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caterina_1212's review against another edition
dark
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
After reading When No One Is Watching and All That's Left in the World I was very nervous for this book. But the stakes seemed to low at times or the tone shifted too wildly, it seemed off. Also shocked when she said at the end it had only been a week, it felt longer. I spent too much time in her head going over and over things.
Content Warnings
Minor: Racial slurs, Sexual assault, Kidnapping, and Gun violence
heabooknerd's review
3.0
For some strange reason I love apocalypse type romances, so I was really excited to start this trilogy. Though I enjoyed Alyssa Cole's writing a lot I was a bit disappointed in the plot which I found to be fairly slow and somewhat boring in certain parts. I guess I was hoping for more action surrounding the apocalypse but since it's still in the early days, most people are just staying safe in their homes. For the most part, Arden, John, Gabriel, and Maggie are just trying to find ways to occupy themselves while trapped inside. While my expectations were not exactly met in regards to the plot I did really enjoy the characters and definitely intend to read the next in the series. Especially, because we still don't know what caused the blackout!
The shining light of this story was certainly the characters who really come alive in the writing and I was hooked on seeing Arden and Gabriel come to terms with their guilt and anger over their circumstances and work things out. Arden was one tough woman who isn't afraid to stand up for herself and has no problem putting Gabriel in his place when he acts like an asshole. At the same time, she's incredibly understanding and compassionate toward Gabriel and his struggles. She understands his worry over his parents because she has no idea how her parents are handling things all the way across the country. Arden carries a lot of guilt over staying away from her family ever since her mother became sick with hep C. Though she comes to terms with some of her guilt, she battles with it all the way to the end. As a doctor, Gabriel too is dealing with the guilt of killing two men in order to save John and Arden. The internal struggles these two experience help lend them a vulnerability that they can share and find common ground in.
Though Arden and Gabriel were great, I also really loved John and he's the big reason I plan to continue reading this series because his book is next. I just loved how he tried to keep things light and humorous to keep everyone's spirit up. It's obvious that it takes a lot to keep John down and I enjoyed his optimism. He's also a great friend to Arden who needed a kick in the butt a few times to get over her usual defenses. As goofy as he can be he's also incredibly protective and this clearly extends to anyone he sees as family, including Arden. Their friendship was truly beautiful.
Content Warning: On page attempted rape of Arden by a stranger
The shining light of this story was certainly the characters who really come alive in the writing and I was hooked on seeing Arden and Gabriel come to terms with their guilt and anger over their circumstances and work things out. Arden was one tough woman who isn't afraid to stand up for herself and has no problem putting Gabriel in his place when he acts like an asshole. At the same time, she's incredibly understanding and compassionate toward Gabriel and his struggles. She understands his worry over his parents because she has no idea how her parents are handling things all the way across the country. Arden carries a lot of guilt over staying away from her family ever since her mother became sick with hep C. Though she comes to terms with some of her guilt, she battles with it all the way to the end. As a doctor, Gabriel too is dealing with the guilt of killing two men in order to save John and Arden. The internal struggles these two experience help lend them a vulnerability that they can share and find common ground in.
Though Arden and Gabriel were great, I also really loved John and he's the big reason I plan to continue reading this series because his book is next. I just loved how he tried to keep things light and humorous to keep everyone's spirit up. It's obvious that it takes a lot to keep John down and I enjoyed his optimism. He's also a great friend to Arden who needed a kick in the butt a few times to get over her usual defenses. As goofy as he can be he's also incredibly protective and this clearly extends to anyone he sees as family, including Arden. Their friendship was truly beautiful.
Content Warning: On page attempted rape of Arden by a stranger
rellimreads's review against another edition
4.0
One of my biggest complaints in romance is the insta-Love and characters barely knowing each other before we’re supposed to believe they’re madly in love.
Conversely, Alyssa Cole does the slow burn so well ~ that if I’m not in the right mindset, it can feel “boring”. (Reminds me of Mariana Zapatas books as well).
I first read this book when I was on a NA kick. It is not a typical high-action “what happens when the world crumbles” book. It’s what happens when all electronics are dead, there’s no information, the initial panic has settled, and we now have 4 people (a 16yo, two early 20s, one mid-20s) who are trying to figure out how to live & survive.
Conversely, Alyssa Cole does the slow burn so well ~ that if I’m not in the right mindset, it can feel “boring”. (Reminds me of Mariana Zapatas books as well).
