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3.48 AVERAGE
3.48 AVERAGE
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
The book kept my interest the whole way through. However, I wish we had more of Marc and Ziggy. I know we needed the beginning to understand Ziggy but it didn't need to be so long. It was half the book and it left me disappointed in the real love story.
Overall it was a good book that kept me reading, it's just not my favorite.
Overall it was a good book that kept me reading, it's just not my favorite.
Lots of twist and turns some difficult themes
It took me a while to get this book but then you realize that there is more to it than first meets the eye, a feeling you get but are not certain of at first; lots of twists and some different themes. Stick with it, it develops into a good story. Lots of characters that I'm sure will get to have their story too.
It took me a while to get this book but then you realize that there is more to it than first meets the eye, a feeling you get but are not certain of at first; lots of twists and some different themes. Stick with it, it develops into a good story. Lots of characters that I'm sure will get to have their story too.
Usually I like having the fully flushed out experience of a character during their low point. It gives great perspective and becomes the ultimate show don’t tell. Unfortunately this book didn’t spend the same amount of time to Ziggy’s recovery so the pacing was super lopsided. Otherwise enjoyable enough.
Im not sure how I feel about this book. I like the idea of this book. It could have been better. The beginning was wasted on Ziggy's relationship with Damian. I didn't mind the author telling us what happen to Ziggy at the hands of Damian but Marc and Ziggy didn't met until 40% into the book and their love was to insta for me. The book also went by way to fast after they met. The author made it seem like Marc had demons like Ziggy but in reality he didn't. For a dark romance, I wish there was a little more angst. Damian didn't even come after him other than the threat in the hospital. There wasn't even a really good lead up to his arrest and why him and his brother did what they did. Over all this book missed the mark and it could have been so good.
This is the first story I’ve read by this author and I have an addition to my watch list. I felt heartbroken for Ziggy. He just can’t seem to get a break. His life isn’t anything anyone strives for and he doesn’t really have many ways of changing that. He is a likable and careful character, yet he gets drawn into a situation that leaves him in a life-threatening possibility. Thank goodness fate is looking down on him and Marc is called on to attend to him. This becomes an instant attraction. Marc’s family is so warm but Ziggy has trust issues that might not let him be open again. I really enjoyed the secondary characters especially Marc’s mom. I look forward to more by this author.
4-4.5 stars
Before I start, I just want to say this: read the trigger warnings because they're there for a reason. The first half of the book is very tough and hard hitting - not in a bad way - but like most things we go through the tough part to get to the good things in life.
With that out of the way, on to the review proper. I've read the author's other books but this is nothing like those, this is far darker in tone than those but written with the same flair and attention to detail. The strength is in the characters, we meet Ziggy first and he's just the best. He's at times hopeful, happy, naive, older than his years yet full of a zest for life and really just wants to be loved, which sadly is his downfall. He's too trusting by half and even though you can see what's coming, you're there with him for the whole thing.
The whole first half of the book is necessary so we get to the happy ending that surely Ziggy deserves. I liked Marc too, I like to think there are actually people as good as him in the world, although they're sadly few and far between. I'm happy these two found each other and found exactly what the other needed, this was a balanced relationship in the end I think, and far from where Ziggy was at the start.
Ultimately it's a dark story with a deserved happy ending and I'm keen for more. (Duke please?)
I received an ARC and this is my honest review.
Before I start, I just want to say this: read the trigger warnings because they're there for a reason. The first half of the book is very tough and hard hitting - not in a bad way - but like most things we go through the tough part to get to the good things in life.
With that out of the way, on to the review proper. I've read the author's other books but this is nothing like those, this is far darker in tone than those but written with the same flair and attention to detail. The strength is in the characters, we meet Ziggy first and he's just the best. He's at times hopeful, happy, naive, older than his years yet full of a zest for life and really just wants to be loved, which sadly is his downfall. He's too trusting by half and even though you can see what's coming, you're there with him for the whole thing.
The whole first half of the book is necessary so we get to the happy ending that surely Ziggy deserves. I liked Marc too, I like to think there are actually people as good as him in the world, although they're sadly few and far between. I'm happy these two found each other and found exactly what the other needed, this was a balanced relationship in the end I think, and far from where Ziggy was at the start.
Ultimately it's a dark story with a deserved happy ending and I'm keen for more. (Duke please?)
I received an ARC and this is my honest review.
Saving Ziggy was a wild ride. It is the embodiment of the meme: It really had me going in the first half. Because in the first half, the book is told solely from Ziggy's POV. The man that he's with in the first half seems, at first, to be exactly the kind of man that Ziggy is looking for though there are some incredibly bright red flags.
And then everything shifts. His romantic hero's true colors show in a way that almost destroys him and we get to meet MC2, Marc. He meets Ziggy when Ziggy is at his lowest point and is instantly drawn to the broken man in the back of his ambulance. He checks in on him at A&E and witnesses a scene between Ziggy and Damian, the man from the first part of the book. Once Marc enters into Ziggy's life, the book takes on a different tone: one of healing.
