Take a photo of a barcode or cover
3.89 AVERAGE
3.89 AVERAGE
I think Catharina was too ambitious with this one. It was hard to get into the romance considering their history
Rating : 4.5 / 5
I loved this so much. Zane and Celeste are everything to me. I had been waiting for their book because I loved the mentions of her. This was so good. Zane was everything I wanted him to be and more. He loved Celeste SO MUCH. Celeste is one of my favorite FMCs.
I loved this so much. Zane and Celeste are everything to me. I had been waiting for their book because I loved the mentions of her. This was so good. Zane was everything I wanted him to be and more. He loved Celeste SO MUCH. Celeste is one of my favorite FMCs.
dark
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
emotional
lighthearted
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I must admit this had the makings of being my favorite of the windsor books. I loved the past. The present is where she lost me, for several reasons but the main reason was the triggers.
I know she said not to read the trigger warnings so to not ruin the plot for yourself but I was really upset she didn't warn of the suicide and BPD. The trigger warnings being at the back is ridiculous. I am diagnosed with BPD and it was incredibly tough to see BPD written in such a negative light. I immediately closed my kindle when it said "Lily was suffering from BPD". I feel as an author, who is writing about touchy subjects such as mental health and suicide you should do research and make sure you show an accurate depiction of the illness. I know there are varying degrees of BPD and that she didn't only have BPD but it was still incredibly difficult to read it without a proper warning. BPD already has so many misconceptions around it and this didn't help. Seeing how people who don't know much about BPD view you isn't easy. Everyone always thinks we're unhinged and crazy. People with BPD are always viewed as the villain and lily doing what she did to Celeste showed that. The worst for me was the hurt she inflicted on Celeste. It's tough when you're so in your head and overwhelmed with all your emotions but at the end of the day you can still really hurt someone with your actions and that's my biggest fear and Lily did that to her best friend. No one should have to see their best friend kill themselves. It was really tough and emphasized the worst parts of BPD. I already overthink and view myself and my disorder in a negative light so it's not easy when you're reading a book as an escape and that book writes about BPD in a negative light too. Wasn't expecting to be triggered by an author I really enjoyed. Won't be reading her further.
Something that urked me was when I tried to share my view on the book on the Facebook group she has, the admin rejected my post and responded by saying "shocked you viewed it that way when the BPD is what stopped her from hurting Celeste and it clearly states she had Erotomania too". The response was insensitive and I was hoping it'd be an discussion. All the posts on the group are positive and you should be able to post your constructive criticism. I genuinely liked the book till the BPD and suicide.
I know she said not to read the trigger warnings so to not ruin the plot for yourself but I was really upset she didn't warn of the suicide and BPD. The trigger warnings being at the back is ridiculous. I am diagnosed with BPD and it was incredibly tough to see BPD written in such a negative light. I immediately closed my kindle when it said "Lily was suffering from BPD". I feel as an author, who is writing about touchy subjects such as mental health and suicide you should do research and make sure you show an accurate depiction of the illness. I know there are varying degrees of BPD and that she didn't only have BPD but it was still incredibly difficult to read it without a proper warning. BPD already has so many misconceptions around it and this didn't help. Seeing how people who don't know much about BPD view you isn't easy. Everyone always thinks we're unhinged and crazy. People with BPD are always viewed as the villain and lily doing what she did to Celeste showed that. The worst for me was the hurt she inflicted on Celeste. It's tough when you're so in your head and overwhelmed with all your emotions but at the end of the day you can still really hurt someone with your actions and that's my biggest fear and Lily did that to her best friend. No one should have to see their best friend kill themselves. It was really tough and emphasized the worst parts of BPD. I already overthink and view myself and my disorder in a negative light so it's not easy when you're reading a book as an escape and that book writes about BPD in a negative light too. Wasn't expecting to be triggered by an author I really enjoyed. Won't be reading her further.
Something that urked me was when I tried to share my view on the book on the Facebook group she has, the admin rejected my post and responded by saying "shocked you viewed it that way when the BPD is what stopped her from hurting Celeste and it clearly states she had Erotomania too". The response was insensitive and I was hoping it'd be an discussion. All the posts on the group are positive and you should be able to post your constructive criticism. I genuinely liked the book till the BPD and suicide.
emotional
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Story: 8/10
Spice: 4/5
Spice Hierarchy: Spicy
Narration: 4/5
Zane and Celeste have always been in competition with each other since they were young children. With rival families they keep their dating as adults a secret until their families will accept it fully. But tragedy strikes. Five years later they are back to being enemies. Except they are in an arranged marriage as enemies.
Second chance but make it enemies to lovers to enemies to lovers again? Yes please. I loved how down bad Zane was for Celeste from the start. He was saying all the dreamy book boyfriend things and doing all the dreamy things.
My heart broke for Celeste with all the grief and trauma she had to go though in this story. While Celeste and Zane’s story wasn’t my favorite of the series, it was the most heartbreaking.
Teddy Hamilton is able to convey all of Zane’s emotions through this story, and Zane has had to go through some stuff! Lacy Laurel is a new narrator for me and I love the way she bought Celeste’s character to life.
emotional
hopeful
lighthearted
reflective
relaxing
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
emotional
hopeful
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
I really enjoyed this book. I was worried that by the time we got to this book in the series, it would become a little repetitive and boring, but I was wrong. Right away the story captivated me and I liked how Zane and Celeste went from Frenemies to lovers to enemies and then finally ending up together. I like being able to go on the journey through the relationship with them and see how it all progressed all the way from the start to the end rather than just flashbacks. However, I did feel that some parts felt a little repetitive when it came to the groveling and the thought processes of the main characters. But other than that, I really love this book, and I liked the different tropes and the general vibe that this book had that the others didn’t.
emotional
hopeful
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated