Scan barcode
echomystia's review against another edition
5.0
Holy crap I read this in one sitting it was so good. The freaking manipulation, the lies, the toxicity❗️❗️
I absolutely loved how this was written in a way that kept you guessing the true intentions of the MMC all the way to the end. This guy is fucking wild man.... he's so unpredictable to the point that I was scared.
Loved all the characters, the smut was smutting, the drama dramaing. Bangerrrr
I absolutely loved how this was written in a way that kept you guessing the true intentions of the MMC all the way to the end. This guy is fucking wild man.... he's so unpredictable to the point that I was scared.
Loved all the characters, the smut was smutting, the drama dramaing. Bangerrrr
sleepyfox's review against another edition
dark
emotional
tense
fast-paced
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
I love dark romance and psycho boyfriends, but this just kind of fell flat to me. The FMC felt like a pushover throughout the book. I love some of Sam Marino's other books and her writing. This one just didn't get there for me.
nickiolii's review against another edition
*I'm begging you to check TW before opening this one. This is coming from someone who absolutely does not check TW*
Give me like a month to sit on this read before I decide what to rate it. Sam Mariano, why do you do this to me
Give me like a month to sit on this read before I decide what to rate it. Sam Mariano, why do you do this to me
nlt's review against another edition
dark
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
kfriend's review against another edition
5.0
How does Sam Mariano always make me fall so madly in love with psychotic, toxic, manipulative book boyfriends?!?!? Immersively tumultuous, deliciously depraved, psychologically intriguing, and alluringly addictive, Even if It Hurts is that swoony, toxic romanticism that I fall for every time from the incomparable Sam Mariano. Swept away yet again- I’m a goner for this psycho Sam hero and his willing prey.
Dare. DARE. How am I so obsessed with this man? I think a need a psychological evaluation, because every rational part of my being says I should not be so in love (or turned on) by this man’s antics. But he owns me. Like close-to-Mateo-owns-me. Somehow Sam makes this recklessly manipulative, conniving and controlling, twisted and depraved anti-hero swoony. YES SWOONY. Don’t get me wrong- he does very bad, wrong, not okay in the real world (and to some not even okay in an imaginary one) things to others and to our heroine Aubrey. But like always Sam has a keen ability of balancing the immoral (and illegal), boundary pushing behavior of her leading men with my catnip trait- they would do ANYTHING to possess, to care for, and to protect the heroine…except from themselves, of course. This is a man with dangerous and twisted proclivities, whose pursuit of our heroine starts in a very wrong place, whose behavior towards her is objectively toxic and far from the archetype of romance, but he’s also a man that makes you think how desperately you wish someone loved you so intensely, unapologetically ruthlessly. This is a man who won’t only rearrange the world to capture the heroine’s heart and keep it, he’ll savagely destroy the whole world (and whoever stands in his way) to do it. And I FLOVE HIM SO HARD. He’s dangerous and wrong, in all the right ways.
His relationship with Aubrey is as unhealthy as it can come- and what a marvelously delicious portrayal. One thing I really love about Sam’s storytelling is how deeply she delves into the psychology of her characters’ behaviors, and how meta they are about their choices. Her heroes are consciously manipulating the world around them- manipulating their love, too. Their self-aware and unapologetic- they more than accept their twistedness, rather, they expect everyone else to adapt to their needs and methods- including the heroine. They keenly discern the firm boundaries of the woman they love, while trampling anything fluid. Dare is one of her best interactions of this -he’s predatory and cunning, truly psycho. He constructs an entirely reality where our heroine has no path anywhere other than to and with him.
But even better, Aubrey is ENTIRELY aware of this. And that’s one of the aspects I really enjoyed about this book, how open Aubrey is about all the wrong she sees in Dare, the harm he does to others, the inappropriate things he’s done with her. She sees the good in him, the sweet and swoony in the way he so ardently pursues and woos her, but she also recognizes all the bad. But what makes Sam's stories so interesting is that the heroine's don’t just SEE the bad, they’re drawn to it- find it magnetic, in a way that doesn’t compromise them. They don’t fall into the darkness with the heroes- but they do find the hero’s darkness compelling. NO one conveys this psychological tension with such deft artistry as Sam Mariano- it’s mesmerizing, completely- because it’s the EXACT psychological journey we are taking as a reader, grappling with our own longing for the hero. Aubrey herself describes it best, “Maybe it’s corruption or liberation. I don’t know if it’s good or bad. I know it’s intoxicating and addictive, and I can’t even imagine a life without him anymore.” Classifiable or not, it’s magical, transfixing in every way. And Aubrey is completely EYES open to it all- willingly part of this chaotic, toxic mess. She loves how arduously he loves her- wouldn’t we all?
But Sam holds on to the key tenet of romantic love, which is why here romances always work so well. TRUST is at the heart of this. This may not be a romantic arrangement palatable in real life (or again, even palpable to some in stories), but it works for this couple because they are so perfectly matched, two pieces of the puzzle. And it works because even if he is certifiable and psycho and she is his willing lamb, they trust one another. And that’s why their whole messed up dynamic works- the truly see and understand one another and they trust the other to safely hold their hearts, even if Dare has hers locked away in his psycho box. It’s how her romances are also swoony and sweet- how the love feels real and meaningful, if it’s different. The authenticity, the trust, the openness- it just works.