I first read this book when I was on a NA kick. It is not a typical high-action “what happens when the world crumbles” book. It’s what happens when all electronics are dead, there’s no information, the initial panic has settled, and we now have 4 people (a 16yo, two early 20s, one mid-20s) who are trying to figure out how to live & survive.
shawniebooks's review against another edition
4.0
Not quite a 4-star read for me, but I liked hearing Alyssa Cole at RT16. :)
umutulker's review against another edition
3.0
dnf -
i mean it could be a really interesting book if there was actual plot instead of constant sexual tension between arden and gabriel and nothing else happening. is it interesting now? barely. at some point even john becomes just a pawn in their tension, which was not enjoyable to read. what happened to the world and what’s going on outside is not revealed yet even though i’m almost done with the book.
i wish i actually got the copy i wanted (radio silence by alice oseman) instead of this, so im dnfing this to go read that !!
i mean it could be a really interesting book if there was actual plot instead of constant sexual tension between arden and gabriel and nothing else happening. is it interesting now? barely. at some point even john becomes just a pawn in their tension, which was not enjoyable to read. what happened to the world and what’s going on outside is not revealed yet even though i’m almost done with the book.
i wish i actually got the copy i wanted (radio silence by alice oseman) instead of this, so im dnfing this to go read that !!
sup3r_xn0va_maya's review against another edition
dark
emotional
funny
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
💬: “You can try to fight it with all your might, but unless you're some all-powerful being and forgot to tell us, you can't stop every bad thing from happening. You're doing your best, and everyone loves you for it. That's all you can ask yourself for."
Cole, Alyssa. Radio Silence (Off the Grid Book 1) (p. ?). Carina Press. Kindle Edition.
📖Genres: romance, contemporary romance, interracial romance, dystopian, sci-fi, post-apocalyptic
📚Page Count: 308
🎧Audiobook Length: 07h 34min
👩🏾🏫My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.5 - 4.5/5
----
TW -alcohol, blood, confinement, cursing, death, injury/injury detail, kidnapping, murder, physical abuse, psychosis, racial slurs, racism, violence
Radio Silence by Alyssa Cole is a dystopian romance and it was surprisingly good. For some reason I didn't think dystopian and romance genres went together (I guess I wasn't paying attention while reading The Hunger Games.) I thought this was cute and some what action packed, the story kept my attention for the duration of the book.
Arden, a Black woman, and John, a Korean man, were roommates in college when suddenly all the power went out, technology stopped working, and water stopped running (no one seems to know why). John comes up with the idea to walk the 100 miles from the college to his family's home with Arden, but on the way they come upon some trouble. It's John's brother, Gabriel, who helps Arden and John out of a dangerous situation. Now Arden, John, Gabriel, and Maggie (John and Gabe's teen sister) are tasked with surviving the apocalypse. Gabriel is stubborn, mean, and treats Arden like she doesn't know anything. How long can they last going at each other's throats? Or will they eventually notice each other's softer side?
I think some of the decisions the character's made were really not well thought out. One example is at the beginning of the book, John and Arden make some questionable decisions and that ends up with them being in danger. Later on in the story, Maggie makes a really silly decision and that ends up putting the entire family at risk to being harmed in the apocalypse. In dystopian and apocalyptic stories, I expect the characters to try harder to live.
The spicy scenes were enjoyable and I liked that condoms were used, because that's what makes sense in an apocalypse. I'm giving the spicy scenes three point five chilies 🌶️🌶️🌶️.5 out of five chilies
Overall this dystopian romance was cute. I'm giving this 4.5 out of 5 stars.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.5 - 4.5/5
I listened to this for free on <a href="https://www.hoopladigital.com/">[Hoopladigital.com]</a>
Cole, Alyssa. Radio Silence (Off the Grid Book 1) (p. ?). Carina Press. Kindle Edition.
📖Genres: romance, contemporary romance, interracial romance, dystopian, sci-fi, post-apocalyptic
📚Page Count: 308
🎧Audiobook Length: 07h 34min
👩🏾🏫My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.5 - 4.5/5
----
TW -
Radio Silence by Alyssa Cole is a dystopian romance and it was surprisingly good. For some reason I didn't think dystopian and romance genres went together (I guess I wasn't paying attention while reading The Hunger Games.) I thought this was cute and some what action packed, the story kept my attention for the duration of the book.
Arden, a Black woman, and John, a Korean man, were roommates in college when suddenly all the power went out, technology stopped working, and water stopped running (no one seems to know why). John comes up with the idea to walk the 100 miles from the college to his family's home with Arden, but on the way they come upon some trouble. It's John's brother, Gabriel, who helps Arden and John out of a dangerous situation. Now Arden, John, Gabriel, and Maggie (John and Gabe's teen sister) are tasked with surviving the apocalypse. Gabriel is stubborn, mean, and treats Arden like she doesn't know anything. How long can they last going at each other's throats? Or will they eventually notice each other's softer side?
I think some of the decisions the character's made were really not well thought out. One example is at the beginning of the book, John and Arden make some questionable decisions and that ends up with them being in danger. Later on in the story, Maggie makes a really silly decision and that ends up putting the entire family at risk to being harmed in the apocalypse. In dystopian and apocalyptic stories, I expect the characters to try harder to live.