This book left an impact. I loved the relationship between Marc and Ziggy. I loved the way that Marc's family became Ziggy's family over the course of the book. I loved that the relationship between Marc and Ziggy took time, that the attraction between them was not given into immediately and that Ziggy was given time and space to breathe and heal. I especially liked the way that Adams dealt with Ziggy's trauma, not making it gone immediately and still existing years later in the epilogue. The side characters were beautiful and dynamic, just as much as Ziggy and Marc themselves. I don't feel that there was any scrimping done on characterization nor plot.
Honestly, I can't think of much about this story that I didn't love.
Saving Ziggy is a powerful hurt/comfort story told in a Dual POV with a pretty high level of angst but enough sweetness and softness to balance it out. It is a darker romance, and if you're sensitive to topics such as sexual assault and grooming, it is not for you. Please heed the trigger warnings that Alex J Adams puts at the beginning of the book, because those things exist and they are a very large part of the story itself.
** ARC PROVIDED BY GRR AND THIS IS MY HONEST REVIEW **
And then everything shifts. His romantic hero's true colors show in a way that almost destroys him and we get to meet MC2, Marc. He meets Ziggy when Ziggy is at his lowest point and is instantly drawn to the broken man in the back of his ambulance. He checks in on him at A&E and witnesses a scene between Ziggy and Damian, the man from the first part of the book. Once Marc enters into Ziggy's life, the book takes on a different tone: one of healing.
This book left an impact. I loved the relationship between Marc and Ziggy. I loved the way that Marc's family became Ziggy's family over the course of the book. I loved that the relationship between Marc and Ziggy took time, that the attraction between them was not given into immediately and that Ziggy was given time and space to breathe and heal. I especially liked the way that Adams dealt with Ziggy's trauma, not making it gone immediately and still existing years later in the epilogue. The side characters were beautiful and dynamic, just as much as Ziggy and Marc themselves. I don't feel that there was any scrimping done on characterization nor plot.
Honestly, I can't think of much about this story that I didn't love.
Saving Ziggy is a powerful hurt/comfort story told in a Dual POV with a pretty high level of angst but enough sweetness and softness to balance it out. It is a darker romance, and if you're sensitive to topics such as sexual assault and grooming, it is not for you. Please heed the trigger warnings that Alex J Adams puts at the beginning of the book, because those things exist and they are a very large part of the story itself.
** ARC PROVIDED BY GRR AND THIS IS MY HONEST REVIEW **
Out of the frying
Pan, into Marc's life... at
the halfway point. Meh.
Pan, into Marc's life... at
the halfway point. Meh.
3 ⭐
SPOILERS:
I don't know what it was about this one that was just 'meh' for me. I think it boils down to the writing. I think the author did a pretty good job showing a domestic abuse situation, and how it could be that the victim doesn't even realize what is happening while it's going on.
I don't love how quickly Ziggy warmed up to Mark. I think the second half of the story moved too fast, and I never quite bought their relationship. Heck, we spent almost as much time with Damian as we did with Mark, which I think given the length of the book, was a mistake. When we were 30% through the book and still with Damian, I was growing concerned that this would actually be Ziggy's love interest. As a reader, it was obvious pretty early on what was happening, so I don't know why this section was so long. I also would have liked a bit more character development for the side characters.
Ultimately, I think the length of the book was not enough for the topics that were covered: domestic violence, emotional abuse, physical assault, sexual assault, prostitution, mentions of pedophilia.
It just didn't impact me like I was hoping it would, and I'm left feeling pretty meh.
SPOILERS:
I don't know what it was about this one that was just 'meh' for me. I think it boils down to the writing. I think the author did a pretty good job showing a domestic abuse situation, and how it could be that the victim doesn't even realize what is happening while it's going on.
I don't love how quickly Ziggy warmed up to Mark. I think the second half of the story moved too fast, and I never quite bought their relationship. Heck, we spent almost as much time with Damian as we did with Mark, which I think given the length of the book, was a mistake. When we were 30% through the book and still with Damian, I was growing concerned that this would actually be Ziggy's love interest. As a reader, it was obvious pretty early on what was happening, so I don't know why this section was so long. I also would have liked a bit more character development for the side characters.
Ultimately, I think the length of the book was not enough for the topics that were covered: domestic violence, emotional abuse, physical assault, sexual assault, prostitution, mentions of pedophilia.
It just didn't impact me like I was hoping it would, and I'm left feeling pretty meh.
Ziggy’s life has been heartbreaking pretty much from the start. And it even gets worse as this story evolves. He trusts the wrong man and pays dearly. But if he didn’t go through what he went through he would never had met Marc and never would have gotten his happy ending. It won’t be an easy journey but it ends up being a pretty sweet happy ending. This book will break your heart but the author will eventually put it back together. Loved it and I can’t wait for the next book!