yul
It had its moments, but a bit info dumpy at times. The plot felt a bit floaty/non existent. Things were definitely happening but it rarely really felt like the characters were experiencing them. More like a series of scenes than a continuous arc I guess? The romantic dynamic was just also not my personal preference so that didn’t really help. Bit of a disappointing start to a new spinoff, but I am more intrigued in some of the other pairings so will keep reading.
I absolutely loved this book! It was everything I wanted almost all the time (the only reason I say almost is because I would have wanted more).
This book is about a girl named Brittany who is the captain of the cheer squad and in all other ways the perfect girl at the school. It is also about Alex who is a member of a dangerous gang. There's also a bet where Alex says that he can make Brittany fall for him.
I don't wanna say more because it was just so good!! I read the whole thing in one sitting! I just couldn't stop! (I started thinking about how much time I spent reading and I just realised I read for 9 hours straight... Whoops)
*** SPOILERS ***
I don't know why but I loved all the Spanish in this book! I was really not expecting it and since I sorta know Spanish I got some of it but since most of it was swearing I would keep googling words and it was all just so amusing!! I had so much fun!
I loved all the interactions between Alex and Brittany! They just had the kind of relationship that I like most on books.. You know the kind with tons of teasing and just aah!! So good!!
I remember getting tears in my eyes at some point but I don't remember when.. I never actually cried though... Even though I was really upset when Paco died.
Oh yeah I also was super mad when we realise that he got branded! Because I mean getting beat up is one thing but this stays with you forever and I was just soo mad!! Could we not have went without the branding?? I mean scars are one thing but this is just too far!
Anyway.. I liked how Mrs. Peterson was an important part of the story and the epilogue was a really cute touch at the end!!
So yeah.. Awesome book, definitely worth the read. End of rant.
I picked this up as a guilty pleasure read and it exceeded all my expectations by miles and miles. I would love to write out this elaborate and well written review for it right now, because that is how much I loved it. But honestly, life stuff has made me kinda tired rn so maybe if I do a reread I'll put up a proper review..
End of rant.
——–
Ok so the re-read happened. (multiple times)
I loved this book because of how real it was. (I know it's the title and everything ha.ha. but hear me out!) I've read quite a few books with BDSM in them and I mean I've definitely enjoyed them, but I enjoyed them in the way I enjoy fantasy - incredibly fun to read about, but not exactly realism. And honestly? I generally don't have that much of a problem with that; it's fiction, and as long as it's well-written, I'll probably read it.
But THIS, this was real in a way I've never read before. Sometimes everything hurt, sometimes I almost fell off my chair laughing, sometimes I was hopelessly charmed by the characters, most of the time I simply couldn't tear my eyes off the story. I love this book for the details, for the emotions, for the communication! For the quiet moments, for the comforting ones. This book felt like a good cuddle and a healing breath (and possibly a fierce blush because wow.. wow). And I hope you give it a go, I really do! Because there's absolutely nothing I'd change about it.
End of rant.
Aaaaah I adore this author's writing! I laugh and cry and laugh again and it's just, it's delightful. I love the characters and their GROWTH. I love the wonderfully witty humour. I love the friendships. I love the real life themes. I love the representation honestly. I love it most when characters can make you understand situations of those very different from yours while also being entirely relatable and just I'm not making a lot of sense right now so this review really isn't doing the book justice but just TRUST ME. This is the sort of book that feels heartbreakingly painful before it feels wonderfully good. It's about growing up and growing into yourself and figuring out what you want or maybe not quite knowing but moving forward anyway.
End of rant.
This was a cute story but nothing incredibly enticing. Entertaining enough for a chill, little attention needed kinda read. One thing I will say tho is that some of the sex scenes at the beginning of the story felt a bit stilted? or awkwardly written? or like crude instead of sexy? I'm not quite sure what my issue really was but it did take me a second to take them seriously lol.
End of rant.
