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dunder_mifflin's review against another edition
5.0
This might just be the best book I've ever read.
linnaboobooks's review against another edition
3.0
Trigger warnings for homophobic slurs, homophobia, blackmail, suicide, drugs, alcoholism, addiction.
I've been wanting to read this for a long time now, the title and cover always attracted me. To be honest, I never even knew what the synopsis was until I picked it up. When I saw it, it interested me even more. But sadly it wasn't it for me - maybe it's because of it being more of a character study of sorts than whatever I thought it might be or because I slugged through it a little for the first third.
But it is a fascinating read if you go into it for a character study / mainly character driven plot and are prepared for there to be a lot of the slurs speckled throughout. It also explores sexuality and Laney makes comments that explicitly acknowledge she's nonbinary without her really knowing what that is at the time.
I've been wanting to read this for a long time now, the title and cover always attracted me. To be honest, I never even knew what the synopsis was until I picked it up. When I saw it, it interested me even more. But sadly it wasn't it for me - maybe it's because of it being more of a character study of sorts than whatever I thought it might be or because I slugged through it a little for the first third.
But it is a fascinating read if you go into it for a character study / mainly character driven plot and are prepared for there to be a lot of the slurs speckled throughout. It also explores sexuality and Laney makes comments that explicitly acknowledge she's nonbinary without her really knowing what that is at the time.
magikspells's review against another edition
5.0
I'm so into this story and you won't convince me otherwise.
emmabemba's review against another edition
5.0
This book was hard emotionally. First of all, it deals with subjects such as suicide, depression, bipolar disorders and personality disorders. Those topics are not easy so please don’t read this if you aren’t emotionally prepared
gabrielle_erin's review against another edition
DNF: I got halway through this before I just could not cope anymore. This is one of the most puzzling books I have ever consumed. Raeder's writing is objectively good. There were moments of absolutely beautiful prose, masterfully crafted intertextuality and well developed characters. However, the story just lacked cohesion. The two timelines were hard to follow and the characters were so frustrating, I completely lost the point of the story as being a revenge tale. I really can't say whether this was beautiful and just went over my head, or a disaster novel written by a genius. Either way, I couldn't push through.
saschabookishowl's review against another edition
5.0
I never thought I'd enjoy a romance book so much. This was as dark as I wanted, really getting under your skin and messing with your mind. I normally don't really enjoy contemporary /realistic fiction, but this was so dark it felt unreal, in a good way.
jessicadoom's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Elliot Wake's books have been on my TBR for years. I started "Bad Boy" way back when and was too busy to actually read it, but figured I should start from the beginning since they tie together. And I'm glad I did! It seems important now that I understand the backstory of how Black Iris was founded.
Overall, I did really enjoy the book. I found myself wanting to do nothing but finish the book, despite all the obstacles in my life that made that difficult and the process a bit drawn out.
The writing was beautifully poetic, and the characters very complex. The only thing that brought this down to a very solid three for me would be that there's simply too much smut for my little demisexual self. A lot of it felt unnecessary, even though I do understand that it helped to seal Laney's characterization. If I was someone else, maybe it wouldn't have bothered me as much.
All that aside, the thrilling twists and turns really did keep me engaged and I can't wait to continue reading the rest of his books!
Overall, I did really enjoy the book. I found myself wanting to do nothing but finish the book, despite all the obstacles in my life that made that difficult and the process a bit drawn out.
The writing was beautifully poetic, and the characters very complex. The only thing that brought this down to a very solid three for me would be that there's simply too much smut for my little demisexual self. A lot of it felt unnecessary, even though I do understand that it helped to seal Laney's characterization. If I was someone else, maybe it wouldn't have bothered me as much.
All that aside, the thrilling twists and turns really did keep me engaged and I can't wait to continue reading the rest of his books!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction, Mental illness, Sexual content, Death of parent, Drug use, Grief, Lesbophobia, Suicide, Alcohol, Biphobia, Drug abuse, and Homophobia
Moderate: Gun violence, Injury/Injury detail, Bullying, and Violence
Minor: Child abuse, Dysphoria, Emotional abuse, and Murder
kacelaface's review against another edition
5.0
Drugged out teenage lesbian revenge porn? YES, PLEASE!
Man, I loved every single thing about this book. Lyrical, captivating and deeply disturbing. I adored Raeder's Unteachable and she has without a doubt landed herself on my auto-buy list with this effort.
Man, I loved every single thing about this book. Lyrical, captivating and deeply disturbing. I adored Raeder's Unteachable and she has without a doubt landed herself on my auto-buy list with this effort.