into projects to avoid everything. I can relate haha.
I also really enjoyed the presence that fandom, comics, and nerd culture played in this installment. Oliver owns a comic book shop, and Lola is the author of a graphic novel that is soon to be a major motion picture. First of all, I loved that she was a graphic novelist. I feel like that, in general, is such an underrepresented career in fiction, and even more underrepresented by women in fiction. I loved watching her create and explore her graphic novel just as much as I enjoyed watching her navigate Hollywood.
Oliver was also a much different male lead compared to Ansel and Finn. He wasn't sarcastic or overly charming. He wasn't a dick or super rugged. He was just a normal, supportive, reliable, nerdy friend (turned lover). I mentioned that I didn't think Lauren would be able to distinguish Harlow and Finn from Mia and Ansel (I was wrong), but I was again worried about that here (I don't know why). Yet again, this story was so vastly different from the previous two. This relationship was so vastly different from the previous two. I enjoyed reading a slow burn romance, a friendship to lovers romance. I loved how Lauren explored the complexities that come along with that transition and what the possible repercussions could be.
Obviously, I cannot wait to pick up the final book in this series. I am dying to know if they can do it again and give me yet another amazing romance....more
After loving Sweet Filthy Boy as much as I did, I had some pretty high expectations going into book two. I was a little afraid these two women wouldn'After loving Sweet Filthy Boy as much as I did, I had some pretty high expectations going into book two. I was a little afraid these two women wouldn't be able to top or even write a comparable romance to that of Mia and Ansel's.
Well, I'm happy to report that I was very wrong.
This relationship was written so differently from Mia and Ansel's, and I loved it just as much for completely different reasons. Harlow and Finn are extremely antagonistic. They don't get along and don't really even like each other much. They have this wonderful bickering relationship that is just purely entertaining to read. They're kind of forced into a tense friendship because their two groups of friends have grown close, forcing them to be amicable. I loved watching their dynamic evolve over the course of the book. This installment is also told from both Finn and Harlow's points of view. So, you really get a good idea of how both characters are feeling about each other, which just leads to frustration because you know all this information and they don't haha.
The book ends off on a slight cliffhanger. It's implied what will happen next with these characters, but I want cold hard facts. I want to know for sure where these two characters. Thus, I have already ordered the next book in the series. I like that although they are companion stories, they take place consecutively. Therefore in this book, we got to see a little of the aftermath following the end of Sweet Filthy Boy, and we also get to see the set up between Lola and Oliver for the next book, Dark Wild Night. So even though you're no longer focusing on one particular couple, you still get to follow all the characters from the sidelines.
This is continuing to be one of my new favorite contemporary series. I cannot wait for my package to get here with Dark Wild Night. I'm ready to get to know Lola and Oliver better, and see what happened between Harlow and Finn (I forgot to mention, but I am absolutely obsessed with Finn. He is so my type in real life it is unreal.)...more
I would not recommend reading this novel anywhere that is near people. Like, no people. Anywhere. LikeWooo weee!! Get me a cold bucket of water. Stat.
I would not recommend reading this novel anywhere that is near people. Like, no people. Anywhere. Like in the privacy of your own home no people.
I said I wanted a swoony, summer romance, so my good friend Hope from Hope Ortega suggested this series to me. Girl, this series needs a warning label! I've read some new adult in the past, but that in no way prepared me for this (very sexual) ride. Most books I've read have one, maybe two, really intense sex scenes. This one. This one had probably about two dozen. I'm not at all bothered by those scenes in literature (especially since I was specifically seeking out that type of novel, I mean, let's be real here). I was just taken a little off guard.
With that being said, I thoroughly enjoyed this book. It was exactly what I was looking for when I set out to find a fun, swoony (but really smutty, honestly), summer romance. I really came to love the two main characters and found myself really rooting for them to succeed. I was so happy when my girl Mia made the choices she did about her future. It was exactly what I had hoped for since the beginning. I'm dying to get my hands on the companion novels because I want to see what became of Mia and Ansel's friends after that one crazy night in Vegas.
This is one of my new favorite summer fun contemporaries.
