Scan barcode
dontbechey20's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
One of my favorite things about this book is how raw and real it is. It's not an insta-love story that works out perfectly. It has glaringly obvious and frustrating bumps along the way, which makes the love between Dean and Cora feel so real and authentic. As a reader, I was THROWN every which way with my emotions. I spent the entirety of this book crying, laughing, swooning, and yelling from pure and utter frustration.
Authors can very quickly and easily fall into a "pit" of trauma and pain. Writing a story stemming from pain, dispair, and trauma can be easy. Jennifer seamlessly joined two timelines together to tell the love (and hate) story between Dean and Cora. She somehow brings awareness to dark, heavy, and deep topics, while simultaneously keeping the book hopeful and hauntingly beautiful. I was honestly worried the entire book was going to be focused on the abduction, so as I got through the first chapters that were utterly disgusting (in the best way possible), I was worried Jennifer was only going to hone in on the ugly. To my surprise, she pivoted the story rather quickly to focus on the part of the story a lot of people avoid - the recovery. That is why this book is so powerful.
This book is not meant for everyone, but if you can find the mental space and capacity to read it, please do. You will not regret it. It will leave you aching, crying, and in love with both characters individually and together. Also, this book is NOT focused on the spice. Expect spice (don't worry, it gets better), but that is not the focus of this story.
Quote from the book: "I know I said you’re holding me underwater but you’re the only thing keeping me afloat." I CAN'T!! How can you read that and not fall in love?!
BRB, going to see if I can find a matching necklace, because I need to torture myself every single day with a reminder of a chef kiss of a book boyfriend.
Graphic: Kidnapping, Infidelity, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, Sexual content, Rape, Confinement, Emotional abuse, Murder, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, and Suicide attempt
Moderate: Toxic relationship, Self harm, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, and Violence
Minor: Abandonment and Alcohol
mamede's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Injury/Injury detail, Pregnancy, Self harm, Sexual content, Suicide attempt, Murder, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Violence, Abandonment, Alcoholism, Animal cruelty, Child death, Dementia, Death, Grief, Kidnapping, Mental illness, Miscarriage, Panic attacks/disorders, and Toxic relationship
mj_86's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Graphic: Sexual assault, Rape, Suicide attempt, Kidnapping, and Mental illness
Moderate: Miscarriage and Self harm
aliceloyallaleon's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Graphic: Kidnapping, Pregnancy, Sexual content, Sexual assault, Violence, Medical trauma, Mental illness, Murder, Physical abuse, Blood, Death, Death of parent, Injury/Injury detail, Panic attacks/disorders, Sexual violence, Stalking, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide attempt, Dementia, Grief, Gun violence, Miscarriage, Misogyny, Confinement, Emotional abuse, Medical content, Torture, Toxic relationship, Addiction, Alcoholism, Alcohol, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Car accident, Rape, and Self harm
amy_mhairi's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Graphic: Violence, Injury/Injury detail, Self harm, Physical abuse, Murder, Alcohol, Rape, Gun violence, Panic attacks/disorders, Mental illness, Sexual content, Sexual assault, Cursing, Confinement, Kidnapping, Torture, Suicide attempt, Medical trauma, Sexual harassment, and Sexual violence
Moderate: Pregnancy, Toxic relationship, Miscarriage, and Vomit
sa3's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Graphic: Rape, Panic attacks/disorders, Self harm, Suicide, Sexual assault, Murder, and Mental illness
abiiiiiii_'s review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Rape, Toxic relationship, Violence, Suicide attempt, Emotional abuse, Genocide, Kidnapping, Mental illness, Self harm, Physical abuse, Pregnancy, Miscarriage, and Suicidal thoughts
juliereadsromance's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
First 25%: shoot it in my veins, I’ve never felt so alive.
Second 25%: still buzzed
Third 25%: I’m dragging. The novel is now just sad which is appropriate for the plot. But, the come down from the adrenaline of the first half is a bummer.
Fourth 25%: I’m glad I’m getting to see the HEA, but I’m also happy I’m done with the book.
This was a five star read for many readers I follow here on GR, so it seems like a lot of other readers didn’t find that the second half of the book slowed down too much.
Importantly, this book gives a meaningful portrayal of PTSD and the characters’ challenging recovery from trauma.
I thought that the FMC’s parents and sister didn’t seem to understand the gravity of the sexual abuse Cora endured. And that was weird.
There are ALOT of potential triggers in this book, so def check the author’s warnings before!
Graphic: Sexual assault, Infidelity, Murder, Mental illness, Violence, Confinement, Suicide attempt, Addiction, Death, Kidnapping, Emotional abuse, Gore, Pregnancy, Panic attacks/disorders, Torture, Physical abuse, Rape, Self harm, and Sexual violence
alliereadsabook's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Rape and Murder
Moderate: Mental illness, Toxic relationship, Suicide attempt, Miscarriage, Sexual violence, Self harm, and Kidnapping
bookish_leigh's review
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
If I was reading this on fanfiction.net in 2016 this would get 5 stars.
The start of this book was ok. But in hind sight, I must have been swindled by the suspense and trauma to miss how mediocre the writing is and how annoying Cora is.
For the writing, it's good quantity fanfiction AT BEST. So juvenile that, at times, I completely forgot that the characters are touching 30. And Miss Corabelle is no better than the next 17 year old. The only silver lining is that the dialogue and emotions flowed clearly and seamlessly.
For the plot, I really like the kidnapping concept and everything that came with it, but everything that came after was a mess. I wish the psychology of Earl (The Matchmaker) and his victims were expanded upon but no such luck.
For the characters, everyone outside of Dean and Cora were an after thought. The parents were TOO hands off after their daughter and future son-in-law was just kidnapped and brutalized for weeks. At some point, after Cora tried to unalive herself, the mother mentioned wanting to give her space....seriously😑. The lack of attention on Cora's mental health is CRIMINAL. This book could have been a medium to create a dialogue around mental health but failed miserably.
Mandy is a victim of biased writing. She was made to seem like the mean girl of Cora's life from the beginning with out any standing. Only to paint Cora with the "not like other girls" persona...she likes books and pranking Dean...it was never that deep.
Y'all on Book Tok stay exaggerating.
Plot: 2.5/5
Writing: 2.5/5
Characters: 2.5/5
Spice🌶:2 out of 5 forgettable, and hard to rate given how much I disliked this book
Overall: 2.5/5⭐
Moderate: Kidnapping, Toxic relationship, Sexual assault, Injury/Injury detail, Blood, Sexual harassment, Miscarriage, Murder, Suicide attempt, Confinement, Violence, Rape, and Mental illness