Take a photo of a barcode or cover
3.82 AVERAGE
3.82 AVERAGE
This book was crazy! I was not expecting what happened! Crazy opposite side of town romance. Had me crying and made my chest hurt! I love it so much! Can't believe I waiting so long to read it. Another five star read for the year!
****AWESOME****I can't express how much I LOVED this book!! Ilsa did amazing job! Dovey and Cuba's story was everything I expected and more. Dovey's struggle from when she was young made her stronger and more determined to make it out of the only world she knew to have a better life, Cuba was rich but money couldn't keep him out the dark world he felt he deserved to live in for the pain he caused his family. My heart hurt a few times for both Dovey and Cuba the challenges of love and family struggles. Ilsa put me threw an emotional roll coaster. I can't wait for the next book!!
Can I say how much I loved this book? It just clicked with me. I smiled, I cried, I got mad and I was devastated. There is so much to this book. This book is full of angst, heartache, love and redemption. Cuba and Dovey are truly two of the most heartbreaking characters I have read about. They are both so emotionally scarred by their past. I was so floored by lengths they go to, in order, to spare themselves and each other pain is crazy mad. But because of their past, I understood exactly why they did it. Cuba has been nicknamed "Hollywood". No one even tries to see the real Cuba. All they see is the football hero, jock, hottie heartthrob. Very few people see the real Cuba that is hidden behind a big wall of armor to protect himself. Then there is Dovey, from the wrong side of the tracks. At the rich kids school on scholarship. She has this big ball of pride that gets in the way of a good heart. The feelings, intensity, drama, connections and circumstances surrounding their past and their present create such a beautiful story. A story that is so full of heart wrenching emotion and hope that will keep you sucked in to the pages. I loved this book!
“The sun may be gone, but the stars are still there, waiting, always giving you light.”
For the second book by Ilsa Madden-Mills, I had high expectations, especially after reading her first book, Very Bad Things. Yet she managed to create an entirely new plot with new characters that were not only heartbreaking but also real and relatable. Not relatable in a “I’ve gone through the exact same thing” but the fact that anyone can relate to the hardships that life throws at us. (Although the things Dovey and Cuba go through are a little extreme for me).. I love Ilsa’s writing style as she really took this book to another level. There is so much heartbreak and so many tears that could be shed. Both of the main characters are at that pivotal point in their lives where they could crash and burn at any moment. There was a lot of surprises because of this, I kept waiting for everything to fall apart… And it did, time and time again.
“It hit me then, my epiphany. Death is a constant, but love? It is rare.”
Dovey was an admirably strong character that pushed through so much crap. I really loved how the author portrayed her. She’d been betrayed by the guy she loved, yet she wasn’t whiny. Bitter? Maybe. But not enough to totally throw me off the book. There was so much drama that she had to go through and I have to say that with this book, the author went deep and she went dark. (also, by “so much drama” I don’t mean the kind that is superficial and annoying. nah ah. Real crap went down in this book Winking smile). Dovey didn’t get any kind of happy ending easily. She had to put in the effort and push past everyone that refused to let her succeed. (side note: her dad is one messed up guy). I can’t say enough on how great her character was, she definitely made this book into something worth reading.
On the other side of the story is Cuba. (Cue the *sigh*s).Cuba is the bad boy in school that always has a girl on his arm = ultimate player right. Add into the mix that something bad went down between him and Dovey (which you would know about if you read Very Wicked Beginnings) Cuba seems like this total jerk. He broke Dovey’s heart and it’s easy to hate him….. at first. Then the author takes the book into his point of view and this whole new world is opened up and this whole new side of the story is revealed. Dovey and Cuba were a match made in heaven just based on how crapped up both of their lives were. Cuba has had his own heartbreak and he lets this overcome him. He doesn’t believe he deserves a happy ending and this causes him to make some bad choices. So the real question is… will Dovey be able to change his mind?
This book is freakish amazing. I loved the characters and how the author incorporates them into the plot. This story is heartbreaking because the characters struggle, but the book overall is full of hope and courage. I can tell you I am super psyched for the next book in the series, Very Twisted Things!
<3 Works of Fiction
“Here’s the thing, Cuba. Somedays will eat you alive. They’re promises you make to fool yourself into believing everything will turn out right in the end. Someday, your ship will come in. Someday, you’ll tell me why you’re an asshole. But that someday gets further and further away, until before you know it, it turns into never. Make your someday, now. That’s my motto.”
For the second book by Ilsa Madden-Mills, I had high expectations, especially after reading her first book, Very Bad Things. Yet she managed to create an entirely new plot with new characters that were not only heartbreaking but also real and relatable. Not relatable in a “I’ve gone through the exact same thing” but the fact that anyone can relate to the hardships that life throws at us. (Although the things Dovey and Cuba go through are a little extreme for me).. I love Ilsa’s writing style as she really took this book to another level. There is so much heartbreak and so many tears that could be shed. Both of the main characters are at that pivotal point in their lives where they could crash and burn at any moment. There was a lot of surprises because of this, I kept waiting for everything to fall apart… And it did, time and time again.
