Ray
I went in completely blind for this and honestly I would recommend you to do the same. All you need to know is that there is free for all orgies involved, an almost gothic vibe to the setting, and great spice, (especially if you would enjoy reading voyeur/exhibitionist dynamics)
I loved how unique this was, I've definitely never read anything like this before and it kept me hooked throughout.
The only two things i would complain about this firstly, what was up with our main character's necrolepsy? I understand it's something the author suffers from and wanted to represent that in a character, and she just didn't do it right. There's heavy mentions of it in the beginning and it's almost like she forgot about it in the second half. I wish it was consistently represented throught, it just didn't feel realistic.
Secondly, I wish the dynamics among the different characters were clearer. Something about the way the characters each feel about each other just felt like it wasn't fully fleshed out for me. Maybe that's just because this is the first in the series and maybe later on we find out more about them all.
Overall, I'm glad I picked this up from having it in my tbr for years and Sierra Simone didn't disappoint.
As someone who watched Raazi when it first came out in 2018, I had naturally forgotten a lot of plot points so I had a good time with the book. It might be boring to read this if you recently watched the movie, and honestly I think this story did really well in the movie format, it just hit harder to watch the movie for the heart pumping thrilling moments whereas in writing I felt it wasn't as effective to bring me to the edge of my seat.
But the beginning parts with her former life as a regular college student i think was written very well, it was tender and sweet, and I liked that.
Prepare yourself, this is gonna be long.
For a straight man to be writing a book about the female experience in itself is a huge undertaking.
And some parts of this book makes me wonder if he ever talked to a single woman. The audacity to assume you know everything about a woman and write a novel about it.
I couldn't make it through this book completely because of how enraged I was. So i present to you some quotes straight out of this book.
Even though the girls protested at the boys coming here, they secretly liked it. This is how we girls are. At times we want to be wanted, even when we deny it.
I grumbled about the entire process of dressing up, which only women have to endure
Some problems in the world seem to exist solely for women. Like not having anything to wear.
For the rare breed of girls like me that hates shopping and has serious retardation in the areas of the brain that help you pick a dress-
The only shopping I did in my life was for textbooks.
I loved this book! I felt like I had an immediate connection with the characters, especially Holden was such a fun character to follow, and their tension was amazingly well built.
This is a best friend's crush romance, so obviously I can see why that wouldn't work for some people but i could definitely overlook some of the social ethics for the sake of fiction. I can't say I agree with the decisions Phoenix makes, but I still enjoyed this book overall.
Can't wait to read the next books in the series, especially Kasen he deserves so much
I enjoyed the writing, I'm definitely coming back for more from Ricci.
I loved the almost fake dating aspect of it, it was so entertaining
The only down side for me was that both the characters are written exactly the same and i had trouble remembering whose pov I was reading so that's a huge pet peeve of mine
Dear Lord this book was such a wild ride.
I can see why this didn't work for a lot of people, because this is very dark, the romance is incredibly toxic (kinda reminds me of Hardin and Tessa with the hot and cold if you know what I'm saying), the writing is honestly pretty mid, lots of typos (would've benefitted from a good editor), and so many of the plot points straight up make no sense. I have so many unanswered questions.
But you know what? I still enjoyed this for the ride, the craziness of the plot and the characters, and I've never read a book with such amazing F/F spice. This was my first time reading a sapphic book that wasn't cutesy and YA, although I have read other straight dark romances.
I'd say give it a shot if you're okay with indie dark romances!
This is a sweet and tender romance that is very low in angst. I was personally expecting it to be more angsty and fobidden since the title promises a ‘rivals' to lovers romance but it was okay.
This was my first book from this author and I found the writing to be cute and charming. I definitely would be interested to check out more from this series.
What lowered my rating personally is the third act breakup, I'm just so tired of those
This would be a great palate cleanser read to binge on after reading heavier books.
This is EXACTLY what I wanted from Priest, the first book in the series.
I haven't stopped thinking about this since I read it.
Aiden and Elijah's characters were built well, and their connection felt very real. I absolutely enjoyed the tension in this book, and the angst between the characters, and the fact that Aiden literally locks his dick in a cage because he's THAT determined to be celibate. It was absolutely iconic.
I enjoyed her writing too, it was rich and beautiful.
This is a pretty basic murder mystery that I finished in a few sittings but that's not a bad thing. I enjoy Lucinda Berry's writing and the way she makes you so connected to the characters and rooting for them, there's plenty of twists and turns and it's surely gonna keep you engaged.
I should've seen the whodunnit coming, but I didn't so it was still a fun reveal.
This was a cute little sapphic romance that was quick and entertaining.
I loved the representation of Desi parents, the way they talked, the expectations they hold, it was so real.
The biphobia too, ‘just pick a side' attitude that some people have, that too, felt very real.
The characters were brought out really well for their school setting.
But like every YA book, I felt like the problems just get solved too easily and everything's tied up neatly with a bow. How Hani's dad just listened to her and admitted all his wrong doings. How Aisling decides to apologise to Hani.
Overall it's okay, I suppose. I was willing to overlook it because it's a wholesome story.
I feel like my expectations were let down for this book because the cover gives such eerie vibes and the horror narnia aspect of it sounds so interesting and so I was expecting this to be creepier than it is.
I wanted more exploration into the Narnia world, more description, more weird things happening, I feel like it had great potential had this book chosen to lean more heavily into the horror side.