I will warn you though. If you do not like a lot of sex scenes, just to have sex scenes, you most definitely will not like this. Mia and Ansel have a very physical relationship and that is a major central focus of the novel. There is some great growth and character development, in regards to Mia. However, it is first and foremost about these two and their incredibly passionate affair in Paris. I would say approach with caution, and most definitely steer clear if you're uncomfortable with that....more
This one isn't my favorite of the novels I've read by Colleen Hoover, but I can't lie and say I didn't read it in one day. AlthouCoHo does it again!!
This one isn't my favorite of the novels I've read by Colleen Hoover, but I can't lie and say I didn't read it in one day. Although it wasn't my favorite romance and these weren't my favorite characters, I still found the story completely compelling. As usual. It was still completely relatable and heartbreaking and real and genuine and messy and romantic and sweet. I thoroughly enjoyed it.
I absolutely love the way Colleen Hoover writes the way her characters look at each other. Like they are the only two people in a room completely absorbed in each other. Like they worship and appreciate each other. These scenes always have the biggest punch for me and always have the most beautiful descriptions. I could probably read an entire book by her about characters staring at each other hahaha.
The only thing I didn't particularly like was Auburn, the lead female character. She comes across way to passive and insecure and spineless for my taste. She's not your enigmatic and lively main character, and she doesn't command a room with confidence (a character I would very much love to CoHo write). I completely understand why she is this way and why she continues to behave this way for the majority of the book. I just wanted her to stand up to the bullies in her life sooner. I wanted her to have the same confidence in herself that others see in her. I think in the end she begins this process and becomes more comfortable in herself, and I was so happy to see her put her foot down.
I was also a little frustrated with how much and often Owen lied to her almost everything haha. I totally get it though. They literally knew each for like two days, and he had no obligation to tell his entire life story. I just get so frustrated when characters are unhappy due to miscommunication; but again in this case, I think it's valid. Also, I really how adorable and selfless and witty Owen was (not a surprise). He's inherently such a good guy and cares so deeply for the people closest to him. CoHo does a great job of making you feel for the characters and their struggles. And I felt so much for the position Owen put himself in.
One thing I loved was the inclusion of actual pieces of art, since this book does so heavily feature it. They were beautiful and full of talent and emotion. I love that CoHo goes that extra step to make the story more immersive and just more special. She pays attention to those little details. I loved even more the origins behind why Owen paints and how he started painting and what gave him the idea behind Confess. That was such a great arc and really plays on the idea of fate, which is a pretty big component of this story.
I really loved Auburn and Owen when they were together. I wish we would have had more time with them on the page together. They very much have their own journeys and problems outside of their relationship together. Again, I could read a whole book about these two (or maybe just Owen staring at Auburn) staring at each other haha. I do wish we would have gotten more resolution at the end than we did. I would have loved an epilogue chapter just to wrap up all the loose ends. I feel like Hoover usually does a better job of creating finality at the ends of her books. But with this one, I still have a lot of questions and concerns haha. I would take a novella or an e-epilogue or a sequel. I just want more!! Give me more!!...more
2016 has been an epic year of adding things to my "books that made me cry" list.
I don't know why I was hesitant to pick up another of Colleen Hoover's2016 has been an epic year of adding things to my "books that made me cry" list.
I don't know why I was hesitant to pick up another of Colleen Hoover's books. I've been proved twice now that they're thoroughly entertaining. So maybe I thought that surely she can't have written three books that could slaughter my heart. Alas, I was wrong.
Of the three that I have read, I think this particular story hit me the most deeply. I teared up and actually shed a few tears more than once throughout the book, which is practically unheard of for me. I just thought this was such a painstakingly beautiful story. Hoover took a very delicate situation with very devastating consequences and paid it the respect it deserved. I felt the emotional turmoil these characters were enduring as they were trying to wrestle with their conflicting emotions. I felt like Hoover explored the ideas of growing out of a first love but still caring for the deeply very well; and not knowing exactly how to move on even though it may be the best decision for both parties. The emotions and characters felt so real and so relatable. I can only imagine the multitude of people that could relate to this situation very deeply; could understand and empathize with the hardships these characters faced. I just felt like it was a fragile situation handled very well.
Furthermore, this book is heavily centered around music. This, Hoover teamed up with a singer/songwriter to bring the lyrics from the story to life. I listened to the songs on the webpage as the story was progressing. It added a wonderful and rich layer to the story. It was an actual manifestation of what the characters were going through. I thought it was a great addition and something I would highly recommend listening to as you read the novel.
