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jacknox's review
dark
emotional
hopeful
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.25
jody_diou's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
jackie_of_all_books's review
5.0
Damn this book was good. She considers it a dark romance but I would almost call it on the edge of being a thriller. In the prequel we know that jays father held him captive in the basement and abused him. And then he brought Robin to use as a pawn to make jay do what he wants. We find out that Robin escapes. Jay helps her. He puts his dad in the cellar and has the dogs crated and he tells her to run no matter what. Robin watched the house burn down and she always thought that Jay died inside of it and she always felt that guilt. She is now a therapist and she has just lost one of her patients and she feels so guilty about it. The girl Maria made her think so much of Jay and she tried so hard to save her but the girl killed herself. We are put in the pov of John who owns a garage, his friend Jay comes to visit him. Jay tells him he needs his help that he has a girl who needs his help but he’ll have to kidnap her. John wants no part of it and thinks Jay should leave her alone. But Jay takes johns car and chloroform’s her and brings her to his house. When she wakes up she keeps saying Jay but he tells her it’s John and she keeps calling for Jay. He tells her Jay isn’t here right now that he’s here to keep her safe from Jay. She tells him she’s not scared of Jay. And he realizes she’s more scared of him than she is of Jay. She awakens in a room that looks just like the room she had been trapped in before. He created a mimic of the basement they had been stuck in although this time she got a bed instead of a blanket on the floor. Jay tells her he needs her help but that she needs his too. He admits he had been watching her and he was there the night she took the sleeping pills and tried to kill herself. And that’s the maddest he’s ever been at her. He told her he had planned to stay away until he watched that and knew she needed help too. Robin realizes that the door is unlocked and tries to leave but hears a growl and is thrown back to Jays fathers dog. Jay has a dog just like his dad did and he grabs ahold of her to stop her from leaving. He shows her that his dog is friendly but he will not let her leave he is trained too well. Robin knows she needs to talk to Jay and that she owes him everything so she will do whatever he says. She will not try to leave again. He knew she’d try to leave but he hopes she wouldn’t. He tells her he’ll have to handcuff her but they fall asleep beside each other and she begs him not to and he agrees. He tells her when she’s good he has a room for her upstairs. John tells Robin that he was adopted and it was hard for him but Jay was a good friend for him when he needed one. Robin tells Jay the room the dog the camera it’s not okay and he tells her it’s a second chance for them to fix all those bad memories from before. When she’s good and gets her upstairs room it is a mimic of her room at home. He has copies it along with adding details that she had described to him before. But he bricked her window so she can’t see outside, she is still a prisoner. Robin and Jay have their first kiss after he tells her how he had watched her the night she tried to kill herself. Robin has tried to touch his chest but he grabs her wrists every time and shuts down. Robin asks Jay to hold her and he tells her no and she feels so much rejection; she just wants to be held. Robin asks Jay what he thinks will happen once John knows everything and he tells her he doesn’t know. What doesn’t John know? Robin keeps trying to get sexual with Jay and he tells her he can’t because he wants to make it hurt and she tells him to do it and he tells her to go to bed. John mentions how everything is so strange to him. He feels like he knows Robin and the room and everything just feels like he’s been here before. Jay tells John “she’s just as much for you as she is for me”. And we think back to the games his dad played with him and wonder if he’s as messed up as his dad playing these games but we know he doesn’t want to hurt Robin. I begin to get confused when Robin begs John to hold her, she’s in love with Jay why does she want John to hold her too? Robin begs Jay to have sex with her and to give her what she deserves and punish her. They have rough sex. And it was amazing but when Robin wakes up she’s alone. Robin makes note of how John doesn’t remember her. Why should he? How is John connected to all of this. John tells her he wants to take her away and keep her, and tells her he wants to fuck her until she forgets, until she’s only his. Robin wants to tell John, we don’t know what but she has something to tell him. But with the camera she knows he’s supposed to remmeber these things on his own. John makes note of how him and Jay met when he was young so we start to wonder if they were siblings or met at an orphanage or something. John realized that Jay set him up and these sessions aren’t about her they’re about him. Robin tells Jay that they really need to tell John because he’s the only thing holding them back. She wants Jay in her life fully and completely but John is standing in the way. Jay asks her if she loves john and she doesn’t want to tell him the truth because it will hurt him. WHY DOES SHE LOVE JOHN WHO IS HE. She tries to hint to john on how they know each other but he doesn’t remember anything. She tells him she loves him and thinks he loves