Credence

To say that I am disappointed would be an understatement. People on Booktok overhyped this book and I was even scared of reading it because I thought it wouldn’t live up to the expectations I had. I should’ve listened to my gut and kept it as a shelf trophy. I had been trying since June 2024 to finish this book because I am stubborn and really wanted to read AND ENJOY my first Penelope Douglas book… Now I don’t want to pick Birthday Girl up because of the same fear, that it’s overhyped, and it won’t live up to expectations.

Let’s talk about my problem with this book and it certainly wasn’t that she was sleeping with her STEP uncle and STEP cousins. Tiernan being fucking 17 years old when her parents commit suicide and decide that it would be best for her STEP (this is important) uncle to care for her did not sit well with me. She’s shipped off (away from the one person who cared for her when her parents didn’t) to the middle of nowhere with three men she’s never even met before. The smut didn’t happen until she was 18 but I would’ve preferred the FMC a little older from the very beginning. I immediately hated the “you’re the woman you cook for us attitude” and hated Kaleb even more. Kaleb is mute and, in my opinion, has way too many issues that he needs to deal with and heal from. His first encounter with Tiernan was him assaulting her, needing his brother to pull him off of the poor girl. No amount of childhood trauma excuses sexually assaulting someone else or assaulting in general which he did to Tiernan more than once. I will never understand why she chose the psychopath instead of the other brother, EVER.

Do yourselves a favor, read the negative reviews, and listen to them. For once, I agree with them.