So unsurprisingly, Hoover completely demolished all my feelings in one fell swoop as she's proven to do time and time again. I cannot wait to see how else she chooses to obliterate my emotions. Because I am ready. Bring it on. ...more
After my first CoHo book earlier this year (and after falling completely in love with it), I didn't knoLadies and gents, Colleen Hoover does it again.
After my first CoHo book earlier this year (and after falling completely in love with it), I didn't know how any of her other books would ever compare or live up to my, now, incredible expectations. Somehow though, she did it. I FREAKING ADORE THIS BOOK AND BEN AND EVERYTHING. I LOVE EVERYTHING!! This book guys. This. Book. It overwhelmingly appealed to my book-loving soul. Our main characters are so bookish and know all the bookish slang and I love it. Also Ben. BEN! I LOVE BEN! He's adorable and hysterical and raunchy and perfect. This story is so different from Ugly Love, but it gave me the feels all over again. I had a different range of feels compared to Ugly Love. This is definitely a more lighthearted story compared to Ugly Love, but it by no means is a smooth sailing relationship. This concept was so unique. I've never read anything like this and ugh. Ugh, now I'm not even coherent. CoHo makes me inCoHerent.
So yeah, basically if you get anything out of that word vomit of obsession, it would be to read this book. If you love books, I don't know how you won't get a kick out of this book. It can be a bag of cheese puffs at a times, but like I don't even care. Also immediately after finishing this, I jumped on Amazon and ordered more of her books because I NEED THEM ALL!!!...more
I have a lot of feelings about this. I don't even know where to begin.
This is an extremely difficult book to talk about. I'm not really sure how to exI have a lot of feelings about this. I don't even know where to begin.
This is an extremely difficult book to talk about. I'm not really sure how to express my feelings in a way that does it justice and doesn't spoil it. CoHo often uses very sensitive content as plot twists in her novels. Most people would argue that content that is triggering should not be a considered a spoiler; thus, it should never be used as a plot twist. I will not deny that I have seen CoHo use this tactic in more than one book. This one is no different. Usually, I would just address the harmful content, regardless of whether or not it's a spoiler. I do not feel the same about It Ends with Us. In this case, I think CoHo deliberately chose this execution to enforce a point.
If you are someone who has very serious triggers for certain topics, I would suggest seeking out more information about this novel to see if it may trigger you. However if you are not someone with severe triggers, I would suggest going into this novel completely blind. It packs a much bigger punch and highlights Lily's story in a much more realistic way.
(view spoiler)[ This book fucking broke me. I felt so betrayed and so hurt when I put this book down. Lily is such an amazing and strong character. I felt for her down to bones throughout everything that she went through. CoHo made such a bold and daring move in creating this story because it is a side of abuse that we don't often see. So often, abusers are painted as villains and inherently bad people. But as Ryle said, "there is no such thing as bad people. We're all just people who sometimes do bad things." Ryle was never portrayed as an inherent villain. He didn't fit the stereotypical role of what an abusive husband or boyfriend is said to be like. I think that is such an important message in breaking down those stereotypes and barriers to help us better understand the victims of these situations.
It is so very easy to judge someone in this situation who decides not to leave, or doesn't leave soon enough. It's so easy to say, "well, why didn't you just get out?" This novel highlighted how gray this situation really is. It is not as black and white as that. Here was a woman who met a charming, talented man that would give her the stars and the moon, but who also had some very real demons he was fighting. As a result of that, he had a temper and became abusive when said temper reared it's ugly head. However, CoHo never used the tragic back story trope to explain away his bad behavior. It only further complicated the situation for Lily though. I love the way that this was approached and dealt with. It was so heartbreakingly done.
We are blindsided by the abuse right along with our main character. That only furthered the betrayal I felt. We fell in love with Ryle as Lily was falling in love with him. As the story progressed, I found myself having such conflicting feelings over him and their situation, similar to her. I was rooting for them, yet disgusted by him. I wanted her to be safe and feel safe, but I also wanted him to step up and be better. I felt right along with Lily. And I feel like this is so accurate for how so many people find themselves in abusive situations. It comes out of nowhere and completely catches you off guard; but, you're already in love with them, so you try to make it work and make excuses. It was just such an emotional rollercoaster.