This has the intrigue, the badass heroine, the hate to love that I love and a beautiful and clever writing style that just made me want to reread every sentence to make sure I figured out all the meanings - very fitting for a book about fae.
I was a bit disappointed with certain aspects of the plot and the direction that the story went at times but all in all.. the banter was fantastic, the plot twists shocking and the romance hot - all I could ask for, is just more of the above!
AAaaarghhh. Why must Alexis Hall books always make me feel so many feelings?
(This probably has spoilers but I haven't decided what I'm saying yet and there probably won't be much editing of this hot mess because it's late and yeah. Probably spoilers.)
I think I'll start with the positive feelings, (because they're easier, not because this is a good news bad news situation) and move on to the confusing ones (because, well, they're confusing and I'm procrastinating articulating them).
This seems to be a controversial opinion in terms of romance with an established couple, but I genuinely adored that this was just life. I realise that at a glance it looks like there's just a lot of conflict and you'd think that shouldn't be there at that stage in a relationship but I think that generally that's just blatantly not the case. Obviously, I get that realism isn't what the average romance reader is looking for (myself included on most days), but I felt that this particular brand of realism was exactly the kind of comforting and hopeful type that still felt, well, comforting and hopeful?
There was never really a moment in this book where I felt that the relationship wasn't solid. And I think because of that I truly enjoyed that this felt more like a series of quiet life moments rather than your classic drama in a getting together arc. I actually enjoyed the conflict?? I smiled through the arguments?? I honestly shocked myself by the amount of smiles I had at what some would argue were inappropriate moments but to me it just looked like growth. Because people will always disagree, no matter how similar or different they are. No matter how fantastically solid their relationship is. That's just not the point. The point is that you feel comfortable mentioning all those things you disagree on, knowing that you'll still be loved regardless. Knowing that the goal is to work through it.
I also really loved? resonated with? enjoyed reading about? (insert whatever positive verb I can't seem to settle on) the discussion of belonging and LGBTQ and what that meant and didn't mean to different people. I've just often felt quite complicated things about the topic and haven't often seen it expressed in a nuanced way. And perhaps that has more to say about the lack of well-rounded literature I've been reading, but regardless I'm really happy that was there because.. because I suppose sometimes you just need to see an articulation of those things you've thought about in that way that isn't actually words but rather just formless emotion type things that float around your brain.
Anyways, that enlightening statement would lead me on to the confusing part of this review, except I'm still not quite sure how to express that part.
I suppose it starts with something like: I'm happy that they're happy. And I realise it sounds odd that I'm talking about characters' life choices as if I know them but because this book truly felt so real in that purely emotional sense that any real people I know are real and emotional and complicated and different, because of that, I can't really say I'm disappointed with how things ended or that I didn't like it. Because well, at this point it feels like a “hey, whatever works for you” situation that you tell your friends when you don't really understand their choices but can be happy about their happiness regardless. But well, what it boils down to at the end of the day is that I really just didn't understand. Why was marriage wrong for them? In that purely day-to-day sense what would have really been so unfavourably different that they couldn't bear the thought? What did Luc's mother mean when she said some people just weren't marriage people?
And maybe this is heteronormative of me, or societally ingrained or whatever (or the opposite?), but I guess I'm just feeling quite frustrated by my own not understanding. Is it because they felt it was the only option and it wasn't? I confess I've never had particularly strong opinions on marriage, neither for nor against it, so I suppose I just don't really see a difference between a long term relationship and a marriage. The party and the legal benefits are really the only difference I see. So to me the only possible option why this felt so wrong for them is because perhaps it did seem like a big deal, like the only option, like being forced. Because if you weren't married then what were you? Well, still you, just without the legally binding paperwork.. would have been my answer. Which is why I felt so confused by how stuck they both seemed by the idea of marriage. Because well, if you don't want to get married then.. don't? Why propose? Why say yes? Why go through this whole (probably expensive) planning ordeal?