her too. But not to leave until she can tell him everything. He had told her they needed to get out of there and away from Jay that he wanted to protect her. John has a memory of a boy beating his dad with a shovel and killed him. And he says I’m not john I’m Jay. And this is when I realize he has a multi personality disorder. John was his real name and Jay is who he became with Robin. He says that she had been calling him Jay since the first day and he should have corrected her that his name is john but he doesn’t want to be john he just wants to be her Jay. Robin hears a commotion in the bathroom. John and Jay have discovered who the other is and are having a fight in the bathroom. Robin begs him to let her help but he tells her he has to go and he gently forces her outside. She manages to get his phone and she calls 911. She goes back inside and Jay is passed out and unconscious but he has breath. She begs for him to come back to her. Jay wakes up in the hospital and is nervous about being handcuffed down and everything attached to him. Robin tells him he had been freaking out when he woke up so they’ve had to put him back under but she tells the nurses he’s fine and coherent and to uncuff him. He tells her he has dissociative identity disorder. Constant therapy and a desire to be well are important. It’s not genetic but can arise from abuse and stress. He tells her he’s always loved her and he always will. Robin is looking into johns mothers death for him and she discovers it was an overdose. Robin tells him she loves John and Jay, both sides of him. In the epilogue John asks if she’s going to come in for her party and we discover it’s a baby shower, they’re pregnant. It’s 2 years later. John has built her a home. He has worked with therapy and is doing much better. He has friends and is able to communicate and Robin loves him through it all. I had no idea what I was getting myself into but this book was so good. Robin and Jay went through some awful things at the hands of jays father. And then 20 years later Robin was able to help Jay/John. She was able to show him her love and help show him that his disorder can be maintained and he isn’t broken and he can still be loved. He was willing to kill himself to protect Robin but she was willing to do the same for him. She knew the danger she was in but kept herself there to save him.
readingwithabaddie's review
dark
tense
2.75
This was both darker and lighter than I thought. A lot of it was predictable, but also some parts were difficult to read. The prologue is unnecessary, and the protagonist is excruciatingly weak. But I did feel for the love interest in the end, so I'll give credit where it's due.
Also, not as much smut as you'd think.
Also, not as much smut as you'd think.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Kidnapping, Child abuse, Confinement, Mental illness, and Physical abuse
Moderate: Schizophrenia/Psychosis
indraleest's review
dark
informative
mysterious
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Mental illness, Suicide attempt, Violence, and Schizophrenia/Psychosis
snf_83's review
3.0
I really liked this but it's not possible to review this fairly without giving away the plot.
charlottenw1's review
3.0
This is the first book I have read by Willow and I really enjoyed her writing style throughout the book as it completely kept immersed through the story line. I found it difficult to understand the relationship between the 3 main characters to start with and how Robin handles some situations but I liked how the story showed all the dark and difficult sides of trying to overcome someones demons.
katrina_8505's review
5.0
OMG.. WOW..I got to read the ARC of this story... I did not see that coming when I got to the last few chapters.. This is a really great book.. I do not want to give to much away since it has not been released yet.. But I say you well want to read it comes out and read about Robin, Jay, and John... 💞
thebookishattitude's review
4.0
Do you have an expectation?
Cause if you do I suggest you loose them.
The synopsis draws you in, but it also gives nothing away.
This is not your typical love story, this is not a love triangle, this is not something you should walk into with a narrow mind.
This story is raw, emotional, gut wrenching.
At times you will feel conflicted, worried for the main characters and rooting for the outcome. Everything is layered beautifully, nothing is given away, and then the light bulb will go off over your head and you'll be like... Oh My God. You won't see it, but you'll know. And then you'll get an explanation.
I finished this book in one sitting, I needed to know how it ended, how the story played out. And if it hooks you like it did me, you'll finish it in one sittting too.. So make sure you have the time.
Cause if you do I suggest you loose them.
The synopsis draws you in, but it also gives nothing away.
This is not your typical love story, this is not a love triangle, this is not something you should walk into with a narrow mind.
This story is raw, emotional, gut wrenching.
At times you will feel conflicted, worried for the main characters and rooting for the outcome. Everything is layered beautifully, nothing is given away, and then the light bulb will go off over your head and you'll be like... Oh My God. You won't see it, but you'll know. And then you'll get an explanation.
I finished this book in one sitting, I needed to know how it ended, how the story played out. And if it hooks you like it did me, you'll finish it in one sittting too.. So make sure you have the time.