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3.56 AVERAGE
3.56 AVERAGE
I liked the story but just felt the relationships were a bit underdeveloped and the dynamic between all the characters was just ok. The plot itself was decent I just wish there was … more… of everything mostly.
Heavy trauma so please make sure to check your trigger warnings!
If your looking for a lighter bully romance this would fit into that category perfectly. Wasn’t heavy and didn’t last extremely long.
Overall I’d give this a 3.5/5 stars and 3/5 on the spice!
Heavy trauma so please make sure to check your trigger warnings!
If your looking for a lighter bully romance this would fit into that category perfectly. Wasn’t heavy and didn’t last extremely long.
Overall I’d give this a 3.5/5 stars and 3/5 on the spice!
Overall I did enjoy these characters & getting to see exactly where the plot was going. With Briar struggling to move on from the trauma of her past in California & moving in with her new stepfather and stepbrother in Greythorne… there’s a lot to unpack. She doesn’t expect Hunter, her new stepbrother, and his cray 3 best friends to cause issues for her at school. With her desire to run under the radar, graduate & hopefully move on with her life, the last thing she wants is the attention of “The Kings”. At first, I really saw potential and loved where this was going. When we get introduced to Ledger, Ash & Sampson I was super pumped for each of them to get their limelight. However, I will say the dynamic of this RH was not exactly what I was expecting & I didn’t completely love it (there are MMF & MM relations in this book). I think for me the dynamic of their relationships was just a bit confusing & under developed. The “bullying” wasn’t really major & didn’t last more then a few instances at the beginning. It was more of them acting out & fighting an attraction they couldn’t quite grasp as a group yet. Briar’s trauma & the plot that involves her past I really did enjoy. I also liked getting to understand the past of each of the other boys as well. I did feel like the relationship building was a little rushed, it felt like I blinked & all the sudden everyone was hot for each other. They’re also was not real buildup to them becoming an RH unit, it was like always a thing for the guys in their heads I guess? I don’t know that part for me was a bit confusing. Even with all that I did enjoy these boys & Briar. Im intrigued for book 2 & to see exactly how everything plays out with them!
challenging
emotional
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
dark
tense
fast-paced
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
This was just plain bad.
To start, the entirety of this book takes place over 10 days. In that length of time, they "bully" her (which is quite literally just stealing her diary and a shirt out of the locker room), come to a truce, and then fall for each other and make a BLOOD OATH. Yes, you read that right. There were numerous instances where I genuinely thought I'd somehow skipped ahead chapters because the writing felt so disjointed. I know these are young characters (18), and I can typically suspend my belief in RHs, but the breakneck pace of emotions and declarations was just ridiculous.
This book is littered with lines I assume were expressly included with the intent to use them for advertising on social media. You know the ones: "I've always been yours", "You are ours. Body and soul." TEN DAYS. Nothing of note even happens to maybe make the rapid advancement in the relationships make sense. There are no particularly tender moments, the most they know about her is that she likes chocolate and brownies... a fact she relishes in as evidence they know her so well.
Aside from the energizer-bunny-on-speed pacing, things just flat out didn't make sense at times:
To start, the entirety of this book takes place over 10 days. In that length of time, they "bully" her (which is quite literally just stealing her diary and a shirt out of the locker room), come to a truce, and then fall for each other and make a BLOOD OATH. Yes, you read that right. There were numerous instances where I genuinely thought I'd somehow skipped ahead chapters because the writing felt so disjointed. I know these are young characters (18), and I can typically suspend my belief in RHs, but the breakneck pace of emotions and declarations was just ridiculous.
This book is littered with lines I assume were expressly included with the intent to use them for advertising on social media. You know the ones: "I've always been yours", "You are ours. Body and soul." TEN DAYS. Nothing of note even happens to maybe make the rapid advancement in the relationships make sense. There are no particularly tender moments, the most they know about her is that she likes chocolate and brownies... a fact she relishes in as evidence they know her so well.
Aside from the energizer-bunny-on-speed pacing, things just flat out didn't make sense at times:
"Jack and Scarlett chuckle, and we chat for a few minutes until I get up to use the restroom. It’s an excuse, of course. After sipping the rest of my drink, I’m starting to feel sexy in my dress, and as people watch me with reverence, I do feel kind of formidable—but in the friendliest way possible. Like I won’t take any shit from bullies, but I also have no plans to torment people the way the Kings do. Mostly, it feels good to know that the Kings have been knocked down a peg. As I wait in line for the restroom..."
So... the restroom wasn't an excuse? Or was something else an excuse? Your guess is as good as mine.
"But with Samson, I kind of feel like a normal eighteen-year-old."
She thinks this as she's sipping on wine in a 5-star restaurant wearing a Jessica Rabbit dress. Yes, very relatable to teens.
There are 4 guys in this, and having read the entirety of it I can still barely distinguish them aside from Hunter and not-Hunter. We're told their personalities are different, but it's very much a tell-don't-show situation. Oh but I did remember one of them had a pierced eggplant, I think Samson? Add that to the Booktok checklist.
And of course, Briar isn't like other girls.
There are 4 guys in this, and having read the entirety of it I can still barely distinguish them aside from Hunter and not-Hunter. We're told their personalities are different, but it's very much a tell-don't-show situation. Oh but I did remember one of them had a pierced eggplant, I think Samson? Add that to the Booktok checklist.
And of course, Briar isn't like other girls.
"I look back at myself. For one, my ass is nearly hanging out. Two, this is not really my style. I’m all about function and comfort over style. If I had my way, I’d be wearing my jeans, Converse, and a tank top, but Scarlett seemed completely appalled by that idea."
While this excerpt could've been innocently glossed over, it was book-ended by the MMCs telling her she's not like other girls. It's 2022 (okay, this was published in 2021), can we freaking stop with this angle already?
I lied earlier when I said the most they know about her is that she likes chocolate. She does also share that she was SA'd before moving to town, and dun-dun-dunnn the dude breaks out of prison and is coming for her. Because of course the only ounce of depth given to this character is a SA. This book felt like a combination of Find Me by Ashley N. Rostek and Lords of Pain by Angel Lawson & Samantha Rue, but terrible. The only reason I didn't give it a 1 star is because I did enjoy the smut.
dark
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
dark
emotional
fast-paced
On edge...
Be prepared to not want to put this one down! Each chapter had me craving more or needing to know what was next! I love the build up of the upcoming story of revenge, redemption and strength.
Be prepared to not want to put this one down! Each chapter had me craving more or needing to know what was next! I love the build up of the upcoming story of revenge, redemption and strength.
emotional
funny
mysterious
tense
medium-paced