The spicy scenes were enjoyable and I liked that condoms were used, because that's what makes sense in an apocalypse. I'm giving the spicy scenes three point five chilies 🌶️🌶️🌶️.5 out of five chilies
Overall this dystopian romance was cute. I'm giving this 4.5 out of 5 stars.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.5 - 4.5/5
I listened to this for free on <a href="https://www.hoopladigital.com/">[Hoopladigital.com]</a>
Content Warnings
Graphic: Injury/Injury detail, Alcohol, Cursing, Racial slurs, Racism, Kidnapping, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Death, Violence, Blood, Confinement, Murder, and Physical abuse
captwinghead's review
1.0
There wasn't anything about this that I really enjoyed.
There's a female lead, Arden, that I found as bland as possible. She makes a really poor, incredibly stupid decision at the start of this book and it's so odd to start off making me dislike the main character. She's strangely put into a role where she parents a teenager within minutes of meeting her. She's also immediately attracted to a guy that's understandably upset at her for making dumb decisions. I didn't understand anything about her.
Then there's Gabriel who, on paper, sounds hot. He has the hardest job in the book with the most responsibility. His story is interesting. However, I just didn't buy his attraction to Arden considering he didn't like her at the start and had a good reason for that. The switch was so odd to me and they just jump to hooking up and the story stops dead from worrying about the whole apocalypse thing to deal with the "will they/won't they hook up with the only other person in the house that's not blood related" thing.
There's going commando in a kimono. I'm not Asian but I'm assuming that's not respectful. There's random introduction of racists at the end of the story for no reason. The entire resolution regarding the Seong parents felt rushed and high drama to a melodramatic level.
I've read 2 books by Alyssa Cole that I really enjoyed, one I found enjoyable, though not my favorite and 3 books that I just didn't find anything to love in. A shame this one is in the latter category.
It's an odd set up to have something with this premise be a novella because, in order for the relationship to not feel rushed, the story would have to be much, much longer. To be honest, considering how one note I found all the characters to be, I don't think I wanted more of it.
There's a female lead, Arden, that I found as bland as possible. She makes a really poor, incredibly stupid decision at the start of this book and it's so odd to start off making me dislike the main character. She's strangely put into a role where she parents a teenager within minutes of meeting her. She's also immediately attracted to a guy that's understandably upset at her for making dumb decisions. I didn't understand anything about her.
Then there's Gabriel who, on paper, sounds hot. He has the hardest job in the book with the most responsibility. His story is interesting. However, I just didn't buy his attraction to Arden considering he didn't like her at the start and had a good reason for that. The switch was so odd to me and they just jump to hooking up and the story stops dead from worrying about the whole apocalypse thing to deal with the "will they/won't they hook up with the only other person in the house that's not blood related" thing.
There's going commando in a kimono. I'm not Asian but I'm assuming that's not respectful. There's random introduction of racists at the end of the story for no reason. The entire resolution regarding the Seong parents felt rushed and high drama to a melodramatic level.
I've read 2 books by Alyssa Cole that I really enjoyed, one I found enjoyable, though not my favorite and 3 books that I just didn't find anything to love in. A shame this one is in the latter category.
It's an odd set up to have something with this premise be a novella because, in order for the relationship to not feel rushed, the story would have to be much, much longer. To be honest, considering how one note I found all the characters to be, I don't think I wanted more of it.
phitney's review against another edition
emotional
mysterious
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? Yes
4.25
lady_smith's review
adventurous
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
I was so excited to read this immensely popular and much raved about post-apocalypse romance, but I really cannot understand what it is people love about it.
The characters were not likeable, their decisions were terrible, and there were SO MANY plot holes that just didn’t make any sense. Part of the problem is that I live in a house in the country, so I know things like how quickly a generator burns through fuel, and how much wood it takes to heat a house by fireplace in the winter. The author apparently does not.
An average person who reads this primarily for the romance can probably find more to enjoy. But I spent the entire book looking for walls to bang my head against despairingly and then hoping that zombies would spontaneously appear to eat the characters’ vapid brains.They don’t.
I’ve added a whole star for representation because it’s a wonderfully diverse cast. I just wish they had any hope at all of surviving.They don’t. Ok, they do – for now. Or so the author claims. But no matter how this series ends, I refuse to believe these characters actually survived.
The characters were not likeable, their decisions were terrible, and there were SO MANY plot holes that just didn’t make any sense. Part of the problem is that I live in a house in the country, so I know things like how quickly a generator burns through fuel, and how much wood it takes to heat a house by fireplace in the winter. The author apparently does not.
An average person who reads this primarily for the romance can probably find more to enjoy. But I spent the entire book looking for walls to bang my head against despairingly and then hoping that zombies would spontaneously appear to eat the characters’ vapid brains.
I’ve added a whole star for representation because it’s a wonderfully diverse cast. I just wish they had any hope at all of surviving.
aariadnab's review
adventurous
funny
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.0