I suppose maybe they did feel forced. I suppose society has a way of making you feel forced even if no one is actively making you do anything. I just can't imagine doing something that elaborate, which is supposedly for me, when I don't even want it. Although that may be my social anxiety saving me from societally expected events because it takes a significant amount of convincing for me to attend a thing I'd actually like to attend, let alone organise and attend a life-altering thing that I don't actually want. But I suppose the point is that they aren't me. Different people, different perspectives and all that. Sigh. Now I'm just having some kind of philosophical debate with myself in the middle of the night.
I guess I just feel a bit cheated, in this very specifically greedy way. Because on one hand I loved that it was real in all those ways I had described, but am simultaneously annoyed that not all questions have been answered and there isn't this glossy, conclusive bow on the gift I'd just received. And that, in a way, is the realest thing that a real thing can be, isn't it? The inconclusive and bowless present (ha) that is daily life.
My point is, this book doesn't really have an end in the same way that it doesn't really have a beginning. It's a middle book of all the big and little middle bits. And some are happy and some are sad and some are neither and all are a blast to read through for different reasons but it does sort of leave me stumped in this whole review writing business because well, how do I analyse my enjoyment of a complete story when it's really just sort of pieces of another person's life that tie together into this multifaceted look at modern romance and queer culture?
So this is the best I've got. Less analysis and more sort of inconclusively appropriate ramble about feelings and not understandings and how I suppose that's ok as long as they're happy.
End of rant.
um
I think I probably would've enjoyed this more if it had a trigger warning for many many things.
For extensive situations relating to mental health, physical health, much much medicine, emotional abuse, death, grief and probably many other things that I can't think of on the spot. Not by any means because I feel the book shouldn't have included these topics, but because it felt a bit unfair to have them sprung on you when you were expecting a light romcom about finding yourself after being somewhat forced into an open relationship by a boyfriend that felt he hadn't ‘explored' enough options.
So here I am trying to understand my thoughts on this book because while it is undoubtedly well crafted.. it did leave me rather more shell shocked than I was prepared for.
I think this is going to have to be one of those that I can't actually rate because although I can't say I enjoyed it, it was definitely good. I spent a very significant portion of this ugly sobbing and sort of hyperventilating, which is not necessarily a reaction to reading that I object to, I just prefer to pick up such books when I feel emotionally stable enough to handle them. Which on this occasion I guess I was.. not.
End of rant.
It feels unnecessarily harsh to give this 2 stars, but 2 stars is ‘ok' in my book and I really could not give this story any more than that. The thing is, this is not a bad book, it's not bad writing either. What it is, is very repetitive and very frustrating. And I get it, I do, it's not easy to get over a shitty experience and fall right into a new romance but literally every paragraph felt like a painful repetition of the same problem and round and round in circles we went.
Another issue I had is perhaps more with how this was marketed and the expectations I had going in. Because I was expecting this whirlwind deception, lots of banter and tension as two people who clearly like each other are put into the forced proximity that comes with pretending to be together. But in fact.. that part of the story only starts at around the 40% mark and then everything goes downhill again immediately after the ruse is done.
I just.. I guess I'm just frustrated and disappointed because this had so much potential in the realm of ‘light and fun read', but it felt like the author kept trying to add depth without fully executing it. I kept coming across these aspects of backstory that were meant to create understanding and empathy for the main character's seemingly stupid decisions but they kept falling flat for me. Perhaps there was just too much seriousness for a light read, and not enough development of the emotional aspects for it to be considered a more moving romance than a light-hearted one.
End of rant.
Damn, I kept waiting to write my review because I wanted to do this whole long-ass ramble about how fantastic everything about this was but now I've left it too long and I don't even know where to start anymore cries in procrastination
I am not generally one for sci-fi books. Like, as it says in my bio, I tend to stay away from anything too realistically painful and sci-fi generally walks that line where it feels logically plausible enough that it fills me with existential dread and thoughts of the imminent demise of all of humanity in a variety of scientifically horrifying ways. Despite that I absolutely adored this book.