Take the trigger warnings on this carefully, my friends- Sam gives a sincere (and delicious) description of what’s in store in the intro. If you have any pause, tread lightly. If you, like me, read the intro and think “Yummy yummy, gimme gimme!” then buckle up and dive right in- this book is everything you love about Sam Mariano’s twisted brain and addictive storytelling. This story made me ravenous. If this is an indication of the delicious, toxic, twisted magic we have in store for us in the Coastal Elites Series, we are in for a TREAT. We have some great side characters (and those from the Bully God book), I’m excited for. I can not wait for more of this world. There’s a reason Sam is my go-to, my unicorn, one of my all time favs- her heroes will forever have a chokehold on me…and sick or not, I welcome it- I liked it. I LIVE FOR IT. This is my kind of crazy. Thank you Sam Mariano for knowing just what I like- and always delivering.
Dare. DARE. How am I so obsessed with this man? I think a need a psychological evaluation, because every rational part of my being says I should not be so in love (or turned on) by this man’s antics. But he owns me. Like close-to-Mateo-owns-me. Somehow Sam makes this recklessly manipulative, conniving and controlling, twisted and depraved anti-hero swoony. YES SWOONY. Don’t get me wrong- he does very bad, wrong, not okay in the real world (and to some not even okay in an imaginary one) things to others and to our heroine Aubrey. But like always Sam has a keen ability of balancing the immoral (and illegal), boundary pushing behavior of her leading men with my catnip trait- they would do ANYTHING to possess, to care for, and to protect the heroine…except from themselves, of course. This is a man with dangerous and twisted proclivities, whose pursuit of our heroine starts in a very wrong place, whose behavior towards her is objectively toxic and far from the archetype of romance, but he’s also a man that makes you think how desperately you wish someone loved you so intensely, unapologetically ruthlessly. This is a man who won’t only rearrange the world to capture the heroine’s heart and keep it, he’ll savagely destroy the whole world (and whoever stands in his way) to do it. And I FLOVE HIM SO HARD. He’s dangerous and wrong, in all the right ways.
His relationship with Aubrey is as unhealthy as it can come- and what a marvelously delicious portrayal. One thing I really love about Sam’s storytelling is how deeply she delves into the psychology of her characters’ behaviors, and how meta they are about their choices. Her heroes are consciously manipulating the world around them- manipulating their love, too. Their self-aware and unapologetic- they more than accept their twistedness, rather, they expect everyone else to adapt to their needs and methods- including the heroine. They keenly discern the firm boundaries of the woman they love, while trampling anything fluid. Dare is one of her best interactions of this -he’s predatory and cunning, truly psycho. He constructs an entirely reality where our heroine has no path anywhere other than to and with him.
But even better, Aubrey is ENTIRELY aware of this. And that’s one of the aspects I really enjoyed about this book, how open Aubrey is about all the wrong she sees in Dare, the harm he does to others, the inappropriate things he’s done with her. She sees the good in him, the sweet and swoony in the way he so ardently pursues and woos her, but she also recognizes all the bad. But what makes Sam's stories so interesting is that the heroine's don’t just SEE the bad, they’re drawn to it- find it magnetic, in a way that doesn’t compromise them. They don’t fall into the darkness with the heroes- but they do find the hero’s darkness compelling. NO one conveys this psychological tension with such deft artistry as Sam Mariano- it’s mesmerizing, completely- because it’s the EXACT psychological journey we are taking as a reader, grappling with our own longing for the hero. Aubrey herself describes it best, “Maybe it’s corruption or liberation. I don’t know if it’s good or bad. I know it’s intoxicating and addictive, and I can’t even imagine a life without him anymore.” Classifiable or not, it’s magical, transfixing in every way. And Aubrey is completely EYES open to it all- willingly part of this chaotic, toxic mess. She loves how arduously he loves her- wouldn’t we all?
But Sam holds on to the key tenet of romantic love, which is why here romances always work so well. TRUST is at the heart of this. This may not be a romantic arrangement palatable in real life (or again, even palpable to some in stories), but it works for this couple because they are so perfectly matched, two pieces of the puzzle. And it works because even if he is certifiable and psycho and she is his willing lamb, they trust one another. And that’s why their whole messed up dynamic works- the truly see and understand one another and they trust the other to safely hold their hearts, even if Dare has hers locked away in his psycho box. It’s how her romances are also swoony and sweet- how the love feels real and meaningful, if it’s different. The authenticity, the trust, the openness- it just works.
Take the trigger warnings on this carefully, my friends- Sam gives a sincere (and delicious) description of what’s in store in the intro. If you have any pause, tread lightly. If you, like me, read the intro and think “Yummy yummy, gimme gimme!” then buckle up and dive right in- this book is everything you love about Sam Mariano’s twisted brain and addictive storytelling. This story made me ravenous. If this is an indication of the delicious, toxic, twisted magic we have in store for us in the Coastal Elites Series, we are in for a TREAT. We have some great side characters (and those from the Bully God book), I’m excited for. I can not wait for more of this world. There’s a reason Sam is my go-to, my unicorn, one of my all time favs- her heroes will forever have a chokehold on me…and sick or not, I welcome it- I liked it. I LIVE FOR IT. This is my kind of crazy. Thank you Sam Mariano for knowing just what I like- and always delivering.
maddy_books's review against another edition
I don’t like high school romances?????? Yuck