However I found this to be on the more fun, light side. The writing was light and almost quirky like you would find in a romcom. Which weirdly was the thing I loved most about this, the characters had great banter which was entertaining.
Like everyone else is saying, this gives off the same vibes as Bunny by Mona Awad, which is one of my favourite books of all time. And just like that one, this is not a book for everyone. It's intentionally confusing, it's weird, it burns slow, it's plotless for the most part, characters are unhinged and the air is deeply unsettling.
In fact, Ines reminded me a lot of the protagonist from Bunny. The reason why these books work is because it's fascinating to glimpse into the minds of these characters. It's fascinating to watch them slowly transform and lose their minds, basically.
The writing was beautiful, just like you would expect from a dark academia like this. The setting was fantastic too.
My only bone to pick was that it dragged on a little bit in the middle which in my opinion was unnecessary.
You'll know if these kind of books are for you, and if they are, you'll have a great time with it.
I read one book from this author a few years ago called Swan Song and i remember loving that one so when I randomly came across her again, i prioritised reading it.
This one to me was a disappointment unfortunately. It was just so high stakes all the time that even though there were moments of such tension it didn't hit me as it should have. I wanted to be on the edge of my seat and it just didn't feel that way. I would've liked it if the stakes went up and down, that would've brought weight to the moments that were tense. Instead it got old after a while.
This is just my opinion, obviously, but i feel like I'm just over the kind of heroines like Valeria here, who pretends like she isn't interested in the guy but in reality she's been crushing on him so hard for years (since this is a brother's best friend romance). I think if done well it's a fun dynamic to read about but this felt so cheesy, and it was a major turn off to me for the rest of the book.
The writing too just didn't feel as good as i remember Swan Song being.
All that being said I've heard great things about this book, so if it sounds interesting maybe pick it up but it wasn't the book for me.
This is probably the best extreme horror I've ever read.
It's absolutely vile, disgusting and HEINOUS, and when you think it can't get any worse, it will.
It gets so much worse.
I loved the character building, even the perpetrator characters. I feel like the author mocks them in the best way possible.
That ending was so satisfying. Very disturbing. So well done.
As with any extreme horror it's important to be aware of what you're getting yourself into. The book intends to shock and this one accomplishes it very successfully.
I'll definitely be checking out more from the author.
Tomie is an entity in the form of a beautiful woman, who destroys the life of innocent strangers just because she can.
No matter how many times you kill her she will spawn right back.
This is a pretty gigantic book in the form of short stories and it was really fun to read about.
Also it's really cool that you can see Junji Ito's art style evolving as you read more and more.
I had a great time with the first half of this book, watching Zev in his cycles of drug abuse and harming himself and the unaddressed trauma. I think it was written very well and brought me very close to the character.
Enter Black Diamond Resort and Spa, obviously the highlight of this series, I loved the therapy scenes.
It all went downhill for me from there, unfortunately. Firstly I was unable to grasp the fact that his dad, who I'm positive knows Zev is gay, sends him to an island with a gay married bodyguard. Gavin has been with his husband for A DECADE, and i felt uncomfortable with the cheating in this book too.
I remember this one point in the book where Gavin is breaking up with his husband and he says, “I just couldn't resist him”
IMAGINE YOUR PARTNER OF 10 YEARS SAYING THAT.
I don't care what the conditions were, it just feels wrong.
Spice wasn't my favourite, but it was fine.
The DD/lb dynamic was okay, true to what you'd expect. I just don't think it was for me, although I have enjoyed age gap MM before.
I would be interested to check out this author's other works but this one's a maybe for me.
Kicking my feet in the air, losing my shit
I'm such a slut for sports rivals romances oh my god this was so gooddd
The transition from rivals to the spice to them becoming a couple was so seamlessly well done. The author has such a talent for making me absolutely fall in love with Jordan and Theo.
I don't say this too often because it's a little bit ridiculous to say about fictional people but these two are SOO meant for each other.
Also for me excessive British references are a hit or miss but this one absolutely worked
I've read two other Black Diamond Resort books, and this one did such an amazing job with actually describing the resort and the scenic beauty, but also talking about the actual treatment. Just like in the other two books I read, the characters have issues but unlike those two, they were actually properly addressed with therapy
5 stars, no doubt. Obsessed.
Can't wait to read more from this author!!
I feel disappointed with this because it actually started out so good, the setting, the character work absolutely fascinated me at the beginning.
I thought Sean's POV was done so well, and how his mental illness added a psychological aspect to the book.
Also I read another book from this author which is called You Can Trust Me, and I loved that one, so I was excited to read her debut.
Later on, though, the part of the book where Sean is ‘hunting annabelle' was so cheesy, it read very YA, kinda like a Nancy Drew mystery.
The plot twist definitely caught me off guard, but I'm still confused.Sean only murdered 2 women, at the most. Annabelle is literally on her 28th. Why is she so obsessed with killing him and being all vigilante? If anything he should go vigilante on her. And there's some scenes at the end where she's gonna murder him and he literally jumps her and starts making out with her...? And all her apparent hate for him disappears? The guy she's been planning to kill for years, and she's just okay with being with him instead? It makes no sense.
Also the twisted love story aspect of the storyline, I didn't particularly enjoy it.
Overall this was a very linear, basic thriller. I don't think it's doing anything special.