First of all, it focuses almost entirely on the romance, so even if the sciency shit freaked me out a little, I was easily distracted by the dirty talk and the heated glances.
But most importantly, this book has one of the most unexpected plots I have ever read. And not to brag or anything.. but I've read a lot of things. And it's not necessarily that the concept is unique and original or anything, but the portrayal? the plot development? the character growth? god, I don't even want to mention any more than this because I think I'm awfully close to spoiling something and you should absolutely go into this blind, maybe just with the blurb at most!
Basically it's incredible and I already loved the author's writing before I read this book but I have so much more appreciation for it now.
Oh wait, and don't forget to read the trigger warnings at the beginning of the book!! Nothing is particularly gory or explicit, but certain plot essential scenes could definitely be triggering.
End of rant.
I was anticipating this book so much!! From the snippets we got of Asha I liked her more and more with every book and I just really wanted to know what really was the problem with Hemalo for things to have gone so wrong. Boy was this book emotional. The topics in it were really not easy to handle and I adored the slow burn of it, the pained glances, the second chances.
I also adored the friendship in this one. I feel like since we had the original group of Georgie, Liz and Kira we haven't really had close friendships that weren't couple related and I just really enjoyed that aspect of the book. (Less so the Bek situation but I guess it wasn't enough to annoy me too much).
End of rant.
I really enjoyed that this story was so unexpected, I loved that it went out of the mould that we'd expect from this series, but I also was really not a fan of Stacy. Don't get me wrong, they made sense together, I understand why as a person she might be the way she is, but also as a character she's just not the sort of person I would be gravitated to reading about. So personally Pashov really pulled this book along for me. Also I just cried a lot. This one really was a sobfest.
End of rant.
Uuuugh this one was so painful...
Definitely my favourite of the short stories so far (mostly because it had some of my favourite couples) but ugh they just can't catch a break can they? I was actually crying in this one. And it's just a short story. And I knew things got better. BUT STILL.
End of rant.
So I didn't expect to enjoy this one. I didn't like Megan, I didn't like Hassen and so my general opinion of the pairing was basically ‘fantastic, let's just put the two assholes together'. Surprisingly.. it worked?
Because I didn't like the characters as people, there were a lot of interactions they had with others that I just wasn't a fan of. But also because of that, all the interactions they had together I actually enjoyed. It's like by being assholes to each other they realised how much of an asshole they really were lmao. Anyways, it's not a favourite but it was fun I suppose.
End of rant.
I loved this addition to the series so much!! It's definitely much more slow burn than most of the others but I actually wasn't mad about it at all. I loved reading from the perspective of the main character and how the fact that she was deaf was addressed. This is just a really wholesome one, not only because of the characters themselves but also the way our view of the harsh planet they live on changes.
End of rant.
I cringe so hard at the cover omg but again as with previous short stories in this series, the perfectionist in me demands that I actually read AALL the books. I did actually enjoy this one quite a bit. The couple was really wholesome and I loved that we got to see more about Asha. I actually love how because this is a serial and we keep seeing things from different perspectives our views of people are constantly changing. This series just feels very real in the way that no one is inherently a bad character, it's just that some seem like bad guys through specific eyes, but are loved through someone else's.
End of rant.
Eh I gotta say I basically just read this one because I have this habit where i neeed to finish every book in a series for it to feel complete. And well this one just really didn't interest me that much. Pregnancy was basically the only plot point and well as I mentioned in previous reviews it's just really not my trope.
End of rant.
I LOVED this dynamic. Kira always felt like the reason to Georgie's leadership and Liz's sass and I was so here for that being met with Aehako's flirting.
I liked that the romance felt somehow lighter in this one. Even though the stakes were just as high if not higher. However, the whole pregnancy vibe of all of these books in general? really not my trope. I didn't mind it, but I also wasn't really into it. So I don't know how I feel about the resolution in this one in that sense, but I suppose as long as it's a happy ending I'm not bout to be mad at it.
End of rant.