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3.89 AVERAGE
3.89 AVERAGE
emotional
lighthearted
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
4 stars
Zane and Celeste story was a bit difficult to get through simply for the fact I wanted to thump them both upside the head. While they both had legitimate trauma and distrust to work through and bad behaviors to unlearn, the love they felt was worth it. The pain they caused their families and friends was heartbreaking and the journey to forgiveness was hard fought and deservedly won. I couldn't put it down.
Zane and Celeste story was a bit difficult to get through simply for the fact I wanted to thump them both upside the head. While they both had legitimate trauma and distrust to work through and bad behaviors to unlearn, the love they felt was worth it. The pain they caused their families and friends was heartbreaking and the journey to forgiveness was hard fought and deservedly won. I couldn't put it down.
challenging
emotional
hopeful
sad
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:
Yes
Surprisingly good. Actually I like the plot twist a lot. Did not really see it coming and during the whole book I was really doubting the characters.
emotional
hopeful
slow-paced
I don’t know what I expected when I started reading this book. I have waited so long for Zane’s story that I lost all thoughts of what I expected throughout the other books.
Zane and Celeste’s story is so heartbreaking but so fulfilling, I don’t even know how to explain it. I cried so much from the heartbreak that is felt throughout this whole story. Reading the ups and downs and love and hate was so insane. I had to put this book down so much because of how heavy it was. The pain that they caused each other felt so real to me that I constantly needed breaks.
Zane’s love for Celeste is unmatched. No other brother has felt the way he has felt or been through the pain that he went through but still loved so fiercely. Celeste, everything broke my heart. She fought such a hard internal battle between the two people she loved most in the world. Through it all, she still couldn’t let go of the love or the pain.
This was amazing. Just amazing and I don’t think I’ll ever get over it.
Zane and Celeste’s story is so heartbreaking but so fulfilling, I don’t even know how to explain it. I cried so much from the heartbreak that is felt throughout this whole story. Reading the ups and downs and love and hate was so insane. I had to put this book down so much because of how heavy it was. The pain that they caused each other felt so real to me that I constantly needed breaks.
Zane’s love for Celeste is unmatched. No other brother has felt the way he has felt or been through the pain that he went through but still loved so fiercely. Celeste, everything broke my heart. She fought such a hard internal battle between the two people she loved most in the world. Through it all, she still couldn’t let go of the love or the pain.
This was amazing. Just amazing and I don’t think I’ll ever get over it.
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
challenging
emotional
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Honestly, the only reason I finished this book is so I could write a complaining but educated review. I have my standards. (Supporting that this is the only reason is the fact that this review is already in writing during reading the book. I am not even close to finishing it right know, but if you read this I made it.)
Be advised, this review will not be spoiler-free (at all) nor very charming. My relationship with this book series is a toxic as Zane's and Celeste's relationship, so I consider it very fitting.
I cannot care to make an effort to summarise the story, so I present to you the blurb:
Be advised, this review will not be spoiler-free (at all) nor very charming. My relationship with this book series is a toxic as Zane's and Celeste's relationship, so I consider it very fitting.
I cannot care to make an effort to summarise the story, so I present to you the blurb:
She was his first love, his first heartbreak, and his only regret.
Zane Windsor always loved the way Celeste Harrison’s eyes light up when he infuriates her. It just took him years to realize that what he felt for his childhood rival wasn’t hatred.
When they begin working for their family businesses, competing on a larger scale than ever before, he decides he wants it all with her — and what Zane Windsor wants, he gets.
Zane and Celeste discover just how thin the line between love and hate truly is, falling harder than either of them thought possible...
...until an unexpected tragedy leaves them wondering if any of it was ever real at all.
Led by a desire for revenge, Zane brings Celeste’s company to the brink of bankruptcy, leaving both of their grandparents no choice but to intervene.
The Windsors and Harrisons agree to a merger — on one condition: Zane and Celeste must marry each other.
This blurb already gives away my first problem: second chance trope. I will not explain it nor do I need to. But I would like to argue that this book is a third chance book. Which makes it not better at all...
Zane and Celeste are childhood "rivals". They always like(d) competing with each other and the male part of that rivalry took it a bit to far and basically bullied and wore Celest down. How should that poor little boy know that what he felt for his rival were feelings? It couldn't be... They had sex on prom night - the first time for both of them - but it fizzled out or never was anything. I can't remember why. She was away for five years after that. Probably because of that fact. (I wanted to research this but I have no energy left in me for this review.)
So the story starts some years later. Celeste has been away for some time and makes it very clear for the reader that she absolutely hates Zane for all the pain he's inflicted on her. Zane on the other hand finally accepted his romantic feelings for her and wants to have her. Long story short, she also thinks he is hot and forgives him for hurting her all those years enough to start a relationship with him.
Zane and Celeste are childhood "rivals". They always like(d) competing with each other and the male part of that rivalry took it a bit to far and basically bullied and wore Celest down. How should that poor little boy know that what he felt for his rival were feelings? It couldn't be... They had sex on prom night - the first time for both of them - but it fizzled out or never was anything. I can't remember why. She was away for five years after that. Probably because of that fact. (I wanted to research this but I have no energy left in me for this review.)
So the story starts some years later. Celeste has been away for some time and makes it very clear for the reader that she absolutely hates Zane for all the pain he's inflicted on her. Zane on the other hand finally accepted his romantic feelings for her and wants to have her. Long story short, she also thinks he is hot and forgives him for hurting her all those years enough to start a relationship with him.
