Reviews - Dear Reader | The StoryGraph

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582 reviews for:

Dear Reader

Tate James

4.29 AVERAGE

sndrthms's review against another edition

4.0

dark funny lighthearted mysterious tense medium-paced

lyss_kane's review against another edition

5.0

dark emotional funny mysterious sad tense medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: A mix

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Complicated

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: N/A

THAT ENDING! What the f is going on! Ahhhhh! *immediately downloads book 2…

Seriously though, that was an insane cliffhanger… I am super hooked on this series so far. I LOVE a dark college romance with a secret society sub-plot - I haven’t read one in a hot minute so it’s a nice change of pace.

I highly recommend Tate James’ books if you’re looking to get into Why Choose Dark Romance - she always knocks it out of the park and has such great pacing with her books; not too fast but not so slow you lose interest.

Carter is probably my favourite character but Royce is growing on me like a weed 🤭

Content Warnings

lexi_wydler's review against another edition

3.0

dark emotional funny medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: A mix

Strong character development: No

Loveable characters: Yes

Diverse cast of characters: No

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

moniquelibrary45's review against another edition

5.0

adventurous dark emotional 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: No

Heathcliff and Carter where fuckin amazing attitude between them was insane and crazy and the girl was just as crazy in love with them both wow 10/10 ⭐️

Tate James this was actually amazing loved it 10/10 ⭐️ beautiful writing on this series

phantomparagrapher7's review against another edition

4.25

adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious sad tense medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: A mix

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Complicated

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: Complicated

Tate James has long been one of my go-to authors when I need a dark, addictive escape—and Dear Reader absolutely delivered. Her reverse harems and edgy New Adult romances are just so easy to devour, and while some of her characters are total heartthrobs, others are unapologetic jerks (and somehow, I still love them). This series caught my eye with its intriguing title and the promise of a secret society—and wow, did it deliver the drama.

We meet Ashley just as her life takes a sharp turn—her mum marries a billionaire, and suddenly she’s off to a prestigious university on a scholarship. Ashley’s not fussed about popularity; she’s there to study and keep her head down. But of course, her stepbrother Nate’s friends have other plans. Cue Heath, Carter, and Royce—each bringing their own brand of chaos and chemistry. Heath feels like true love, Carter brings the heat, and Royce has those protective, brotherly vibes that make your heart ache a little whilst Nate is the evil Stepbrother who wants to make her life awful.

Things take a darker turn when Ashley discovers a hidden diary from a former student who supposedly died by suicide. But the diary hints at something far more sinister—a string of deaths among scholarship students, all linked to a secret society called The Devil’s Backbone. Ashley’s pulled into the mystery against her will, and the tension ramps up as she starts receiving texts from the dead girl’s phone. Chills.

The cliffhanger at the end? Absolutely brutal. I was left screaming (and maybe throwing a cushion across the room). If Tate follows through with that ending, I’ll be heartbroken—but also wildly impressed. It’s been a while since a book left me this emotionally wrecked and desperate for the sequel.

Dear Reader reminded me of the early days of Bullymance and college dark romance—those gritty, addictive reads that kept me up way past bedtime. If you’re craving something edgy, mysterious, and packed with swoon-worthy tension, the Devil’s Backbone series is your next obsession.

Now excuse me while I clear my schedule to binge Book #2.