The entire end portion when Lily is giving birth to their daughter was the most heartbreaking thing I have read in such a long time. The strength it had to have taken Lily to make that decision. The strength it had to have taken Ryle to walk away from the love of his life. The difficulty of that situation was conveyed so well through those pages. Lily is a bomb-ass heroine and someone I think could help a lot of people.
The biggest stinger of the novel was learning where the title came from. CoHo always weaves the title's meaning into the most emotional scenes of her books, and I always end up in tears discovering their origins. I think this one was the worst. I was beside myself with feelings when I read that line.
Lastly, I know this novel was inspired by CoHo's own parents' relationship. Her mom is a rockstar and a hell-of-a-woman if she is anything like Lily.
This book was just so emotional. It showed such an important window in abusive relationships that I haven't ever experienced before. I appreciate this book and Lily's story so much. (hide spoiler)]...more
This was my first ever Colleen Hoover book, and I just don't know how any of her other ones are going to live up to thOh my gosh. Guys. So many feels.
This was my first ever Colleen Hoover book, and I just don't know how any of her other ones are going to live up to this. It was freaking amazing. I loved the characters. I loved the dual perspective in the different time lines. I just loved it all.
Tate was incredibly relatable for me. She is the first character I have ever read from that was my age. Usually, we get 15-19 year olds and then like 26-36 year olds. That early-mid 20s age range is something I struggle with finding. So, this was incredibly refreshing.
Although I do not think this was a healthy relationship for either of the main characters (despite what the main characters think), I think it captured the heart-break and insecurity and unsureness that arises in these types of relationships. Tate continually recognizes that she doesn't deserve this and this will only cause her pain down the line, but she continues to go through with the relationship because in the moment it's amazing. I think this is such a prevalent issue when two people engage in this type of relationship. The heart-break and emotions portrayed by both characters is very real and raw, and I really sympathized with what they were going through. I also was really moved by the message Hoover presented us with at the end and the derivation of the title. It's incredibly fitting I think for what real life relationships are often faced with.
Initial review: I really don't know if I even have coherent thoughts to put here.
RHYS, I LOVE YOU ALWAYS FOREVER.
And in the course of one week, the number of books that have made me cry has tripled. I also ugly cried in this book. It's always the damn love between all the characters that gets to me. It's just too beautiful.
Basically, everything I wanted and didn't even know I wanted happened in this book. It was perfection. A+. I love everything.
(I told you guys I didn't have coherent thoughts)...more
1st read: May 10-13, 2015 2nd read: March 18-23, 2017
EDIT: I absolutely loved this as much, if not more than, the first time I read it. So much of the 1st read: May 10-13, 2015 2nd read: March 18-23, 2017
EDIT: I absolutely loved this as much, if not more than, the first time I read it. So much of the story is seen in such a different light when you go back and read this after reading its sequel, A Court of Mist and Fury. I feel like I understand these characters so much better and understand their motivations behind decisions that are made later in the series. I still had all the feels, just like my initial read, but I had feelings over completely different scenes and in different ways. I actually cried during my reread when I didn't cry at all on my first read. It just fascinates me how much a book can change when you reread it, but you can still completely and totally love it. It's the same, but different.
I initially read this book before any of the negativity surrounding it happened. I didn't really have anyone to sway my opinion or influence my reading experience. I read it as soon as it came out on vacation and was totally not as invested in the BookTube community as I am now. Rereading it, I see the faults that people are mentioning in their reviews. I see how the writing style can come across choppy and uninviting. I can see how Tamlin can come across too possessive and too controlling (although I think most of this behavior is evident in ACOMAF and not ACOTAR). I do have a better understanding of where those reviewers that had a different opinion are coming from.
However, I was still completely enamored with the story. I had this really strange push and pull with Tamlin. I really liked him when I first read ACOTAR. He wasn't my favorite male protagonist, but I definitely didn't feel icky towards him (that obviously changed after reading the sequel...). So knowing what I know after reading ACOMAF, I thought I was going to hate him this whole book. Weirdly, I still rooted for him. I still enjoyed his relationship with Feyre, even though deep down I hated him. It was the weirdest dichotomy of feelings I think I've ever had for a character.
Also, Rhys is a sweet baby cinnamon roll. And I love him to pieces *insert all the tears here*.
I cannot wait to continue my reread and pick up ACOMAF in my preparation for A Court of Wings and Ruin that comes out in May. EEK!!!
Jordan (thejordanjournals)
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