"So just to confirm, you're dating Zane Windsor, the guy you've always hated, the one who bullied you for years and gave you the worst anxiety? That guy?" (p.131)
The problem is that their grandparents absolutely hate each other and would never allow their relationship. So they keep it a secret and slowly start to convince the other family members of their love. There in a relationship for two years when Zane kneels before his grandmother who still says no.
At that point in time, Lily, Celeste's best friend, commits suicide. In her last words to Celeste she tells her that she was in a relationship with Zane and that she knows Celeste will never forgive her for it. Then she jumps. Lily has been working for Windsor Hotels, was recommended by Celeste because Lily couldn't work for Celeste's company. Celeste finds a suicide note and multiple diary entries about Zane.
Then we get a time jump of five years. I did not believe that Zane cheated on Celeste, otherwise I would have DNFed it at that moment. My other theory was that Zane's grandma is a crazy woman (I really don't like her) and she orchestrated the whole thing to break them up.
We don't get to know shit about the situation at first. For a while I thought they never talked about it aka Celeste never asked him what happened. I would have screamed if that was the case. But they did have multiple talks in which Celeste accuses Zane of cheating, he denies it and Celeste does not believe him. She then continues to destroy parts of his company and gets him into jail. He nearly destroys her company as a reaction.
So these five years later, their families forge a merger in hope that they do not completely destroy each other's companies. What come than is very exhausting to read as they have so much broken pieces in their relationship.
At that point in time, Lily, Celeste's best friend, commits suicide. In her last words to Celeste she tells her that she was in a relationship with Zane and that she knows Celeste will never forgive her for it. Then she jumps. Lily has been working for Windsor Hotels, was recommended by Celeste because Lily couldn't work for Celeste's company. Celeste finds a suicide note and multiple diary entries about Zane.
Then we get a time jump of five years. I did not believe that Zane cheated on Celeste, otherwise I would have DNFed it at that moment. My other theory was that Zane's grandma is a crazy woman (I really don't like her) and she orchestrated the whole thing to break them up.
We don't get to know shit about the situation at first. For a while I thought they never talked about it aka Celeste never asked him what happened. I would have screamed if that was the case. But they did have multiple talks in which Celeste accuses Zane of cheating, he denies it and Celeste does not believe him. She then continues to destroy parts of his company and gets him into jail. He nearly destroys her company as a reaction.
So these five years later, their families forge a merger in hope that they do not completely destroy each other's companies. What come than is very exhausting to read as they have so much broken pieces in their relationship.
This is why it could never work between us, because when we fell apart, we broke the solid foundation that made us who we were. (Zane, p.326)
Celeste still thinks he cheated on her and he thinks the minute Celeste goes crazy that she will hurt him and his family as badly again. They've completely lost trust and that is very apparent. Still, they both love each other and have sex. The whole situation is very toxic and they would both need individual therapy and a divorce in my opinion.
"I love you, Celeste, but love was never the problem between us. You don't trust me, and no matter how hard I try, I don't think I'll ever trust you either." (Zane, p.490)
Literally pages after he said that, she begs his grandmother to grand the divorce which she would have if Zane would not have had a change of heart and pulled her out of there. Then they spend weeks on an island to work through their problems and have their happy end.
I had my happy end, because I finished the book. Honestly, their discussions reminded me a bit of Ares and Raven. It was always the same problem and discussion but in this case I think it was irreparable. But well... I'm just glad I don't have to read this book anymore. It was worse in my experience than it sounds in this review. I mean it was 500 pages long...
For the attentive reader: The whole solution to the "Was he cheating or not?-question was Lily. She was apparently crazy (I forgot the diagnosis), but Celeste learns from Lily's therapist that Lily really thought she was in a relationship with Zane even though their never were. Work dinners with multiple people felt like a date to her etc. Celeste breaks down after that as she finally understand why Zane is rather annoyed when she asks him that question three times a day. Afterwards she always has the tendency to think he is cheating when he is talking with a woman. This is one of the reasons I think they should just go as far away from each other as possible.
On that note, I need to get as far away form this book as possible. I feel like this review sucked out all my energy and it still did not portray the story in the way I've seen it. This whole series is doing things to me, it's crazy. But I have high hope for Lexington and Sierra. Honestly, if Sierra's book is shit, I will DNF it and cry for all the time I have lost. Thank you for reading.
I had my happy end, because I finished the book. Honestly, their discussions reminded me a bit of Ares and Raven. It was always the same problem and discussion but in this case I think it was irreparable. But well... I'm just glad I don't have to read this book anymore. It was worse in my experience than it sounds in this review. I mean it was 500 pages long...
For the attentive reader: The whole solution to the "Was he cheating or not?-question was Lily. She was apparently crazy (I forgot the diagnosis), but Celeste learns from Lily's therapist that Lily really thought she was in a relationship with Zane even though their never were. Work dinners with multiple people felt like a date to her etc. Celeste breaks down after that as she finally understand why Zane is rather annoyed when she asks him that question three times a day. Afterwards she always has the tendency to think he is cheating when he is talking with a woman. This is one of the reasons I think they should just go as far away from each other as possible.
On that note, I need to get as far away form this book as possible. I feel like this review sucked out all my energy and it still did not portray the story in the way I've seen it. This whole series is doing things to me, it's crazy. But I have high hope for Lexington and Sierra. Honestly, if Sierra's book is shit, I will DNF it and cry for all the time I have lost. Thank you for reading.
challenging
emotional
reflective
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:
Yes
This is the best enemies to lovers I've read. I've gone back to reading books within two days. Thanks to the writer. I'm even reading another one, Forever After All and I'm already loving it. ❤️
challenging
emotional
hopeful
sad
tense
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