“It hit me then, my epiphany. Death is a constant, but love? It is rare.”
Dovey was an admirably strong character that pushed through so much crap. I really loved how the author portrayed her. She’d been betrayed by the guy she loved, yet she wasn’t whiny. Bitter? Maybe. But not enough to totally throw me off the book. There was so much drama that she had to go through and I have to say that with this book, the author went deep and she went dark. (also, by “so much drama” I don’t mean the kind that is superficial and annoying. nah ah. Real crap went down in this book Winking smile). Dovey didn’t get any kind of happy ending easily. She had to put in the effort and push past everyone that refused to let her succeed. (side note: her dad is one messed up guy). I can’t say enough on how great her character was, she definitely made this book into something worth reading.
On the other side of the story is Cuba. (Cue the *sigh*s).Cuba is the bad boy in school that always has a girl on his arm = ultimate player right. Add into the mix that something bad went down between him and Dovey (which you would know about if you read Very Wicked Beginnings) Cuba seems like this total jerk. He broke Dovey’s heart and it’s easy to hate him….. at first. Then the author takes the book into his point of view and this whole new world is opened up and this whole new side of the story is revealed. Dovey and Cuba were a match made in heaven just based on how crapped up both of their lives were. Cuba has had his own heartbreak and he lets this overcome him. He doesn’t believe he deserves a happy ending and this causes him to make some bad choices. So the real question is… will Dovey be able to change his mind?
This book is freakish amazing. I loved the characters and how the author incorporates them into the plot. This story is heartbreaking because the characters struggle, but the book overall is full of hope and courage. I can tell you I am super psyched for the next book in the series, Very Twisted Things!
<3 Works of Fiction
“Here’s the thing, Cuba. Somedays will eat you alive. They’re promises you make to fool yourself into believing everything will turn out right in the end. Someday, your ship will come in. Someday, you’ll tell me why you’re an asshole. But that someday gets further and further away, until before you know it, it turns into never. Make your someday, now. That’s my motto.”
Received from NetGalley.
Briarcrest Academy novels cannot come out fast enough for my liking. I usually feel a bit squicky reading books that have 17/18 year olds as intense as the ones in these novels but Mills does a great job making it feel real that I'm willing to get over my squick. Dovey's got a lot on her plate and is just trying to do the one thing she loves (dance). Cuba's the BMOC and their history is not so good. And yet here they are overcoming their history (Mills can write a fight scene) and becoming a heck of a powerhouse couple. Loved this one more than the first one and I really liked that one a lot. Write faster!
Briarcrest Academy novels cannot come out fast enough for my liking. I usually feel a bit squicky reading books that have 17/18 year olds as intense as the ones in these novels but Mills does a great job making it feel real that I'm willing to get over my squick. Dovey's got a lot on her plate and is just trying to do the one thing she loves (dance). Cuba's the BMOC and their history is not so good. And yet here they are overcoming their history (Mills can write a fight scene) and becoming a heck of a powerhouse couple. Loved this one more than the first one and I really liked that one a lot. Write faster!
So twisted, not only in a compelling drama way, but also a romantic one. The kind of twisted that shows how much the characters care for each other because they are willing to go to any lengths for them. And it’s not just the love between Cuba and Dovey, but especially Dovey’s love for Sarah. So much happens in this book, that I had to keep reading just to know how things would turn out. Both main characters are so flawed that it makes their love all the more intense and real. And while I respect Dovey’s decisions, it was still extremely frustrating watching her make one that I never would, knowing there was another, easier option for her. This is not a sweet, picture perfect, formulaic romance. For me, that made it even better, even if it was difficult at times.
I just can't excuse the way Cuba treated Dovey even if he had something bad happen to him. I felt sorry for Dovey and she deserved better from her boyfriend and her father. I was sad that she got dealt a shitty hand and tried her best to play it but was rewarded with broken trust, time and time again. Sorry but I needed a little something else before I can get with Cuba or Spider or even Sebastian.
Love
Little delayed getting reviews up for this series, but I absolutely loved this series. So many great characters and so many aspects to the story. Many of the characters throughout the series are very relatable. Can't wait to read more by this amazing author.
Little delayed getting reviews up for this series, but I absolutely loved this series. So many great characters and so many aspects to the story. Many of the characters throughout the series are very relatable. Can't wait to read more by this amazing author.
THIS WAS ONE OF THE MOST HEART WRENCHING BOOKS I'VE READ IN A WHILE! I loved it so so so much but man was I pausing to do some breathing exercises good god.