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ajanel98's review against another edition
4.75
Graphic: Sexual content
Minor: Toxic relationship and Pregnancy
lizvalenz92's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Sexual content, and Grief
Moderate: Emotional abuse, Toxic relationship, and Death of parent
Minor: Animal death, Bullying, Suicide, and Violence
_fallinglight_'s review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
0.5
Anyway, I hated that this book used an attempted sexual assault to titillate. I just don't find that hot, it was weird, and worse how Tiernan throughout this story wants to ease Kaleb's culpability and share half the blame to idk give her like control and give it nuance??? And even worse worse when it happens right after Tiernan was raped by Kaleb and then it horrifyingly segues into a sob story of Kaleb's childhood trauma and we have to like feel bad for this serial rapist and forget what he did to Tiernan??? Hello???
The writing in this is terrible; the way every complication was conveniently resolved by Jake or Noah knowing information that would absolve Kaleb of any would be wrongdoing, like if he's a baby daddy (HIPAA? we don't know her) or how also conveniently Kaleb turned out being a diarist and therefore all character development was lazily shown through that. The characterizations were even worse, just all-around levels of dross. (Jake disappears out of the story in a haphazardly done way though who cares bc he SUCKED. And Noah, who is the most normal one out of these clowns but the bar is in hell so, was just a doormat and spokesperson for the man-child nontalking troglodyte. He deserved better. Actually getting away from this horrendous family.)
I'm not too close minded and I don't moral outrage easily so the step-family incest angle of this did nothing to me and I could've overlooked it but the out of nowhere "romance", "love" with a sexual abuser and all the steps Penelope Douglas took to make it cute just enraged me. But then again, there are other awful sins this book makes like sexualizing pigtails (!!) and Penelope Douglas thinking having the attention of an ambiguous 40 year old when you're 17 is hot. Idk about anyone else but at 17 I DID NOT want some 40-something year olds sexual attention and now at 33 I don't want to feel 17 again thinking how nice it'd be to have some 40-something year olds advances. And there's sprinkled homophobic prison rape jokes, for good measure.
I enjoy smut but nothing written here was even good bc the characters were fecal matter awful and just everything that preceded it throughout the story was a nightmare. The ableism and sexism towards Tiernan, for example. This Jake dude wants her to "smile more" and be his little ray of sunshine and her maybe neurodivergence is weaponized against her but his animalistic son who doesn't WANT to communicate is ok? Yeah yeah. At some random point it's shown that Jake wanted to teach Kaleb ASL and whatnot but it was only to conveniently explain what a gesture Kaleb made before disappearing again meant. In conclusion, this is a mediocre and stupid and bad book. Save yourself and don't read it. Don't let curiosity kill the cat like I did.
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Cursing, Emotional abuse, Incest, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, Grief, Suicide attempt, and Death of parent
Moderate: Ableism, Rape, and Suicide
Minor: Homophobia and Abandonment
caroline_bel's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Child abuse, Confinement, Emotional abuse, Gun violence, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, Blood, Death of parent, and Pregnancy
booksalacarte's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
1.0
Thank you NetGalley and Berkeley Publishing Group for the Advanced eReader Copy of this book in exchange for my honest opinion.
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Animal death, Child abuse, Confinement, Cursing, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Incest, Infidelity, Mental illness, Misogyny, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Grief, Death of parent, Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting, Abandonment, Alcohol, Sexual harassment, and Injury/Injury detail
xteniola's review against another edition
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Body horror, Emotional abuse, Incest, Pedophilia, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Toxic relationship, Death of parent, and Sexual harassment
sldibened's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.25
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Animal death, Bullying, Child abuse, Cursing, Domestic abuse, Incest, Infidelity, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Toxic relationship, Blood, Medical content, Trafficking, Grief, Death of parent, Pregnancy, Fire/Fire injury, and Abandonment
ellie1996's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Child abuse, Gun violence, Incest, Rape, Sexual assault, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, Death of parent, and Abandonment
kikkrareads's review against another edition
- 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
1.0
I can deal with dark romance and some of the taboo topics but I feel at times she went too hard. I also felt that there was no real story, just a lot of awkward and at times gross spice scenes. Penelope Douglas seems more into the 'shock factor' then actual story line or plot.
It was like a train wreck though and I just had to see how it finished. The writing itself was bland and repetitive. These characters were constantly licking their 'parched lips' for example. It was just armature.
This is definitely not a book I will be recommending to others or reading again. I don't quite know why it's taking the #booktok world by storm.
*NOTE* Credence is a full length, stand-alone romance suitable for listeners 18+.
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Incest, Sexual content, and Sexual violence
Moderate: Domestic abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Toxic relationship, and Death of parent
Minor: Child abuse
laurakwiecinski's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
Graphic: Incest, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, and Toxic relationship
Moderate: Death and Death of parent
Minor: Addiction, Physical abuse, Toxic relationship, Blood, Pregnancy, and Injury/Injury detail